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What good is it to have the option to replace a model in views if it's going to break all the dimensions?

Question asked by Kris Rowlands on Jan 4, 2019
Latest reply on Jan 8, 2019 by Barry Watkins

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So.….I have a machining that's made from a casting.

I copied the casting page of the drawing to make another sheet on the dwg to create a hog-out version (not from casting). All but 10 dimensions from the final assembly (casting part in an assembly with machining functions completed) are contained on the casting dwg.

I replaced the model on the views of the copied sheet and SW broke all the dag-gone dimensions!

What good is it to have this feature if it's going to break all the dims? It's the same part dimensionally with the exception of the machining ops.

Grrr. Sometimes I will never understand the rationale of SW devs.

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Dennis Dohogne Jan 4, 2019 3:53 PM

Kris Rowlands wrote:

So.….I have a machining that's made from a casting.

I copied the casting page of the drawing to make another sheet on the dwg to create a hog-out version (not from casting). All but 10 dimensions from the final assembly (casting part in an assembly with machining functions completed) are contained on the casting dwg.

I replaced the model on the views of the copied sheet and SW broke all the dag-gone dimensions!

What good is it to have this feature if it's going to break all the dims? It's the same part dimensionally with the exception of the machining ops.

Grrr. Sometimes I will never understand the rationale of SW devs.

Without sharing your files we can only speculate and ask questions.

When you replaced the model was it with a different, but similar (nearly identical) part?

Dimensions and mates all refer to the particular identifiers of the entities they refer to. If you and I were to both model a part that ended up geometrically identical, the surface identifiers would be different. As a result, if one is substituted for the other then mates would fail and dimensions would become dangling, at best.

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Josh Helman @ Dennis Dohogne on Jan 4, 2019 4:02 PM

If you get rid of what is dimensioned then of course that dimension would go away. The replace model is really useful when you have a complex part but there are only a few things that are changed for instance.

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Sarah Dwight Jan 4, 2019 5:05 PM

I can use Replace Model in drawings without losing too many dimensions, but that is because I realized how it worked and made a change to my workflow. The dimensions need to be snapped to the same feature. Not a similar feature or shape, but the actual feature. I started making "blank" or "template" models so I always have the same features.

I have a knife file that I "save as" over and over, so all the features are the same.

If I ever need to replace the model, most if not all of the dimensions are kept, depending on if I have added any new features.

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Barry Watkins Jan 8, 2019 10:52 AM

Kris, Replacing the model with the "replace model" command isn't as reliable as replacing the model as you open the drawing. Try that if you haven't already and see if it does a better job of keeping the dimensions linked. When opening the drawing in SolidWorks select the "References" button near the bottom right of the "Open" dialogue box and change the model reference there. -Barry

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Dennis Dohogne Jan 4, 2019 3:53 PM
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Kris Rowlands wrote:

So.….I have a machining that's made from a casting.

I copied the casting page of the drawing to make another sheet on the dwg to create a hog-out version (not from casting). All but 10 dimensions from the final assembly (casting part in an assembly with machining functions completed) are contained on the casting dwg.

I replaced the model on the views of the copied sheet and SW broke all the dag-gone dimensions!

What good is it to have this feature if it's going to break all the dims? It's the same part dimensionally with the exception of the machining ops.

Grrr. Sometimes I will never understand the rationale of SW devs.
Without sharing your files we can only speculate and ask questions.

When you replaced the model was it with a different, but similar (nearly identical) part?

Dimensions and mates all refer to the particular identifiers of the entities they refer to. If you and I were to both model a part that ended up geometrically identical, the surface identifiers would be different. As a result, if one is substituted for the other then mates would fail and dimensions would become dangling, at best.
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- Josh Helman @ Dennis Dohogne on Jan 4, 2019 4:02 PM
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  If you get rid of what is dimensioned then of course that dimension would go away. The replace model is really useful when you have a complex part but there are only a few things that are changed for instance.
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Sarah Dwight Jan 4, 2019 5:05 PM
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I can use Replace Model in drawings without losing too many dimensions, but that is because I realized how it worked and made a change to my workflow. The dimensions need to be snapped to the same feature. Not a similar feature or shape, but the actual feature. I started making "blank" or "template" models so I always have the same features.

I have a knife file that I "save as" over and over, so all the features are the same.
If I ever need to replace the model, most if not all of the dimensions are kept, depending on if I have added any new features.
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Barry Watkins Jan 8, 2019 10:52 AM
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Kris, Replacing the model with the "replace model" command isn't as reliable as replacing the model as you open the drawing. Try that if you haven't already and see if it does a better job of keeping the dimensions linked. When opening the drawing in SolidWorks select the "References" button near the bottom right of the "Open" dialogue box and change the model reference there. -Barry
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What good is it to have the option to replace a model in views if it's going to break all the dimensions?

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