proe reference

8/13/2019 PROE REFERENCE

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*What is a UDF Library?A UDF Library is a directory which contains User Defined Features, or UDFs. In Assembly mode, groups ofcomponents can be made to act as a single component when placed into the assembly. The Group command, foundin the ADV UTILS menu can be selected to use the UDF in the assembly, and the UDF Library command, alsofound in the ADV UTILS menu is used to define, modify and manipulate the UDFs.

*What is a Zone?A zone is a region within an assembly which consists of a datum plane and a "half space." A "half space" is

everything in space on one side of the specified datum plane. Zones are used to make large assemblies moremanageable. For more information on zones, refer to Using Zones to Create Simplified Representations.

*What is an Envelope?An envelope a special type of part which consists of its own geometry and a list of parts which it represents.Envelopes can be substituted into a simplified representation in place of the components which it represents.Envelopes are used to make large assemblies more manageable. For more information on zones, refer to UsingZones to Create Simplified Representations.

*What is a Rule?Rules are methods of specifying components which will have actions performed on them in a simplifiedrepresentation. Components can be selected By Rule on the basis of their relative or absolute size, their locationwithin an assembly, their model name, or any designated parameters within the component. For more information

on zones, refer to Using Rules to Create Simplified Representations.

*What is a Layout?A layout is a two-dimensional conceptual sketch which is used to begin the design process and maintain designintent in solid models as they are developed. Layouts can be used to establish parameters and relations, andautomate the assembly process. Layouts are not precision scaled drawings, and are not associative with three-dimensional model geometry.*What is a Dependency?A dependency confines a relationship between two items. If an item is dependent on another item, it cannot existwithout it and must change with it.

*What is a Skeleton Model?A Skeleton Model is a property of an assembly that defines skeletal, space claim, and other physical properties that

can be used to define geometry of components. It is the behind-the-scenes backbone of the assembly. You can useskeleton models to manage the references of their respective assemblies, or to represent space claims for them.

*What is a Copy Geom feature?Using the Copy Geom feature allows copying of geometric and datum references from any other skeleton or partonto a selected skeleton or part being modified, while preserving names, colors, line styles, and other propertiesassigned to the original parent entities. Each Copy Geom feature may only copy references from a single skeletonor part, but can create any number of these features in a model.

*What are circular references?Circular references indicate an assembling error in which a component refers to one of its children. For example, inan assembly with two parts, if an assembly coordinate system was created that references the second part, and thenthe second part was moved with respect to the coordinate system, a circular reference would be created. The

second part was used to locate the coordinate system, and the coordinate system was used to locate the secondpart. This constitutes a circular reference, which can be removed.

*How can circular references be found and removed?When a circular reference is encountered, a file containing information is written to disk with the namingconvention of "assembly_name.crc." This file provides information about the circular loop of references in theassembly. Assembly tools such as Redefine, Reroute and Comp Info can be used to remove the circular references.

*How is it possible to create closed corner geometry when creating walls?It is possible to create closed corner geometry, using the w/Relief option.

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- 3 -*Why is the error message "Invalid selection; try again." received when trying to add a new wall to the bottom edgeof a "u-shaped" wall, which does not have fillets at each end?Without fillets in either end, the green edge and the white edge are of different lengths. Therefore, fillets arerequired to make the green edge and the white edge equal length.

*How is it possible to create a revolved wall around a circular cut in the middle of a flat piece of stock?Place a cylindrical form feature on the flat piece of stock, and select the top surface of the form to be removedduring placement. Another technique is to create a swept wall that references the inside edges of the circular cut.

*How is it possible to create a wall on a non-linear edge?A Swept Wall can be created by sweeping a sketched cross section along the attachment edge which forms thetrajectory path.

*What are the restrictions for a Use Radius Swept Wall feature?If the swept wall has the Use Radius attribute, the line of intersection between the sketching plane and theattachment surface must be a straight line.

*What are the restrictions for a No Radius Swept Wall feature?If the Swept Wall has a No Radius attribute and the line of intersection between the sketching plane and theattachment surface is not a straight line, then the section must be attached tangentially to the adjacent surface at theattachment edge.

*How can a Swept Wall feature be copied?A Swept Wall can be copied with the commands Copy, New Refs. A Swept Wall cannot be copied with the Copy,Mirror commands.

*Why do "sheetmetal" cuts and "solid" cuts with the same section (ie: circle) produce different geometry in asheetmetal model?Cut sections made using SHEET METAL menu are intersected with either the green or white surface of thesheetmetal model based on user choice, and the resulting side surfaces of the cut geometry are created by offsettingnormal to the drive surface to join the opposite surface. Cut sections made using SOLID menu are intersected withboth the green and white surfaces parallel to the sketching plane. See pages 2-61 to 2-66 of "Pro/SHEETMETALand Pro/NC-CHECK User's Guide-Release 17.0" for more detail on this issue.

*How is it possible to tell if a cut is a sheetmetal cut or a solid cut?

When the feature information is checked for a sheetmetal cut, it will only list the Type, Form, Section Name andDepth, along with the dimensions and Number/ID data. Solid cut information will list all the "elements" used inthe creation of the cut. The "elements" will be numbered, and each will show the current status.

*How is it possible to create a cut of blind depth in a sheetmetal part?It is possible to create a "blind depth" cut by selecting the Solid option from the FEAT CLASS menu, and thenselecting Blind from the SPEC TO menu.

*What is the advantage of creating a "Punch/Notch" feature in a sheetmetal design part, instead of creating a cut?When a "Punch/Notch" feature is created, this feature can later be selected in the sheetmetal manufacturing model,and the tool information will be generated automatically for the sequence. If a cut is created, the tool will have to bedefined by the user.

*How is the orientation of form features determined when being placed?There are two options for placement of forms, Die and Punch. Using the Punch option allows placement of theform using the functionality in assembly to specify constraints (Mate, Align, Mate Offset, Align Offset, etc.). Usingthe Die option allows specification of the seed and boundary surfaces of the form along with placementfunctionality present with the Punch option. Refer to pages 2-76 to 2-85 in the "Pro/SHEETMETAL and Pro/NC-CHECK User's Guide-Release 17.0" for more details on this functionality.

*What is the use of Remove Srfs option for forms features?The Remove Srfs option is used when placing a form feature, to specify which surfaces should not be offset. This isuseful when creating forms which are "knockouts" or have holes through them.

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- 4 -*How can the dimensions of the reference form model be modified directly in the sheetmetal model, when the formwas placed using Reference option?To modify the dimensions of the reference form model features, select Query Sel and Next while picking on theform feature in the sheetmetal model.

*Why is the message "Could not construct feature geometry." returned when trying to place a form feature whichhas radii on it?The most common reason for this message is that one of the radii on the form feature is too small to allow thematerial offset based on the thickness of the sheetmetal model. The user should modify all concave radii values

(based upon the surface the form has been assembled to using a Mate, Align, Mate Offset or Align Offsetconstraint) to be larger than material thickness of sheetmetal model.

*How can a form feature be placed which has more than one protrusion off the base plane?A multiple protrusion form feature can be placed if the protrusions are created as a single feature consisting ofmultiple closed sections.

*When placing a form feature, why is the following error message "Feature aborted. Geometry was overlapping."returned?This is most likely due to the material offset causing two inside surfaces to overlap, due to the form feature havinga hollow in it. See p. 2-78, Figure 2-79 of the Rev. 17.0 Pro/SHEETMETAL and Pro/NC-CHECK User's Guide, foran example of this type of form feature.

