File & Folder managment suggestions

[fdefilippi]

Greetings-

I'm in need of some good advice on file management in Creo. 

I come from the SWX world were library files were part of the s/w package, so managing those wasn't something I had to worry about.  However, I don't see standard built in libraries  and was told by my predecessor Creo does have those.   I also discovered last week that Creo doesn't remember directory paths, and if you want to I would have to create a path in a config file, which I know little about.   The file management seems very different and a bit overwhelming from what I'm use to in INV/ SWX, and I could use some advice on file managing.

thanks

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.

[BenLoosli]

The main reason for 'lack' of file management functions in Creo is that PTC wants to sell your company their data management Windchill package to manager everything for you. If you are a 1-person shop, it is overkill.

For the small shop, you do need to learn about the config.pro file and the configuration editor. This file controls how Creo does things for you. For drawings, there is a companion detail (.dtl) configuration file.

As for data management, look in the help section for details on Search.pro. This file will establish the search order that Creo uses when loading an assembly and looking for your library files. Establish a file folder structure that makes sense to you, then build the search.pro file to search that file structure so you get the files you need loaded in your assembly. Do NOT put the same named file in multiple folders as Creo will load the first one it encounters which may not be the real version you want. Also be careful when saving files as Creo may save them all to the working directory even though they came from a library folder.

[fdefilippi]

Thanks Ben.  I did call our reseller about another issue and the sales person was trying to push Windchill on me, even though I'm the only user at my very small company of 12 people.   I had to nicely say to him that I'm having a heck of a time learn Creo and if we top this off with Windchill, I'm going to be overwhelmed and my employer would be looking for a new ME>

In my opinion regardless of what CAD platform, they all need some sort of file management system, even the 1 man show.

thanks for the tips

[dgschaefer]

Creo, without PDM, has very simple file management.

When opening an assy, Creo will look for the parts inside in the following places, in this order:

1. In memory (In Creo, closing a window does not close the part / assy / drawing / etc. from memory).
2. The folder the assy came from.
3. The current working directory.
4. Any defined search paths in your config file, in the order they are listed in the file.

You are right, it makes no attempt to remember where the file was the last time it was retrieved, it simply searches those places every time.  If it cannot find it, it'll fail and if you right click on it in the model tree, there's an option to find the missing component.

Your config file is a simple text file of options.  When you go to file > options > configuration editor, you're essentially editing your config file.  Save it, using the import/export dialog, to one of these places (named "config.pro") to have it load automatically:

1. The text folder in the installation directory (C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo 3.0\<build>\Common Files\text by default)
2. Your "home" directory, as defined by windows
3. The start up directory, as defined in the "start in" field in the properties of the icon used to launch Creo.

The file management rules are pretty simple, once you understand them.

Personally, I find the file management in SW more difficult because it does more for you in the background, but it does so with little transparency.  Also, the rules for where SW looks for files is 8 or 9 steps long and quite confusing.  When it works, it's great, but when it doesn't it can be very hard to figure out what's happening.

[fdefilippi]

Thank you Doug, I'll review and look into your suggestions. 

I do agree, being a longtime SWX user that file management can be a challenge, which was a big reason I advocated buying and installing EPDM. 

thanks

[dgschaefer]

We've been toying with diving into PDM for a few years.  We took a look at SW EPDM last year.  I love the Windows explorer based simplicity, but while it will do Creo, it's pretty cumbersome.  Our SW reseller actually recommended against it if a significant part of our work would be in Creo.  We came very close to buying PDM Essentials, but in the end decided to stay with no PDM.

The file retrieval rules in Creo are simple enough that with a small team of 5-10 and good communication, you can manage pretty well.  We've done 200+ component assys with 8-10 people with no PDM successfully.  It's not easy and can be quite cumbersome, but it's doable. I'm not sure I'd feel good about trying that with SW.