eDrawings assembly mates

[williedawg]

SW 2006

When I export an asembly as *.easm, the recipient is able to open the file and rotate views OK.

The main Assembly has a sub-assembly in it, which is Mated with Limits. (Moves just fine in the original *.SLDASM)

There are also sub-assemblies within the sub-assembly which are made up of 2 parts.

What is happening, is that the Limits are not being adhered to in the *.easm ; i.e. the sub-assembly can and does float all over.
And, the sub-assemblies also can be moved freely, whereas, these were also Mated before the export.

I've looked at the Component Properties for the sub-assembly and they are set to "Rigid". Also looked for options for Saving as *.easm but don't see anything that would apply.

Am I missing something here? Any suggestions?

I can upload the Assembly or a screen shot if that would help.

Willie

 

[handleman]

No. Edrawings doesn't save mates. It only saves position of components. You can move the components anywhere inside edrawings. The purpose is to let the user see behind, other side, etc. There is nothing you can do to save an eDrawing with mates of any kind.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)

 

[williedawg]

It only saves position of components. You can move the components anywhere inside edrawings.

I dont quite understand what you're saying.

If it "saves the position", how can you then "move the components anywhere inside the edrawings"

Would it be better to remove the Limit Mates, and replace with some Mates that lock the sub-assembly/assemblies down?...or would these sub-assemblies always be free to move around regardless?

 

[handleman]

The Move Component tool lets you move individual components in an assembly file or in a drawing file of an assembly. The SolidWorks eDrawings Viewer ignores mates, allowing full degrees of freedom. You can also move subassemblies as a unit.

To move components:

Open a CAD or SolidWorks eDrawings assembly or drawing file of an assembly.

Click Move Component (Components tab ) or Tools, Move Component.

In the graphics area, select a component and drag it to a new position.

Click Move Component again to release the tool.

Moved components remain in their new positions if you save the file. If you close the file without saving, all components return to their original positions the next time you open the file.

To return components to their original positions:

To return an individual component to its original position, in Move Component mode:

Double-click the component

Right-click the component and select Undo Move

To return all components to their original positions from any mode, click Home or View, Home.

To move sub-assemblies:

Click Move Component or Tools, Move Component.

In the graphics area, right-click a sub-assembly component and select Move <sub-assembly name>.

The sub-assembly name is highlighted in the Components tab.

If the sub-assembly contains nested sub-assemblies, the menu item Move Subassembly appears. Select a sub-assembly from the list and click to place it. The Move Subassembly menu lists all the sub-assemblies that the component belongs to, in the order from the immediate parent to the highest parent.

Drag the sub-assembly to a new position.

To return sub-assemblies to previous positions:

Right-click the sub-assembly and select Undo Move <sub-assembly name>. If the sub-assembly has nested sub-assemblies, select from the Undo Move Subassembly list.

Click Home or View, Home

To restore a child sub-assembly to the current position of the parent sub-assembly, execute Undo Move on the child sub-assembly. To restore the parent and all its child sub-assemblies to their original positions, execute Undo Move on the parent sub-assembly.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)

 

[williedawg]

OK, I see now

Thanks for your help.

 

[handleman]

It wasn't my help. It was eDrawings' help.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)

 

[Gupta65]

Apart from this, you can produce an animation of the assembly and then save it in the edrawing. And when someone else will open that e drawing he/she can play the animation in the edrawing as well

Deepak Gupta
SW2009 SP4.1
SW2007 SP5.0
MathCAD 14.0

 

[williedawg]

The more I've thought about this...

Why doesn't SW have an option in eDrawing (*.easm) to turn on/off Limit Mates ?

It would seem an obvious advantage to show a customer/client how some mechanism can move within the Limits' travels; just like you'd do in a normal SW assembly.

When the option is turned on, all Mates that tie parts together are held, including the Limits....which would allow whatever movements are controlled by them.

When turned off, it would act like what is explained in the eDrawing Help.

 

[Gupta65]

Willie,

How about raising an ER for it

https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/subscription/Enhancements.html

Deepak Gupta
SW2009 SP4.1
SW2007 SP5.0
MathCAD 14.0

 

[handleman]

The reason it doesn't have this option is that it doesn't have ANY mates. It just saves a representation of the solid in the position it was in. If it were to save limit mates, it would have to save all mates. Saving a bunch of solids in some position is easy. That's what parasolid, IGES, etc. do. Saving with mates, especially limit mates, etc. would add a lot of complexity. As Deepak said, if you want to show motion you can save an animation. Or you can submit an ER. But I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)