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Heiracrhy Control from Single Design Table

Question asked by James Biggs on May 22, 2013
Latest reply on May 29, 2013 by Adam Green

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So I got past the initial phases of building the sub assembly design table. I now have property mannagers correclty set up that let me configure my sub assemblies howerver I like with drop down menus.

SO, now I need to combine these 3 sub assemblies, into one top level assembly. At that point I need a design table that will "master" the tables for the sub assemblies.

Currently I can "create new assembly" ...pick which sub assembly i want, and as I put them in the Top assy, I can select the induvidual parts manually via the menus. I want to automate this even further. I want to be able to select , green, 7inch piston with 3 inch rod, and ceramic coating ....instead of a string of part numbers. after the MAIN selections are made, (ie exactly which sub assemblies to use) then i dont mind more specifically selecting parts.

(im almost wondering if i should just put all this in one assembly)

basically, what the problem is, is that the 2 of the sub assemblies I have created, have many more different configurations, and they are based in other files. Think, 5 inch pistons in 1 solidworks part file, and 6 inch pistons in another, and 7 inch in yet another..

So now i need to be able to tell this top assembly, (based strictly on a part number or item type) which file to use, which configuration inside that file to use, and how to mate it to the top level assembly.

And at this point, im completely lost. HAHA.

HELPPP!!!

Im wondering if this is something I should use driveworks for. (Ive never used it) if anyone has the time to help I would certainly appreciate it.

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Tim Glavin May 26, 2013 3:20 PM

James,

Your problem is beginning to go beyond what SolidWorks can comfortably handle by itself. If you follow this thread on the forums regularly, you see the problems people typically have with design tables.

Going to a 3rd party configurator like DriveWorks will improve things some, but DriveWorks also depends on directly using the SolidWorks geometry model and master-modelling techniques so you will still have issues with problem cominatorics.

Genus Designer, a 3rd party addin to SolidWorks, supports generative configuration; that is, it has rules for adding and orienting parts and assemblies to assemblies and features to parts. Because it is additive, combinations grow linearly instead of exponentially.

The ability to add features to parts may be useful for your piston modelling.

A configurator, whether master model-based or generative, still only supports detailing (configuration is detailing). If you need to actually automate design and deal with design alternatives and comparisons, then Genus Designer is the only SolidWorks KBE addin that can handle that.

Check it out on the Partner Products, CAD, Design, KBE page.

- Tim

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Chris Cassettari May 29, 2013 7:43 AM

Hi James,

If you are interested in finding out more about DriveWorks, give your SolidWorks Reseller a call, they will be able to give you tailored advise on whether it is applicable to you or not.

From what you have mentioned in your post I would suggest that it is all possible, and as Tim mentioned DriveWorks uses information in your Master model. This means you can edit features, drive dimensions, swap parts from other driven parts etc.

What DriveWorks is great at is achieving these results without requiring any programing knowledge. It uses Excel based syntax which is easy to pick up and learn either through using the online help files or by watching some short tutorial videos on our website.

By the sounds of things, DriveWorks Solo would suit you best.

I can pitch its benefits to you, but why not try it out yourself. Its available on a Free 30-Day trial which you can sign up for using the link below:

http://www.driveworkssolo.com/index.php/try-it

I hope this information helps!

Chris

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Adam Green May 29, 2013 7:59 AM

Hi James,

DriveWorks does seem like good solution to your problem. I'm not familiar with Genus Designer so I will just talk about DriveWorks.

As you already have all of the different models already created in either their own unique model or configuration, all you will need to do is pull it together in to an assembly.

If you choose to go down the DriveWorks route then you can use either of the 2 replacement techniques in DriveWorks. These are Static Replacement and Driven Replacement.

The differences are:

Static Replacement. This is where a replacement model doesnt change it simply grabs hold of the component and inserts it in to the assembly, you can however change its configuration.

Driven Replacements. This is where a new model is created and inserted in to the assembly. Geometry can also be changed using this method, so you can remove all of the configurations which will streamline your models. You can either do that yourself or you can get DriveWorks to do this for you over time.

More info on these can be found here:http://docs.driveworkspro.com/Topic/HowToReplaceAComponentWithAStaticOrDrivenReplacementModel

To use either of these techniques the method is roughly the same.

You will need to create a Master Assembly containing your 3 sub assemblies. You will then be able to swap the sub assemblies out for any of your other sub assembly as well as change their configuration to match the selection made. This will all be based off rules controlled by your user selection.

When you place your sub assemblies in to the Master assembly, you should mate them using planes and other reference geometry. That way you can simply move the planes around to position the sub assemblies anywhere you like again based off the user selection.

