Specifying different layers for edges in a drafting view 1

[BOPdesigner]

For our ECAD system, the mechanical designers must provide a 2D dxf file of the printed circuit board outline and the location of things like connectors, keep out areas, tooling holes, etc on the board. Each of these object types need to go on a specific layer. Now, what I would like to do is remove the dxf file cleanup portion of the workflow process in AutoCAD. So, I have figured out a way to map the NX layers to the required layers in the DXF file, and here are the next problems I am facing:

1) In a single drafting view, how can I assign for example the board outline to one layer and the tooling holes, or keepout areas (a sketch on the board) to a different layer?

2) The bottom left corner of the board needs to be at the 0,0 X,Y origin in the dxf file. How can I assign this in NX prior to the dxf export? Out of the box, the NX drafting sheet has 0,0 at the lower left corner of the sheet.

NX 6. Attached is a jpg to help clarify.

 

[JohnRBaker]

You would have to move the individual curves to the appropriate layers using the 'Move to Layer' function.

As for the Drawing origin, that's just the way Drafting has always worked and there is nothing which you can do about it except to move all of the drawing objects so that they are properly positioned relative to the lower left hand corner of the 'drawing sheet'.

Now that being said, I get the feeling that perhaps this data, once it has been exported, is going to be used in some 'manufacturing' process (otherwise why would anyone care where the 0.0 origin is), If that is indeed true, then I would consider NOT working in a Drawing at all, but rather just do all of your work in a non-Drawing view where the origin behaves like it does in Modeling (even though you're in Drafting, it does NOT mean that you can ONLY work in the context of a 'Drawing'). Not that even if you're not working in a Drawing view, you can still add dimensions and notes and labels to your file.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
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 probably a dumb question, but how to I select spedific edges in the drafting view to move them to a different layer? The board outline and holes are edges, not sketch curves. In the drafting view the whole view is highlighted/selected when I cursor over it or pick it. I think if I worked the view in drafting, but not as a view on a sheet as you suggested, it would export a 3D dxf file right? That wouldn't work in our process.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Sorry, I missed that. Well in that case, you CAN'T move an Edge to a different Layer than the one that the Body is on. What you can do however is once everything is modeled and dimensioned as needed, do a...

File -> Export -> 2D Exchange...

...and just 'smash' your 3D model into a 2D model and once that's done you can then move the 'edges', which will now be 'curves', to the desired layers before you do your Export to DXF.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
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]

Where is the option to "smash" to 2D? When 2D exchange a dxf from the model view, it comes out 3D. If you are suggesting export to dxf, reimport back into NX and then move curves to different layers, and then export to dxf again, well, in that case it is eaiser to export the drawing view to dxf and then move the objects to the correct layers in AutoCAD.

 

[JohnRBaker]

No, I'm suggesting that you do a 2D Exchange to another NX Part File, make your layer assignments there, and then do the Export to DXF using that file.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
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]

Got it. I have always used dxf or dwg output from 2D Exchange, never a 2D NX part file. Now this looks more promising. I don't suppose there is a way to make that exported 2D part file associative to the model that it was generated from? Thanks.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Sorry, that's going just a bit tooooo far ;-)

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

 

[ewh]

Shades of Applicon ;-)

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - [small]Robert Hunter[/small]