Drawing Title

[sambudy]

When making a 2D drawing from a solid model in solid works, the name of the model would automatically appear in the title box. However for a while now it does not do this! Been searching through options, but cant find where i might change this. Would any one know how I can set this up again?

[JerryFlyGuy]

Open a drawing, right click the drawing sheet and select edit sheet format. Move your mouse over to the text where the part name was displayed, right click it and high light all the text it in, go over to your text dialoge box [where the feature tree usually is] and select the "link" button [has a little chain link in it], scroll down the list until you find "SW-File Name" and click it.. hit the check mark to drop the text in place and then right click the drawing sheet, select Edit Drawing and then save the drawing as a "drawing template". Also click File/Save Sheet Format and save the "Sheet format" you've created in the same place as your templates [or where you've pointed your version of SW to "look" for sheet formats].

Voila.. the next time you insert a part into a drawing it will show the part name. You can also use this to put in the part weight, the material or whatever else you want on that list.. also.. that list is customizable through the "properties" of the parts or assemblies and there is no limit to the number of things you can link.

Have fun..!

Jerry

[sambudy]

HI jerry, thank you very much for taking the time to sort that for me. I would never have found out how to do it! You clearly Know your stuff.

[JerryFlyGuy]

NP

Jerry

[DareBee]

Jerry

Since we are on the subject again.
Did you ever take a boo at the Property Links add-in I was telling you about?

[JerryFlyGuy]

Actually yes I did, I did the once over of the website but remember thinking that I didn't see the advantage over just the standard properties functions which came w/ SW. That was a while ago, so I don't remember much more than that but.. you use it alot don't you? Where has it helped you over the properties you get w/ SW?

Jerry

[DareBee]

It makes for a simple user interface as well as consistency amongst multiusers.
As you are aware it simply users part/assembly document properties and propagates them to your custom title block in your companies drawing template. Maybe with SW properties getting easier to use with every new version it is getting more obsolete, but when I started using it; it SAVED at least 10 minutes of filing in custom properties for every shop drawing I made.
It has an admin program that you can set which fields are mandatory, use custom made picklists and can allow user input in variable fields if desired. oh - does auto part #s if you wish too.

Here is a screen shot of the first page. It has a max of 4 pages. I use 3 pages and usually only have to input 1 page of data because regularly used data (such as inch tolerance schedule) is automaticall pre-defined so unless I am switching to metric these fields are already propagated. Most of my other data is pick lists and a couple of fields are user type-in.

[JerryFlyGuy]

Interesting, I can see that if there is a pull down menu to select the customer and the job name it would be a help. I do most of my custom properties of this type in the drawing properties [vs the part properties], this way I only enter that info once per drawing set. I also try to use as many sheets in a set as possible. I have curbed that habit a bit but still like to keep 5-10 sheets per set if I can [I used to have 40+ in a set but loading times got to be a pain even w/ a Quad Core AMD 2.4 w/ 4Gig..I'm supposed to be switching to to 64b here so I can get ~8gig ... sometime in the near future here..]

All my other info like part size, mat'l and part numbers are entered in the part level. The Auto-Part number is really the only thing that would be a nice addition. However, is it configurable in some way to control what kind of number it generates? Secondly, how does it track part numbers in a global fashion compared to all the other part numbers in your inventory? One of the things that would be nice is an "auto Envelope size" function for flat layout parts, this would save me putting in a flatten and fold feature w/ a sketch in the middle. Alot of my Fab guy's like a description like.. [1/4" A36 PL- 35 1/2 x 32 3/16"-SEE DET FOR BRAKE INFO ] They can use this to pull parts when there are several that all look the same. Etched part numbers also help this issue.. linking those dimensions can get tiresome after the 1000th part..it's not hard to do, it just takes time.. the nice part is that it updates on its own, as well as my profile cut file so I'm never sorting back through a drawing to correct BOM notes..

Jerry

[DareBee]

You are asking about functionality that I do not use.
It does have size and mass features built in and you cna make any custom links you want. If I look at my custom page in my part document properties everything is generated there.

It is my belief that part specific info should be registered to the part/assembly. The drawing is just a bunch of "window frames" looking at the model with user info attached. If I make a new drawing the property info should be ready to go.

I understand that you already know these concepts (not trying to insult your intelligence).

As far as answering your more complex questions I will have to steer you back to my VAR - Javelin Technologies.

[JerryFlyGuy]

I think we are talking the same langauge I may be a bit more of a hybrid to what you do but the basics are similar. I use the part specific properties [size weight, mat'l etc] to populate the Title block, but I keep the customer and job info specific to the Drawing properties, the reason being in my case is often when we do a project for one customer, then another will come along and "want one too" so I only have to change a specfic number of drawing propertie's rather than every single part property for the "customer" or "project" field.

So far I haven't found anything that I can't do w/ SW properties, and they are always bringing out new "stuff" all the time so.. I dunno if I could convince the "powers that be" that I need more software as I can't think of anything that I desperatly NEED in addition to what I've got.

Best

Jerry

[DareBee]

So far I haven't found anything that I can't do w/ SW properties, and they are always bringing out new "stuff" all the time so.. I dunno if I could convince the "powers that be" that I need more software as I can't think of anything that I desperatly NEED in addition to what I've got.

Best

Jerry

Agreed

When I started with JavWare (Property Links) they also had a program called "Copy Project" - I often do similar projects but very rarely the same over.
You could copy assemblies and associated parts with SW but it wouldn't copy and associate drawings, Copy Project was a savior for a lot of years for me.
NOW SW 07 has the "Bundle and Go" command which is basically Copy Project with a different name.

[JerryFlyGuy]

Ya the Pack and go has been a huge help for sure.. used it twice today already..

Jerry