Assembly enhancement (Move command)

[blaplant1]

Assembly enhancement (Move command)

AD is a great modeling tool, however I find working in assemblies cumbersome. The use of constrains is nice but slows down the system. I try to avoid using constrains for that reason.The following items would be a nice time savers to aid moving part/assemblies in design space.

1. Have the ability to move a part/assembly from a point to another a point by picking and using points and/or vertexes.

2.While using the move command have the ability to pick an edge or axis to provide a direction to move the part/assembly along with a dialog box for distance to move. Include item 3 below.

3. The ability to use the measuring tool within the move command to provide desired distance. At this time I first use the measuring tool cut/paste the desired dimension, select the move command and paste the dimesion in the appropriate X,Y, or Z input box.

Any thoughts or comments from other AD users would be appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

Why not use the contraints to place your part and then delete them once it is where you want it. You can then anchor the part in place so that it won't move when you constrain other parts to it. Also the precise placement function works very similar to what you are describing w/out the ability to measure distances within it.

 

[Anonymous]

Additionally, it is good modeling practice to fully constrain all parts. That way you don't do something down the road that makes the whole assembly explode leaving parts all over the place. If your concern is how much it slows down the computer, consider upgrading your machine.

 

[jwknecht]

The enhanced move commands would be nice. The idea of using the constraints and then deleting them has been suggested in posts several times.... and with one additional recommendation. That is, you can then achor your parts after the constraints are deleted.

 

[mr.ska]

I cannot for the life of me understand why people don't like using constraints. My last company (using UniGraphics) used no constraints, and I don't know why. So long as you ALWAYS use them, and use them logically, they can really benefit you.

If you really, really can't stomach them, I'd have to agree with everyone else and tell you to constrain your parts, delete the constraints, and then anchor the part. This will prohibit you from simulating motion of mechanisms, however.

 

[Willbur]

Yes, constraints do slow down the system a bit, but I always use them anyway (that way when I modify one of the base parts, the assembly updates itself rather than having to go back and move all of the parts again). I suppose that if you're modeling something that you don't expect to modify, constraining the part, anchoring it, and deleting the constraints makes sense (and makes working with assemblies a little faster). I've found it to be just as useful to work with more subassemblies when the constraints start to slow down the system as the subassembly constraints aren't reevaluated unless you regen or have Make Flexible checked.

 

[blaplant1]

Thanks for all the responses. The enhancements that I have asked for were to aid user in the concept phase of a project. Having the ability to move items quickly in 3D space in one step (point to point, along a vector, ect) instead of placing 2 or 3 constraints and then deleting them would save time. Especially while in a group discussion/ design review with 4 or 5 people looking over you shoulder asking you to move an item/assembly to see if there is space for other items. If every part is constrained this becomes very difficult. I use constraints as the design matures not while I am in the concept stage.

One more point. Has anyone using AD ever had a file lock up because of constraints? I have and most every time it was an unrecoverable error and the corrupted assemblies have to be recreated. Now there’s a real time saver.

 

[Gaspar]

I usually use contraints only to get parts to where I want them. I leave the contraints on if I'm not sure yet how the parts will end up looking. This way, if the a part grows, the other parts move and so on, but at the end, when I'm fairly sure where parts will end up, I erase all constraints and just anchor the parts. I do this for speed's sake.

I have always wanted to be able to move a part along an edge or an axis, just never took the time to ask for it. Thanks .

One note about corrupted files. If you are using the repository and you make new versions of your files each time you save, a corrupted file may usually be recovered (in my experience) by going back to the previous version. If its an assemby that gets corrupted, you may need to roll back your assembly and some of the parts. :wink: