Hole tool useless??

[drbris]

Is the hole tool as useless as it seems?
I put 10-32 countersunk holes in a plate and there are threads at the bottom of the countersink. In what universe would threads at the bottom a a countersink ever work?
This is a feature that needs WORK.
Why can it not work like fastener feature in SW. In SW you can apply fasteners to an assembly and have the feature propagate to individual parts. Move the fasteners in the assembly and the parts are automatically updated.
Unless I am doing it wrong holes applied in an alibre assembly look ok in the assembly(except for the threads where should be clearance holes) but do not change the parts in the assembly?

 

[Oldbelt]

drbris.
Remove the check mark at the thread form : then the selected thread is NONE.

 

[HaroldL]

Why can it not work like fastener feature in SW.

It would be nice if it did but after all this is not SolidWorks.

 

[drbris]

It would be nice if it did but after all this is not SolidWorks.

Thanks Harold,
That got rid of the threads, still have to look up dimensions for the bolt clearance diameter,head diameter. I use Gwizardeditor for that.

 

[DavidJ]

If you tell the hole tool to add threads, it will. Complaining that it has done as you asked seems churlish.

A small counter sink at the top edge of threaded hole is quite common to ensure a snug fit of mating parts.

 

[gwbruce]

This is something I use for Socket Head Cap screws and such to find counter bore diameters and depths and also bolt hole clearance. Well worth the money. There is a metric version as well.

 

[HaroldL]

You also have Pitch Diameter selected, that's a little snug for a clearance hole. If you want clearance holes for a #10-32 screw set all the parameters then save it as a Preset.

 

[drbris]

Thanks for all of the work a round's for the hole tool. I learned cad on SW in school back in the 90's, but could not afford to buy it. Have been paying maintenance on alibre since then.
I keep hoping it will add a fastener tool that does not require going back through multiple parts every time a change is made in an assembly. I suppose it would be possible to make a library of standard fasteners and boolean subtract them from an assembly, then if one or all need to be moved it would update each part without a lot of extra effort.

 

[HaroldL]

I think it should be possible to create a custom data file for the Hole tool to add a section for Clearance holes. It's been a while since I used SolidWorks but I think it had a selection in its hole tool for clearance holes.

Not sure what you mean by using a boolean subtract in the assembly. Seems like it would be more work. Can you describe in more detail how that would work?

 

[Acara]

How do you add presets to your hole tool? I noticed that I couldn't find the "alibre_unicode.phy" file to add stuff in from another thread I found.

 

[HaroldL]

How do you add presets to your hole tool?

At the top of the Hole tool dialog. After adjusting the settings as needed, type in a name for the preset then click on Create. The preset will be saved and listed in the dropdown. The next time you need it open the Hole tool select the starting face the select the preset from the drop down list and place it and click Okay.

 

[Acara]

At the top of the Hole tool dialog. After adjusting the settings as needed, type in a name for the preset then click on Create. The preset will be saved and listed in the dropdown. The next time you need it open the Hole tool select the starting face the select the preset from the drop down list and place it and click Okay.

So I have to create each use case manually? There isn't a way that I can copy and paste code from the other forum post into a file in my appdata to reference?

 

[albie0803]

The file you are after is alibre_unicode.hps and should be in C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Alibre Design\default user
There may not be one until you manually save a setting.

Here is mine that has standard centre drills and countersunk holes for standard metric SHCS

Unzip the file to the above location

 

[HaroldL]

There used to be file in the Resources that could be downloaded too. But it was specific to the the user that uploaded it so it may not have all the presets you may need or want.

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

Found this but I can't vouch for its accuracy:

alibre_unicode.hps file format syntax

Hi, Where can I find an explanation of the alibre_unicode.hps file format? It is faster to set up my hole presets in a text editor than in the Alibre GUI. Thanks, Nick Liebrecht

www.alibre.com

 

[Acara]

The file you are after is alibre_unicode.hps and should be in C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Alibre Design\default user
There may not be one until you manually save a setting.

Here is mine that has standard centre drills and countersunk holes for standard metric SHCS

Unzip the file to the above location

When I extract the files to that location nothing happens, it won't even write over the one I messed around with. Is there a way to point it to a different file from within the application?

 

[HaroldL]

It is best to preserve the existing file by appending its name with .old then copy the "new" one to the folder. And you have to do this in Window Explorer. The only thing you can do from within the program is to add new favorites to the list within the Hole tool dialog.

 

[albie0803]

Be sure to exit Alibre completely before changing the files.

 

[Acara]

Be sure to exit Alibre completely before changing the files.

I'll give that a shot tonight, I think that may be the issue and admittedly I was curious if this would fix it.

 

[bolsover]

This is something I use for Socket Head Cap screws and such to find counter bore diameters and depths and also bolt hole clearance. Well worth the money. There is a metric version as well.
View attachment 35059

I still use one of these - it's older than me!