【转帖】drawing post-automation addin

yang686526

drawing post-automation addin
hi i have just completed an api project for a customer to reconfigure parts assemblies and drawings. essentially they have parts that behave to a set of equations which are driven by two input dimensions. the key part was the automatic reformatting of drawings, scaling and positioning views and repositioning dimensions and notes etc.
is there anyone interested in a generic plugin to do this sort of thing. i know luke mulpass is developing draftsman but that is more automation without the drawing having been created yet - luke correct me if i am wrong.
the idea is that for people that have parameterised parts you will set up your drawing for your part/assembly. you will then add rules for positioning each dimension/annotation and perhaps rules for which layers are active - allows different options to be displayed/hidden. the plugin will then save these rules and when you reopen that drawing it will automatically reapply the rules to reconfigure your drawing. i have a library of postioning rules written now i just need to know if there is any interest in it to determine whether i should write an interface for it.
it would not be free, but would not be expensive. it could potentially be used in conjunction with driveworksexpress but i haven't sorted out the details as yet.
let me know
regards
tom mulder
regards
tom mulder.
compac nw8440
intel core 2 t7400 2.16ghz
ati mobility firegl v5200
solidworks 2008 sp4.0
windows xp professional sp2
hi tom,
sounds pretty good, would it be possible to post some screenshots of the addin or maybe create a trial version. luke created a trial version for his batchprocess product and it was great to be able to test the application. it was also a good way to add new features and tweaks to the application by providing direct feedback during the evaluation period.
in any case it sounds like a good addin but personally i like to test things before i buy.
cheers,
declan.
thomas,
i believe there is a big potential here for you.
i have made several configurator solutions. the weak point has always been keeping drawings updated when the models change. i have considered making something like what you have now made so i am very interested! can you elaborate a bit about what functionality your system contains?
what would it cost? like declan says. it would be a good idea with a trial or express version and if you are looking for beta-testers i am ready to put some time into it.
looking forward to hearing more.
jorn bjarning
cswp
cad & plm consultant
sw2008 sp5 / sw2009 sp2
hi guys i think you are right it would be a good idea to produce a beta release for free to aid in the development.
at the moment the software has no general interface. i need to write this. once the drawing opens the software checks the view sizes compare to the page size and rescales the views so that all views fit with predefined minimum margins. for this project i linked all views to the sheet scale however i will be adding relative scales beteen views and sheet - eg view one scale = twice view two scale etc. the scales are also adjusted to give unit numerator integer denominator although i will relax this slightly as an option.
i have a series of routines for positioning the dimensions and notes at known or relative points in the view. eg align with left edge of view with optional offset with optional fractional position along view edge or center dim text. eg. align dim relative to sketchpoint (hidden on a contolpoints layer). also alternate strategies for positioning a given dimension based on some criteria eg. if dim does not fit in controlarea1 (defined as a rectangle in hidden layer) try to put in controlarea2. control areas can be dimensioned constrained sketches as they are on a hidden layer. most dimensions don't need a lot of smarts however some do.
anyway that is a subset. all comments appreciated.
regards
tom mulder
regards
tom mulder.
compac nw8440
intel core 2 t7400 2.16ghz
ati mobility firegl v5200
solidworks 2008 sp4.0
windows xp professional sp2
if there is a test version it will be appreciated
mohamed abdel moniem | mechanical engineer
cswp, cswa, cswp core, cswp-smtl
solidworks 2009 sp3.0
vista x64 sp1.0
intel q6600, 8gb ram
ati hd 4850
3dconnexions spacenavigator
hi tom,
i was just wondering if you managed to further develop you addin or if there are any previews/betas available.
cheers,
declan.
hi declan
sorry i haven't done any more on this at this stage. i've had a whole lot of work come up which has had to take precedence. it is still my intention to develop this but unfortunately i don't have a timeline yet.
regards
regards
tom mulder.
compac nw8440
intel core 2 t7400 2.16ghz
ati mobility firegl v5200
solidworks 2008 sp4.0
windows xp professional sp2
thomas,
what you are developing sounds good. the only problem i can see is the rules you are coding for resizing views and positioning dimensions are going to be very bespoke to your needs are they not?
the problem comes in the fact that everyone wants different rules; hence why the project i was working on (will be again soon), has a full blown rules/template designer where the users define exactly how and where their views are altered and dimensions positioned etc...
but with regards to it creating the drawings from scratch, i could also possibly add the ability to work with existing drawings but that would be a whole new ball game as the rules would not apply as the views already exist and could be anywhere and in any form, and the same goes for dimensions, so it would be a new rules/template editor.
let me know your thoughts it sounds like you have some experience in this area too.
hi luke
you are absolutely right, the rules can be quite specific to your needs. the idea is to have a number of rules which can be used in combination. i am of course looking from the viewpoint that you have determined the layout of your sheet and therefore know where you want to position your views. it is then a matter of prescribing relative view scales (to other views/sheet scales) and clearance between views and sheet objects. then it is a relatively simple task to autoscale the views to fit the page once a change has been made to the original models. the alternative is to prescribe an envelope for each view and scale each to suit.
with the dimensioning you effectively add your knowledge of the extent to which your model(s) may change. i believe a reasonably general set of positioning rules can do a lot and i have already found this in the project i worked on. simple rules can also be used in combination. essentially you want the drawing to look pretty much the same each time you reconfigure your model. so you want the dimensions/annotations in general to appear in the same postions relative to the part in the view. this means you set up the drawing initially manually the way you want it to look and then apply a rule to each dimension to make sure it behaves in such a way that it appears in that relative location again after the model has been reconfigured.
so what i am proposing is very deterministic you add your knowledge and requirements at the start but after that everything is automatic for a model reconfigure.
i wonder if perhaps we don't 100% get the angle eachother is coming from and perhaps there is actually some overlap in thinking.
thanks for your comments
regards
tom mulder.
compac nw8440
intel core 2 t7400 2.16ghz
ati mobility firegl v5200
solidworks 2008 sp4.0
windows xp professional sp2
thomas,
yes i understand where you are coming from. your rules basically re-fit the views/dimensions keeping relative positions in a simple explanation, so you determine the layout from the existing drawing.
as you stated before the original rules are designed mainly at parts that basically alter in size and length, effectively just configurations or variations of a "type" of part, so the drawings are pretty much always the same bar the scale.
this would work well for what it is intended and would be very handy with perhaps a small modification to act as a drawing cleanup tool as well to make sure all dimensions are clear of views, and all views fit the sheet etc...
its another good approach though and food for thought when i get stuck into my project again.
thanks for the feedback.