*Why is the message "WARNING: Reference part is missing." received when retrieving a sheetmetal part, anassembly or drawing?This is because the sheetmetal part, assembly or drawing references a form feature, which is not able to beretrieved. A search_path should be set in the config.pro file to indicate where the form feature is located.

*Can form features placed using the Copy menu option be patterned?When the Copy option is used, a pattern cannot be created. Use the Reference option when placing a form featureto create a pattern.

*Is it possible to redefine the placement of a form feature?Form feature placement can be redefined using the functionality available as assembly component redefine, whichallows redefine of both the placement constraint type and the assembly reference.

*Are datum features (axes, coordinate systems, planes, points, curves) supposed to follow sheetmetal geometrywhen bent/unbent?Datum axes created during feature creation (ie: circular cuts and holes) will follow sheetmetal geometry as it isbent/unbent. Features created separately (ie: coordinate systems, planes, points, curves) will not follow thesheetmetal geometry as it is bent/unbent as a general rule. One special case is a projected datum curve, whichallows selection of the Follow Surf option. A "Follow Surf" datum curve will follow the sheetmetal geometry as it isbent/unbent. Another case is when the config.pro option "punch_axis_points" is set to "yes", sketcher pointscreated in the section will appear as datum points, and will bend/unbend with the geometry of the part.

*Why does a "Bend Back" feature fail after creating a "Xsec Driven" unbend feature?Currently, the "Bend Back" feature is not implemented for "Xsec Driven" unbend features. The user will need todelete or suppress the "Xsec Driven" unbend feature to see the "bent" model.

*How can it be determined which bend table is currently in use for the model?It is possible to determine which bend table is applied to the model by selecting Info, Model Info. This will displaythe active bend table for the part in the header of the information file.

*How can the number of decimal places displayed for bend tables be controlled?The number of displayed decimal places is based on the number of decimal places entered by the user, upto themaximum of 9.

*What is the relationship between Yfactor and Kfactor?The Kfactor is the percentage value that the neutral axis is from the inside surface of the bend, through the materialthickness. The relationship between Yfactor and Kfactor is: Yfactor = (pi/2)Kfactor

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- 5 -*A user defined bend table was applied to the model, but it is not listed when Set Up, Sheet Metal, Bend Allow,Define, Show is selected, or the applied bend table is not found when model is retrieved-Why?The config.pro option "pro_sheet_met_dir" does not point to the correct path. This path should be the completepath to the directory of bend tables being used. If this directory path is incorrect or is not specified; the followingmessage will be given when the design model is retrieved "Part bend table is not found. Default values will beused.". Also note, the standard bend tables (TABLE1, TABLE2 & TABLE3) can be copied to the directory pathspecified in the "pro_sheet_met_dir" config.pro option.

*Why is the developed length for non-90 degree bend different than expected when using a "Conversion Formula"?

In the "Conversion Formula", L = 2 *8 (T + R) - A * ANGLE / 90, the entire right side of the "Conversion Formula",not just the "A" value, is multiplied by the angle/90 factor.

*How can cosmetic threads be created on Sheetmetal parts?It is possible to merge a Sheetmetal part (by reference) to a Solid part (consisting only of datum planes) in anassembly. Then create cosmetic threads on the Solid part. Any changes made to the Sheetmetal part will bepropagated to the Solid part.

*How can Sheetmetal parts be merged in an assembly?Sheetmetal parts can be merged in an assembly if the first part selected for the merge process is not a Sheetmetalpart. The second part selected for the merge process can be a Sheetmetal part.

*How can both "bent" and "flat" states of a Sheetmetal Design Model be shown in a drawing?Add a "Flat Pattern" feature to the model, then create a family table and add the "Flat Pattern" feature to the familytable. In the family table, the "Flat Pattern" feature should be listed as "Y". In the generic model, the "Flat Pattern"feature should be suppressed. Now, a drawing can be created by adding views of both the "bent" (generic) and"flat" (instance) models.

*How can a datum point be created in a cut to move with the cut when the part is unbent?The config.pro option "punch_axis_points" set to "yes" allows the creation of a sketched datum point in a cut orpunch section, which will move with the placement plane of its parent feature during Unbend/Bend Backoperations.

Pro/ASSEMBLY Terminology

*What is Automatic Regeneration?Automatic Regeneration will regenerate every part which has not been regenerated since the last modification ofthe assembly, or any part with references to a part which has been modified. Those parts needing regeneration willbe selected automatically. To regenerate only select parts, use Pick Part to select the parts from the screen or toselect them by name.

*What is a Bill of Materials?A Bill of Materials is a listing of all parts and part parameters in the current assembly. It is possible to customize theoutput format to produce a particular form of presentation and content. BOM's can be created for assemblies inAssembly mode, or from assembly drawings in Drawing mode. The Bill of Materials for an assembly can bedisplayed by selecting Info from the ASSEMBLY menu, and BOM from the INFO menu. The BOM will bedisplayed in an Information Window and will also be written to a file.

*What is a Bulk Item?A Bulk Item can be used to represent any non-geometry item in an assembly that must be represented in the Bill ofMaterials. These items may include glue, paint, solder, etc. To create a Bulk Item:Select Component from the ASSEMBLY menu, followed by Create.Select Bulk Item from the COMPTYPE menu.At the prompt, enter the desired name of the Bulk Item.

*What is a Coding Table?A Coding Table displays the coding symbols for each component in the assembly. A coding symbol is a numberplaced after dimensions in the assembly (i.e. d25:8, where 8 is the coding symbol). This will allow relations usingdimensions from more than one part to be written. The coding table is shown at the beginning of the relations file.

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- 6 -*What is an Intersect List?The Intersect List is the listing of components which an assembly feature intersects. For example, if a hole is createdas an assembly feature, and components "A" and "B" are intersected by this features, then both of those parts willappear on the Intersect List.

*What is Package?The Package option provides a 3D layout capability for quickly visualizing and rearranging components in anassembly. When packaging a component, Pro/ENGINEER places it at a random default location in the assembly.Then, using the mouse, the component can be repositioned by sliding it along planes, rotating it along axes, etc.

Pro/ENGINEER remembers where the packaged parts are located. However, positioning is absolute, not relative toother parts. After the component has been moved to the correct location,the part's location can be finalized byspecifying it's placement parametrically using the standard assembly placement constraints.

*What is a Placement Constraint?A Placement Constraint specifies the relative position of a pair of surfaces, axes, edges or points. Placementconstraints are specified when adding a component to an assembly and are used to position the component relativeto the assembly in 3 dimensional space. Examples of assembly placement constraints include: Mate, Align, Insert,etc.

*What are Reference Tags?Reference tags are used in a functional interchange assembly. These tags are used to specify corresponding entitiesin each component in the interchange assembly, allowing automatic replacement to be possible. For example, the

front mating plane of one component and the front mating plane of the other component would be assigned thesame reference tag. A coordinate system of one component and the corresponding coordinate system of the othercomponent would be assigned the same reference tag. To specify a reference that will be given a tag, selectReferenceTag from the INTERCHANGE menu, and then select Tags and Assign.

