Sync attributes

[asrura1]

I am on NX10 MR2. I got a question on "synchronizing" attributes between two files.

I am using the Master Model approach. I created a part template and a drafting/drawing template. I created several attributes in the part template and also created same attributes in drawing template.

Then, for each custom properties in the drawing template, I linked them to the corresponding attributes in the part template by using "Reference Text", select "Object Attribute" and finally selected the dummy part to get the attributes.

The attributes between the part template and drawing template are synch'ed/updated whenever I make change in the part template. So, I put them into the template directory.

However, when I actually used the templates for actual projects, the attributes in the drawing file are not updated.

Does anyone know what is wrong? I tried Update on External Change but that did not work.

 

[Toost]

you are doing it more difficult than needed.
Attributes are "inherited" upwards in assemblies.
( in NX a drawing is an assembly, containing one component. That component can be either an assembly or a single piece part.)

In the model, create / assign the attributes.
in the drawing file, do nothing. The attributes from the model will be available.


Regards,
Tomas

 

[asrura1]

Thank you for reply, Tomas.

The reason I am doing this convoluted way is that I want to provide a central location for all the cells in title blocks to get model attributes from. Because in the current template that I am using, the cells in title blocks in drawing grab attributes from the model (using Object Attribute). I believe this was the method John Baker described in one of his posts. This works fine for the first drawing sheet; everything updates on the drawing as soon as the model attributes change.

But for the sheets inserted later, the cells in title blocks do not update when attribute values change in the model (the first sheet still updates).

I noticed that the cell values in the subsequent sheets change from "W*Ref" something in the first sheet to "WID" something in the sheets added later.

Is there a way to fix this?

 

[lklo]

Hi Asrura -
I'm using NX8.5 - and when I insert sheet2,sheet3 etc. attributes also updates in titleblock.
I'm using part attributes in the titleblock.
Be sure your titleblock is similar in both your drawing template and your sheet template.
A trick could be: simply copy the titleblock from drawing template into the sheet template.

If still you have troubles - please upload your drawing template and sheet template.

Just for info:
In our company we sometimes have to replace the titleblocks in our drawing parts.
I have created a NXOPen tool for this. What I'm trying to say is, that also in this operation, where each sheet is opened in a drawing part,
and each titleblock is deleted , and replaced with another - all attributes are still "alive".

lklo

 

[asrura1]

Hi Iklo,

Thank you for the information. I am using Object Attribute. I tried using Part Attribute and everything does update accordingly across different sheets. But I need to use Object Attribute because I need to grab attribute from the model file.

I don't have the drawing and sheet template files with me at home so cannot attach them, right now.

But I played with templates just before coming home. I noticed that in subsequent sheet, if you double click on the cells, the value starts with "WID". But if you choose to "Edit Text" on the cells, the values shown starts with "W*Ref", which is the same as the first sheet. This is very weird behavior...

 

[JohnRBaker]

Exactly what 'Object' attributes are you trying to transfer to your Drawing from the Model file?

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

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

 

[asrura1]

Hi John,

Attribute from the model while in drawing/drafting. Please see below for screenshot

thank you!

 

[JohnRBaker]

Part Attributes assigned to a Master Part File are automatically inherited as Object Attributes attached to the Component when accessed from an Assembly.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

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

 

[Toost]

If you use Part attributes, you can set up templates such that it automatically populates parts lists and drawing title blocks, but if you use Object attributes, you need to pick/ select the object to extract attributes from. I doubt that this is what you want in this case.

Regards,
Tomas

 

[asrura1]

Yes, that is what I am trying to do; automatically populating the title blocks.

I use Master Model method. I put all the information (part material, part name, part number, etc) in attributes in the Model file.

When I create a Drawing from the Model, I would like the title blocks to automatically populate by reading from the attributes in the Model file.

The way I do this is by choosing "Edit Text" on the title block cell, go to "Relationship", click "Object Attribute", choose the Component (the Model), then select the attribute I want in the cell. If I click "Part Attribute", I cannot access attributes from the Model.

This all works fine with the very first Sheet (title block automatically populates and updates when attributes in the Model file change). But if I insert more Sheets (second, third, fourth, etc), the title blocks on these subsequent Sheets do not update or read attributes from the Model. Only the very first Sheet works.

Am I doing something wrong? Missing something?

Thanks!

 

[Toost]

Ah, the interaction is new in NX10... No more "Insert Part Attribute". It's Insert Object Attribute now.

when you select "object attribute", then select the model in the assembly navigator
you should be able to select Part attributes from this model
The text in the note editor should then look like <WRef1*0@attributename>
( in earlier versions , i run NX7.5 ... the syntax is <W@attributename> )

I assume that if all your sheets have this syntax they should update. ( Else i need to learn some new stuff....)

Regards,
Tomas

 

[asrura1]

When I put the templates into actual use, the cells in title block in very first Sheet has sytanx like <WRef1*0@attributename>.

In all the subsequent Sheets that I inserted, if I DOUBLE-CLICK the cells in title block, the small pop-up shown has syntax like <WID30*0@attributename>. But if I choose "Edit Text..." on the cells, they have syntax like <WRef1*0@attributename> in the dialogue box. In the very first Sheet, it does not matter whether I double-click or choose "Edit Text.." on the cells, the syntax are the same <WRef1*0@attributename>.

Please see below:

Is there a setting that I need to check on or off to get it working in all sheets?