Simple Newb question

[CAN MACHINE]

Just started playing around with solid works 2006 at work. How do I change the orientation of a part? I know how to view it from different angles, but I need to move the part and orientate it so when I load it into Mastercam the datum will be in the right spot. Thanks

[DareBee]

Move it to the right place and orientation in the CAM software.

[CAN MACHINE]

Can I not do that in Solidworks? The problem is if I move it in Mastercam I lose my solids, thats why I want to orientate it right before hand?

[CAN MACHINE]

Can I not do this in Solidworks? I lose my solids if I move it in Mastercam.

[Craigpat]

there is a move option i sw o7, i belive it would be in your version. it will give you a symboly in th center of the part that will have a green blue and red circles )well at least 3 of them. then you choise the axis you want to rotate on and in your case would be 90 deg and voila , pulling up sw now to make sure my instuctions are correct.
go to inset -features then move /copy it will come up on the left side like the other tools.. select the pat to move.. put the correct deg or rotation in the xyz // the triangle looking shape mean delta or changr and bingo you have apart moved

best of luck
craig

[DareBee]

AFAIK moving part origin can really make bad things happen in an assembly.
Most of my parts are in assemblies.
Therefore I move the parts in the CAM not in the CAD.

But

Here are the instructions that I got be using SW help (press F1).

[tnik]

I've never used mastercam, but doesn't it have the ability to create new origins or new views.. I use surfcam and just create a new cview (origin) where I want it.

[ghyman]

SW 2006... click on a face, press space, and select the new orientation, and click on 'update'...
i.e. click on the bottom face of the part, space bar, select 'right', and update. This will rotate the part orientation, making the 'bottom' of the part become the 'right' of the part.
You may have to do this a few times to get the top and bottom and left and right... moving 'bottom' to 'right' may flip-flop 'front' and 'back'.

And, as was already pointed out... if the part is a member of an assembly in SW, this will make all manner of things go haywire in the assembly.

[dmcool]

Hello,

There is a way to do this and not change your original origin for the part, you need to set up a second cord system. here is how you do that.

1) create a new axis, insert refrence geo. new axis. choose the edge you want to be along the X axis.

2) create another new axis and choose the edge you want to be along the Y axis.

3) create a new scetch and create a point at the intersection of the two axis

4)create a new cord system, using the point as your origin, the 1st axis as your X-Axis and the 2nd axis as your Y axis.

i assume that you are using Step to transfer over to mastercam. but almost all of the file formats have the following options

5) save as step. click options and there is a pull down that says output cord system. select your new cord system and then click ok. then save and you can import the step into mastercam.

it will keep the new cord system. without having to have you move anything around in solidworks. and dosn't interfear with any of your relations already setup

[DareBee]

SW 2006... click on a face, press space, and select the new orientation, and click on 'update'...
i.e. click on the bottom face of the part, space bar, select 'right', and update. This will rotate the part orientation, making the 'bottom' of the part become the 'right' of the part.
You may have to do this a few times to get the top and bottom and left and right... moving 'bottom' to 'right' may flip-flop 'front' and 'back'.

And, as was already pointed out... if the part is a member of an assembly in SW, this will make all manner of things go haywire in the assembly.

Sorry buddy

This will only change the way it is viewed, it will NOT change the core coordinates and will not affect assembly relations at all.

What DMCOOL has posted makes sense and sounds PERFECT. If I need to output as such I will definately be looking this thread up again and giving that a go.

[ghyman]

My memory must be failing; I did this to export a customer's solids to a smartcam-friendly orientation a few years back; I must be forgetting a step.

[pixburghenat]

...a coworker had this same problem with SurfCam.

I created a new part template and flipped the front and top planes around for him.

The move command works too, once you figure it out, and yes it does mess up any assemblies that use the part. A quick fix using the move command is to create another configuation and move the part there, then any assemblies won't even notice what you did.

The idea of adding a coordinate system works very well too. I did this first for the SurfCam guy, but he liked the template better. **added** Yes you have to save the part with the coordinate system added, there's a checkbox to do this in the save window.

I've only used MasterCam and SurfCam a few times, but I always thought you could define the XYZ anywhere you needed it, no matter where the part was defined.

I use Camworks and you can define the XYZ anywhere by just clicking on the part. Once in a while I'll get a imported model from ProE that is all surfaces and I'd have to create a plane and sketch a circle for the XYZ, but most of the time the bounding box for the stock was all I needed.


Scott