Techniques for documenting progress?

I've lately been finding it really challenging to stay on top of design
changes, and conceptual modifications because my models/designs are
evolving so quickly. I'm looking for any kind of advice from Engineers
and Designers that do a lot of conceptual work, that helps keep them
organized. Mostly I'm interested in seeing the ways that other people
document changes to design, concepts, and ways of thinking. It's
something that I've always considered very important, but lately it
seems to be coming around and biting me in the arse!

What methods are you all using to document where you started from,
where you went to, why you changed directions, and where you ended off
at? Has anyone found a method that works extremely well?

Thanks! -Scott

 

I find that using a PDM system to save a version of my parts/assemblies
at each point where someone else gets involved (sent to customer) helps.
Also, I make a powerpoint with a lot of screen shots and annotations
when I'm proposing a change or to verify that I understood the
customer's request.

Matt

 

Powerpoint is an interesting idea. I'm continually showing my work to
others, and listing differences or changes in direction... could work
quite well. I also use DBWorks, but find that revision control is not
useful enough, because so often whole concepts change, so they aren't
really different revisions of the same product, but entirely different
products! Thanks!

 

Scott,

The tried and true method is to view changes in an assembly having each
model represented to track the evolution. I typically don't use this
as it doesn't work when you are rolled back in a model (assembly is
inaccessable).

Here is a way that I take a "snapshot" of my work before making changes
to the model:
1. Open your model.
2. Convert the model as a Parasolid.
3. Rollback to the beginning of the design tree.
4. Import the parasolid.
5. Delete an unimportant face to convert it into a surface.
6. The parasolid may have additional surfaces and solids (if you
aren't careful while saving) that can be easily deleted.

You now have a blueprint by which to track your in model changes.

I have submitted this as an enhancement. My take is that it would be
great to take a snapshot of the model at any point. It creates a
representation of the model at any point in the tree that can be
measured, but has no useable surfaces/solids. The only thing that you
can do to it would be hide it, view it, and delete it; and I don't
believe it should show up where it was created in the tree(other than
maybe a marker of it's snapped location). The snapshot is viewable
forward and back. This would be great for all sorts of troubleshooting
when moving forward or back in the tree, and you could have multiple
snapshots for your various needs. Think about the benefit of having
snapshots to track part revisions over the course of 10 years - a model
can change drastically, and often old versions disappear a few
revisions back.


Hope this helps,

Dan Sommerfeld
Product Designer

 

I'm not good at this, but it seems like this is the type of stuff that the
Design Journal (if that's its name) that SW introduced in SW05 was designed
for. Long before that came along, someone in this group suggested using
notes in a separate sheet of the Excel spreadsheet used for design tables.
That seems like a pretty good method if you habitually use design tables.

Jerry Steiger
Tripod Data Systems
"take the garbage out, dear"

 

For what I am doing the following procedure is in place.

1. I have a project number (usually the model number if a new model).
To that number is appended a sequential 3 digit number. Could be 4
digits if necessary.
2. Each new part and assembly is issued a part number based on 1. This
includes configuration parts.
3. I track the numbers in Excel.
4. When changes happen they get new part numbers if they are something
totaly new. I usually don't track developmental changes to parts driven
by FEA or hand calcs except in my FEA results.
5. As my assembly grows I create sub assemblies to keep the part count
and mate count down.
6. When done (if ever it seems) I go through the Excel spreadsheet and
pick out the parts that made it through development. They get official
part numbers.
7. The Excel spreadsheet is used to track whether the drawings have
been made, neutral files for quote and anything else.

This works well with the style of work we have.

Sometimes I don't start the spreadsheet right away. In those cases I
have a macro that will suck unique parts out of an assembly if the
parts are named configurations. Since I always name the default config
with my part number / filename this works out very well.

 

A series of e-drawings can serve as a pretty good lightweight record.