Batch saving and opening multiple files at once

[ptc-4464984]

Once again my reach exceeds my grasp in Creo. Is it possible to open several files at once? For example I need to save 10 files as step files. I would like to open all ten of them and then as I save them close their windows. But to do this I have to click file, open, select my part, and repeat. Why can't I select 10 parts. I realize there is performance issues with letting people open 1000 files at once, but 5-10 isn't a big deal.

On that topic, is there a way to batch automate saving files as step files. My company includes a .stp file to our manufacturers for reference. That means I have to save hundreds of files as .stp sometimes. I would love a way to drop a .bat file or something into a folder and have it save all the proe parts as .stp files.

Thanks in advance,

A overworked mechanical engineer.

[SamuelBrantner]

Hi Josh,

i don't think their is a convenient solution to do such a task with standard Pro/E / Creo functionality. You can only easy your pain with some mapkeys.

We have some toolkit tools that could do that task for you. If you would like futher information about that feel free to email me to samuel@buw-soft.de

greetings

Sam

[TomD.inPDX]

Odd little work around idea; if you find yourself doing this with the same parts often... build an assembly with all the parts and assemblies you want to open. That way you open the "mass assembly" and everything would be in memory (except drawings).

You might also consider editing a trail file to automate the process. Simply capture a trail file with the commands you want for one model and edit the trail to duplicate the process for the remaining files. This method would let you do drawings as well.

[BrianMartin]

Hi Joshua...

Sam and Antonius have offered two good ideas. However, there is a utility provided with your installation of Creo that can do this job for you. It's called Distributed Pro/BATCH. Previously there was just a probatch.exe file located in the loadpoint of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire that allowed you to launch the application in batch mode to generate plot, step, PDF, or other output files. Now the process is a bit different.

Distributed Pro/BATCH comes for free with any installation of Creo. You can provide a list of files to the batch processor and the application will create output files for you.

There's also a capability for batch processing within Creo View. You may not have licenses for Creo View... but if you do, I might even try the new batch processor with Creo View first. If you don't have a license of Creo View, look for information on Distributed Pro/BATCH. I believe it shows up as dbatchs.exe in the Creo Common Files directory.

Let me know if you need further instructions...

Thanks!

-Brian

[John.Pryal]

Hi Brian,

further instruction would be very helpful, i am struggling to see how this works. I got the same error message as Josh. I have to output dxf & pdf for all my drawing sets, typically 20 to 30 drawings per set, it takes an age. I have asked this question in the past, but nobody replied if my memory serves me correctly. I am currently using Creo Elements/pro.

Regards

John

ps. sorry for hi-jacking the post

[ptc-4464984]

Brian,

Thanks for the information about Distributed Pro/Batch. I think this would be a very powerful tool to use. I am not sure why it is so hidden. I searched for it and found the executablehere:

PTC\Creo 1.0\Common Files\M030\i486_nt\nms

But when I try to run it I get the following error message.

"The program can't start because ucore46.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem."

I don't think my installation of Creo is currupt. Can you provide any more information about how to use Distributed Pro/Batch because I would love to learn more.

Thank you in advance,

Josh

[TomD.inPDX]

I have had this happen before when I was trying to compile fonts. I copied the missing DLL file(s) to the windows System32 folder. When you search for these files, you will find several versions because every different PTC app has these same files. Once you move the ucore46.dll, it will likely have an error with another file.

I would like some better explanation of why the executables fail but that is how I got around it. Not optimal but it worked for now.

[BrianMartin]

Hi Josh & John...

I believe when you run the installation tool for Creo Elements/Pro there's an option to install Distributed Pro/BATCH or skip it. It's an optional install, it's not there by default. I think it's under "Other Programs" or "Other Modules".

Either way, some of the files are installed... but not all of them. In your loadpoint bin directory for Creo Elements/Pro, you should see prodbatch.bat. This file will launch Distributerd Pro/BATCH. I have to see where this has been moved to for Creo.

In order to figure out the exact steps to get it working, I'm downloading the entire Creo Elements Pro/5 and Creo 2.0 installation files again. I'll try to go through and figure out what steps have to be taken to get it working. It used to be simple... go to the bin directory and run probatch.bat. Now suddenly it's gotten difficult!

In the meantime, I found a couple of useful links you can check out incase you want to do some investigations on your own: http://www.ptc.com/WCMS/files/69138/en/dBatch_FAQ.pdf

And here's another one (if you can get in to the ptc.com knowledgebase): https://www.ptc.com/appserver/cs/view/solution.jsp?n=CS28241

I know that's not quite enough information to get you going... but it does give a nice overview of the capabilities of Distributed Pro/BATCH. I think this is exactly what you're looking for... and it might even be a help for Sam!

Thanks!

-Brian

[nkumar-10-11-124]

The creo files are "IMPORT" in creo distributed batch? 

[gkoch]

Stumbled over this old thread and resolved it as assumed answered.

Rounding up:

• The tool to use is <install>\Parametric\bin\ptcdbatch.bat
• It requires to install Distributed Batch Services
• It is slighly more complex than the old probatch.bat, because it unifies remote and local processing
• Errors regarding unicodes are pretty general, mostly related to system paths
  • See PTC Knowledge Database article CS135880 : Error because of missing ucore library when launching applications (http://www.ptc.com/appserver/cs/view/solution.jsp?n=CS135880)

[MartinHanak]

Joshua,

I am sending the document I created in the past. I hope it is stil usable.

Martin Hanak