Design Table Limitations - HELP!

[neilc78]

This one is giving me nightmares. Let me first briefly describe what I am doing. I am creating SW models of our machines which can be changed by entering variables in an excel spreadsheet. For example, we build some conveyors. There are 30 or so things that can change on the conveyor (examples being length, width, height...) The user will open a 'Master' Spreadsheet and enter these values. The DT's of all the parts in the assembly are linked back to this Spreadsheet. I then have a macro which opens all parts in the assy with a DT, opens the DT (allowing linked variables to update) and then closes the DT. It is all working very well for me. Until now that is.

Now I am working on a machine which is more complex and one of my Part DT's is looking like hitting over 250 variables. The limit of columns in excel is 256 which means I could be screwed as it will exceed the 256 cells in the DT that I can enter information.

What I would like to know is the following. Is there any way that solidworks can be set to read variables down the column in the DT instead of along the row as is normal. The limit of rows is huge in comparison to columns. Indeed is there any way I can put the DT variables on a 2nd or 3rd page and have the configuration continue reading them after if sheet 1 is full?

Alternatively, I will have to wait until Excel 2007 comes out (it promises 1600 columns).

Any help would be appreciated.
Niall

 

[handleman]

Are you saying that the design table for a single part has more than 255 changing dimensions? WOW!

 

[neilc78]

Almost. It is an assembly with more than 256 mates and Suppresed/unsuppressed parts. In fact, it is a fairly unique method of design I am using - not totally disimilar to drive works except free and excel based. Someday maybe I'll write a FAQ on it and post up the macros. That is if I can get over this problem.

 

[J-C]

You can suppress groups of the same parts by there instance numbers. The help has more detail on it but if you put <*> for the instance number in the design table, it suppresses all instance of that part. You can do ranges as well <1-12>.....though I'm not if that is the correct format.

Need to Scott Baughs feedback here as he's done this and ran into the same excel limitation. He'd probably have some good advice on how to work around it.

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2005 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2006 SP3.3 on WinXP SP2

 

[neilc78]

Heres what I am thinking at the moment in relation to using the different sheets in the DT. Lets say we split the dimenions between sheet1 and sheet2. Which ever sheet is 'active' when the DT closes is what SW 'acts' upon. To refresh the links in my DT I could use my macro to open and close the DT twice (once on each sheet). The complication is that SW expects the active sheet to have cell A2 names 'family'. I believe I may be able to set up an indirect function that will change the family cell name from sheet 1 to sheet 2, depending on which is active. If all this works then we would have a two stage upsdate of all the variable links back to the Master spreadsheet. Now to try it out..

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

neilc78 ... all of the mates should not need to be directly controlled by the DT. Suppressing & unsupressing a part should also suppress & unsuppress its mates. Only angle and distance mates should need DT control. Wouldn't that reduce the number of columns needed?


Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091

 

[neilc78]

CorBlimeyLimey... Sorry it is my mistake for typing that. I only suppress/unsupress the components and not each individual mate. The reason I have so many columns used is due to the large quantities of parts which 'may' be used but often aren't. However, I have to design in a way that allows them to be 'turned on' when need be. I have tried hard to minimise the amount of columns needed but I reckon I am going to need 300-400 of them anyway.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Can you sub-divide the assy to have fewer variables?


Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091

 

[StefanHamminga]

It doesn't do that for me, when I use a DT to control part state the mates just end up dangling, they don't follow the part state (something for an ER perhaps? a checkbox 'follow part state').


Stefan Hamminga
EngIT Solutions
CSWP/Mechanical designer/AI student

 

[neilc78]

CorBlimeyLimey - Can't do that either. Many of the parts in the assy have a DT of their own which needs to update using my 'refresh DT' macro (so that their links back to the master spreadsheet update). I don't want to run into a situation where I need the macro searching down more than 1 level for sub assy parts.

Stefan - The mates should either 'break' or suppress. Either way they should not result in errors and when the part is unsupressed again they should return to their normal state.

 

[StefanHamminga]

Neil, I think we mean the same thing, SW calls this dangling, it's the paperclip with the 2 red lines through it. (SW help -> index -> "mates, errors").


Stefan Hamminga
EngIT Solutions
CSWP/Mechanical designer/AI student

 

[XtremeBen]

Neilc78,

We may have similar problems. We build Partition walls that can very in Height and Width. We too are working with large assemblies with many different configuration. What we ended up doing was separating them into separate files for each type of Product, rather then suppressing a few things for each product. Most of our products are similar within one line, and it would have been nice to have them all in just a few files, but they got to be just too large for excel to handle. I'm not sure if this is applicable in your situation, but maybe it will help.

I was also hoping you could help me with a problem we are having with Updating Design tables. It sounds like you have solved our problem exactly with what you have done for updating design tables for both parts and assemblies. I hate to start a thread circle here but here is the link to the thread I just started to get some help.

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=152067&page=1

If you could send me some information on how you setup your system I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[DCSolid]

I am working on a part which does have more than 256 changing dimensions, has anyone come up with a solution to adding these to the design table yet?

Dave

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Link as many dimensions as you can, then only one dimension will need to be controlled via the DT.

Also using Equations might help reduce the number of DT columns required.


Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091

 

[DCSolid]

I was thinking of equations but my they would be so complicated that I might as well type in all the dimensions.

I have 288 unique dimensions describing the root, tip, chord lengths and angles of attack for a wind turbine blade. All these values are calculated from an Excel sheet that I made and it would be nice to port them straight into a design table.

Dave

 

[neilc78]

I have found there are two ways around this. First way is to wait until the release of the next excel version which give some huge amount of columns you can use. Second solution is to add a 2nd page to the excel sheet and split your variables between each. This way you will need to open the DT twice (once on each page) to activate all the variables. You might need to make sure that all 'related' variables are on the same page just in case a conflict arises. Also make sure that page two is copied from page one then you keep all the solidworks rules (eg cell name in top lh corner etc) intact. It is a bit messy but might tide you over until excel 2007 come out.

 

[DCSolid]

I tried that one but I just get the message "No valid design table instances were found". I did however find a cheat to get this to work. I put two design tables on one sheet, one above the other. Then what I have to do is copy one to the top three rows and exit the DT. Then re-open the DT and copy the other to the top three rows. It is a pain but it works.

Dave

 

[neilc78]

You get that error because the top left cell in your second sheet doesn't have the correct cell name. I am away from my pc at the moment so can't recall what cell it needs to be or what the name is. To find out open book 1. Look at cell A1, A2 etc and check the top left hand of excel and the cell name will appear. When you find the right cell and name you need to make sure the cell on sheet 2 is the same name and of course that the right config name is on the right row.