Hi folks,
Ive got a question that is totally baffling me. I dont know if this is possible or not.
What it is, is that we use skeletal modelling, so we use intelligent "master sketches". Now we are just starting to use frame generator also and we want to combine the 2 methods.
An example of how we work is this.......
Lets say, we are designing the base of a basic frame. Now, we sketch in the profile of the RHS that will run along the front of the base and we also sketch in the elevation view of this RHS (see snip 1). This gives us 2 sketches to derive in to create a new part of RHS.
If I change the size of the profile of the RHS within the "master sketch" the newly created RHS part will update to suit. This also applies if I change the length of the RHS within the elevation view within the "master sketch".
So, now we want to add in a 5mm thick plate that sits flush with the top of the RHS, we sketch in a 3mm thick rectangle and make the top line colinear with the top line of the RHS profile sketch (see snip 2). We would then derive through these sketches and use them to create this plate as an ipt.
So now we have 2 parts, 1 length of RHS and 1 piece of plate. If we place these to parts into an assembly and ground them to their "root" then the plate will be sitting flush with the top of the RHS.
If I change the profile of the RHS to 50mm taller in the sketch, then the plate will move up to suit and stay flush with the RHS in the assembly.
NOW, what we want is to use frame generaotor along side this method. Instead of deriving through the first 2 sketches to create the the RHS, we want to create the RHS using frame generator and the elevation sketch BUT what we also want is when we change the profile sketch of the RHS, the Frame generator generated part updates to suit the altered sketch. The reason we want this is because we control all our full assemblies using sketches.
Lets take the same bunch of aforementioned sketches and create the parts using FG.
So I have the RHS profile sketched out at 100x50 and the plate sketch sits colinear with the top of this.
I then go through the motions to create the RHS within FG.
I choose RHS from the drop down menu, then choose 100x50 from the "size" drop down menu. I then use the elevation sketch to specify the length.
Now if I increase the size of the RHS (to 150x50) within the sketch, the plate will move up to suit BUT the actual part of the RHS which was created using FG will still stay the same size (100x50), and the plate will be shown as floating within the assembly!!!
If I do it the other way, i.e. change the size fo the RHS within FG, then the sketch will still show the original size and the plate will still sit flush with this original size. This will show the plate as sitting too low in the assembly!!!
Is there anyway at all, that we can link the profile sketch dimensions to the FG generated parts, so that if we edit the profile size of the RHS to a larger or smaller size then FG will automatically alter the generated part to suit the profile sketch???
Is this at all possible???? Or will we just have to alter both the sketch AND the FG part???
Please bear in mind that we really dont want to use adaptive parts within our assembly, we always just control our assemblies with our "master sketches".
Sorry for the extra long post but I really needed to make sure I was clear about this, and if someone could help me out here, then it would be legendary!!!!!!
Thanks in advance folks
