Retrieving Assemblies w/ Rule-Based Reps

[jamestl]

I'm revising our start assembly to include a rule-based simplified representation which excludes parts with "FASTENER" as the value in a parameter named PART_TYPE. The purpose of this is to reduce memory overhead on large assemblies, through allowing the user to retrieve the assembly without the fasteners.


The rule-based simplified rep itself works, when applied in an already-open assembly. But when I close the assembly, erase it all from memory, and retrieve it again (to test the rep), applying the rep during retrieval, it doesn't work. The entire test assembly is retrieved into memory, fasteners and all, even though ProE shows the rep as active.


In order to take the fasteners out of memory, I have to then go into the view manager, apply a different rep, then reapply the fastener-exclusion rep, and finally use Erase - Not Displayed to get rid of them. If I have to do that, though, it makes having the rep useless for reducing retrieval time...the whole point of having this rep is to avoid retrieving the parts.


Do I have some setting set wrong? Or is this "normal" behavior for ProE (WF2) when retrieving reps which use rules?

 

[bfairhurst]

In my testing with rule based reps,proe opens everysubassembly to check to see if that rule applies. It will not remove the ones that do not from memory. The master rep of these objects are not opened but on large assemblies this increases the file size. I now stay away from rule based reps.

 

[jelston]

James,


Have you figured this out yet?

 

[jamestl]

Nope. And I had actually forgotten all about this. I thought I hadput in a problem report at PTC.com, but checking just now I see that I only reported a couple of the tangentially-related problems and not this one.


I'm going to put in a problem report now, but if you have any suggestions please let me know.

 

[jelston]

I THINK this may be your problem, when you created your simp rep, did you get a plus sign in parenthesis (+)? If so, this means you have to save the rep, this can be done in the view manager. FMI, how exactly does a rule based simp rep work?

 

[jamestl]

No, I did that. The simplified rep was saved correctly, and exists in the assembly (I didn't lose it for failing to save the change, as I've seen happen based on ignoring the plus sign indicating a modified rep set).


It's hard to explain in brief, but it involves creating a rule (just like using the search function) when you create the rep in the view manager. If you look for the functionality in the menus in the view manager, you should be able to find it easily enough. Getting it to cooperate is another matter, since it's really flaky to set up a search and have it actually work -- but all you can do is trial-and-error experimentation to see how to work it.

 

[asharpe]

I have been struggling with this exact issue and I think i just figured it out. In the rule editor for the simplified rep under options (lower right corner) make sure "Not retrieved" is unchecked. Once I unchecked "Not retrieved" the search time went from the model hanging for several minutes to instantly updating.