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What are the best practices for using text to decrease rebuilt times?

Question asked by Jory Blagden on May 13, 2015
Latest reply on May 15, 2015 by John Stoltzfus

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We do a lot of sheet metal parts with screened text on them. I have tried numerous things to decrease the ridiculous rebuild times. What are your suggestions and how does everyone else do text on panels and parts?

I'm down to the point where I put all text and screened geometry in one sketch. I don't extrude it until I'm done adjusting. I've tried dividing it up into several sketches and it just takes longer. I've tried using CUT instead of EXTRUDE with no noticeable difference. I've tried MERGE and NOT MERGED with no increased results.

I don't have a screamin' fast machine, but it isn't a slouch either. How do you all work with text?

Roland Schwarz May 14, 2015 11:50 AM

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One solution is to suppress the feature but leave the sketch unsuppressed and visible.

The basic issue is that text generates lots of small faces. This increases regen time. A small line of text can multiply the face count many times over. Each cut or extruded letter is a subfeature that must be recalculated with each regen.

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Alex Taguchi May 13, 2015 2:31 PM
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In my experience, the flat pattern view needs to be exported to dxf/dwg at some point to send to the laser cutter. Since that's the case, the DXF/DWG does not see any difference between sketches and edges, so I usually recommend leaving the text as a sketch and never extrude it.

Then when you save as dxf/dwg, checkmark geometry and sketches and it'll treat them all the same. I reserve extruding lots of complex text for sheetmetal for rendering images.
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Jamil Snead May 13, 2015 2:43 PM
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I haven't put text on sheet metal parts before so I don't know if sheet metal parts are more vulnerable to getting bogged down by text features than normal parts. I'm not sure if it would be any better, but another option instead of extruding or cutting would be to make split lines on the part surface. Alex's suggestion of just leaving it as a sketch is a good one, and if you need it to show on a drawing you can always just show the sketch, or convert entities from it directly onto the drawing.

One more thing, do you draw all of the screened geometry in SW or do you import it from a dxf or something? Importing icons and such from a dxf can result in thousands of entities because curves will sometimes import as polylines, so that will slow down the rebuild significantly. Whenever possible I always try to redraw imported sketches with simple lines and arcs.
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- John Stoltzfus @ Jamil Snead on May 13, 2015 3:26 PM
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  Jamil,
  
  Awesome idea to use a split line curve, you can actually do an un-fold, then do your text and split line and then re-fold the sheet metal, however it needs to be on the same face you pick for the sheet metal
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Roland Schwarz May 13, 2015 2:51 PM
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Put text last on the feature tree. Suppress or roll back to avoid regen.

Alternatively, put text features high in the feature tree and freeze features.
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Jory Blagden May 13, 2015 3:03 PM
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I assume it would be too hard to just implement a function called insert text that would allow you to place text on a panel and when done, a user could choose the color the text displayed and when exported to a drawing or dxf/dwg, it would simply out line it in black.

It would simply create an image on the panel and not actual geometric surfaces/faces thus reducing the need to "rebuild" all that geometry. Will you guys crucify me if I say "sometimes I miss AutoCAD?" LOL

I need to keep the text at the bottom of the tree since I align my text on construction lines that are driven off connector holes. If the holes move, then the text updates to the new location.

Also, just showing the sketch will throw up all the construction lines and dimensions which I don't want. That is the only good reason to extrude/cut. They go away.
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- Mark Kaiser @ Jory Blagden on May 13, 2015 3:18 PM
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  If you have extra construction lines in the sketch that you don't want to show on the drawing, then (as Jamil suggested) in the drawing, convert (convert entities) the sketch, and delete the lines you don't need. Doesn't take much time to delete lines.
  
  Select the sketch in the FMT, hit the 'convert enitities' button on the sketch toolbar, delete extra lines, and you're done. Downside is this does not update if you change the text.
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Jory Blagden May 13, 2015 5:24 PM
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Put all silkscreen in one sketch at the bottom of the tree. Started a timer and clicked EXTRUDE, .001", MERGE. Took 20:09 minutes to create.
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- Alin Vargatu @ Jory Blagden on May 13, 2015 6:07 PM
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  Jory, what image quality do you have set for that document?
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  - Jory Blagden @ Alin Vargatu on May 14, 2015 11:23 AM
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- Mark Kaiser @ Jory Blagden on May 14, 2015 8:03 AM
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  If you don't mind losing the parametrics of the sketch, you can dissolve the sketch text before you extrude it.
  
