Simple reps: creating, using, moving stuff around

[pshepherdson]

Hi All,

I have a machine that has a few variations / configurations. I've become used to the notion of Simple reps, and am wondering if there is a simnpler way to use them. (I find them extremely powerful & one of the few nice featues with Creo! But limited in their manipulation) Currently, I am adding parts to the assembly; unique parts for config 1, config 2, and so on. And, as I've desinged a few parts, I've need to move the parts from one config to another.. And, I'm at a point where I'm making detailed assembly dwgs for the various cionfiguraitons & cleaning up the assemblies in general. Simple reps are becomming invaluable to show the various parts in the various configs in various stages of assembly, but the work is a little tedious..

So, the questions are:

Can I move a part / assembly from one simple rep to another without having to make that part / assembly 'master rep', then going thru the other reps one by one and 'excluding' it from each? (there is always a missed nut or bolt!)

If I need to add a part / assembly to one simple rep (like, I missed out a nut that should have been added), is there a way to add it to 'that' simple rep (the current one I'm in), without resorting the steps listed above?

Is there a way to set groups & patterns to show if they are included or excluded from simple reps (without having to open / expand them all the time!) like regular parts/ assemblies in the model tree?

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[pshepherdson]

KK, found my answer to quesiton 3!!!

man, the more I play with this software, the more I seem to have missed thru the online courses! (or my head can only hold soo much!)

[TomD.inPDX]

"Tedious" is probably a watchword from everything Creo when it comes to repetitive actions.

What you are describing is often done at different levels of assembly. Even so, this can become a repetitive process. All to often do I complete a complex design, take a best cut at parsing appropriate sub-assembly levels, and even having appropriate people review them, to then again have to restructure the assembly after all the drawings are complete. What follows is 2 days of "tedious" re-crafting of all previous effort. However, it is easier to do when it is fresh in the mind then if it was, say, a year later in a change order. I've come to consider this par for the course.

There is indeed a lot of hidden power behind the simplified reps. Then throw in External Simplified Reps and you really get a mind full of options. However, one does not talk to the other that I can gather. So yes, the more you make, the more you have to manage. This is what does set this function apart from conventional sub-assembly (or Assembly Level) structuring.

[mdebower]

I have always followed these simple rules for Variable Configurations: (Thank you and Credit to Mark Ganzer)

Family Tables

• Different unique orderable items
• Similar geometry or assemblies

Simplified Representations

• Alternate DISPLAYS of a single orderable item
• Large Assembly Management

Alternate Positions

• Mechanism with motion
• Assemblies that can have unique positions
• Still a single orderable item.

From your description, I think I would be using Family Tables, but hey if it works it works.

-marc

CAD / PLM Systems Manager