*What is Restructure?Restructure allows components to be moved from one sub-assemblyto another, or between the top-level assemblyand the sub-assemblies. When Restructure is chosen, an Information Window displays the assembly's hierarchicaltree structure, allowing the structure of the assembly to be changed without changing the appearance of theassembly in the graphics window.For example, to move a part from the top level assembly to a sub-assembly:Select Restructure from the ASSEMBLY menu.Select the part either in the graphics window using the Pick command, or in the Model Tree window by picking the

component listed in that window.Select SelectTarget to specify the sub-assembly to move the part into.

*What is a Simplified Representation?Simplified Representations provide a means of changing the view of a particular design. They allow control overwhich members of an assembly are retrieved into workstation memory and displayed. This allows the workenvironment to be tailored include only information of current interest. For example, a complex sub-assemblythatis unrelated to the portions of the assembly which are currently being worked on can be temporarily removed. Thisfunctionality offers an increase in performance due to a reduction in regeneration and display time.

*What is a Sub-Assembly?A Sub-assembly is any assembly which is used as a component in a higher level assembly. This sub-assembly cancontain both parts and other sub-assemblies and can be retrieved and used independently of the top-level assembly

that it is used in.

*What is a Mate Placement Constraint?A Mate placement constraint causes two surfaces to be coincident. The outward normals of the surface will face inopposite directions. When selecting datum planes, the red or yellow side must be specified. Mate Offset can beused to cause two surfaces to be parallel and facing each other, but separated by a given distance.

*What is an Align Placement Constraint?An Align placement constraint causes two surfaces to be coincident. The outward normals of the surface will facein the same direction. When selecting datum planes, the red or yellow side must be specified. Align Offset can beused to cause two surfaces to be parallel, but separated by a given distance. The Align constraint can also be usedto cause axes to be coaxial, or two points, vertices, or curve ends to be coincident.

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*What is an Insert Placement Constraint?An Insert placement constraint can be used to place a "male" revolved surface into a "female" revolved surface byaligning their respective axes.

*What is an Orient Placement Constraint?An Orient placement constraint causes two surfaces to be parallel. The outward normals of the surfaces will face inthe same direction, but no offset dimension is specified.

*What is a Coord Sys Placement Constraint?The Coord Sys placement constraint places a component into an assembly by aligning its coordinate system with acoordinate system in the assembly (both part and assembly coordinate systems may be used). The coordinatesystems may either be selected on the screen, or chosen by name with Sel By Menu.

*What is a Tangent Placement Constraint?The Tangent placement constraint is used to control the contact of two surfaces at their tangency.

*What is a Pnt On Srf Placement Constraint?The Pnt On Srf placement constraint is used to control the contact of two components at a point. A part or assemblydatum point or vertex can be constrained to be in contact with a solid surface or datum plane. For an example of aPnt On Srf placement constraint, refer to Using the Point On Surface Assembly Constraint.

*What is an Edge On Srf Placement Constraint?The Edge On Srf placement constraint is used to control the contact of two components at a straight edge. The edgemust be straight, and the surface must be planar. For an example of a Edge On Srf placement constraint, refer toUsing the Edge On Surface Assembly Constraint.

*What is a UDF Library?A UDF Library is a directory which contains User Defined Features, or UDFs. In Assembly mode, groups ofcomponents can be made to act as a single component when placed into the assembly. The Group command, foundin the ADV UTILS menu can be selected to use the UDF in the assembly, and the UDF Library command, alsofound in the ADV UTILS menu is used to define, modify and manipulate the UDFs.

*What is a Zone?A zone is a region within an assembly which consists of a datum plane and a "half space." A "half space" is

everything in space on one side of the specified datum plane. Zones are used to make large assemblies moremanageable. For more information on zones, refer to Using Zones to Create Simplified Representations.

*What is an Envelope?An envelope a special type of part which consists of its own geometry and a list of parts which it represents.Envelopes can be substituted into a simplified representation in place of the components which it represents.Envelopes are used to make large assemblies more manageable. For more information on zones, refer to UsingZones to Create Simplified Representations.

*What is a Rule?Rules are methods of specifying components which will have actions performed on them in a simplifiedrepresentation. Components can be selected By Rule on the basis of their relative or absolute size, their locationwithin an assembly, their model name, or any designated parameters within the component. For more information

on zones, refer to Using Rules to Create Simplified Representations.

*What is Reintersect?The Reintersect option allows assembly features created prior to Release 15.0 to be updated. In Release 15.0,assembly features are stored at the level at which they are created, whereas previously, they were stored at the partlevel. Reintersect is only available if the config.pro option "allow_redo_intersections" is set to "yes." For moreinformation on using Reintersect, refer to Converting Pre-15.0 Assembly Features to 15.0 Style Assembly Features.

*What is Display Mode?Display Mode allows for control of which components are shown in the Component Editor while using simplifiedrepresentationsor envelopes. All components may be shown by using Show All, or only those components whichhave been set to something other than the default rule may be shown by using Marked Comps.

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*What is a Model Tree?The Model Tree displays information about the current assembly. The first column in the Model Tree window hasan assembly tree showing the structure of the top-level assembly, sub-assemblies, and part files. The information inthis window can be controlled by the first section of menu selections under Tree. Assemblies, subassemblies, andparts can all be expanded or collapsed. Assembly features or suppressed components, can be controlled throughthe Show menu selection. The assembly tree can be used to highlight components in the main Pro/ENGINEERwindow by selecting the part or sub-assembly name. As of release 18,commonly used component and featureoperations can be accessed through the model tree. After highlighting the component or feature with the left mouse

button, press the right mouse button. A menu will pop up with the available operations that can be performed onthe highlighted object.The second column in the Model Tree can be customized to include specific information about the component inthe first column. This can be done by selecting Tree, Column and then either Add/Remove or Form. Add/Removewill give the option to add or remove information such as Status, Feat#, Feat Type, or Feat Name from the modeltree. Format allows the size of the columns to be adjusted.Under the File menu option, the information in the Model Tree can be saved in a text format or can have the currentsettings saved to a file.In release 18, a search tool was added to the model tree. This gives the ability to search through the model tree tofind items that match a specified set of criteria.For an example of using the search tool, refer to SuggestedTechnique for Searching with the Model Tree. For more information on using the Model Tree refer to SuggestedTechnique for Using the Model Tree in Assembly Mode.

*What is Global Clearance?Global clearance will find any pairs of parts or sub-assemblies which are separated by less than a specifiedclearance distance. Global clearance can be checked by selecting Measure from the INFO menu, choosingClear/Intf from the measure menu andGlobal Clr.

*What is Global Interference?Global interference will find any pairs of parts or sub-assemblieswhich interfere, or overlap. Global interferencecan be checked by selecting Measure from the INFO menu, choosing Clear/Intf from the measure menu, andchoosing Global Intr.

*What is a Layout?A layout is a two-dimensional conceptual sketch which is used to begin the design process and maintain designintent in solid models as they are developed. Layouts can be used to establish parameters and relations, and

automate the assembly process. Layouts are not precision scaled drawings, and are not associative with three-dimensional model geometry.

*What is a Case Study?A case study is a two-dimensional parametric sketch, much like one created in Sketcher mode. Unlike a regularsection, however, a case study can contain global relations associated with the layout in addition to relationsassociated with the sketch.

