IMAGINiT Manufacturing Solutions Blog

AutoCAD Standards Checker

Designers who have been using AutoCAD for many years will agree that using a standard company AutoCAD template file to create drawings helps to build an engineering drawing library which is easy to navigate, edit and share. Using templates to create new drawings, sets up all the drawing standards making it very easy to follow company drafting standards.

What happens when someone changes or adds to the template settings? This often occurs if your company uses drawings supplied by outside vendors. They are using your company templates but they may add a layer or a new dimensional style during their editing process. This article is written to help diagnosis these drawings and flag the changes made to the template settings and assist you in changing them back to company standards.

AutoCAD has a built in drawing standards checker. You will find drawing standard commands under the Manage tab on the CAD Standards panel.

The first step is to open your company AutoCAD template and save it as an Autodesk Drawing Standard file which has the extension .dws. Place this file in your AutoCAD support file search path. You can come back at any time to update the configuration settings. Give it a name that identifies it as your company drawing standards master.

 

Next you need to open up your company template and configure it to use the previously saved AutoCAD Drawing Standards file. The first command you need to work with is “Configure”. This will open up the Configure Standards dialog box.

You will need to define the drawing standards file to be used every time a new drawing is created using your company template. Select the  icon and browse to your .dws file. After selecting it, press “Open” to assign it to the dialog box. You may add as many .dws files as you desire but only the top one will be used. You can re-order them using the arrow keys. You will notice information about your .dws file in the right hand panel.

Next select the “Plug-ins” tab. This will show all the available plug-ins that can be selected to apply during the drawing standards checking process. You will probably want to use all of them but if not just remove the check mark(s). The red circle with the exclamation mark beside the “Dimension Style” plug-in is a mystery to me. If anyone reading this article knows what it is indicating, please post a comment on this post.

The next configuration dialog box is found by selecting the “Settings” icon at the bottom of the Configure Standards dialog box.  The Notification Settings are used to prompt the drafter when they are violating a standard.  The first selection is to turn off this feature entirely.  The second option is to display an alert as soon as a standards violation occurs.

With the second selection the drafter will receive a notification similar to the one below.  The second option is self explanatory and will result in a non-standard drawing.  If you select the first one, you will be given the option to select one of the defined drawing standards to replace the style settings that was altered.

The third option will cause a balloon notification to appear on the status bar notifying you a viloation has occured.  It will also place an icon on the status bar, which when selected, will execute a complete drawing standards check.

 

The Cad Standards Setting dialog has three options under the Check Standards Settings located on the lower part of the dialog box.

If the “Automaticaly fix non-standard properties” option has been checked the routine will compare the various style names from the configured standards drawing to the drawing being checked.  If any style name matches, and needs to be corrected, the routine will do it automatically without prompting.  This setting is very useful when some properties of the drawing styles has been changed but the name remains the same.  For example the color of the object layer has been changed from a standard color of white to red.  If this automatic switch is set, the standards checker will change it back to white without prompting you.  If you would like to preview each standard check, remove the check mark.

The “Show ignored problems” should be checked to remind you if any of the standards violations were skipped during the checking process.  You have the option of marking any standards violation as “Ignored” which allows you to pass up any changes to the standards at this time but will flag them for future review.

The “Preferred standards file to use for replacements” allows you to select a .dws file which will be used for standard replacements.  This normally would be the same as the .dws file as the configured earlier which is associated to the current drawing.

After all configurations are finished all that is left to do is open a drawing that needs to be checked for standards violations and step through the prompts.  As each violation appears, you will select the replacement standard from the list and select the “Fix” icon to move to the next.  You have the option to mark it as ignored or skip it altogether using the “Next” icon.

You can start the Standards Check routine by selecting the “Check” icon or the icon in the Status bar (if you have configured this option).

  

 

After the routine has finished it will display a summary of the number of changes that were made.

One of the most valuable features of this process is that it will automatically purge layers and styles that do not belong in the drawing.  This of course depends on you selecting “Fix” and not skipping the standards violation.  The process also works with the layer of entities within blocks and nested blocks.  After the routine is finished, always run the “Regen” command to refresh the drawing layers and other styles.

Below is a short video of running the Standards Checker on my final drawing.

 

AutoCAD Layer Translator Tool

Managing AutoCAD layers are important to maintain a drafting standards, promoting drawing understanding and sometimes to streamline downstream process that depend on certain layer assignments.  Most companies maintain drawng templates that define standard layers and hope their designers will use them as intended.  Other companies will send their drawing templates to outside vendors that will be creating drawings for various phases of different projects.  Again the hope is that the vendors will use the layers definied in the template.  This article is written to help update drawings where the layering standards of the template have not been correctly followed.

