Design Table Question 3

[BodyBagger]

Hello,
I have to make these simple terminal block numbering tags and my questions comes from a design table standpoint. The tags need to be numbered from 1-99 and I was wondering if there would be an easy way to do this with a design table? The pic included "2" was done as a sketch entity and extruded. I would like to be able to have one part and then on each instance of the part properties choose the config or "tag number" to show. It seems to be a simple enough task, but maybe I am missing something. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

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[SBaugh]

If I understand your need correctly you would have to suppress the sketch\feature (per config) that has that Text on it and make a new one per config.

I think what you want to do is change the actual numeral in the DT and it update in the part. If that was only possible... unfortunately its not.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"

faq731-376

 

[BodyBagger]

Would it be possible for a Macro to do what I need? I am not macro saavy but isn't there a place in the macro code where the "number text" could be changed for each one?

Feel free to tell me that I don't know what the hell I am talking about as I hear it all the time

 

[gp13]

I haven't had time to try it, but what if you were to have one sketch containing all the numbers spaced so that only one number is on the face. The DT could then shift the sketch over so that only one number shows at a time.

 

[BodyBagger]

gopack13 - I did try what you have suggested, however, it just moves the numbers off the tag and they show up hanging in space .

Good thought, thanks.

 

[rstupplebeen]

After gopack13's idea why not have an extrude cut that gets rid of the hanging numbers? Hope this helps.

Rob Stupplebeen

 

[gp13]

Good call Rob, I was trying to figure out something with hding the solid bodies and I overlooked your simple solution. I tried it with 1-9 and it worked well. I would suggest having about an extrusion for 1-9, one for 10-19, one for 20-29, and so on. This would make them easier to work with, and easier to tweak all the spacings, just suppress all the ones you aren't going to use.

 

[CSLufkin]

I may be missing something here, but couldn't you model it with all the numbers in the same location, and supress all but the one you want for that config? Config #1 would have numbers two thru 99 supressed, Config#2 would have numbers one, and three thru 99 supressed etc., etc., etc.

 

[gp13]

That would work, but you would have to manually add each config, which would be rather time consuming. BoddyBagger asked wanted to know if it could be done using a design table.

 

[TheTick]

Would not be difficult if sketch text could connect to custom properties. I can't find a way to do this.

 

[gp13]

Me either, I tried. I couldn't get it to link to anything, including dimensions and equations. Enhancement Request?

 

[SBaugh]

What CSLufkin mentioned was my idea at first and it wouldn't be that time consuming. Make a single text string in a sketch is quite simple. Then you just copy and paste that sketch on the same plane. Use a separate sketch to control location of the text. Makes it far easier.

Using a Design table to control what configurations you have and what is suppressed and unsuppressed is so simple you would already be done trying to come up with a better solution.

In fact I made this sample example - Design table Example

I am using Excel 2007 so some may not be able to see this excel or open it so I exported it out as well.

The actual Design Table


Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"

faq731-376

 

[gp13]

Either way, it would still be nice to have the ability to link sketch text to a DT, custom properties, or equations/dimensions.

 

[TheTick]

You could do this with 20 sketches/features across 99 features, unsuppressing only the ones that apply. 10 sketches for 10s-place digits, 10 sketches for 1s-place digits. You may also want to control position of one set to justify single-digit numbers appropriately.

 

[BodyBagger]

Scott, any chance you could redo that sample model in 2007?
THANKS

 

[NL8]

This is really rough and ready, but I think it gets the basic concept down, if I understand the OP correctly. It doesn't advance the numbers perfectly, so they crawl a bit, but that's just because I don't know the exact space between carriage returns in the font I used. Is this anywhere close?

 

[gp13]

Dekker, if you put the text on a construction line, you can center the text. Then all you have to do is use the DT to drive the distance between this line and the bottom.

 

[NL8]

Well there you go. text driven by a DT.

 

[gp13]

Yeah, but the resulting file size is quite large. I got the spacing by dividing total distance from the bottom of the 1 to the bottom of the 99 and dividing by 98. So I have everything spaced out pretty well, and the file ends up being around 9MB. If the DT could change the actual text, I imagine that number would be a lot smaller.

 

[BodyBagger]

DekkerDesign - Can you do the part file in 2007? I would love to see it but we do not have 08 installed yet