"Insert Derivative" takes an hour

[iandaltonDWUKP]

Hello, 

I am working in a project where I need to make 100 variations of a base object (calling it a sled). The object (sled) is a platform that 1-3 PCB boards attach where mounting holes are defined in specific configurations. As an example, one object might have PCBs A and B while another has A and C and another is just A. 

I have PCB hole mounting placements for each device already created as a template object for each PCB. All these template objects and the "sled" are currently in one file (call it the master file). My desire is to make each object its own design and separate file. From there I will insert it as a derivative into a file that already has the blank "sled", position it, and combine it to the "sled" for a finished object. 

First I need to make all these PCB template objects as their own file. I am trying to save time without recreating everything. As an example, I am opening up a new project, saving it as "PCB A template", then going to the "master file" and doing an 'insert derivative' of the proper template object for new file. I'll then break the link so its a single object in a single file I can use on all the sleds that require it. 

Once that is done, I can insert that template object file onto another project that has a copy of just the sled mentioned earlier, position it and combine it with the sled and move on because that file is now finished. 

The issue is two fold from here. First the "master" file attached to this post takes 150 seconds to open on my computer, is that the same for others?  Second, pulling any derivative out of the file can take upwards of an hour. Literally. This is the same for doing derivatives out of any file on my machine, not just the attached file. Is that expected behavior?  

Thanks for the help! 

[peter.champneys]

Hi Ian,

I've just taken a look at the file you shared.

For me the master file takes about 30-50 seconds to open, and inserting a derive takes about 2 minutes. This is not quite as extreme as the numbers you were sharing, but it's still much higher than I would expect.

For reference, I exported the Master file as a STEP and then re imported. After doing this it takes less than 3 seconds to open and less than 10 to create a derive. This is much closer to what I'd expect for a file this simple.

Can you talk me through how this Master file was created and what data you'd expect to be in there other than just the CAD model?

[RichardHammerl]

Hi @iandaltonDWUKP 

you mentioned some PCBs with holes as templates. This raised my interest. 🙂
Looking into your Master drawing, I do not see PCBs linked/inserted. I am not sure whether I understood your questions correctly, but when it comes to PCBs you could either insert 3D PCBs into your Master drawing or you could derive 3D PCBs from it.

I think a video tells more than 1000 words. Please see attached video.
First, I insert a 3D PCB which was created from a 2D PCB into the Master drawing, and in the second part I derive a PCB from the Master drawing.
Does this help?

If not, could you please give me more information on the task you would like to do?

BTW: Opening the Master sled takes 35 seconds on my computer.

Best regards,

[iandaltonDWUKP]

Thanks for this! In step file work around is a great way to "fix" this file. 

The file was created with a lot of bad practices where I had several bodies as separate objects when really they should have been separate design files. There were 40 bodies in the file. I then took that file and parsed out all relevant bodies into their own files with the exception of this one as it is really a file of different tools to be used for the project. I added all the template and sled to it via inserts and broke all the links, with exception of the sled. 

[iandaltonDWUKP]

Thanks so much for the video! I have not played with designing PCBs in the application as what I am using comes from another party. The issues is deriving a body from that master file into a new file. That is what takes so long in addition to opening that file. The exporting to a STEP file and reimporting does salve the issue, but its a work around. 

BTW, these PCBs are for hobby rockets to manage deployment of parachutes, staging, and GPS tracking. Really fun stuff! 

[peter.champneys]

Hi Ian,

Glad these suggestions helped!

I have done some investigation into why the performance was so slow for this file. The file actually contains around 26,000 thread features, which seems a bit excessive! How exactly was this file created? Was it imported from another file format? It would be great to understand how this level of complexity was possible and there may be some kind of bug causing it.

Let me know if there's anything else we can help with, or whether the above posts have solved your problem.

Thanks