Custom fastners

[Markaj]

Hi, New Geomagic user here (ex ProE/vectorworks); I would like to be able to add a couple of thread sizes to those available from the pulldown menu, for example M10 x 1.
I see there are various discussions on here regarding modifying/importing unicode files, to do this.
Ok, I can write a few lines of script to create the custom thread sizes I need on notepad using the examples in the Alibre System Files folder as a basis. I can save as a text file in unicode format - but where do I save them?
Is there a 'library' folder where these things reside?
I would also like to add to or tweak some of the materials library to suit my preferences - is this feasible?
With vectorworks there is the ability to create tools & scripts using their form of minipascal, is there anything similar that can be done with Alibre?
Thanks, Mark

 

[Lew_Merrick]

Mark,

It depends on your version of Windows. For Vista, Win-7, & (boo, hiss) Win-8 that location is C:\ProgramData\Alibre Design\System Files

It is different for XP (and I no longer remember that location).

 

[bigseb]

... I would also like to add to or tweak some of the materials library to suit my preferences - is this feasible?...

Was wondering about this too, just always too busy to really get stuck in...

 

[DavidJ]

Adding materials is no big deal. One thing to watch for, you have to specify a hatch pattern for the material - the name has to match one that exists in the pattern definitions (what's more I seem to recall that there is actually a 1 character mismatch between the pattern names in the material file and the pattern file), best to start by editing an example line from the custom materials sample.

 

[Lew_Merrick]

There are a couple of threads floating around the forum here where I have posted US metallic alloy values for both alibre_custom_unicode.mtl and MaterialProperties.csv for Dynamics & Simulate. One of the things for which (A) I am ashamed and (B) I am less than amused is that my conversion from lbm/in³ to kg/m³ had a misplaced decimal place typo in it for more than five years before one of the metric unit using types pointed it out to me in my alibre_custom_unicode.mtl dataset (which got "translated" to my MaterialProperties.csv dataset).

My database standard for materials is pound/inch/second based data. I have LibreOffice Calc based forms for collection such information that converts generalized mechanical and thermal properties into both alibre_custom_unicode.mtl and MaterialProperties.csv formats. Other than being pound/inch/second based, the only true weirdness in my system is that I establish Thermal Conductivity in BTU-in/hr-in²-°F rather than the more common BTU-in/hr-ft²-°F because the first thermal analysis program I had used those units.

One problem I have with the Simulate dataset is choosing values to approximate yield strength and Young's modulus. Plastic materials do not truly have such values and I have not figured out what limits Simulate has in those areas. (Also, Simulate only uses a Room Temperature Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (RT-CTE) which limits things rather severely.)

Rant Alert!!! -- There is probably nobody here who has a larger or broader database of materials' properties than myself. I have been sharing those here since sometime in 2008 when I first got back into "Alibre." The same thing applies to (inch) Unified National threads. Certainly my database is larger and broader than those distributed by 3DS for current products. It would be really "nice" had we (A) a files area specific to Geomagic products from which to collect and share such information and (B) a team of users willing to collect, vet, and publish such data for the benefit of all.

It should not be 3DS's responsibility to do more than to distribute a small portion of such data libraries as that should not their focus! (We want 3DS to focus on building & perfecting the products[/b] that we use!) Filling in those "blanks" should be our (the users) task. We know more about our needs & requirements than 3DS does! What we need from 3DS is the file sharing area.

 

[Markaj]

Hi, Thanks for this - however I still cannot get a result.....! What I am doing is this;
1. Locate & open the AD system files folder,

2 Open the unicode sample thread file,

3. Save a copy and change a line of script to have the appropriate dimns & values for my thread (in this case M10 x 1),

4. Make sure the new custom thread file is saved as a .txt file in unicode format, and is saved in the AD system files folder (see pic 1),
5. Close & reopen Geomagic, and hope the new M10 x 1 thread is available on the list - which it aint! (I would include the screenshot but 3 is the max, but take my word it's not there).

So - where am I going wrong?? shouldn't there be a 'Start' and 'End' call?
Cheers, Mark

 

[DavidJ]

must be .thd not .txt extension for the file.

It may be easier if you alter settings so Windows will display file extensions.

 

[Markaj]

Hi David, I do not have the option to save from notepad as anything but a .txt file, whether file extensions are visible or not.

 

[JordanCClark]

Save it as a text file, then rename the file.

 

[JordanCClark]

Save it as a text file, then rename the file.

Should have added that extensions need to be visible to effectively change the filename. Oops.

 

[Markaj]

Hi all,
thanks for this - success! the trick is to manually change the file extension from .txt to .thd
BTW, the new custom thread now appears just out of sight at the very bottom of the pulldown list, instead of where it ought to.
This is a great help being able to do this.
Any objections if I set all this down as a step by step tutorial?

So, (correct me if I'm wrong) residing in the AD system files folder are 4 x unicode files: sample line style, material, hatch pattern & thread. These can all be modified to create customized lines, materials, hatches & threads - are there any others?

Thanks again, Mark

 

[Lew_Merrick]

Save it as a text file, then rename the file.

Actually, you must save it as a unicode file rather than a text file!