*What is Package Move?The functionality of Package Move is very similar to Package except it is available in the COMPONENTPLACEMENT menu when In Assembly is checked. It gives the ability to to dynamically move a component. It canbe selected at any point while a component is being constrained. However, the component will only move indirections that do not violate already defined constraints. This can be very helpful in determining how a

component should be constrained or why a component is not fully constrained since, by selecting Package Move, itwill be easy to see where the final degree of freedom is.

*What are Preferences?Preferences are available when modifying an exploded assembly or when using Package Move. Preferences givesthe ability to change the increment value a component moves.

*What is a Regeneration Manager?When performing a Custom assembly regeneration, the Regeneration Manager allows selection of components to"Skip Regeneration" in order to save on long and/or unnecessary regeneration time.

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*What is a Ref Viewer?The Reference Viewer clarifies the external relationships made among models in an assembly. It allows definitionof the scope in which to create external references to other models in the context of an assembly, definition of thesystem behavior upon attempting to create an external referencing a defined scope, identification of features in amodel that have external references and the chain of dependencies from the feature to the referenced entity, andobtaining information about the models that have external references to a specified model. For more informationon reference control, refer to Suggested Technique for Using the Reference Viewer to Manage External References.

*What is Ref Control?Ref Control controls the creation of external references. Ref Control specifies four different options: All,Subassembly, Skeleton, and None, to control which models can be externally referenced in an assembly. For moreinformation on reference control, refer to Suggested Technique for Controlling the Scope of External References.

*What is Design Manager?Design Manager functionality provides top-down design tools, reference control and investigation tools, andadvanced performance tools.

*What is a Reference?If a reference exists between two items, a relationship exists between them.

*What is a Dependency?

A dependency confines a relationship between two items. If an item is dependent on another item, it cannot existwithout it and must change with it.

*What is a Skeleton Model?A Skeleton Model is a property of an assembly that defines skeletal, space claim, and other physical properties thatcan be used to define geometry of components. It is the behind-the-scenes backbone of the assembly. You can useskeleton models to manage the references of their respective assemblies, or to represent space claims for them.

*What is a Copy Geom feature?Using the Copy Geom feature allows copying of geometric and datum references from any other skeleton or partonto a selected skeleton or part being modified, while preserving names, colors, line styles, and other propertiesassigned to the original parent entities. Each Copy Geom feature may only copy references from a single skeletonor part, but can create any number of these features in a model.

DBMS Functions

*Why are all parts and sub-assembliesbeing saved to the current working directory, rather than only those whichhave been modified?The config.pro option "save_objects" controls whether all objects will be saved or only those which have beenmodified since the last save. To save all objects, set this option to "all". To save only those objects which have beenmodified, set this option to "changed". The default value for this config.pro option is "changed_and_specified". Thiswill always save the top-level object, plus any dependent objects that have been modified.

*Why do parts intersected by assembly features at the part level require renaming before they can be copied?Assembly features which intersect assembly components alter the geometry of the original object. When theassembly is in session, the component exists in memory in two different states. When Pro/ENGINEER attempts to

save the assembly, it is unclear which state of the component should be saved. Pro/ENGINEER will prompt theuser to save the object with a new name. This will create a copy of the object which includes the geometry of theassembly feature.

*Why are some library parts copied to the local directory while saving an assembly?If a library part is intersected by an assembly feature, it can be saved to the current working directory. Since thelibrary part is intersected by an assembly feature, it has been changed and must be saved; however, the directorieswhere the library parts are located are read-only. The library part will be saved in the current directory, because thecurrent directory has the appropriate write permissions. For this to happen, the config.pro options"override_store_back" and "save_object_in_current" must be set to "yes."

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- 10 -*Why does the message "Error in storage - check disk space and write permission" appear when there is enoughavailable disk space to store the objects, and the user has proper permissions to the directory?Check to see if there is an assembly feature intersecting a library or write protected part. If so, either copy thelibrary part to the local working directory, change the permissions on the part so that it is no longer writeprotected, or set the config.pro options "override_store_back" and "save_object_in_current" to "yes."

*Why might Pro/ENGINEER not be able to retrieve a part that has been renamed while retrieving an assembly?When renaming a part that is a member of an assembly, the assembly must be in memory so that the part'sreferences can be updated. To correct the problem, rename the part back to it's original name, then retrieve the

assembly and rename the part again to the desired name.

*How can an assembly and all of its related members be copied to a new directory?To copy an assembly and all of it's related parts and sub-assemblies to a new directory, use the Dbms, Backupcommand. When the assembly is stored to the directory specified, all parts and sub-assemblies referenced by theassembly will also be copied.

*How can a top level assembly be copied to a new name without copying all of the dependent parts and sub-assemblies, such that the new assembly references the same components as the old assembly?The Dbms, Save As command can be used to copy a top level assembly to a new name. When prompted to selectwhich components to copy and rename, select Done rather than picking assembly components.

*Why are underscores added to the end of the file names in Pro/TABLE while copying and renaming parts during

a Save As?An underscore is the default template for renaming parts during a Save As. This means that any file which is beingrenamed will automatically have an underscore appended to the end of the file name. This template can becustomized by adding the option "model_rename_template" to the config.pro. For more information on using thisoption, refer to Suggested Technique for Copying an Assembly.

*Why would an assembly not be able to be erased from session?If a higher level assembly which uses the current assembly as a sub-assemblyor a drawing of the current assemblyis in active memory, a message which says "Cannot delete from memory; Being used in current session" willappear. The higher level assembly or drawing must be erased from session before the current assembly can beerased.

*Can all components not currently displayed in the window be erased from session?

As of Release 16.0, all components which are not being used in the current window can be erased from memory byselecting EraseNotDisp from the DBMS menu. All objects which are in session, but not displayed, will be erasedfrom session, unless they are being used in another window. This is especially useful while managing largeassemblies. Retrieving an assembly and creating a simplified representationby excludingcertain components willnot free up memory, because the excluded components had to be brought into session when the assembly wasinitially retrieved. EraseNotDisp will allow the components which were just excluded to be erased from memory.

Assembly Regeneration & Retrieval

*What are circular references?Circular references indicate an assembling error in which a component refers to one of its children. For example, inan assembly with two parts, if an assembly coordinate system was created that references the second part, and thenthe second part was moved with respect to the coordinate system, a circular reference would be created. The

second part was used to locate the coordinate system, and the coordinate system was used to locate the secondpart. This constitutes a circular reference, which can be removed.

*How can circular references be found and removed?When a circular reference is encountered, a file containing information is written to disk with the namingconvention of "assembly_name.crc." This file provides information about the circular loop of references in theassembly. Assembly tools such as Redefine, Reroute and Comp Info can be used to remove the circular references.

*How can the time needed to regenerate a large assembly be reduced?Some methods of reducing regeneration time include suppressing components that are not necessary to the currentwork that is being done, setting component features to read only, and creating simplified representations.

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- 11 -*Why is Pro/ENGINEER unable to locate library parts when retrieving an assembly?The directories in which the library parts reside must be included in the search paths. To place these directories inthe search path, either use config.pro option "search_path" to define the path to the directories containing thelibrary parts, or use the "search_path_file" option to specify a file which contains the paths to the desireddirectories. For more information on search paths, refer to the Pro/ENGINEER Fundamentals Guide, Appendix D.

