Modeling Decals? 1

[edgray]

What is the best way to model a decal? Basically I am looking for a way to design a 2D design that I would then apply to a 3D surface.

I am currently on NX5 but I anticipate moving to NX7.5 soon so if there are some new options in newer versions, that would be of some help as well.

Ed Gray NX5

 

[teookie]

I'd like to add my voice to those requesting "decals" be shown in drafting views. Would have come in handy several times that I can think of.

Also John, I'd like to see more detail in how you made that curved siemens logo several posts up. That's cool.

 

[JohnRBaker]

I already explained that I created 4 Isoparamertic curves (2 in the 'U' direction and 2 in 'V' direction) which were then used to define the rectangular boundary for the Divide Face which I then applied a .jpg file as a Decal using the Scaling Method of 'Face Size'. Note that until NX 8.0, Isoparametric curves were not associative, but they are now.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

UG/NX Museum:

http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

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

 

[cubalibre000]

OK guys,
add an ER :
- Add support for decals on modeling without special license and show them in drafting, on export to PDF or as images (png, jpg, bmp, etc.) like in SolidWorks, Solid Edge and Inventor.


Thank you...

Using NX 8 and TC8.3

 

[JohnRBaker]

You have a telephone, don't you? Call GTAC yourself.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

UG/NX Museum:

http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

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

 

[cubalibre000]

John,
I've made what you have suggest.
I wrote this to stimulate to open an ER, because write only here don't improve NX.

Thank you...

Using NX 8 and TC8.3

 

[edgray]

I have entered an ER for this.

It has been given ER number 6696553

 

[cubalibre000]

ER accepted.
The number is 1894359.

Thank you...

Using NX 8 and TC8.3

 

[edgray]

This is what I requested:

I would like to propose new functionality for the handling of decals.
Decals are parts that are handled in the factory like any other part

I would like to be able to create a 2D part which is the decal.

I would like to see a rich graphical tool set for creating the decals.

I would like to see the decals documented via the current drafting functions.

I would like the decals to be added to the assembly through the current assembly functions, possibly with some new simplified constraints. for the first iteration I would be happy with the restriction of only being able to apply decals to planar, cylindrical, or conic faces, to remove the complication of stretching .

 

[JohnRBaker]

I tend to agree with all of your proposals except one:

"I would like to see a rich graphical tool set for creating the decals."

I'm not sure that people would be happy if we invested our limited R&D dollars reproducing even a subset of the functionality of something like 'Adobe Illustrator', even if it was integrated with NX, just so that you wouldn't need to purchase a 3rd party graphics creation product.

We shouldn't be expected to try and duplicate something which is already being done much better using readily available commercial tools. That being said, this new functionality WOULD need to be able to directly accept any of the current graphic standard file formats. After all, in many instances, the engineer will be supplied the 'artwork' which has already been created in some other part of their organization or even by an outside design firm.

Other than that, I think you've pretty well covered the topic.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

UG/NX Museum:

http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

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

 

[edgray]

Yes was going to suggest an interface with some outside application like we do with Excel but I thought that might be forcing the customers hand.

Maybe this could place the image file on a shape template?

A big part of my request is that this be handled like any other part in the assembly.

Thank you for your input.

 

[BOPdesigner]

So in the meantime, create labels and decals with sketches and then divide face. Shows up nice in Modeling and Drafting. Can be very time consuming so... has anybody created any UDFs of sketches for some of the common decal symbols that they would be willing to share?

 

[JohnRBaker]

Starting with NX 8.0 we've added a couple of new categories to the Reuse Library which has some limited content but which might help lead the way for something like this by our customers. Attached is a couple of images which shows the current content. Note that the 'Mark' example is to actually create features which can be added to a model either as an embossed/raised geometry. The '2D Section' examples are simply sketches (note that this is also available in NX 7.5 just in the different location within the Reuse Library folders.

I'm not saying that these samples are a solution, but they might get someone thinking about how they could leverage this new and evolving scheme.

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

http://www.siemens.com/plm

UG/NX Museum:

http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

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