Customising the Material Database

[rossob]

Is anyone able to offer any help as to the best practice for modifying the material database? I want to try and add company-specific material descriptions to assign to parts, which can also be linked to drawing attributes.

I have modified the PHYS_MATERIAL.DAT file and have copied the line for STEEL to an unused line and renamed it to 6mm 250 GRADE PLATE. However the new material never appears in the database when i re-start NX.

Am i doing something wrong, or is there a better way to do this?

Ross

NX5.0.2.2 WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2007

 

[hudson888]

Yes Ross I'm with you and saw your earlier post. I'm reading through the other comments as well noting that a few people seem to like the way this works, and having been aware of the material properties since it was introduced I realize both how valuable this extra functionality really is and how long we have missed it. So hopefully I could make a subtle suggestion that if it could make the extra step by getting rid of the underscores for NX-6 that would be super.

What I want is for a list of materials to be created so that I never have to type the names again. Now if I do have to type anything at all then in all cases where possible I'll probably cut and paste the attribute values, because I'm lazy when I can be since it is often the most efficient way. Of course if that happens the material library still won't get used, unless you just choose to ignore the underscores. I reckon most people won't ignore the underscores, so we're tantalizingly close to having a really good thing, and yet it still eludes us until next version perhaps.

Best Regards

Hudson

 

[rossob]

Agreed. Or add an extra column to that database that can accommodate a usable description field.

Ross

NX5.0.2.2 WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2007

 

[hudson888]

Yes well I'd still do the description of the part as an attribute if that's what you mean. That is if you want to add the description as in the part name that appears on the title block.

Otherwise having edited a few of these .DAT files in the past I know that it is asking more than you probably realize to change it. See the files don't look to have any column delimiter characters they probably just use the spaces, so that whole system probably needs to be revised and re-worked before you can have the spaces, such that they aren't mistaken for delimiters in themselves. You would also find that it might inconvenience some existing users, who have detailed .dat files that they've created and would have to revise, but I would vote that it is worth it.

What you could be touching on is that even if there was to be a way of editing that phys_material.dat file which forced you to add an extra item to the end of each line for the description, ie "| ALUMINIUM 6061 <CR>" where "|" is a special delimiter and <CR> is just the end of the line, then I'd certainly go to the trouble. Matter of fact you might even use the quotation marks somehow.

Anyway it is all good theory perhaps we'll see it used someday hopefully soon enough.

Best Regards

Hudson

 

[JohnRBaker]

...say a sheet-metal part with an assigned material I can't seem to link to it.

Ah, I see you found IT!!!!

If you look back a couple of items I mentioned that there were TWO places in NX where material properties were assigned BUT only the one under Tools -> Material Properties... create attributes that you could use in such things as Parts Lists and notes. At the moment, the Material Designation assigned in NX Sheet Metal DOES NOT assign user accessible Attributes. We're aware of this 'separate but unequal' situation and we hope to address it soon, but until then, we recommend that after starting your sheet metal model with the appropriate material defined there, that you then assign a normal material using the item found under Tools. Now the good news is that doing this will have no conflicting impact in either direction, but of course the bad news is that there is nothing to make sure that the two material assignments are consistent with each other or that changing one will cause the other to update.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

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

 

[JohnRBaker]

Or add an extra column to that database that can accommodate a usable description field.

I'm going to take this up with the people who are responsible for the Materials Properties database and I'll get back if and when I learn anything.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

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

 

[hudson888]

John,

By the matter referring to the Sheet Metal module using the material do you mean to use the material assigned by under Tools>Material Properties to define the neutral axis offset for bending? Which would be good, unless it caused problems with people complaining that they can't bend glass ...

Regards

Hudson

 

[JohnRBaker]

Actually you can bend glass, just that you have to be very careful and you have to be able to work where it's really hot ;-)

For now, you use the Material assigned inside of NX sheet metal to define the neutral axis offset, but use the general 'Tool' to get the specific density and attributes correct.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

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