NX Drafting issues 3

[Trent5791]

Does anyone else here think that the NX drafting module is awful? I've used many other 3D modeling packages, Inventor and Solid works being at the top of that list, and the comparison between NX's drafting module and others is pretty drastic. NX is bordering on archaic and is downright difficult to use while other packages are easy to use, logical and intuitive.
Have the code writers at Siemens never used any of these other 3D software packages? I just don't get it. Especially when the other software packages are much less expensive. Siemens, you blew it on the drafting package!

Thank you,
Trent
NX 11.0.1.11

 

[NutAce]

Are you part of the Beta test program? If you have valuable input you should be. Otherwise just complaining about it won't help anyone.

I also see room for improvement though.

Ronald van den Broek
Senior Application Engineer
Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd
NX9 / TC10.1.2

Building new PLM environment from Scratch using NX11 / TC11

 

[SDETERS]

What Exactly are you having issues with? Is the Dimensions? Is it placing views? Is the PAX files? I am not a big fan of the Dimensions scheme and all of the dialogue boxes, that is for sure.

 

[Toost]

yes and no.
I think that there are foul things as well as nice things.
I have zero experience of other systems.
Anything particular in mind ?

Regards,
Tomas

 

[jerry1423]

Trent,
It would be much better if you could explain the hassles you are having. I have worked a little bit on other CAD systems but I find the NX drafting very easy to use, and able to do what I need to do very easily.
NX is very particular with drafting standards, which is something Inventor seems to never have heard of.

Jerry J.
UGV5-NX11

 

[aleksandar81]

I would rather use 10 years old NX version then latest SW.I don't think it's even fair to compare SW and NX,because NX is in a league of it's own.

 

[Trent5791]

I do have tons of specific examples. In fact, I could write a short book on the topic. I've posted here a few times over the years regarding some of these issues and typically there are no fixes for any of these, maybe some silly workaround but no legitimate fix. Therefore, I don't think listing them all here would be of much help. Furthermore, it would take an extensive amount of time to list them all. From what I can tell, the things I dislike are nuances that are inherent to the code of NX. I think joining the beta test group is the best solution I've heard and I will most definitely be looking into that. The bottom line is that NX is weird, quirky, illogical and therefore very frustrating to use compared to Inventor and Solidworks. It was however, a nice sanity check to read that 3 out of the 4 responses agreed with me, at least to some extent. At least I'm not alone in my frustration. Thank you for your responses.



Thank you,
Trent
NX 11.0.1.11

 

[jerry1423]

Well Trent, maybe use half what it took to write your last response to stating what you are talking about.
It seems to me like you don't seem to know what you are doing in NX. Spend some time and either get training or train yourself, because (as mentioned) NX is in a league of its own, above all others.
In matter of fact parasolid, the kernel that runs NX, SolidWorks, and most every other solid modeling software is built by the same company that owns NX, Siemens.

Jerry J.
UGV5-NX11

 

[Toost]

Trent, please tell us. I am curious. And i think that possibly having this discussion will benefit NX. ( it might benefit more if we had the discussion Siemens forum, but still)
A few examples i do not like.
The "quick dimension", it's considerably slower than the dimensioning tool that it replaces. ( -and sometimes pretty annoying.)
The note editor, i assume that NX has an extremely large legacy to carry , entering a simple text should else not be that complex.
- Why do i have to close the editor in between editing two separate notes ?
The Parts list. It is pretty capable, but it takes a very experienced person to set it up.

But again, somethings in NX, (and other systems ) are a bit quirky, and this is where forums like this comes into play.
- NX has this legacy to constantly care for, which most probably complicates things. ( things like handling notes in both ASCII and Unicode)

Regards,
Tomas

 

[Trent5791]

Okay, Here are just a few that annoy the heck out of me. Single out any one of these and they are not a major issue but due to the fact that there are dozens of them, the software is frustrating for me to use.

How do I remove the "Hole Callout" dimension from the "Radial Dimension" dialog box and give it it's own button?

The “Hole Callout” dimension doesn’t work on holes that are not on a flat surface, i.e. a set screw on the hub of a pulley or gear. How do I place a parametric dimension for a hole that is not on a flat surface.

How do I drag out a proper isometric view from a base view or projected view?

How do I link projected views to the base view such that If I change the scale of the base view the scale of the projected views also changes accordingly?

