cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Community Tip - Learn all about the Community Ranking System, a fun gamification element of the PTC Community. X

Finding default datum planes

dgschaefer
21-Topaz II

Finding default datum planes

How can I use the search tool to reliably find the three default datum planes in a model, given that they may not always be the first three features and may not have the names that correspond to our company standards?

Doug Schaefer

This thread is inactive and closed by the PTC Community Management Team. If you would like to provide a reply and re-open this thread, please notify the moderator and reference the thread. You may also use "Start a topic" button to ask a new question. Please be sure to include what version of the PTC product you are using so another community member knowledgeable about your version may be able to assist.
--
Doug Schaefer | Experienced Mechanical Design Engineer
LinkedIn
5 REPLIES 5
mjenkins
5-Regular Member
(To:dgschaefer)

Select Datum Plane and hit Options> Save Query

This will create a datum_plane layer like the included picture.

OR if you really want to get rid of other stupid layers, open your assembly and load the included config file, then type "nlp". I call this one nuclear layer propagation!!! (for WF3)

In Reply to Doug Schaefer:

How can I use the search tool to reliably find the three default datum planes in a model, given that they may not always be the first three features and may not have the names that correspond to our company standards?

Doug Schaefer




Michael R. Jenkins P.E.
Design Engineer
Direct: 816-801-2332
Fax: 816-891-9432

Commercial Vehicle Systems
Haldex Brake Products Corporation
10930 North Pomona Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64153-1215

Thanks Michael, but what you describe I think will pick up ALL datum
plane features. I'm wanting to find only the 3 default datums. It
doesn't apear that they are tagged in any way special, so there's no
real way to grab them by a rule. You can assume that they are in the
first 4 features or that they have certain names, but that won't be 100%
effective.

Thanks,

Doug Schaefer
--
Doug Schaefer | Experienced Mechanical Design Engineer
LinkedIn

Sorry Doug, I don't believe there is a way to 100% reliably find the default datums.

Feature numbers don't work - they may have been reordered.

Feature id's won't work - they may have been created later, by suppressing everything existing first.

names - you know that one.

Hmmmm - I don't know how to test for it, but they would be datum planes that have no parents.

Glenn,

I was hoping to hear from you on this. I like the thought of the
default planes as features with out parents, but is that something you
could test for?

I'm beginning to think that having them on a separate layer may be of
little value anyway.

Doug Schaefer
--
Doug Schaefer | Experienced Mechanical Design Engineer
LinkedIn

Doug,

Doing mostly advanced layout work, I can attest to the GREAT value in
having the default datums on a separate layer. I'm constantly juggling
parts around trying to achieve the smallest package or trying to fit 10
pounds of stuff in a 1 pound space... being able to quickly turn all
the layers off in an assembly, then just turn the assembly and a single
parts default datums on is a great help. Especially when I've got 100's
of parts some with massive quantities of datum planes... I also try to
always turn on JUST the default datums when I'm helping someone with a
modeling question. My hope is that they will practice the good modeling
technique of using the default datums most of the time for references.
Again, since I'm mostly working advance concepts where designs change
rapidly and often, I'm especially critical of this...

I don't have a solution for your question, unfortunately. We have start
parts with default datums on a 1_DEFAULT_PLANE layer, and a rule set up
to feed all new datums into the 1_ALL_PLANES... In any case... just
my humble opinion...

Paul Korenkiewicz
FEV , Inc.
4554 Glenmeade
Auburn Hills, MI, 48326-1766

Top Tags