Moving constrained parts?

Just to make sure I'm not insane or just ignorant.

If I place a part in an assembly and mate it's front, top and right
planes to the same planes in the assy. is there any way I should be able
to still move that part?

Because I've got a couple assemblies that show all the components
'constrained' but when I move a part that is mated with only one or two
mates to the assembly, the entire assy flies apart... a bit
disconcerting. I can also move the base part which I just mated to the
planes.

I'm taking a copy of one of them to my reseller later today.

Does your reseller ever visit you guys, when problems like this arise?
I sometimes wonder about the level of service we get for our
subscription fee.

 

Forgot to mention, happens in SW2005 sp2, sp3 & sp3.1...

 

Couple thoughts. Do you have more than one configuration? If so, maybe the
mates are suppressed in the current one.
Have you restarted SW?

WT

 

Nope just one config, I've restarted SW numerous times, it happens at home and
here at work.

Originally I placed the base part at the origin of the assy and it was Fixed,
then these wacky things began happening about a month or so ago, I thought I'd
fixed the problem when I rebuilt the assy a couple weeks ago by inserting
another copy of the base part and deleting the original. I mated it to the assy
planes at something like 500,500,500 rather than 0,0,0 so that I could make sure
everything was mated "properly", when everything was attached, I moved the new
base part back to "0,0,0"

I have only a few parts with (-) to the left of the part name ,and they are
meant to swing on an axis, when I try to move them the whole thing blows up...

bad mojo

 

I'm the only user here, and my VAR, well I'm still waiting for the 'Value
Added' part to kick in...

I've been using UNDO to get things back in shape, and thankfully so far that's
worked, but...

Typically I would have simply fixed the part, but I used the 3 coincident
mates to "make sure" it would stay put. Those mates were way down on the list
of mates, like #'s163,164&165 so I moved them to the top, it didn't help...

Thanks for the input.

 

....have you taken any assembly training? That might answer some basic
questions. The advanced assemblies class is actually one of the better
ones to take.

How many incontext features do you have? (with the -> after the part)

How many busted mates do you have?

How many Fixed parts do you have? (with the (f) in front of the part)

How many overdefined parts do you have (with the (+) in front of the
part)

Do you have assembly features or component patterns?

Do you have mates to assembly features or component patterned instances?

 

I submitted a similar bug last month SPR259499 it's still open -- not
even assigned to anyone as yet, along with several others I have submitted

I'm glad you're taking this one to your VAR it may, if a few others
submit it, get assigned to someone!

The workaround for me is just to CTRL Q, assembly flies back together.

On another tangent, when SolidWorks RX was announced at the release of
SWX 2005. We were told it would reduce the the number of service packs
and make the service packs that were released of better quality. Hence I
think we'll only see SP4 or SP4.1 as It would make someone at
SolidWorks look if they don't no what they're doing, since SWX2004 went
as high as SP5.1. -- I hope to be proven wrong.



Regards

John Layne

 

Until now, neither have I. I have an avi of it happening, I'd be happy to
send it to you if you want to see the chaos in action. /

 

Yep, most recently 3 solid days 'Advanced Productivity Training'... now
retention, thats another matter ;o)

Just two out of 94 unique parts.

None out of 273 top level mates, one suppressed.

None... but read below, I think I found the "bug"

I have 4 'air cylinders', paired up, as Flexible Assemblies, they're querky,
but I think the problem is in the mating tof the base part to the three base
planes of the Assy, they're "not holding" .

When I looked for Fixed parts and found none I tried suppressing the 3 mates
"holding" the base part, then I Fixed it, now when I try to move the part I
get the message "The selected component is Fixed and cannot be moved". And
moving other- free to move parts is not causing the assy to explode- yet.
Hmmm......

Thanks

 

It sounds like a similar problem, was your fully defined part 'Fixed' or mated
into place?.

Thanks

 

All parts in assembly were mated into place except the one I was in
process of mating. Moving final part caused existing mated parts to move
.. Moving the part caused some of the other parts to get the - symbol
next to them. Hitting CTRL Q returns everything to normal including
removing - symbol on the the fully constrained parts.

This was in SWX 2005 SP3

 

Yup, sounds familiar... Did you try Fix-ing the base part into place rather than
mating it into place? That seems to have cured mine, for now.

 

I would also see if changing the flexible subs to rigid would influence it.
Maybe not acceptable, but sometimes an action like that will shed some light
on something else.

WT

 

No flexible subs in mine, but I agree flexible subs do strange thing to
me sometimes. This bug is at least repeatable hence I RX'd it and
submitted it.

John Layne
Solid Engineering Ltd