  Have you tried the wrap feature with emboss/deboss? I don't think it should be quicker, and haven't tried myself.
  
  Are split lines quicker? There may be problems with some of the text profiles to do split lines, and then if you are using shaded views, you will have to either apply colors to all of the text faces, or area hatch the faces in the drawing.
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  - Jory Blagden @ Mark Kaiser on May 14, 2015 11:27 AM
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    I need the text to stay active with the connector holes. I absolutely want it to move and update if a connector moves. We go through several design reviews and nothing will be where it starts by the end of the project. It HAS to be dynamic with the rest of the panel. I've been begging for a new 4.5Ghz BOXX machine but for now I'm stuck with 20 minute rebuilds with this Dell Dual 1.8Ghz Xeon lump of junk. ;(
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    - Mark Kaiser @ Jory Blagden on May 14, 2015 11:58 AM
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      Give them some cost savings numbers.... make extra trips to the coffee pot during the rebuilds. Squeaky wheel theory.
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      - Jory Blagden @ Mark Kaiser on May 14, 2015 12:16 PM
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        Done. Done. and Done. If there is a squeaky wheel, brotha, it's me. LOL
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Jamil Snead May 13, 2015 5:48 PM
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Maybe you could make a derived part from the sheet metal part and add the text to the derived part. That might be better for some reason.
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Roland Schwarz May 14, 2015 11:50 AM
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One solution is to suppress the feature but leave the sketch unsuppressed and visible.

The basic issue is that text generates lots of small faces. This increases regen time. A small line of text can multiply the face count many times over. Each cut or extruded letter is a subfeature that must be recalculated with each regen.
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- Jory Blagden @ Roland Schwarz on May 14, 2015 11:55 AM
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  That is basically how I'm attacking it ..... and also pressing for a new BOXX machine. LOL
  
  At first I thought I could break up each section (blocks for similar connectors) and turn them on and off and work on subsections one at a time. That was slower and an enormous PITA. Now, all text and screened things are in one sketch. Much...much easier to handle.
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Jory Blagden May 14, 2015 12:45 PM
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This flippin' software makes me so dad-blame mad sometimes.....change the color of the text extrusion to black and it fills in the all the faces surrounded by test black as well. I can't win. ARGH!
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Ian Worrall May 15, 2015 3:48 AM
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We've taken to modelling the text as an extrude, exporting to Illustrator (to send to our screen print service),
and then deleting the text & bringing in the screenprint as a decal.
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- Jory Blagden @ Ian Worrall on May 15, 2015 7:31 AM
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  That is all we hear from tech support is to use "decals." That is nice an all, but two month down the road, when I need to move "J5" over 1/2", I would assume the text has to be created again and exported to a decal all over?
  
  SW just needs to design a "insert text" feature and be done.
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  - John Stoltzfus @ Jory Blagden on May 15, 2015 7:38 AM
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    Did you try the Split Line Curve feature?
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    - Jory Blagden @ John Stoltzfus on May 15, 2015 8:03 AM
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      Once you split line it, you can't edit it, correct? No, I didn't try it.
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      - John Stoltzfus @ Jory Blagden on May 15, 2015 8:22 AM
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        Yes you can edit the text sketch. Depending on the amount of text it still can add a lot of time in the rebuild. I did a sample flat plate with just a little text "aasdf" - and the rebuild times were - Split line .30 sec, Cut extrude .17 sec, Boss Extrude .15 sec, so you would need to try it a few different ways to see what you would like to see in the end result. The only real advantage in using the Split Line Curve is if you need to have your text showing on a part that is rolled or a curve to the face you text is on...
        
        I hear you on the Coloring, that can be a huge time issue when you have a lot of text.
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What are the best practices for using text to decrease rebuilt times?

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