Save JT Data option in NX7.5.4

[SiW979]

When we upgraded to NX7.5.4 we very soon got lots of complaints that it is no longer possible to toggle off the Create JT Data option in the Save Options if the customer default for Create JT Data is on in the customer defaults, whereas you could in NX7.5.3.

This meant then when our users were working on very large CAD models, every time they hit Save, it would recreate all the JT data and it was taking up to 45 minutes to complete the save operation. Our users were then asking if we could make option user editable in the customer defaults, but we could not allow this because if they forgot to turn the option back on, then NX would always load with with Create JT data turned off thus, it could lead to data being released without JT's which would be no use for our TC Vis users in down stream funtions.

Also it would be not much use as the customer defaults only take effect when you reboot NX, therefore if someone had opened a large CAD model, and needed to turn off the Create JT data option to allow them to do quick interim saves, then they would have to:-

1. Edit the customer defaults closing all parts in the session.

2. Closing NX and all parts in the session.

3. opening NX and all the parts again.

4. Remembering to turn the option back on in the customer defaults.

So as you can see, it's not an ideal workflow.

Anyhow, I unlocked the setting in the customer defaults for Create JT data on my development system, and recorded 2 very simple journals; one which toggle the Create JT data on and the other toggles it off. The nice thing about these journals, is that even if the option for allowing the user to edit the Create JT data is locked in the customer defaults and Save option dialog, these will override the setting and turn the setting on and off, and if the user exits NX with it set to off, then the next time they load NX, the customer defaults will mean that Creat JT data is always set to on as default.

So if this is causing you the same issues, then I have attached both the journals to this thread, you just need to attach them to a couple of custom buttons of your own. (I attached mine to our group tool bar so they appear automatically on everyone of our 400 users systems).

Cheers

Si





If like us you work on a centrally managed CAD system where the the customer defaults are only modifiable by admin team members,

Best regards

Simon NX7.5.3 - TC 8

http://www.jcb.com

 

[Toost]

Interesting,
we have been discussing if we could do some kind of batch run in TC to create/ update the JT files. The problem is to decide if and when to run the batch update. ( should be done before the release and should be done before anybody wants to view the JT data...)

Regads,
Tomas

 

[SiW979]

We have work flow processes that create all the CGM data for the drawings as part of the release process, but due to the size of our company and the ammount of data that is released on daily basis, it the amount of grunt needed and time taken by the servers to create the data is just to much/long. Users already complain about the time it takes for the servers to create the CGM's as there can be a queue of hunderds of drawings at any one time, this is why we dont use a batch convert process for JT data and rely on the user creating it during save. But loosing the ability to turn of JT creation during interim saves p155ed a lot of people off which in turn meant I've been subjected continual rantings of disapproval from our users.

Best regards

Simon NX7.5.3 - TC 8

http://www.jcb.com

 

[Toost]

Simon, I tried your journals and they work as intended.
But, how about replacing these with a single journal/ button that does an "intermediate save" ?
I.e during the work yo want to save regularly, but if that operation takes too many minutes you simply don't.
What if we create an "intermediate save button" that :
1) turns off the "save jt data"
2) saves the part ( = file-save)
3) turns on the "save JT data".

When the part is ready to be closed, one uses the regular file-save and everything ( regarding the jt data) should be as expected.
If not it is a user error.

Regards,
Tomas

 

[SiW979]

We did think about doing that Tomas, but we wanted to keep the save as a seperate operation as we already hace 3 different ones which include a final save which does the following

Turns all layers of except layer 1

Checks for geometry that is hidded/blanked

Changes view Shaded with edges

Orients view to Isometric and fits to screen

Ensures back ground colour is black for wire frame and shaded views

Updates the part to ensure that all features are working

Checks for any suppressed feature (there shouldn't be except for suppress by expression);-)

Best regards

Simon NX7.5.3 - TC 8

http://www.jcb.com

 

[JurgenKreisel]

Simon,
Under "Customer Defaults-Gateway-JT Files" I still have the option to turn on/off "Save JT Data". Our setting is locked and set to not save JT Data.

Regards
Jurgen
NX 7.5.5.4 Windows 7 64bit. with TCUA 8.3.2

 

[SiW979]

Yes we have that option, but we need ours to be on as the default setting, but occasionally we need to be able to turn this off during normal modelling operation without having to reboot NX for the settings to take affect and our users have no access to the customer default and if it turned on in the customer defaults, then you can not toggle it off in the save options dialog which is a massive problem for us. However my journals fix the problem, I was just sharing them incase anyone else had a similar issue.

Best regards

Simon NX7.5.3 - TC 8

http://www.jcb.com

 

[JohnRBaker]

From exactly which version did you upgrade to NX 7.5?

I ask this because the behavior which you've described, setting 'Save JT Data' ON in Customer Defaults causes the option to be ON and locked (grayed-out) in the Save Options dialog, has been working that way since NX 5.0, three full releases back from where you are now (and I just verified that it behaves this same way in NX 8.0 as well as the next full release after that).

It would appear that somewhere back 4 or 5 years ago the decision was made to change this behavior since in NX 4.0, the Customer Default setting could be overridden on a case-by-case basis from the Save Option dialog. And since this behavior has NOT changed in these intervening years, then I guess one could assume that if this issue has been brought up prior to now, that someone made the case for keeping the current behavior in place.

Now I'm not saying that you can't contact GTAC and express your 'disappointment' with this change and have them provide you a formal response to a request to return this to it's pre-NX 5.0 behavior, just that after this long a period of time, I suspect that they have a very good reason for why this has remained this way.

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.

 

[SiW979]

John

We upgraded from NX4 where we could always switch that option off on the fly, however we have a clear business need to be able to not create JT data as part of the save operation. The guys who use motion a lot, were giving me a hammering, as they could no longer save a motion file in any way, shape or form. Period. Pressing save just caused a fatal error. Anyhow we have escalated the issue to GTAC and complained like buggery to our Siemens project manager, but as it happens, my little journals provide a pretty elegant solution and I've recieved lots of nice emails today from around the group.

As for a reason for it being set like that? Sure, it would stop anyone saving parts and having an out of date JT if it was off and the model was changed, but when you have massive CAD models like some of ours, having to wait for upwards of 45 mins in some cases for a part to save every time you hit save is completely unacceptable. But like I say....Problem solved

Best regards

Simon NX7.5.3 - TC 8

http://www.jcb.com

 

[sam5a1]

Thanks Simon, we are having the same issues and I was looking for a way to do this. Thanks for the pointer. I think I'll go the way Thomas suggested and make a "Save Without JT Data" button that turns on the "save JT data" after each save.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Well, that's why we provide the tools to customize your system ;-)

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.

 

[wackolacko]

Save jt data is turned off by default here. We use the baseline process in teamcenter to generate the jt. Works great, one side issue is that a file needs to be baselined in order to view in Vis. Just a thought.

John Lackowski
NX Support
Win 7 64bit NX 7.5.4.4 TC 8.3.1.1