Mil-Spec NX Machinery Library...

[JohnRBaker]

Over the last month or so I've had several requests from users (mostly at regional users meetings) concerning the availability of Reuse Library parts which meet Mil-Specs. To that end, we have released a new Mil-Spec library
which can now be downloaded from the GTAC Product Download site. The library is named AIA_NAS and is usable with NX 5.0 or newer versions of NX. Note that we've also added a library based on the SAE standard.

We now have a total of 11 libraries available which supports various industry standards.


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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

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

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[potrero]

thank you

 

[wmalan]

Nice! Might want to broadcast that through the reseller chain.

When I was trying to convince a certain very large American machine tool builder I worked for to convert to NX, I distinctly remember hearing about how many standard library items were available with Solidworks compared to NX.

--
Bill

 

[JohnRBaker]

I've done what I can do, posting this information on two other message boards in addition to here on Eng-Tips. There should also be field bulletins coming out of GTAC.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

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

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[BOPdesigner]

I see with the latest updates, that the means from switching between detailed and symbolic threads on the fasteners in the library has changed from reference sets to suppression by expression to toggle between the two. So before I had an assembly with multiple types of fasteners from the library in it. I could create a component group of fasteners. Select them all and use the reference sets to change between detailed and symbolic threads. How does it work at the assembly level now? If I use the fastener library to create a fastener, do a save as to give it our companies part number, this fastener can be used in many assemblies. So if user A creates a link to the suppression by expression parameter in the fastener to suppress it at the assembly level, how does user B do the same thing for his assembly without breaking it in user A's assembly. It seems that the reference sets method was a better implemention, but it must not have been. Please enlighten me.

 

[JohnRBaker]

The Reference Set solution required that two totally separate solid models be created, the second one having a full set of detailed threads, which that alone could have required 4 or 5 times as much space in the part file just for the extra topology (edges and faces) present in the model. However, by using the suppressed feature approach, the extra topology is only present and displayed when explicitly requested. Also, if a large assembly, with many individual fasteners, were set to show the detailed threads, not only would that require more memory to open and display the assembly, it would also have a very big impact on the display performance when working with that assembly.

But this brings up the question of WHY are you even concerned about showing the fully detailed threads? Are they really necessary when working with your assemblies? The assumption was made that the there is very little to be gained from showing fully detailed threads EXCEPT when creating full photo-realistic renderings and so in those few cases, which only require that the threads be shown during the actual rendering process, the approach that we have taken is more than adequate for that situation. BTW, if you're looking for someone to 'blame' for this, I'll take that responsibility since I'm the one who first used this scheme in the ad-hoc fastener libraries which I distributed for years before we introduced the Reuse Libraries. Note that I can't recall anyone complaining about this once they realized what the alternatives to this approach would have meant. Therefore, when we launched the project to provide a fully supported official common parts scheme, the group responsible for this used my heretofore popular 'fastener libraries' as a 'role model'.

As for Drawings and how threads are displayed there, we fully support the various standards for both Symbolic and Fully Detailed threads, but this is done as part of a drafting capability and does NOT require that actual model topology be present to properly 'render' threads in Drawing views and documentation.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

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

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[BOPdesigner]

Ok, you convinced me. So for the photo rendering case, is there a way to change all fasteners to the detailed thread state by an expression at the top level assembly? It would be neat if in the individual fastener piece part, you could put some kind of wildcard for the top level assembly and then give a common expression name that your organization would use in the assembly to change between symbolic and detailed threads.

The detailed thread representation in the drawings is nice, I have used it before. As I recall, it doesn't work in ISO views. Is there anything planned to change that?

 

[JohnRBaker]

The current Drafting standards only supports representations for orthographic projections of threaded objects.

As for toggling all fasteners ON/OFF, I'll have to think about that one for a bit.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

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

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[Jaydenn]

Ok, where do I find these libraries?

I went to the GTAC ftp server and searched, but got nothing...

J

 

[JohnRBaker]

First, you must be licensed for an NX bundle which includes the right to download the libraries. Then log-on onto the GTAC website and go to the Product Download area just like you were going load a new version of NX. If you're able to access the libraries, you should see as one of the product category options something labeled 'NX Machinery Library' (it should a be a couple of items over from NX/Unigraphics NX option). If you see that item, select it and you will see at least one option, select it and then you'll see a complete list of items which you can download. I would start with the 'Readme' doc and then the 'Machinery Library Catalogue'. Note that there is an install tool which can help you load the proper libraries into the proper locations and get your system to recognize them. Also note that the actual libraries are quite large and therefore you should really only consider downloading and installing those which you will be expecting to actually use. Since many of the libraries contain very similar, or in some cases, the identical models, only with different designations and description text based on the various international standards, you will only need to load those files which are relevant for your type of work or geographical location.

Anyway, if you get to the download site and you do NOT see the NX Machinery Library option, please contact your Siemens sales rep or organization from which you purchased NX and arrange for the appropriate update/upgrade.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

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

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.