I want to drag components in an asmbly...

[jelston]

What option needs to be turned on/off?

 

[prohammy]

Jelston,


Can you be a bit more specific (WF?). Do you mean move components during the contraining proceddure? Do you mean drag an unconstrained part around the assembly?


Kev

 

[jelston]

WF 3.0. As far as when, a little bit of both. I want to freely drag in any direction not constrained.

 

[trillicomm]

use Translate during assembling

or Drag it (located next to the Zoom buttons)

 

[prohammy]

Jelston,


Don't know if this still works in WF3 (I know that they have done a lot to the assembly process) but in all the rest when you have no constraints added (or you have the green tick un-ticked on an already defined constraint, then the following can be used


To move the component, depress CRTL & ALT and then RMB and drag


To rotate the component, depress CRTL & ALT and then MMB (Roller)and spin


Kev

 

[jelston]

That's what i need prohammy, thanks!

 

[trillicomm]

I'm using WF3, that does not work. Have you tried it Jelston?

 

[prohammy]

Trillicomm/Jelston,


Pain in the a**e if it doesn't coz I find it bloody handy. Check that it isn't a different combo of ALT/CTRL/RMB/MMB etc or some other fancy stuff that PTC have decided to randomly change again.


Kev

 

[jelston]

Yeah, but it only works while redefining a component.


Y'all use an 'e' of the end of a$$ in the UK prohammy?

 

[prohammy]

Jelston,


Correct on the redefining thing


For the a**e, that'san Irish thing. I'm am only over in the UK for the money. When I find a contract in Ireland (South) that meets my expectations, I'm off


Kev

 

[trillicomm]

That's a neat trick even if it works only in Defining.

Thanks Kev and thanks Jelston for the thread.

 

[roto]

I haven't had any trouble using this in WF3 at any point (redefining or not), so long as the component I'm trying to move is not fully constrained. I could be wrong, but I think it's has to be that way since they combined assembly and mechanism. It's a quick and dirty way to check your motion and connections...


I had a component kind of auto constrain the other day when I was assembling it. I was just dragging/rotating it into an approx. location. Haven't had a chance to look into it, but did they add some sort of assembly intent/intelliganceor something? There was no interface set up for the part.

 

[prohammy]

Roto,


I'm glad to see that you can do this in WF3 (as I said before, its very a handy thing to have). But it is far from a 'quick and dirty way to check your motion and connections'. Over the years I have found many uses for it when I am assemblying components.


When assembling I tend to use the double window as a matter of course, but when I am in very tight spots I often find it very useful to be able to drag and spin the comp. into roughly the right position and then work out if I have enough reference planes/faces/edges to place the comp.


I often take assembles comp.'s and 'knock off' one of the constraints to let me work fouls out


Kev


EDIT


Trill/Jelston,


Even though the technique is only available in defining a set of constraints, EDIT DEFINITION and use the first point above is very handy (and it ain't that much to do really to be able to drag a comp. around your assembly
Edited by: prohammy

 

[jelston]

I can use it in redefining mode but if my finger comes anywhere close to the RMB while not in redefining (or sorry 'edit definition') then the RMB menu pops up, proly something I am doing wrong though.

 

[prohammy]

I can use it in redefining mode but if my finger comes anywhere close to the RMB while not in redefining (or sorry 'edit definition') then the RMB menu pops up, proly something I am doing wrong though.

Jelston,


I think that is because you have to keep the CTRL & ALT depressed for the duration of your drag/spin


Kev


EDIT


No scratch that (I left it for others to read non the less), you need to have depressed CTRL & ALT (and held)before you use the RMB
Edited by: prohammy

 

[jelston]

Even with CTRL & ALT 'depressed well in advance' still doesn't work, proly something "mystic option"

that needs to be changed.

 

[roto]

proly something "mystic option"

that needs to be changed.

enable_useful_functionality yes

But it is far from a 'quick and dirty way to check your motion and connections'

just another suggested use. I always drag components into the approx. postion to prevent having to flip mate/align directions, etc.all the time.And as I stated earlier, in WF3 there seems to be even more reason to do this.






Edited by: roto

 

[jelston]

Why didn't the programmers @ PTC enable_useful_naming_of_freakin_options?

 

[jelston]

And now i am starting to see that i missed the joke!!!

 

[prohammy]

Why didn't the programmers @ PTC enable_useful_naming_of_freakin_options?

Jelston,


Did you check toe see if enable_useful_naming_of_freakin_options is a hidden config setting?

. Maybe its worth an e-mail to PTC to see if they would include it for you

..... (don't know which of the above 2 options is the funnier)


But seriously folks, on WF, I can't get it to recreate what you are saying. Once the CTRL & ALT are depressed, it efrfectively disables the RMB to provide only a MOVE function.... I really can't think of anything that you are doing that I could suggest to change..... (if you work it out, post the answer so others can see)


Kev