Chapter 0 Feature Management

This chapter introduces:

Suppression

Layers

As parts become more complex, the number of features increases. It may be helpful to only display pertinent features. Simplifying the model in this way makes the part easier to visualize and to work with.

Suppressing features temporarily removes them from the regeneration sequence. This not only simplifies the way the part looks, but also decreases the amount of time it takes to regenerate the part.

When suppressing a feature with children, the CHILD menu appears. This menu requires that the children be dealt with before the parent is suppressed. The children can be suppressed or the ref 24224p157y erences to the parent can be rerouted.

To suppress features select Suppress from the FEATURE menu. Resume restores the suppressed features to the screen.

Layers are used to control the display of features and as a selection tool. A layer may contain any number of features, and any one feature may be on more than one layer.

The Layer Display dialog box (shown in Figure 11-1) appears when controlling the display of layers. The dialog box lists all currently defined layers. Icons, adjacent to each layer name, indicate the layers' display statuses. You can blank, show, and isolate layers. The buttons shown in Table 11-1 appear at the bottom of the dialog box and allow you to set the status.

Table 11-

Figure 11-

Blanking a layer does not blank the display of solid features (holes, protrusions, etc.), but it does blank the display of non-solid features such as datums and cosmetic features. To remove solid features from the display you must suppress them individually or suppress the layer containing them. Layer is an option on the SELECT FEAT menu for options such as Suppress, Delete, and Reorder.

After you complete this exercise, you will be able to:

Suppress Features

Create Layers

Open chamber.prt.

Figure 11-

Choose Feature, Suppress and select the large hole in the boss as shown in Figure 11-2.

Select the left U-cut as shown in Figure 11-2. Suppress the copied child.

Select the front right countersunk hole (see Figure 11-2). Suppress all the copied children and copied holes.

Select DTM4.

Choose Done Sel, Done to close the menu. The model should now appear as shown in Figure 11-3.

Figure 11-

Choose Info, Feature List from the menu bar. The listing has all features present in the model including those suppressed.

Select the button on the Information Window.

Choose Feature, Suppress and select DTM3. (The base feature is a child of the default datums.)

Choose Quit, Quit Del/Sup from the CHILD menu.

Choose Feature, Resume, All, Done. Notice that Resume is now unavailable because there are no other suppressed features.

Choose Layer from the PART menu.

Choose Setup Layer, Create.

Enter [dplanes].

Press <Enter> twice to quit entering layer names.

Choose Set Items, Add Items.

Click on DPLANES to place a by it, then choose Done Sel.

Choose Datum Plane as the types of objects to place on the layer.

Select DTM3 and DTM2 to add to the layer.

Choose Done Sel, Done/Return, Done/Return.

Choose View, Layer Display from the menu bar. The Layer Display dialog box appears.

By default, the display status for the layer is set to show. Select the layer and select the button. The icon adjacent to the layer name should change to the blank icon.

Select the button.

Repaint the screen to update the model.

Choose View, Layer Display from the menu bar.

Select the DPLANES layer and select the button.

Choose Done Sel, Done/Return.

Select the button.

Repaint to update the display.

Refer to the previous instructions, if necessary, to create a new layer called AXES.

Place all of the datum axes on the AXES layer. Use the Text option on the LAYER OBJ menu to select them.

Create a new layer called HOLES and place the four countersunk holes on the layer.

Blank the AXES layer and repaint the display. Why did the axes' labels blank but not the axes themselves? These axes were created with the hole features and are not individual features themselves. If a datum axis is created as a separate feature, both the axis and the label can be blanked.

Blank the HOLES layer and repaint the display. Now the axes are blanked, not the holes. Solid features cannot be blanked, only suppressed.

Choose Feature, Suppress.

Choose Normal, Layer, HOLES, Done Sel.

Choose Feature, Resume, All, Done.

Change the layer status of all three layers to show.

Change the layer status of DPLANES to isolate.

In the Layer Display dialog box, select a layer and choose Info, Layer Info from the menu bar at the top of the dialog box. An Information Window appears with the layer status and layer contents.

Select the buttons on the information Window and the Layer Display dialog box.

Save the part and Erase it from memory.