Trying to keep proper configuration control and properly using Creo -Windchill integration.

[rfoley]

I am using Windchill Aerospace & Defense Release 11.1 and Datecode with CPS M020-CPS17

I am looking for the best way to update CAD Documents that originated from a STEP (ISO 10303) file. I have an new delivery in STEP format. 95% of the objects that will be created on import are common.

[MikeLockwood]

Wow - major challenge.

Possibly applies for many systems but have not really heard of this before.

Not able to really offer any suggestion for keeping them as CAD Doc's.

May want to consider only managing each submission as WTDocs, using the zip file of all the STEP files as the content, and not try to manage as CAD (since the native CAD is not provided).

If you are creating WTParts in your Windchill system, it may be worth keeping the product structure current manually, and associating the WTDoc's at the appropriate level.

Have to go back to the really basic fundamentals and decide what having the data in your Windchill actually accomplishes, and what your users will do with it.

[TomU]

I might be miss-reading the question, but this feels more like a CAD model update question than a Windchill question.   Isn't this behavior what ATB (associate topology bus) is supposed to do?  I believe it can keep track of the features and models created from neutral data and and then allow those to automatically be updated when the neutral data changes.

https://support.ptc.com/help/creo/creo_pma/r8.0/usascii/#page/data_exchange/atb/About_Working_within_the_Associative_Topology_Bu.html

[MikeLockwood]

Another option is to not create anything in your system directly, but to always import Windchill Packages supplied by the party who creates / edits the CAD data.

Takes a lot of cooperation and discipline, but this would ensure that your system is always matching the source - with STEP files, not native CAD files as the content of each CAD Doc.  At least all should be able to be published and you will have viewables.

Packages I believe were originally for essentially this purpose.

the Packages will need to be generated by the supplier using STEP files as the content rather than native CAD files - not sure if this is possible.

[rfoley]

Mike,

Thanks for the reply.  The delivery to the Product Manager is in ISO 10303 STEP.  When Creo imports the STEP file it Creates Creo objects, so the objects in Windchill are CAD Documents.  I have an updated model. My task is to get the updated model into the Windchill instance.  I know that 95% of the parts that will be created in Creo are not changed. The question in other words is what is the correct way to update a model that is in Windchill. 

My thought is to check the original top assembly into my workspace, Revise It, and replace content. I don't know if this would work for a CAD Document and still maintain the structure and have the additional parts added.  

[MikeLockwood]

Ahhh,,, Was not aware of that STEP functionality.

Changes things completely.

I will create a post a suggestion on this.

[TomU]

The challenge is going to be comparing each newly imported cad model in the assembly with the previously imported versions in Windchill to see if there are any differences.  Again, with ATB I think this would be handled automatically, but without that I'm not sure of any simple process to compare each component.

[RandyJones]

If you don't care about structure of the assembly. eg It is a vendor assembly and you want to treat it as a component instead of an assembly then you can use Creo Parametric 8.0 or later and take advantage of an Inseparable Assembly. This makes importing vendor assemblies light years easier.

https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/how-create-inseparable-assemblies

[MikeLockwood · Accepted solution]

I got ambitious and created an example - file attached.

Can discuss further.