Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

Register Log in
  • Congratulations IDS on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Configuration Publisher

Status
Not open for further replies.
goodtruant

goodtruant

Materials
Jul 22, 2011
82
So I created a wood cabinet, with 3 major variables, Width, Height, and Depth. These are controlled by 'width mates'.

I used the Configuration Publisher to create a configurable cabinet. Using equations to drive the sizes for the individual parts.

When I insert the cabinet assembly, I'm prompted to put in a Width, Height and Depth. It works great, and automatically creates a new configuration in the original model at that size.

But...

What if I want 2 (or more), of the same (sub)assembly, at different sizes in the same assembly? 99% of the time this happens in projects we do. This is only working individually.

When I try to insert the same assembly again, it prompts me to put in the dimensions, and it's inserted using the same size parts as the first one I inserted, but using different mates.

Is there a way to have it make new configurations of individual part when I make a new configuration of the assembly?

Thanks for your time!
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

Sort by date Sort by votes
I do not have Configuration Publisher. But I will share a possible way to troubleshoot this:
[ol]
[li]Do a test case with a simple part. By simple I mean something that can be created in under 5 minutes. [/li]
[li]Insert the part in an assembly with the CP[/li]
[li]Create another configuration with CP and insert it in the assembly (different dims)[/li]
[li]Even if the second config of the same part is similar to the first look at the properties for it and see if another config was created and whether you can select it. [/li]
[li]If another config was created and it was selectable you are done. If not, it is time to call the VAR or read the help[/li]
[/ol]


TOP
CSWP, BSSE
Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A new configuration is made, but I cannot insert it properly in to the assembly.

If my first sub-assembly is X and it's 24"x30"x12", and I insert another X in to the assembly at 20"x36"x12", the overall size of the sub-assembly is correct....but the parts are the same size as the first X I inserted with large gaps between parts (or parts going through each other).

I've only been using SWX for a few months now, it's probably something I'm doing wrong with the assembly mates/parts.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Right click on the second instance of the cabinet in the assembly Feature tree and click on properties. In properties change the configuration and see if it changes the configuration of that instance. It should.

And once you have created the new configuration go back to the cabinet assembly and see if it appears correct there.

I can't really make out the writing and labels in the feature tree from the video.



TOP
CSWP, BSSE
Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
It sounds like a configuration of the assembly is being created, but configurations are not being created for the parts. I have not used configuration publisher so I do not have any knowledge about how to get it to make configurations in the part, or even if it is possible.

Eric
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
-kellnerp: It still does not work. The config changes, but the parts still remain the same size.

I'd really love to get this to work. It seems like it should be simple...but maybe I'm asking too much?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I wonder if I can accomplish this with a multibody part....and if I'd have enough flexibility with the cabinets.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yes, the newly created cabinet configuration works properly.

As individual cabinets they work great. If there were only one cabinet (sub-assembly) per room (assembly), then it would work fine. It's when I enter the second sub-assembly at a different size is where it has problems. It still references the first instance for the sizes of the parts.

I've done this with screws and simple parts...but those are all single body parts, not multi-part assemblies.

Our cabinets are totally custom sizes, down to a 1/16" accuracy. Which is why I'm attempting to use the configuration publisher. Creating all the different configurations of each part and each assembly would be WAY too time consuming.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
There might be something to do with how the cabinet assembly was built. Do the parts get configured when the cabinet gets a new config? Are the part top-down modeled? They must be.

It just seems that if the cabinet configures correctly apart from the top level assembly, it should configure correctly in a higher level assembly.

I have to ask again, did you manually change the configuration of one of the cabinet in the top level assembly?



TOP
CSWP, BSSE
Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I really appreciate everyone's help. It's good to know there are people here who can help out!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I can't really do anything with your files. SW files cannot be opened by previous versions.

Again, you need to try to display two different configurations of the same assembly in the top level assembly. You do that by right clicking on the component in the feature tree and editing the properties. Are you able to get to the dialog that allows you to select configurations in sub assemblies?

TOP
CSWP, BSSE
Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yes, I am able to right click the assembly in the tree, and select configurations. It does not work. The parts move, but they do not resize.

If I go to the assembly, a new configuration is made, and it works just fine.

It works fine with one cabinet inserted.
When I insert a second cabinet, the first one remains as modeled, the second one takes the correct overall size, but the individual parts do not change.

Also, if I right click the first instance of the cabinet and change it's configuration, it effects the part sizes in both cabinets.

the part sizes are tied to the original sub-assembly. Which, for the most part, makes sense. The individual part names remain the same, and they are referencing those parts. However, I really hope that swx allows a way to make these parts configurable without having to manually create different sized parts, and then manually having to change each parts configuration.

In a VERY simple assembly like this cabinet, containing six parts, there are over 600,000 configurations possible.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
It sounds like the individual parts are not configured and so depend on one or the other instance of the sub assembly to define them. That may be an oversight on the part of Configuration Publisher.

Do the individual parts in the cabinet have configuration corresponding to those in the cabinet assembly?

TOP
CSWP, BSSE
Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Correct, the individual cabinet parts do not get new configurations, when the publisher is used. Only configurations of the assembly are made.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I just uploaded the cabinet to 3D content central. Maybe I can use that to make individual custom cabinets to download and insert. It adds a step to the process, but if it works I'll be very happy! (says it may take up to an hour before I can try it out)

This might cause me to rethink our file structure.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Well, that didn't work. When I download a configuration from 3D Content, it just names the parts DEFAULT_'part name'. So, no real change from when I was doing before.

I was hoping that it would change the name of each part.

Back to the drawing board.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Correct, the individual cabinet parts do not get new configurations, when the publisher is used. Only configurations of the assembly are made.
Click to expand...
I just built a test case in 2009. It has the same behavior. I was not aware that an incontext part won't instantiate in different configs of the same assembly.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE
Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

DD24
  • Locked
  • Question
Cosmetic Thread Length Configuration
Replies
4
Views
512
SBaugh
SBaugh
FireTruckBerserker
  • Locked
  • Question
Linking custom property to configuration specific dimension
Replies
1
Views
201
drawoh
drawoh
freerangequark
  • Locked
  • Question
SW2020 Envelope Publisher
Replies
1
Views
36
drawoh
drawoh
Rodger Furey
  • Locked
  • Question
Solidworks Configurations - file size & non-dimensional differences
Replies
2
Views
257
SSCon
SSCon
Jboggs
  • Locked
  • Question
Can't delete configurations
Replies
3
Views
2K
Jboggs
Jboggs

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top Bottom