AutoCAD provides a “Layer Translator” tool that will make it easy to correct drawings that have varied from company layering standards.  It is located Manage tab, CAD Standards panel.

With the drawing you wish to perform the layer translation open, you begin the process by running the “Layer Translator” tool and selecting the “Load” icon,  Select any one of three types of AutoCAD files to capture the desired layer name configuration.  The tool allows for the use of AutoCAD Standards files (.dws), AutoCAD Drawing Files (.dwg) or AutoCAD Template files (.dwt) to be used with the Layer Translator process.

The current drawing layer list will appear on the left hand table “Translate From”.  The standards layer list from the previously selecting standards file will appear in the right hand table “Translate To”.  The idea is to tell the tool to compare the layer list and map all layers of the same name so all that will be left will be non-standard layer names in the left hand column.  This process is accomplished by selecting the “Map same” icon.

Hopefully there will only be a few non-standard layers to deal with which will now be visible in the left hand table.  These are the layer names that do not exist in the drawing standards file loaded earlier.

In the “Layer Translation Mappings” table will be a list of all the layers and their properties that appear in the right hand table.  These of course are the defined layers in the drawing standards file.  It is possible to edit the properties of these layers using the “Edit” icon or remove layers from this list using the “Remove” icon.  This is not a normal process since the purpose of the “Layer Translator” is to update layer mappings, not change them.

The last step is to show the “Layer Translator” how to “translate” the two non-standard layers to existing standard layers.  Select one of the non-standard layer in the left hand table and then the standard layer it is to be translated to from the right hand table.  Select the “Map” icon.  This process will move all the entities on the non-standard layer to the standard layer and remove the non-standard layer from the drawing.  This process works on entities in blocks as well depending on the “Layer Translator” settings.  If you need to create a standard layer, on the fly, you can select the “New” icon but again this will not normally be done since we are trying to maintain layer standards.  You will repeat this process for each non-standard layer.

There are some setting associated with this tool that should be set before starting the process.  Most of these are self-explanatory except the “Show layer contents when selected” option.

The “Show layer contents when selected” will aid you in the process of selecting which standard layer to map a non-standard layer to.  Since you will probably not know what entities are located on an one of the non-standard layers, you can simply select a layer and only the entities on the selected non-standard layer will be displayed.  One caution here is to make sure the drawing is zoomed to extents before starting the “Layer Translator” command because you cannot zoom once the command is active.  By the way, the copier entities are all located inside a block.

I mentioned it earlier but one of the nicest things this tool does is to remove all non-standard layers during the process.  This eliminates the need to run the “Purge” command before saving the drawing.

So the next time you are charged with the job of removing non-standard layers from your drawings, think about trying out the “Layer Translator” tool.  Of course the best practice is to not draw on layers that are not part of your company standards but I can guarantee new layers will be introduced that will eventually need to be removed.

Custom Tube & Pipe Styles: Modelling A Custom Part

I have heard from a few clients recently that have encountered difficulties authoring components to use in Inventor’s Tube & Pipe environment. While the Tube & Pipe environment has remained unchanged for some time it can still be a challenge to author new components and create custom piping styles. There are strict requirements for parameters, units and workflow etc. that are not obvious unless you dig through the help files or other documentation found online. While I realize this blog does not help that scenario much I will try to be concise and summarize the key requirements for authoring Tube & Pipe components.

There are four steps to creating an entirely custom Tube & Pipe style.

1. Modelling a custom part (conduits and/or fittings)
2. Authoring a part as a Tube & Pipe component
3. Publishing a part to the Content Center
4. Creating the custom Tube & Pipe style

Let’s walk through the steps for modelling a new conduit for use in a Tube & Pipe style. (Fittings follow a similar – slightly simpler – process).

There are three types of conduit that can be used to create pipe runs: Hoses, Pipes and Tubes. For this example we will create a custom tube with flared ends.

Below I have created a profile of a tube with flared ends that will revolve around the center line to create a finished feature. The method you use to create the tube (or pipe/hose) geometry is not critical. If you are modelling a standard hose or pipe, perhaps with threaded ends, you could also extrude a circular sketch and add any secondary features needed. What is important is the design intent; meaning the pipe sketch needs to be fully constrained and the feature controlled by some key dimensions like inner diameter (ID), outer diameter (OD) and length (PL) at a minimum.

