3rd Party Parts

[Anonymous]

What is the best method to organize 3rd Party parts (.ipt files translated from .stp files). I would like to organize them in such a way that a user does not need to wonder if the part is a group of individual parts or an iFactory. I am using a single library for the iFactories and a proxy library for the iParts. Would it be logical to place the 3rd Party parts in the folders with the iFactories? Would this work acceptably with Inventor? Is there a better suggestion?

Troy Nageotte
Inventor Professional 11 SP4
ADMS 5.0
MDT 2007 SP2
Design Review 2008 SP1
OfficeScan 8.0 (antivirus scan)
Windows XP SP3
AMD Athlon 64 3.2Gzh 1.5 GB RAM
nVidia Geforce 7300 GT 256 MB
CAD Manager

[Anonymous]

Have you found a way to make translated models into impart factories where the factory part (Parent) lets you choose which translated model, "iPart?" (child) to use? I didn't think this was possible in IV11.

Otherwise for translated models that come in as assemblies, I have gone two routes. If the model is static, I derive that assembly into a part, and export the part to sat or step or ??. Then I import that file and wind up with a single part dumb solid.

Depending on the model I also align key feature to the origin planes if needed, and / or clean it up to remove dimensional rounding of mounting holes or features etc and rebuild them in IV.

Pete

[Anonymous]

I don't think you can even do that in IV2009 either 😉

pkquat wrote:
> Have you found a way to make translated models into impart factories where the

factory part (Parent) lets you choose which translated model, "iPart?" (child)

to use? I didn't think this was possible in IV11.

[Anonymous]

The feature translator could be used then the part could be 'factoried but
that would be as pleasant as walking on one's knees over a mixture of glass
shards and pickling salt in most cases.

QBZ


"Bob S." wrote in message
news:5984405@discussion.autodesk.com...
I don't think you can even do that in IV2009 either 😉

pkquat wrote:
> Have you found a way to make translated models into impart factories where
> the

factory part (Parent) lets you choose which translated model, "iPart?"
(child)

to use? I didn't think this was possible in IV11.

[Anonymous]

lol 🙂

Yup I redraw many purchased parts from scratch vs. many planes and even more unconstrained and undimensioned sketches.

Pete

[Anonymous]

Think more simply. I find a vendor part in .stp format. I open it and want to save it as a base featured .ipt file. Where is the logical place to save it for a multiple user department? The point is.. file management.

TN

[Anonymous]

Are you implying that there is some weakness in using base featured parts. Do features move around when base is the only feature in Inventor?

TN

[Anonymous]

Base feature dumb solids will not move around. I was referring to the "Translator" that Quinn mentioned and to "Native Inventor" files that have a .bas extension. The latter I know for sure is a bunch of unconstrained sketches. I think they are available from Dodge bearing and Boston gearbox sites among others.

Pete

[Anonymous]

Not me. You the one that mentioned 3rd party step to iparts. There
is alot more to that than just base features!

Troy Nageotte wrote:
> Are you implying that there is some weakness in using base featured parts. Do features move around when base is the only feature in Inventor?
>
> TN

[Anonymous]

Put them in a seperate folder in your library path and call that folder out
in the project file.

QBZ


wrote in message news:5984455@discussion.autodesk.com...
Think more simply. I find a vendor part in .stp format. I open it and want
to save it as a base featured .ipt file. Where is the logical place to save
it for a multiple user department? The point is.. file management.

TN

[Anonymous]

First it get stored locally with whatever job I am working on (or maybe a non permanent location on the network). Eventually it winds up as an Inventor library part at a network location once it has been cleaned up if needed and all the proper iProperties have been filled in correctly.

How the library is grouped is a whole other matter. You can have folders by part types, vendors, mfrs, and sub folders as needed. I have base folders for "iParts," "Purchased Parts," and "Standard Parts" with a variety of subfolder groupings. No matter how you goup it at some point you will wish you had done some part of it differently.

PS for stp files that need to assemblies, I constrain all the dub solids as needed and rename them and set the BOM type as needed. I also set the positional reps. I have only the main assembly shown and a subfolder with the same name for the parts. For IV11 I think you can keep these in your library and change the Pos Rep without IV thinking the library part is changing and needs to be saved. In IV10 it is a problem, so while the assembly resides in the library, the assembly used in your machine etc. is copied locally to that job folder, but the parts remain in the library.

Pete

[Anonymous]

Users need to be able to look in one place and only one place for hardware
(unless you're blessed with an idiot-free workplace). The proxy path is good
until you run into your scenario where you've now got what amount to folders
full of iPart children with no parents. The simplest method may be to do
away with the proxy path and let the folders land in the same directory as
the parent. Instruct users to go to the root directory first then look in
sub-folders if the part doesn't exist there. The same issue comes up when
you have library assemblies (that need to be in their own folder) and
iAssemblies.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply. That was what I was looking for. Basically there is not right or wrong way. I am painfully aware the I will likely wish that I did it differently. I was just hoping to get it "right" the first time.

TN

[Anonymous]

You perfectly described my dilemma. I would like to have one stop shopping. I may do as you suggest. I also thought about putting the individual files in a folder in the proxy library and then creating a shortcut to that folder in the iFactory library. What do you think about that?

Thanks,

TN

[Anonymous]

FYI - it works fine. The shortcuts sort by description with the iFactories. Very logical.

TN

[Anonymous]

In a library folder - by type, manufacurere, vendor or ? .

--
Dennis Jeffrey, Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert
Autodesk Manufacturing Implementation Certified Expert.
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
AIP 2008 SP2, AIP 2009 PcCillin AV
HP zv5000 AMD64 2GB
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185
XP Pro SP2, Windows XP Silver Theme
http://teknigroup.com
wrote in message news:5984455@discussion.autodesk.com...
Think more simply. I find a vendor part in .stp format. I open it and want
to save it as a base featured .ipt file. Where is the logical place to save
it for a multiple user department? The point is.. file management.

TN