Balooning NX6 - Remame files?

[hexfly]

Hi. I am still getting used to NX6 as well as trying to get used to doing things without these user functions I have in NX3.

I have the partslist and auto baloon all figured out (I think), but when all is done, I don't see a way to rename all the files to the baloon numbers. In other words, is there a way to get the files automatically renamed to what the baloon (callout#) is? In the end I need the part files renamed to match the baloon numbers because all the part files are what gets called up by the machine dept.

I have stand alone functions that automate this in 3 so I never have had to mess with it in "native ug".

Thanks in advance.
Adam

 

[jerry1423]

go into your part navigator > select then rmc (right mouse click) on "parts list" > update

 

[hexfly]

Jerry. I am trying this and am missing something. I have the assembly auto ballooned and am in drafting. I rmc on all the columns in the navigator and don't see "parts list" as an option.

Thanks...

 

[jerry1423]

oh sorry, expand (press plus sign), of the drawing tree

 

[hexfly]

Man, sorry, but I am really missing something. I have the tree all expanded. I select the assembly (everything highlighted blue) and right click....no "partslist" option comes up. I will keep playing with it.
Thanks,
Adam

 

[jerry1423]

Are you sure you are in your part navagator, and not the assembly navigator?

I found it someplace else
tools > table > update parts list

a couple tips:
* what "role" are you in? "advanced with full menus" shows everything, some things you want may be hidden by being in a differnt role
* If you are searching for something a cool thing to use is the "command finder"
Help > command finder > enter whatever you want and see what comes up, it does not have to be a specific command

 

[hexfly]

I found the update parts list and updated it. I think we are thinking about two different things. This did not re-name any components (in the asm navigator) to match the detail numbers that are assigned in auto balloon. Would it rename the actual files with what you are talking about?

Thanks again.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Are you saying that you want to change the NAMES of the Components so that they are the same as the Callouts, such as 'A', 'B', 'C' or '1', '2', '3', as shown in the ID Balloons?

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[hexfly]

Yes John. That is exactly what I am after. It will (ideally) change the names of the actual components...doing a "save as" and renaming the part file to match the balloon number. In the end...it is easier for everyone if the file names match the detail numbers (balloons). Is this do-able?

Thank you.

 

[cowski]

hexfly,
Are you working in native or some sort of managed environment (eg teamcenter)?

If I understand you correctly, won't you end up with multiple parts (from different assemblies) named "1.prt", "2.prt", "3.prt", etc etc??

 

[JohnRBaker]

In one breath you say you want to change the name of the Component and in the next you say the Part File. Which is it?

There is a difference, and while initially they may appear to be the same, it's not mandatory that they remains that way.

But in either case, there is NO built-in way of doing this with NX and it would appear that may have to fo the NX Open route and develop a customized application to perform this task.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[hexfly]

John, It would be both. And I am aware there is a difference. With the custom app I have for NX3, This is exactly what it does. I can balloon the whole assembly one detail at a time and it is renaming the component name AND the part file on the fly. The part file is the more important of the two.

Some insight. I and a lot of other people in this area (Grand Rapids, MI) are stuck on these older versions of UG for exactly this reason. We have all these custom apps that we all paid a lot of money for because, at the time, and apparently still, there was no way to balloon and rename the files on the fly. I am in the Tool & Die industry. Some of these dies have 300-500 details. Big assemblies. When we are done with the designs...they go off to a machine dept. somewhere...whether in house or elsewhere. They get a folder of the job with all the parts in it. So if it was, say job#2300, then inside the folder is 2300_001, 2300_002 and so on. They have all the details in there and they need to match the detail #s on the print.

As I understand it now, uning NX6, if I use the built in ballooning functionality, I end up with a print (made in drafting), that assigns balloons to the details, but in no way renames either the part file (ideally) OR the component name. So...the machine dept would end up with a folder full of filenames that mean nothing to them...unless they pull out a 2-d print with the balloons on them and use that for cross - reference. I could give a half a dozen reasons we need the detail #s, balloons, and the part files all to match when a job is complete...

There are many other pretty cool custom apps we have for 3, but this is the big hump we all want to get resolved as far as moving up to newer versions.

I am starting to use 6, but a lot of my colleagues will not budge until there is a way for this to happen

Thanks for your input...

Adam

 

[JohnRBaker]

Just because one moves up to a newer release does not mean that there still might not be the need for custom applications, particularly if these were being used to support some proprietary, or at least some narrowly utilized, 'standard'. And I have to admit that I've never heard of anyone doing this sort of thing.

Now I have heard of customers who require that the Part Name be used INSTEAD of a Callout letter/number, and we support that, but NOT the other way around where the Callout letter/number actually overrides and replaces the original Part Name.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[cowski]

Do you have the sourcecode for the NX3 app? Perhaps it can be updated and used for NX6.

 

[hexfly]

I would really like to know how others who manufacture all the components in a large assembly are doing it...If you send a folder with 300 parasolids, ug parts, stp files.. in it to a machine shop and they are all named whatever the original filename was...how can they quickly associate that with a "detail#...callout"...whatever? We refer to everything as detail numbers as do all associated vendors upstream and downstream...so for us it only makes sense for the detail # (callout) and the partfile to be the same.

Thanks again.
Adam

 

[hexfly]

Cowski....my source is encrypted and I am pretty ignorant of programming code, but I would like to learn. Not even sure where to start.

 

[JohnRBaker]

...so for us it only makes sense for the detail # (callout) and the partfile to be the same.

If ALL you want is for the Part Name and the Callout on the Drawing to be the same, that's easy. But you will have to accept the idea that the Part Name will have come first with the Callout simply reflecting that situation.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[hexfly]

That might work John....how would I do that?

 

[JohnRBaker]

When you set up your Parts List template, in the Style dialog under the 'Part List' tab, you can set your 'Main Symbol Text' to be 'Part Name'. Also you'll probably wish to change the Symbol itself from a 'Circle' to a 'Rounded Box' and adjust the size to accommodate the text string length of your typical Part Name.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[hexfly]

What Im thinking then is that I could rename the files manually to be the detail numbers I want. Then, doing what you said...I could hit autoballoon and the partnames, which are now detail numbers would show up in the balloon? This is sort of halfway there if it works....which is better than where I am now. I'll give it a try.
Thanks!