Once the sketch is finished add the following user parameters to the model, set their value, and use them to drive the sketch dimensions. In this case ID=.069, OD=.125 and PL=1. There is one additional parameter in my example that is not required for authoring or publishing the part but will need to be tabled to control its size; the flare diameter DF=.250.

Here you can see the user parameters added to the value of the sketch dimensions.

 

Once the parameters are set, complete the base feature and add any secondary features (and parameters) necessary. For simplicity, this part will only be published in its current material: Stainless Steel.

While the tube looks ready to publish, and it would be if we were just authoring a standard content center part, it needs some further additions to set it up as a conduit for a tube and pipe style. First, in order to create connection points at each end of the tube, we need a work point at the center of each tube end and an axis whose orientation is defined by the same circular object.

I used Center Point of Loop of Edges to add work points to the tube ends and Through Center of Circular or Elliptical Edge to add work axes referenced by the same geometry as the work points.

Once created, the work geometry on each side of the tube should look similar to the image below if you are following along.

These work features are required to author the connection points of the tube which are then used to locate the tube when populating pipe routes.

The second change required to prepare this model for authoring is to make it an iPart factory. The only way to author conduit categorized content for use in the Tube & Pipe environment is to convert it to an iPart and table the required parameters.

To convert the tube to an iPart navigate to Manage > Author > Create iPart.

All of the renamed user parameters created earlier should be automatically populated as columns in the iPart Author. We need to add two more critical columns so this can be made into a Tube & Pipe conduit; NS (nominal size) and SN (Schedule Number). To add these columns navigate to the Other tab in the iPart Author and add NS and SN exactly as shown. In the example I am using the nominal size is 1/8 and the schedule number is simply a text entry of ID=.069.

You can now add any rows necessary in the iPart Author for additional tube sizes. Alternatively you could leave only one row and add more sizes once published to the content center.

IMPORTANT!

There are strict requirements here that will cause various authoring and Tube & Pipe style creation problems if not followed. For conduit, the required columns in the iPart are: ID, OD, PL, SN and NS. Of these the NS column also has strict requirements for its value:

• Imperial conduit/fittings must have a fractional value with no unit string
  • Example: 1/8 or 3/4 or 1 1/4 etc.
• Metric conduit/fittings must have an integer value immediately preceded by a capital M
  • Example: M25 or M70 etc.
• Pipes/fittings with threads must have the thread designation entered
  • Example: 1/2-20 UNF

Any extra characters in the NS column beyond that noted above will cause the style creation in the Tube & Pipe environment to fail. To make matters worse you will not notice any problems until you have gone through a substantial amount of work creating, authoring and publishing the part, and then attempt to create the Tube & Pipe style using that part.

It also noteworthy that only the NS column is required in the iPart table when authoring fittings. The Tube & Pipe style editor uses the NS value to filter compatible parts, from the content center, for a particular style.

Finally, you can close the iPart Author and save your part as something meaningful so it is ready for the next step: Authoring. You should now have an iPart factory complete with the required parameters: ID, OD and PL and matching columns in the iPart table: ID, OD, PL, SN and NS as a minimum.

Getting the modelling step right is probably the most critical step in the process as there are hidden requirements that can stop you in your tracks later on if you get them wrong. The next three steps in the process are simpler in the sense that the requirements are more evident by following the workflow and dialog boxes in the process. Keep an eye out for the next posting where I’ll go over authoring and publishing the custom conduit.

In the meantime IMAGINiT does offer training for Inventor's Tube & Pipe environment which includes the fundamentals of routing pipe runs and also how to author new piping content if you're interested.

 

-DP

Inventor Sketch Informational Message "Invalid Axis/Origin"

Inventor issues two types of informational symbols while modeling.  When it places the informational symbol   the program is saying "You have a problem and should fix it as soon as possible."  When it places the informational symbol  the program is saying "You are doing something the program takes exception to, but you can continue and the program will try and manage it".  Many Inventor users will ignore the second warning symbol and continue work while some will want to solve the issue.  Both types of informational symbols occur for various reasons.  This article would like to explain the information message "Invalid Axis/Origin which is one of the second type of symbols.
In the Inventor model, you can see a number of these warnings in the browser.

If you right click on one of the feature sketches with this symbol and then select "Recover" from the context menu, the Sketch Doctor dialog box will appear and explain the exception. 

  This exception is often caused because the sketch origin has been attached to some illegal or non-referenced geometry.  You can see in my example the origin is hooked to an unreferenced projected line.

The solution to this exception is to move the sketch origin from its current position to some valid point in the sketch.  My users would automatically edit the sketch to try and resolve this issue but will not find the solution.  The solution is found by right clicking on the feature sketch, in the browser, and selecting "Edit Coordinate System" from the context menu.