How do I stop my mouse cursor from jumping halfway across the screen after changing the number of digits behind the decimal in a dimension? This issue is limited to this command but doesn't happen consistently. I do not believe it’s a mouse issue as it never happens any other time.

How do I prevent the leader from moving while adding text to a Hole Callout, chamfer, radius, etc. dimension?

How do I prevent the “First Object” and “Second Object” labels from popping up when placing a dimension?

How do I change the number of places behind the decimal by simply double clicking the dimension and pressing the number of places I want on the keypad? This used to be a really nice feature but has been removed.

How do I prevent from having to tell the software the I want to be in drafting mode when I’ve just opened a print? Same for a model.


Thank you,
Trent
NX 11.0.1.11

 

[joycejo]

How do I link projected views to the base view such that If I change the scale of the base view the scale of the projected views also changes accordingly? - You can use an expression for the view scale


How do I prevent from having to tell the software the I want to be in drafting mode when I’ve just opened a print? Same for a model. File - Utility Customer Defaults - Gateway - General Enter application where part was last saved or displayed

John Joyce
Manufacturing Engineer
Senior Aerospace CT
NX 10 & 11.0.1 Vericut 8.0.3

If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses

- Henry Ford

 

[SDETERS]

How do I change the number of places behind the decimal by simply double clicking the dimension and pressing the number of places I want on the keypad? This used to be a really nice feature but has been removed. Use ALT+2 ALT+4 ect.

 

[SDETERS]

How do I prevent from having to tell the software the I want to be in drafting mode when I’ve just opened a print? Same for a model. I do believe once you open the drawing in NX11 it will now remember where it was after you save it. This is a nice addition in NX11 and it may have been there in 10, I can not remember. This is if you are using the Master Model approach to your model and drawing.

 

[JohnRBaker]

It was an NX 11.0 enhancement, remembering where you last left a file when you reopen it.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[joycejo]

SDETERS (Agricultural) 16 Mar 18 15:27

How do I change the number of places behind the decimal by simply double clicking the dimension and pressing the number of places I want on the keypad? This used to be a really nice feature but has been removed.

When you double click on a dimension you should get a pop-up to change, among other things, the number of decimal places

John Joyce
Manufacturing Engineer
Senior Aerospace CT
NX 10 & 11.0.1 Vericut 8.0.3

If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses

- Henry Ford

 

[SDETERS]

@joycejo At the point where the box is at in your image all you have to do is hit the ALT+6 or ALT+2 to get the decimal places. It was just like it was in the old Version of NX but you have to use the ALT+(number of decimal Places). They had to make it an accelerator key vs the old 1 thru 6 due to the new Dimensions layout

 

[cowski]

How do I prevent from having to tell the software the I want to be in drafting mode when I’ve just opened a print? Same for a model. I do believe once you open the drawing in NX11 it will now remember where it was after you save it. This is a nice addition in NX11 and it may have been there in 10, I can not remember. This is if you are using the Master Model approach to your model and drawing.

It was an NX 11.0 enhancement, remembering where you last left a file when you reopen it.

It has been around since at least NX 9, but you had to turn on a customer default to get it. It may be turned on by default in NX 11, I'm not sure.
customer defaults -> gateway -> general -> part -> enter application where file was last saved

www.nxjournaling.com

 

[SDETERS]

How do I drag out a proper isometric view from a base view or projected view? This one we struggled with also. But, We have a VB program that will create a Isometric model view from the view shown on the screen. Then we use this model view as a base view in the 2D application. We have this setup like we did in I-Deas years ago. We do a lot of exploded isometric drawings and assemblies.

 

[cowski]

I don't know of a good way to drag out an isometric view; but an alternative is to use view sets. With view sets, you can orient your model view how you want it and tell NX: this is my front view; based on that, give me a top, right, and isometric view. NX will save the views and you can quickly orient to them in modeling, or use them in drafting.

www.nxjournaling.com

 

[cowski]

"How do I prevent the leader from moving while adding text to a Hole Callout, chamfer, radius, etc. dimension?"

This is pretty annoying, but it can be somewhat controlled by the note or dimension's alignment (or anchor) setting. If the leader is coming off the left side of the annotation, set the anchor to use one of the left options (top left, middle left, or bottom left). The anchor (on the left side of the text) will stay put and the note will grow or shrink on the right side. If one of the center options are chosen, the center point of the note will stay in position and the note will grow both to the left and the right, moving the leader position as needed.

www.nxjournaling.com