Family Table Weight

[BenLoosli]

I am creating some new family tables of standard hardware items and 1 column is the weight of the item.

Currently, I am saving the generic file, then opening each instance and running our Mass Weight update mapkey to get the proper weight reflected in the instance parameters.

Is there a way to automate this so it is even faster than the 8 keystrokes it now takes. It isn't the keystrokes that takes time, it is the 300+ instances to be updated that does.

Creo2 M220

Windchill 10.0 M040

[dschenken]

Verifying the family table should calculate all the Mass properties, and all other characteristics, for all the instances.

[MartinHanak]

Hi,

see attached part created in CR2 M070. Its family table contains column with parameter W. The value of parameter W is defined using post regeneration relation.

MH

[cschmid]

Martin, 

This doesn't seem to work. When I attempt to change the density or change the size of the cube part you created it doesn't regenerate and update the weight "W" for all the instances.

Is there something wrong perhaps a config setting?

[BenLoosli]

What version of Creo are you using?

It works fine for me using post-regeneration relations and a saved mass property calculation in Creo2 and Creo4.

Martin's example worked fine in Creo2.

[BenLoosli]

David - Verify does not update the weight column in my FT. I thought it should, too.

I am defining the weight parameter at the top of the relations file, before I set the size specific parameter values. I will try to move it to the bottom of the file.

Martin - Zip files are blocked on our system, but I can get them from another backdoor method ☺.

In order to have it in Post Regenration, do I put the relation weight = pro_mp_mass at the bottom fo the pro/program between the MASSPROP and ENDMASSPROP lines?

[MartinHanak]

In Generic model define following...

MH

[BenLoosli]

have added weight=pro_mp_mass to a post regeneration relation, but the values in my family table are not updating. I also added mass_property_calculoate automatic to my config.pro.

Even when I opened your sample file in creo 2 M160 and added a new instance of 50, it did not update the FT W column.

[Kevin]

Something else you may want to consider is using fully assigned alternate mass properties.

[BenLoosli]

I have almost 400 instances of a hardware library multiplied by 5 different materials/generic types.

This needs to be done from the verify function within the family table. When I verify the added instances, it builds my description parameters from other parameters in the relations or family table columns with no issues, The weight is assigned from the generic model and applied to of the instances. One small model change to the generic and all the weights have to be recalculated. (Which I just did and now have 325 instances to update the weight on in one family.)

To me, something is broken here!

[Kevin]

‌The problem we were concerned with even with an analysis feature is that the model constantly has to be regenerated and saved. With the mass properties and based on what I've experienced with family tables is that everything is tied to the generic. The values do get updated but only instantaneously. The way around this that worked was to set the alternate mass property values to the calculated mass property values using the post regeneration relations, add the columns for the alternate mass property values to the table and verify the instances. This got the mass properties right but it still causes the models to want to regenerate and need to be saved, which looking at it makes sense since the instances depend on the generic for geometry. The way around this was to commnt out the relations after verifying the table to keep the alternate values, regen the generic to get its mass properties, and change the mass properties to fully defined. By doing this the model stopped requiring regeneration and saving of the model due to changes. This worked well for library parts. When I tried an analysis feature for the mass properties I seem to remember it causing the same regeneration and saving issue but it's been a while since I tried this so I could be wrong. For your case if you are still making changes you would need to un-comment the relations to update the table.

[psobejko · Accepted solution]

Well, I'm seeing the same behaviour (Creo 2.0, M230) - pro_mp_mass will not update in instances, even after family table verification.

By the way, I avoid using the pro_mp_mass parameter in relations because it essentially depends on the setting of a config.pro variable mass_property_calculate.

However, why not create an analysis feature in the in your generic part and use it to get the weight?

Use the Mass Properties tool in the Analysis tab, Model Report section.

Change from "Quick" to "Feature".  Rename the feature to what you want, let's say "Mass_Prop_1"

Then, using the post-regeneration area of relations, write the relation:

weight = mass:fid_Mass_Prop_1

I tried this - family table verification will correctly update "weight" in all the instances.

[BenLoosli]

Thank you, Paul.

I just ran the verify on my 300+ family table and they all updated.

[dcokin]

I know this is an old thread, but someone linked here recently, so I guess people are still referencing it.  I found a different solution to this problem recently, so thought I'd share.

We had a family table of harness connectors (just rough envelopes of their outer mold line).  Specification included all their masses, and I wanted to add this as a column to the table.

• In generic models, created mass properties analysis feature set to create a parameter for the volume of the part. Named this "CALCULATE_VOLUME" and moved to footer.
• Added relations:
  PRO_MP_ALT_VOLUME = VOLUME:FID_CALCULATE_VOLUME
  MP_DENSITY = PRO_MP_ALT_MASS / PRO_MP_ALT_VOLUME
  

  Note: this will fail if you haven't typed a number into "PRO_MP_ALT_MASS" and the field is still blank.  You can always create your own "MASS" & "VOLUME" parameters if you prefer, but I figured I'd use the built in ones.  You can find these in Parameters dialog by changing the pop-up on the lower right from "Main" to "Alternate mass properties".

• In the family table, add columns for PRO_MP_ALT_MASS & PRO_MP_ALT_VOLUME, along with the dimensions changing the part geometry. Fill in the mass column with your desired values, but leave the volume column alone.
• Click the "verify instances of the family" button, and notice that all the values in the volume column are updated!
• There is still a problem though. Every time you use one of these instances, that analysis feature is going to want to trigger a regeneration (and be checked out of PDM system, etc)!  Not acceptable...  So, suppress that analysis feature, and comment out (/*) the first relation.  Now the instances can be used without regeneration.

If you want to update the generic to make a geometry change or add new instances, then you've got to temporarily unsupress the analysis feature, and uncomment that relation, and then do the "verification" to update all the volumes, so the density calculations will still be correct.  I put more comments in the relations to explain that to other users who may need to make updates in the future.

EDIT:  okay, I realize now I've posted a solution to what is sorta the opposite problem from what original question was related to.

He was trying to get the calculated mass of each instance to be properly shown as a parameter.  I was trying to get the calculated mass of each instance to properly match a given value (so they would have proper influence on higher assemblies, even though the models weren't very detailed).