The sketch origin axis will display and you can clearly see that it is placed on a sick projected line.  Look at the earlier graphic to see this.  To correct the issue, left click on the blue ball of the origin and then left click to select a valid point in the sketch.  The location you pick is up to you but it should be one related to the sketch.  Finish the operation by right clicking and selecting "OK".

This will remove the information symbol for this situation.  Be sure go back and edit the sketch to make sure the location and dimensions of the sketch are correct because you did move the sketch origin coordinates.

This is just one type of information message issued by Inventor.  As you solve them you will understand the reasons and become a better Inventor modeler.

AutoCAD Groups - Pseudo Blocks

The use of AutoCAD blocks have a number of advantages over individual entities in a drawing.  AutoCAD has two commands to edit drawing blocks without exploding them.  The "Refedit" command  (Edit Block in Place) has been around for a long time and the "Bedit" (Block Editor) introduced later make editing a block, without exploding, very easy.  Both these commands are available from the right click context menu after selecting a block in your drawing.  In this article I want to present AutoCAD groups and some of the advantages they have over blocks.

First I would like to show how to create an AutoCAD group.  The group commands are located on the Home tab on the Groups panel.

Groups can be defined using a name supplied by you or automatically named by the program.  If the unnamed option is selected, AutoCAD automatically creates a name of A1, A2, etc for each group as it is created.  You can use the "Group" or "ClassicGroup" command depending on how you like to interface with AutoCAD.  For this article I will be using the "ClassicGroup" command which uses the Object Grouping dialog box.  Both of these commands are on the Ribbon.

My model is the plan view of office copier. 

In the Object Grouping dialog box, I give my new group a name.  If you want AutoCAD to created an unnamed block, simply check the "Unnamed" option beside the "New" icon.  I then select the "New" icon, the dialog box disappears allowing me to select the objects to include in the group. 

Once you finish selecting objects, press enter to return to the dialog box.  The group name "Copier" appears in the group list with a "Selectable" property set to Yes.  Select "OK" to dismiss the dialog box.

You will now notice the entities in the group will act similar to a block when selected.  One thing you will notice is the grip is in the center of the group and cannot be redefined which you can do with a block.  You can use object snaps to select any point during the use of the basic editing commands.  One of the main advantages of a group is that the definition can be toggled on or off by a simple keystroke (Ctrl+Shift+A), by changing the "Pickstyle" system variable from 0 to 1 or 1 to 0 or by selecting the "Group Selection On/Off" icon on the Ribbon.  This will allow you to quickly edit the group entities without using one of the block editing commands.

You can  add or remove entities to the group using the Object Group dialog box.   A number of other commands are available for group editing, including "Exploding" the group, "Highlighting" the selected group in the drawing and using the "Find" command to determine the name of the group entities below to.

 
One of the advantages of using groups is that they are always independent of each other.  If you copy a block, edit it, all the drawing blocks of the same name will update also.  If you copy a group, AutoCAD will create a new group which is independent so changes to either group will not affected each other.  Be cautious, if I copy my group named "Copier" I get an unnamed group which I can then rename.  Be sure to select the "Include Unnamed" option to see all groups in the drawing.

If you decide to create a block from a group, the group definition will be dissolved and will no longer be available for use in the drawing.  If you later explode the block, the group definition will not be restored.  Even though the group definition is removed from display, it still appears in the Object Grouping dialog box.  You must "Purge" it from the drawing to remove the group definition.

Groups give the advantage of a single entity, like a block, along with the speed of group editing with the fact that all groups are independent of each other making them something to try in your AutoCAD workflow.

 

Fusion 360 Capture Design History: Tips and Tricks for Using this Powerful Tool

Fusion 360’s Capture Design History feature is a helpful way to record information about when components were created and modified. However, many users are unaware that once you turn the history off for one component in a file, the history for all components in that file is turned off. To avoid this rude awakening, here are two tips for using Capture Design History more effectively:

1. Create components in their own file and then insert them into the master file. Perhaps you have a component that you are experimenting with and you don’t want to capture its history. Why not create it in its own file where design history is turned off? After it’s in the desired state, you can insert it into the master file where Capture Design History is turned on.

2. Copy and paste components from the master file into a separate file. A variation on the first theme is to copy the component you want to modify from the master file and paste it into its own file. When you paste, the design history will be carried over with it, but you can turn it off in that separate file. Make your changes, save, and then insert it back into the original design.

To learn the step-by-step instructions for these tips, we’ve created a handy video. You can check it out in our ProductivityNow Portal.