WC10 Populating Reference Designators

[DougBell]

All,

We recently updated to PDMLink 10.0, and discovered a new "feature": when checking in a CAD assembly, it automatically populates the WTPart BOM's Reference Designator field with the Component ID from Creo/Pro if there is no Reference Designator defined in Creo/Pro.

This is a problem for us. Reference Designators are used to identify electronic part instances, and they are used in mechanical assemblies to identify CCAs, switches, cables, flex circuits, etc. So many of our assemblies have mixtures of Ref Designators and Find Numbers. This worked fine in v9.1, but v10 apparently doesn't allow the field to be blank.

PTC support calls this "intended functionality" and hasn't yet found a work-around. They say it was added to "support enterprise top down design", but I can't see how this "feature" would be used.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
Doug

[GregoryPERASSO]

Hi

now in 10.0, when you checked in a CAD, associated with aWTpart,by defaultit automaticly builds the WTPart BOM, and associated WTpart occurences (ie ref designator). On each occurences is alsopropagated thepostion matrix from CAD component occurences...

It give's the ability to display in the right Pview pan of the WTPart structure tab, a "dynamic" view of your product , corresponding to the ConfigSpec applied (effectitivities, latest,options , etc ...). And use occurences and PView in dowstream applications like MPMLink to preserve Component positions, even if the BOM is re strucutured for manufacturing purpose ...

regards

Gregory

[GregoryPERASSO]

doing some test for one of our project:

- ref designator are populated on WTPart occurenceswhen checkin from ProE

- but be able in the Product Structure Browser , in the sub pan "occurences" to set to blank the ref designator, or to delete the WTpart occurence ... Seems not to be mandatory in PDMLink ...

[DougBell]

Thanks for doing some testing.

Unfortunately, in my experience, if the ref designator is blanked or the occurrence is deleted, then the connection from WTPart to CAD is severed, with the build state set to "excluded". That part will no longer update in the BOM based on CAD changes.

-Doug