*What could cause a component to become frozen?Pro/ENGINEER will freeze an assembly component if the component is unable to be placed into the assembly dueto missing references. References may be lost if a part is modified without the assembly in session. If surfaces or

edges which were used to place a component were altered or deleted, the component will have missing references.Frozen components will be placed in its last known location until Reroute or Redefine is used to create newreferences for the component.

*What could cause a part or assembly file to become an invalid Pro/ENGINEER file?Pro/ENGINEER files are only forward compatible. This means that files which were created in a specific majorrelease of Pro/ENGINEER may be retrieved in any later Release of Pro/ENGINEER, but not in any earlier Release.For example, if a part file was last saved in Release 17.0, the file would be considered an invalid Pro/ENGINEERfile by Releases 16.0 and earlier.

*What can cause a component to not be found while retrieving an assembly?Pro/ENGINEER may be unable to retrieve an assembly component if the component was renamedwithout havingthe top level assembly active in memory. Assemblies must be in session when renaming any of its dependent

objects.The assembly component may not be found if it resides in a different directory. If so, the config.pro option"search_path" must be specified to enable Pro/ENGINEER to search this directory for objects.

*Why does the RESOLVE FEAT menu appear for a frozen component every time the assembly with the frozencomponent is retrieved?Freezing a component is only temporary. All failing components can be frozen automatically upon retrieval byhaving the config.pro option "freeze_failed_assy_comp" set to "yes," If this config.pro option is set to "no", then thecomponent will fail placement during retrieval and the RESOLVE FEATURE menu will appear.

*How can the placement constraints of the top-level assembly be regenerated without regenerating any of thecomponents?Pick Select from the PRT TO REGEN menu instead of Automatic, and do not select any parts, but pick Done from

the SELECT PARTS menu. This will only regenerate assembly placement constraints and datum features.

Assembly Information & X-Sections

*Can the mass properties of an individual part be changed from Assembly mode?Mass properties of parts can not be modified at the assembly level. Retrieve the parts in Part mode, change themass properties, and return to Assembly mode.

*Is it possible to calculate the mass properties for a certain combination of parts in the assembly?Mass property calculations can be done on a combination of assembly components by creating a simplifiedrepresentationof the assembly and using it for the mass property calculations.

*Why is one component not cross hatched when creating a cross section through an assembly?

It is possible that there are geometry errors in the part in the area where the cross section passes. Use Geom Checkfrom the INFO menu to investigate. If there are errors in that location, they must be addressed in order to allow thecross section to be created successfully.

*Why is the surface area calculation of an assembly equal to the sum of the part surface areas instead of only theoutside surface area?The surface area of an assembly is calculated this way in order to save calculation time. In order to find only theexternal surface area of the assembly, merge the components together, and then perform a mass propertycalculation on the merged part.

*How are cross sections created in Assembly mode?Cross sections can be created in Assembly mode by selecting the X-Section command from the SETUP menu.

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*Why does Comp Info not show all assembly instructions and indicate that further assembly instructions cannot begenerated?The component's references are missing. Redefine the component and ensure that there are no missing references.

*How can a part be removed from an assembly cross sectionModify the cross section by selecting Hatching from the XSEC MODIFY menu. Toggle through the componentsthat are intersected by the cross section by selecting either Next XSec or Prev XSec from the CROSS XHATCHmenu. When the component that is to be removed from the cross section is highlighted, pick Excl Comp to remove

the cross hatching. Use Restore Comp to bring the cross hatching back.

*Is there a way to assign the density of a part so that Pro/ENGINEER does not prompt for it when performingmass property calculations?The prompt can be avoided by assigning a density or a material file to the part through the SETUP menu.

*How are the units of the assembly chosen?The units of an assembly are determined by the units of the first component that was assembled.

*Is there a way to check for global interferencebetween sub-assemblies while ignoring the interference within thosesub-assemblies?To only consider sub-assemblies while performing a global interference check, select Subasms Only from theGLOBAL SETUP menu. This will ignore any interference which is encountered within those sub-assemblies.

*Is there any way to apply an assembly x-section to only one component?Yes, this is accomplished by selecting Setup, X-Section, Create, One Part, Done, select the part for the cross sectionto intersect, Done Sel, name the cross section, then create the assembly datum for cross section placement.Basic component operations*What is the Model Treeused for?The Model Tree is used to replace Assy Tree and By Table, and supplement the Get Select and Sel By Menuselections as of Version 17.0 of Pro/ENGINEER. It will allow for the ease of viewing the entire assembly structurefrom individual component features to the top level assembly hierarchy in a more complete format over theAssembly Tree functionality. The Model Tree will also allow for the selection features and components whenprompted for a selection, rather than just selecting from the screen. For more information about Model Tree, referto Suggested Technique for Using the Model Tree in Assembly mode.

*What information can be displayed in the Model Tree?The Model Tree can be used to display information in columns under several categories: Info (Type, Feat #,Regeneration status, Suppression Status, etc.); Layers; Comp Display States; Explode States; Model Parameters;Feat/Comp Parameters; Simplified Reps. Columns can be added or removed from the Model Tree by selectingColumn;Add/Remove and then adding or removing columns in the Add/Remove Columns dialog box. Show willcontrol the information to be displayed in the left side of the Model Tree and as well as giving the option tohighlight the information in the working window.

*How is the Model Tree navigated?The Model Tree is navigated by either double-clicking on the component or assembly to expand or collapse thebranch, or by selecting View in the Model Tree Dialog box, which then allows for the option to expand or collapseindividually, by branch, or all. For more information about Model Tree, refer to Suggested Technique for Using theModel Tree in Assembly Mode.

*How can the size and order of the columns in the Model Tree be changed?The size and order of the columns can be changed by selecting Column; Format and changing the values for thePosition and Width in the FORMAT Dialog Box.

*Can the Model Tree be printed?Yes. Select File; Save As Text from the Model Tree dialog box. The ASCII text file that is written can then be printed.

*How can the Model Tree's display be controlled?The Model Tree can be controlled through Environment by checking and unchecking Model Tree. The Model Treecannot be turned off if a selection is required to be made from it.

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*What component types can be created within the Release 19.0 Model Tree functionality?Parts, subassemblies, and bulk items can be created within the component creation functionality of the Model Tree.

*How can the Model Tree be used to create components within assembly mode?Using the left mouse button, highlight the assembly or subassembly in the Model Tree in which the newcomponent will exist. Use the right mouse button to display the pop-up menu. Within this pop-up menu, selectComponent and Create to bring up the New Object dialog box. Enter a name for the component, select thecomponent type, and finally select a create option in the lower portion of the window and OK. If you choose to

create an empty component, the system will display the component in the Model Tree. Otherwise, follow the stepsfor feature creation within Assembly mode detailed in Suggested Techique for Creating a Solid Part in AssemblyMode.

*What do the Create Options within the New Object dialog box mean?Using the Copy option allows for specification of a part to copy "on the fly" and place the new copied part in theassembly immediately. If a part is created this way, any layouts declared to the original part must be confirmed toallow for the layout to automatically be declared. There is no way to use this functionality if the original part hasexternal references.Using the Locate Datums option automatically assembles a component to selected references. This will create acomponent with default datum planes, allow definition of placement constraints relative to existing assemblygeometry, and allow creation of initial features without forcing external dependencies.Using the Empty option enables component creation without any geometry. When using this option,

Pro/ENGINEER will place the part datum planes in the default location of the parent assembly. This is particularlyuseful when utilizing top down design.Using the Create Feature option created geometry by referencing existing geometry within the assembly. Thisoption is utilized in the Suggested Techique for Creating a Solid Part in Assembly Mode.

