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rhamill1-Visitor
1-Visitor
December 21, 2016
Question

Creo 2.0: Surface cuts - how to use surfaces for cuts only?

  • December 21, 2016
  • 2 replies
  • 5887 views

Hello,

 

I am currently involved in a student project and have developed a model (of a chassis) using a 'top down assembly' style. The square bars (individual parts) have been assembled in place and then cut to length and shape using surface cuts. Cuts are performed by copying surface, solidify > cut. Some surface cuts using surfaces from other parts and also some cuts using surfaces made purely to cut. The surfaces used purely to cut now get in the way of the model and must be hidden each time the model is loaded, they also appear when the model is exported for FEA and therefore we are currently saving the model as a STEP file with solid objects only.

 

Main question:

Surely there must be a way to have a surface which is only used as a cut and not part of the model? i.e. Can you make a surface to act only as a feature rather than part of the assembly?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Pic: Shows fills/ surfaces (used to cut parts to length) hiding the actual chassis.

Assembly Cut Surfaces.PNG


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2 replies

T
TomD.inPDX17-Peridot
17-Peridot
December 21, 2016

You have to manually save your layer status after hiding thing.

There are only a few limitations with this.  You cannot hide the primary solid, for instance.

If you pull up the message bar to about 4 lines, you will see a warning if you forgot to save your layer status when you save your part/asm.

R
rhamill1-VisitorAuthor
1-Visitor
December 21, 2016

Thanks for the reply! If I do that am I right in saying it still simply 'hides' the surfaces? And when exported into other software for FEA the surfaces will reappear? And how about even creating drawings in Creo?

T
TomD.inPDX17-Peridot
17-Peridot
December 22, 2016

Yes and no.  The export you do has a lot to do with it also.  Sometimes trimmed surfaces only come across untrimmed.

There are a lot of INTF settings that manage the details such as hidden and suppressed features as well some of their nuances.

Bottom line, hiding is PTC's way of making them filterable.  I use Hide with STEP and PARASOLID in both parts and assemblies all the time with no issues.

If you have maintenance and can create a support file, I am sure one of the support techs can walk you through it faster than stumbling around this maze.

kdirth
21-Topaz I
kdirth21-Topaz I
21-Topaz I
December 22, 2016

Placing the surfaces on a layer will allow all of them to be hidden easily in the model and the drawing.

My experience with using surfaces to cut has been that they "disappear" when used for a solidify cut.  I use it regularly in parts and just tried it in an assembly with the same result.

Is there a model option that can be set to change how a surface is handled when using a solidify cut?


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