Assembly Folders

Hello...

Is it possibile to build an assembly out of parts (or subassemblies) from
different folders and also define the location of those parts so that ProE
knows it the next time I open the top assembly.

How do you organize your work? Where do you keep bolts, nuts, washers and
things like that...


Tomislav Cabraja

 

How do you organize your work? Where do you keep bolts, nuts, washers and
things like that...


I've heard of this cheap way of doing product configuration only second hand, never did it myself, so my comments are prejudiced and suspect. But, here goes:
a.. Folders or any form of organization is a good thing, helpful, necessary, but for any task beyond a single product, woefully inadequate. Just try keeping track of six configurations of the SAME product which vary only one varying component and some mounting hardware with this method
b.. Pro/e is capable of leading you to groups of folders where your library part might be stored, but only leading you through every highway and byway, path and detour on the itinerary. PATH statements can take your through the whole directory structure, looking for files, but this can take an awfully long time to come up empty.
c.. If you already know Java, you may already have your answer, as large parts of the interface are given over to it. If you know Java, j-link may be the answer to a lot of UI programming questions.
David Janes

 

Tomislav Cabraja je napisao/la:

Hello Tomislav,
Of course, you can build an assembly from parts in different folders.
You can put your bolts, nuts, ... in any place in your LAN, share it
and put search_path line in config.pro.

 

You can use search_path (in options).
First make txt file which containing paths to folders with your parts. Then
in config.pro (options) add option "serach_path" with valueof full name of
your txt file.

 

Tomislav, It is highly important that you are aware that search_path
statements can greatly slow file open or file new commands. If you
choose to use search_path statements, keep the list relatively short
and keep those folders as clean and compact as possible.

A few well-intentioned folks have built systems of handling
directories using search_path statements, but quickly ran into
performance problems since they used them too liberally. My
experience with Windows is that network shares can get a little slow
sometimes; if you are using search_path such problems will be greatly
amplified.

I see search_path used as useful extensions of the library function.
Just don't get carried away with it.

Dave

 

Wow... that sux pretty hard.

I'm fairly new to Pro/e... so you're saying that without a lot of hoop-
jumping, all the parts in an assembly (including fasteners) have to be
in the same directory?

I'm accustomed (SolidWorks) to having a Fasteners Directory on the
root with all my nuts, screws, rivets.... that every assembly has in
common. That way I don't waste time recreating it all.

Maybe I'm missing something here.

 

Wow... that sux pretty hard.

I'm fairly new to Pro/e... so you're saying that without a lot of hoop-
jumping, all the parts in an assembly (including fasteners) have to be
in the same directory?

I'm accustomed (SolidWorks) to having a Fasteners Directory on the
root with all my nuts, screws, rivets.... that every assembly has in
common. That way I don't waste time recreating it all.

Maybe I'm missing something here.

Mostly what everyone's missing here is a professional file keeping system with a tracking database (where the file is, who's using it, what release state it's in and other confirguration management issues) where that database system is Oracle and the tracking software is Intralink. That's essentially what you are missing. Working in such a system means a whole different way of thinking, a whole different file management approach, and many decsisions you didn't have to make before, that take you to top down configuration management product structure issues that need to be addressed before a part is created (because it doesn't really exist until it's part of a structure). And, yeah, hardware libraries need to fit in there (and so do COTs libraries.)

David Janes

 

It's hard enough to get the Bosses to put out the cash for a pencil
sharpener. Can't wait till I tell them we need another software
package that probably costs as much as the initial Pro/e license.

And then someone has to manage the database.... ME... and I don't have
a clue about Oracle.