*Why doesn't the pop-up menu for component creation appear within the model tree?The pop-up menu does not appear for component creation if the ASSEMBLY menu is not active.

*How can an assembly component be moved to a different location after being placed into the assembly?An assembly component can be moved to a new location using the Move command, found under the MODIFYASSEM menu by selecting Modify, Mod Assem. This will allow an assembly component to be translated and/orrotated with respect to an assembly coordinate system, an edge, an axis, or the normal of a plane. The componentwill then be placed with these new constraints, in addition to the placement constraints specified when the

component was placed in the assembly.

Another option would be to Redefine the component placement constraints by selecting a different type ofconstraint or by changing the component and/or assemblies references.

*Why would a component not display after placing it into an assembly, even though it is listed in the Bill ofMaterials?There may be a component on a layer which is set to Display. Once any component in the assembly or in any of itssubassemblies is displayed, all other components in the assembly will be blanked automatically. For moreinformation on Layers, refer to Suggested Technique for Managing the Display of Assemblies Using Layers. Formore information on Bill of Materials, refer to Suggested Technique for Creating a Customized Bill Of Materials.

*How can a Bulk Itembe created in an assembly?

A Bulk Item is an assembly component that does not have any representable geometry, but is nonetheless anecessary component of the assembly and must be listed in the Bill of Materials. These items may include glue,paint, solder, etc. Bulk Items can have parameters added to them, and can be included in groupsto be used in otherassemblies.A Bulk Item can be created two ways in assembly mode. The first technique is to select Component from theASSEMBLY menu, then select Create. Select Bulk Item from the COMPTYPE menu and enter the name for the bulkitem at the prompt. The second technique is to highlight the assembly name (where the bulk item will exist) in theModel Tree using the left mouse button, then use the right mouse button to select Component and Create from thepop-up menu. NOTE: the pop-up menu does not appear for component creation if the ASSEMBLY menu is notactive. Within the New Object dialog box, enter the Bulk Item name and select Bulk Item as the component type.

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*How can a Bulk Itembe deleted from an assembly?A bulk item may be deleted by selecting it through the Model Tree or by selecting Comp Info from the INFO menuto obtain the feature ID for the bulk item. Delete the bulk item by using Sel By Menu and entering the feature ID.

*How can components be moved from one level of an assembly to another?The Restructure command will allow parts to be moved from one level of an assembly to another. For moreinformation on Restructure, refer to Suggested Technique for Creating a Sub-Assembly from an Existing Assembly.

*Is there a way to place components without specific constraints and move them relative to edges, surfaces andother geometry?The Packagecommand from the COMPONENT menu will allow a component to be placed into the assembly inthis manner by dynamically dragging and rotating the component relative to the selected reference entity. For moreinformation on Package, refer to Suggested Technique for Using Package to Facilitate the Assembly Process.

*How can the method used to assemble a component be displayed?To display the steps taken to assemble components, select Comp Info from the INFO menu and step through theassembly instructions.

*Why do dimensions not appear for the part or assembly feature selected for modification?The dimensions may be on a layer. If so, make sure that the layer is not set to Blank, and that no other layers are set

to Display. For more information on Layers, refer to Suggested Technique for Managing the Display of AssembliesUsing Layers.

*When a component has been created by mirroring a part by Reference, can features be added to both the originalpart and the new part?Features can be added directly to the new part in the standard manner. If the component was mirrored byReference, then any features created on the original part will appear on the mirrored part after a regeneration.

*Why do the location of assembly components which have been placed into the assembly using Packagenot updatewhen the locations of adjacent components are modified?The positioning of packaged assembly components is absolute, not relative to other parts. The position will notchange with respect to the default assembly coordinate system unless the component is moved by selecting Movefrom the PACKAGE menu. To constrain the location of a packaged component relative to other components,

Finalize the location of the component. This allows the location of a packaged component to be defined using thestandard placement constraints. For more information on Package, refer to Suggested Technique for Using Packageto Facilitate the Assembly Process.

*If the location of an assembly component was changed with the Move command, will components assembled tothe moved component also move to a new location?When an assembly component is relocated using the Move command, any components referencing the movedcomponent will have their references updated.

*Where is the default coordinate system for a part created in Assembly mode?When a part is created in Assembly mode, its default coordinate system will be in the same location a the defaultcoordinate system of the assembly. To avoid this, create a part in Part mode with only default datum planes,assemble this part into the assembly and create the first solid feature in Assembly mode. For more information on

creating solid parts in Assembly mode, refer to Suggested Technique for Creating a Solid Part in Assembly Mode,or Suggested Technique for Creating Part Level Features in Assembly.

*What component operations are available when working in a Simplified Representationof an assembly?As of Version 17.0, when working in a Simplified Representation, Assemble, Create, Package, Delete, Suppress,Redefine, Reorder, Pattern, and Adv Utils are available. For more information about Simplified Representations ,refer to Suggested Technique for Managing the Display of Assemblies Using Simplified Representations.

*Can assembly explode lines be shown for components?Yes. Create offset lines by selecting Create or Redefine for an Explode State, then select Create from the OFFSETLINES menu and select entities from the ENTITY SELECT menu.

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- 15 -*How can the line style of an Offset Line be changed?Select Set Def Style from the OFFSET LINES menu when redefining or creating an Explode State.

*Can components in an assembly be displayed differently, such as some shaded and others in wireframe?Yes. Select View; Cosmetic; Comp Display and create a visibility representation of the assembly. The representationcan display the assembly with members as shaded, wireframe, hidden line, no hidden, or blanked. For moreinformation on Comp Display, refer to Suggested Technique for Creating Visualization Modes.Advanced components operation*How can a component be patterned if it has no assembly dimensions?

To pattern an assembly component that does not have dimensional placement constraints:Select Component and Redefine, and select the component to pattern.Change Mate or Align constraints to Mate Offset or Align Offset constraints, specifying an offset dimension of zero.The component can then be patterned using these new offset dimensions as the dimensions to vary.

*How can multiple parts be combined into one part?Multiple parts can be combined into a single part by assembling the components together and performing a Mergeoperation by selecting Adv Utils and Merge from the COMPONENT menu.

*How can a component be replaced with a component which it is not related to?Create a functional interchange assemblywith both the current component and the desired component. Then selectAdv Utils and Replace from the COMPONENT menu. For more information on replacing components withinterchange assembly members, refer to Managing the Display of Assemblies Using Interchange Assemblies.

*How can a component be assembled as a reference pattern?The component must be assembled into the assembly before it can be patterned. Once this is done, select Patternfrom the COMPONENT menu and choose the Ref Pattern option.

*Must the assembly used to create a mergeor cutoutbe kept after the operation is completed?It is only necessary to keep the assembly if the locations of the components will be changed. If this assembly isremoved, the location of the components with respect to each other will be frozen, and it will no longer be possibleto change these locations.

*After mergingcomponents, what does the prompt, "Do you want to detach part_name from the assembly?" mean?Detaching a component from the assembly will remove the part from the assembly file. The part file will still exist,but the geometry of that part will only exist in the assembly as part of the component that it was merged to.

