config settings for large assembly drawings?

[pcutting]

we use back ground data (parasolid models *.x_t) to simplify our large assemblies.

It works fine until we try to open the assembly in a drawing it can take upwards of 45 minutes.

We set out HLR to "LOW" on each view of the three page drawing and still end up waiting for the drawing to pull up.

Here are some of the config.pro commands we use:

auto_regen_views no

display_planes no

display_axes no

datum_point_display no

intf2d_out_acad_mtext no

style_auto_regen_curves no

style_auto_regen_surface no

style_auto_regen_shaded_surface no

Can you suggest other config.pro commands to speed up our opening of large assembly drawings and changing sheets?

Once all sheets have been opened - we can switch between them without problems - it's the time it takes to open each sheet that can be waste too much time waiting.

[Chris3]

There is this:

http://support.ptc.com/carezone/tutorials/files/advdraw_site/Large_Assembly/Large_assy_D.htm

In addition here are some of the practices we use:

1. Hardware - if possible buy SSD, max out your RAM and use officially supported hardware:
   http://support.ptc.com/WCMS/files/138215/en/dell_creo2.pdf
   check out Oalf's benchmarks here as well:
   OCUS Benchmark Result page
   ProESite - Olaf Corten's Pro/ENGINEER Site - Pro/E Utilities, Benchmark, Tips and Links
2. Make sure Creo agent is installed
3. If you have imports, make sure you don't have imports that look like this:
   
   
   
4. Use simplified drawing reps (these turn views on and off)
   1. Look into Substitute With Interchange Assembly. These allow you to retain BOM structure, but replace complex assemblies with simplified versions (ie a volume box)
5. Don't have several simplified reps in views turned on at the same time as this will negate the benefit of using simplified reps.
6. Create each page separately and then merge all pages at the end into a multi-sheet drawing.
7. Avoid using no hidden views
8. Use Z-clipping
9. Use a paired down assembly to create all of your view layouts and then turn parts back on (simplified reps)
10. Fix your view origins
11. Create as many notes as you can up front before adding views
12. Config options to consider:
    disp_trimetric_dwg_mode_view no
    fasthlr_drawing yes
    display_in_adding_view minimal_wireframe
    display_silhoutte_edges no
    auto_show_3d_detail_items no
    enable_auto_regen  no
    display_coord_sys no
    open_simlified_rep_default default

[SnipSnap]

These are great recommendations and I look forward to testing them all out. Can you tell me what good does it do to NOT use views set to "No Hidden"? I would have assumed that would speed things up since you're not displaying hidden lines.

[Chris3]

I think that was a brain misfire on my part. I am pretty sure I meant to say use no hidden or shaded views.

[rreifsnyder]

No, the recommendation to not use "No Hidden" is correct though not very practical when the drawing is finished. The better performance would be obtained by having the views set to wireframe. Think about it, to display the views with hidden lines it has to figure out WHICH lines it should be showing. In normal drawings that is done by the CPU. Recent versions have started to use multithreading particularly for the hidden line removal but it still takes time. One of the options listed is to use the drawing fasthlr option which also helps but it is not WYSIWYG because it's using the graphics card to do the hlr which is fast but has some different display properties than a regular drawing view. Also you can't print/publish from the graphics card hlr, it will convert the views back to CPU rendered and that will take extra time but it's a trade off. When drawing fasthlr first came out I tried using that but I had a lot of users who didn't get the trade offs so I backed off the functionality. Over the years I tried to push PTC to find a way to use the graphics card functionality and eliminate the down side effects but they consistently pushed back stating that it simply wasn't possible technically. I'm not a programmer so I have to assume they are correct or they would have pursued it.

[Chris3]

Just to be complete the option that @rreifsnyder is referring to is a DTL option. It is defaulted but for older drawings it needs to be turned on. The option is:

hlr_multithreading set to yes

It was introduced in Creo 4 and improved upon in Creo 5.