The only problem you might come across is losing the reference to mates. You will come across this if you mate your sub assemblies to your Master Assembly using references which do not exist in sub assemblies you are replacing them with. The best way to avoid this is to mate the sub assemblies using the 3 mater planes (Top, Front and Right) as there references will be consistent through out your sub assemblies (if you have used the same assembly template).

If you have not used the same template then the solution is to insert the sub assemblies in to another assembly ensuring that the references are the same.

You can have a go with DriveWorks' Online 3D Configurator here: http://www.configuremyproduct.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=65

This example uses a mixture of both static replacements method. If you want to see how this works you can get the files from the DriveWorksXpress and DriveWorks Solo sites.

http://www.driveworksxpress.com/index.php/community/downloadable-content

https://www.driveworkssolo.com/index.php/training/sample-projects.html

Let me know how you get on

Adam

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3 Replies

Tim Glavin May 26, 2013 3:20 PM
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Correct Answer
James,

Your problem is beginning to go beyond what SolidWorks can comfortably handle by itself. If you follow this thread on the forums regularly, you see the problems people typically have with design tables.

Going to a 3rd party configurator like DriveWorks will improve things some, but DriveWorks also depends on directly using the SolidWorks geometry model and master-modelling techniques so you will still have issues with problem cominatorics.

Genus Designer, a 3rd party addin to SolidWorks, supports generative configuration; that is, it has rules for adding and orienting parts and assemblies to assemblies and features to parts. Because it is additive, combinations grow linearly instead of exponentially.

The ability to add features to parts may be useful for your piston modelling.

A configurator, whether master model-based or generative, still only supports detailing (configuration is detailing). If you need to actually automate design and deal with design alternatives and comparisons, then Genus Designer is the only SolidWorks KBE addin that can handle that.

Check it out on the Partner Products, CAD, Design, KBE page.

- Tim
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Chris Cassettari May 29, 2013 7:43 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Hi James,

If you are interested in finding out more about DriveWorks, give your SolidWorks Reseller a call, they will be able to give you tailored advise on whether it is applicable to you or not.

From what you have mentioned in your post I would suggest that it is all possible, and as Tim mentioned DriveWorks uses information in your Master model. This means you can edit features, drive dimensions, swap parts from other driven parts etc.

What DriveWorks is great at is achieving these results without requiring any programing knowledge. It uses Excel based syntax which is easy to pick up and learn either through using the online help files or by watching some short tutorial videos on our website.

By the sounds of things, DriveWorks Solo would suit you best.

I can pitch its benefits to you, but why not try it out yourself. Its available on a Free 30-Day trial which you can sign up for using the link below:

http://www.driveworkssolo.com/index.php/try-it

I hope this information helps!

Chris
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Adam Green May 29, 2013 7:59 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Hi James,

DriveWorks does seem like good solution to your problem. I'm not familiar with Genus Designer so I will just talk about DriveWorks.

As you already have all of the different models already created in either their own unique model or configuration, all you will need to do is pull it together in to an assembly.

If you choose to go down the DriveWorks route then you can use either of the 2 replacement techniques in DriveWorks. These are Static Replacement and Driven Replacement.

The differences are:

Static Replacement. This is where a replacement model doesnt change it simply grabs hold of the component and inserts it in to the assembly, you can however change its configuration.

Driven Replacements. This is where a new model is created and inserted in to the assembly. Geometry can also be changed using this method, so you can remove all of the configurations which will streamline your models. You can either do that yourself or you can get DriveWorks to do this for you over time.

More info on these can be found here:http://docs.driveworkspro.com/Topic/HowToReplaceAComponentWithAStaticOrDrivenReplacementModel

To use either of these techniques the method is roughly the same.

You will need to create a Master Assembly containing your 3 sub assemblies. You will then be able to swap the sub assemblies out for any of your other sub assembly as well as change their configuration to match the selection made. This will all be based off rules controlled by your user selection.

When you place your sub assemblies in to the Master assembly, you should mate them using planes and other reference geometry. That way you can simply move the planes around to position the sub assemblies anywhere you like again based off the user selection.

The only problem you might come across is losing the reference to mates. You will come across this if you mate your sub assemblies to your Master Assembly using references which do not exist in sub assemblies you are replacing them with. The best way to avoid this is to mate the sub assemblies using the 3 mater planes (Top, Front and Right) as there references will be consistent through out your sub assemblies (if you have used the same assembly template).

If you have not used the same template then the solution is to insert the sub assemblies in to another assembly ensuring that the references are the same.

You can have a go with DriveWorks' Online 3D Configurator here: http://www.configuremyproduct.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=65

This example uses a mixture of both static replacements method. If you want to see how this works you can get the files from the DriveWorksXpress and DriveWorks Solo sites.

http://www.driveworksxpress.com/index.php/community/downloadable-content

https://www.driveworkssolo.com/index.php/training/sample-projects.html

Let me know how you get on

Adam
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Heiracrhy Control from Single Design Table

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