*What methods are available to automatically replace components in an assembly?A component can be replaced automatically with a member of its family table, a member of an interchangeassembly that the component belongs to, or with other components defined to the same layout. To replace acomponent automatically, select Replace from the ADV COMP UTIL menu, which is found under theCOMPONENT menu in Assembly mode. Select the type of replacement desired, either Family Table, Intrch Groupor Layout, and enter the name of the new component. Select Automatic from the AUTO/MAN menu and thecomponent will be replaced without the need to define any new placement constraints. For more information onreplacing components with interchange assembly members, refer to Managing the Display of Assemblies UsingInterchange Assemblies.

*Why can some parts no longer be placed after replacing a component using a functional interchange assembly?It is possible that all of the references used to place the children of this replaced component were not assigned

reference tagsin the interchange assembly.

*How can a component be assembled into a radial pattern?If the features that the component will be assembled to are already patterned, such as a pattern of holes, use the RefPattern option. If no pattern already exists, create a pattern of datum planes or coordinate systems, and assemblethe component to the leader of this pattern. Then pattern the component using the Ref Pattern option.

*Why can't some assembly components be placed after manually replacing an assembly component?When an assembly component has been replaced manually, components which were assembled to the replacedcomponent will lose their placement references. It will be necessary to manually redefine the placement referencesfor the failing components.

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- 16 -*How can a pattern of an entire existing pattern of assembly components be created?Create a Local Group which contains all members of the assembly pattern. Select Adv Utils from theCOMPONENT menu, and choose Group. Select Create and Local Group, give the group a name, and select thepattern of components. After the group has been created, Pattern the group.

*Why can some UDF's created in Part mode be used in assemblies, while others can not?A User Defined Feature (UDF) created in Part mode can be used in an assembly as long as the UDF does notcontain any features which are unavailable in Assembly mode, such as rounds and shells.

*When copying an assembly component and using Rotate, why does it appear that the component is not beingrotated about it's default coordinate system?When copying an assembly component using Rotate and Translate, the component is moved with respect to thedefault assembly coordinate system, not its own coordinate system.

*How can features in a component which was mergedby reference be modified?Modifying a merged by reference component using Select will highlight the entire reference part. To modifyindividual features within the reference part, use Query Sel. The first feature which will highlight will be the mergefeature, but by using Next, the individual features can be selected.

*How can a mergebe created if the components are intersected by assembly features?A merge cannot be created if the selected components are intersected by assembly features. If assembly features arepresent, the message, "Cannot perform this operation on a component instance" will appear. In order to create the

merge, use Insert Mode from the COMPONENT menu to place the merge before the assembly feature in the orderof regeneration.Assembly Features

* What is the difference between displaying an assembly feature at the assembly level and displaying it at the partlevel?Assembly features which are displayed at the part level are identical to part features except that they rely on theassembly for their references. Assembly features are stored at the level of the assembly in which they are visible,and are displayed at that level and above. An assembly feature displayed at the assembly level will not be seen ifthe part is retrieved in Part mode. Both types of assembly features may intersect more that one part at a time.

*How can the components which an assembly feature intersects be changed?Components which an assembly feature intersects can be changed by selecting Intersect from the ASSY FEAT menu

and adding and removing components to and from the intersect listas necessary.

*Why does the message "failed to intersect the feature with the part" appear multiple times after patterning anassembly feature?When an assembly feature is initially created, the parts that the feature should intersect are selected. Afterpatterning this feature, new features are created which will appear in different locations on the assembly but willhave the same list of components to intersect that the leader of the pattern did. If these new features do notphysically intersect all of the components that its intersect list specifies, an error message will appear in themessage window stating that the feature could not intersect the part. This message will appear for each part on theintersect list that the feature does not pass through, and for each member of the pattern that has this problem. Thisis why the message will appear multiple times. Conversely, if the patterned feature now passes through acomponent that is not on the intersect list, it will not appear in that component.

*Why is only an axis visible after creating a hole as an assembly feature?Only an axis will be displayed after creating a hole as an assembly feature if no components were selected for thehole to intersect. Select Intersect from the ASSY FEAT menu, and add the appropriate models.

*Why doesn't an assembly feature remove material from a component which was assembled after the feature wascreated?This new component is not part of the feature's intersect list. Reorder the new component so that it comes beforethe assembly feature, then use Intersect from the ASSY FEAT menu to add the new component to the featuresintersect list.

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*Why does the geometry of a pipe feature which was created at the assembly level not appear?Assembly features can not add material, only remove it. Creating the pipe as an assembly feature will only showthe centerline of the pipe. The proper ways to add a pipe to an assembly are:Create the pipe using the optional module Pro/PIPING.Make a new part using Create from the COMPONENT menu. Then, create the pipe feature in the new part byselecting Modify and Mod Part.Create the pipe in an existing part by selecting Modify and Mod Part.

*What is the difference between assembly features created in Release 15.0 and assembly features created prior toRelease 15.0?In Release 15.0, assembly features are stored at the same level of the assembly that they were displayed at. Forexample, if a feature is to be visible at a sub-assemblylevel and above, then the feature will be stored with the sub-assembly. In Releases 13.0 and 14.0, the feature was always stored at the part level.

*How can assembly features which were created prior to Release 15.0 be converted to a Release 15.0 style assemblyfeature?Select ReIntersect from the ASSY FEAT menu to convert the assembly feature to Release 15.0 style. The config.prooptions "allow_redo_intersections" and "fix_refs_to_intersections" are necessary to update the features. For moreinformation on converting assembly features, refer to Suggested Technique for Converting Pre-15.0 AssemblyFeatures to 15.0 Style Assembly Features.

*Why does an assembly feature disappear when a component is replaced with an interchangeable component?Assembly feature intersected parts and sub-assemblies can be automatically replaced with a family table instanceor interchange assembly member, just as other components, but when the original component is removed from theassembly, it is also removed from the intersect list. The replacement component must be added to the intersect listby selecting Intersect from the ASSY FEAT menu.

*Is it possible to create a family table instance to represent the model with the assembly feature?All assembly features are created as family table instances. The default is for these instances to be invisible,meaning that they will not appear in the family table of the component, or in the bill of materialsof the assembly.To create visible family table instances, select Vis Level from the INTRSCT OPER menu, and New Names from theVIS SETTINGS menu. This will bring up an Information Window and the MODEL REPL menu. Choose SelectLevel to determine what level of the assembly the feature will be created in, and select Enter Name to specify the

name of the family table instance that will be created.

*How can all components in the path of an assembly feature be selected for intersection?As of Release 16.0, all components which are in the path of an assembly feature can be automatically intersected byselecting Add Model from the INTRSCT OPER menu, and choosing Auto Sel from the ADD OPER menu.

*What is the quickest way to select most, but not all, of the components to be intersected by an assembly feature?Use Auto Sel from the ADD OPER menu while adding models to the intersect list. Then select Remove Model fromthe INTRSCT OPER menu, and choose Manual Sel from the REMOVE OPER to select the few components whichshould not be intersected.

*Where is the visibility level of an assembly feature specified?As of Release 16.0, the location in which visibility level is specified has moved to the VIS SETTINGS menu, which

can be accessed by selecting Vis Level from the INTRSCT OPER menu.

*Why are features such as protrusions, rounds, and chamfers grayed out in Assembly mode?Only subtractive features, such as holes, cuts, and slots can be created in Assembly mode. Since rounds andchamfers can sometimes add material, they are not available options. To create these types of features while still inthe assembly, use Modify and Mod Part to create part level features. For more information on creating part featuresfrom Assembly mode, refer to Suggested Technique for Creating Part Level Features in an Assembly.

*How can references from one part be copied to another part when creating part level features through anassembly?As of Release 18.0, version 9709, geometric and datum references from one part can be copied to another partthrough the Copy Geom functionality. This is available under Feature Create in the assembly or when modifying a

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- 18 -part through an assembly. When performing a Copy Geom operation, the ability to copy Surface, Curve, Edge, orFeature references exist.When a geometric or datum reference has been copied, by default it is dependent on the original feature. When theoriginal feature is modified, the Copy Geom feature will automatically update. This can be changed through theCOPY GEOMETRY dialog box by selecting Dependency and Define. Choosing Independent will break therelationship between features. For more information about Copy Geom features, refer to Suggested Technique forCopying Geometric and Datum References.

*How can external references easily be traced and understood?

As of release 18.0, version 9709, a new tool called the Ref Viewer exists for investigating references which have beencreated in an assembly. The Ref Viewer is available through Info and Ref Viewer or Design Mgr and Ref Viewer.The Ref Viewer is a Model Tree type dialog box which can be used to investigate references for Features, Models, orComponent Placements. The Ref Viewer can also display the Full Path that a reference has been created through.For more information about using the Ref Viewer, refer to Suggested Technique for Using the Reference Viewer toManage External References.

*How can the scope with which external references to other models have been created be controlled?As of release 18.0 build 9709, the creation of references to other models in an assembly can be controlled throughthe Ref Control functionality. Reference control can be defined by selecting Design Mgr from the ASSEMBLY menuand choosing Ref Control, or by selecting Ref Control directly from the ENVIRONMENT menu. The ReferenceControl dialog box will appear in which references can be limited through four options:All will allow creation of references to any model, and is the default selection.

Subassembly will only allow creation of references to components that belong to the same subassembly (and theircomponents).Skeleton Model will only allow creation of references to a subassembly's own skeleton model, and the skeletonmodel of the subassembly to which the component belongs.None will disallow any external references from being created.For more information of reference control, refer to Suggested Technique for Controlling the Scope of ExternalReferences

*What causes a Copy Geom feature to fail and how can it be corrected?If a Copy Geom feature was created as dependent, it will fail regeneration when the parent reference has beendeleted or suppressed. If this occurs, the feature can be redefined to a new reference or use the Make Indep optionin the Quick Resolve menu.If the config.pro option "fail_ref_copy_when_missing_orig" is set to "no", failing Copy Geom features will

automatically be frozen. In this situation the system will display a warning that the feature has been frozen.

Pro/PROGRAM

*Why does Pro/ENGINEER sometimes ask to select From Model or From File? What is the difference between thetwo selections?The From File menu selection will be displayed only if the original Pro/PROGRAM has been modified and there istext file of the program residing in the current working directory. If From File is chosen, the editor will display themost recent listing of the program that resides on the local disk.The From Model menu selection will extract the current listing associated with the object. Upon initial creation of aPro/PROGRAM, the user will not see these two choices, as Pro/ENGINEER will use the default listing associatedwith the model. After modifying the model file, then storing it to disk, the user will be asked if he or she wishes toincorporate any changes. If the changes are successfully incorporated, the model will be update accordingly and

the design file will be deleted, once again leaving only the default model listing.

*What is a .pls and/or a .als file? Can they be deleted?The file extensions given to the Pro/PROGRAM listings are .pls (for part files) and .als (for assemblies).These filesare created when the user exits from the text editor after making modifications to the program listing. These filesare automatically deleted when the modifications have been incorporated into the model.

*How can all the current values for all of the parameters driven by the program be checked?To display all the current settings of the parameters used in the Pro/PROGRAM, select Relations, Show Rel.

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*What functionality does the Instantiate selection offer?The Instantiate function will automatically create an entry into a family table using all the current values of theparameters driving the Pro/PROGRAM. For an example on using this functionality, refer to Suggested Techniquefor Using Pro/PROGRAM to Create Instances.

*What does the EXECUTE statement do?The EXECUTE statement is used to pass parameters from an assembly to the next lower level, which would be

either a subassembly or part. For an example on using this functionality, refer to Suggested Technique for UsingPro/PROGRAM to Pass Variable Information from an Assembly to the Next-Lower-Level.

*How can a UDF be replaced using Pro/PROGRAM?A UDF can be replaced using Pro/PROGRAM by using the CHOOSE statement. The syntax for using thiscommand is: CHOOSE (variable) where "variable" is a string parameter equal to the feature ID of the UDF. In orderfor this statement to work, the UDF must be made interchangeable first. This is done by manually replacing theUDF by selecting Feature, Group, Replace. The list of all the UDFs the UDF is interchangeable with can be viewedby selecting Info, Feature Info. At the end of the feature information, Pro/ENGINEER will add the line, "GROUP ISREPLACEABLE BY FEATURES ID" and the list all the UDFs that have been manually replaced in the model at leastonce.

Relations

*How can negative values be used in relations?Negative values can be used in relations by preceding the dimension symbol with a "$".

*When writing assembly relations, what does the first and second number represent (d#:# or d#:cid_#)?When part dimension symbols are shown in assembly mode, they contain two numbers (d#:#). The first number isassigned from within the part and is the same number that will be seen if the symbol was viewed from Part mode.The second number is assigned from within Assembly mode and is the number that appears in the assemblycoding table. This second number can be found by selecting Relations, Component Id. Pro/ENGINEER will return,"Component has runtime ID #." The runtime ID, session ID, and coding symbol are all thesame number. Each part in the assembly is assigned a unique second number but, components with the same namewill have the same runtime ID.As of Release 18, version 9709, assembly relations can also be written in the format (d#:cid_#). The first number is

still the same dimension number that was assigned at the part level but, "cid" is the Internal Component ID. TheInternal Component ID is found by selecting Info, Comp Info. Note that this is NOT the same number found byselecting Component ID in the RELATIONS menu. The Internal Component ID is unique for every componenteven if the same component is assembled twice in the same assembly. This method would be preferred if the samecomponent is assembled twice in the same assembly, a relation is written using the dimensions of the componentand then one of the components is replaced using Adv Util, Replace. Using the Internal Component ID will ensurethat the relation will update as intended.

*What is a coding table?A coding table is created when assembly relations are written. The coding table lists each component and lists thenumber (or index) that has been assigned to the component. This list can be seen at the beginning of the relationsfile.

*How can relations be specified in family table instances?Relations must be applied to the generic model. If separate relations are needed for instances, a solution would beto copy the instance to a new name, thus breaking its dependence on the generic, then create the appropriaterelations.

*How can dimensional tolerances be included in a relation?Dimensional tolerances can be included in a relation. As is the case with nominal dimension values, the dimensionsymbol must be used to write the relation. For dimensional tolerances, the symbols tp# and tm# are utilized.

*When should sketcher relations be used instead of part relations?Sketcher relations should be used when the section of a feature will be changing at different locations. For example,when creating a variable section sweep, sketcher relations should be used.

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*What would cause Add to be greyed out in the RELATIONS menu?The Add menu selection in the RELATIONS menu when attempt

proe reference

Documents