Creating a document with Drawings EVP on

bobminer

To see Drawings functionality in a document, you must create a new document or copy a document and turn the Drawings Early visibility feature on during the creation or copy.

For example, below is the New document dialog with the Drawings toggle switch underlined in red.  You need to click on that toggle switch when you create a new document for Drawings functionality to be available in that document.

jonathan_stedman

1. " copy a document and turn the Drawings Early visibility feature on during the creation or copy."

Is this working?  I have tried but can't seem to start a drawing in a new 'copied' document.


2 - Will we get 'constraints' in on construction lines, not just the solid lines in the future. Could we also attach angle dims to construction lines.

3 - It would be nice to draw tangential construction lines off arcs, and then use these to dimension.

4- Line thickness and change colour would be nice

5 - I know this might be a bit unorthodox, but I sometimes need to have different scales for different views.  I think the scale changes all views at the moment.  This should be the default but it would be nice to change each view independently if required.  Can we also create a custom scale?
6 - "There are three ways to create a drawing:Using a part or assembly (presented below)As an empty drawing, from scratchBy importing a .DWG or .DXF file"If we can draw from scratch, can we have the line lengths driven by the dimensions


I like the way the construction line is controlled, just cannot work out how to constrain the second point if there is no point on the model to attach it to.


Thanks for the invite


Jon

bobminer

@jonathan_stedman - Thanks for your comments and questions.  I'll answer them one at a time:
1. Is copying a document to turn on the drawings EVP working?  If you open a document and copy the workspace, it works properly.  If you copy the workspace from the documents page, it does not work properly.  We just discovered this and it's fixed in our newest builds.  But, unfortunately, right now you need to open the document and copy it there.
2. Will we get constraints and dimensions to construction lines?  Can you clarify your desired workflow?  You want to create geometry in your part studios, then create a drawing of the parts, then create construction lines in the drawing constrained to the view geometry and then dimension to the construction lines?  Thanks.
3. Tangential construction lines off arcs.  Yes, I agree it's a good thing to have.  There's a lot we can do to improve drawing new geometry and construction lines.
4. Line thickness and colour changes.  Again, yes.
5. Scale changes.  You can break scale relationships between views by choosing the "Break alignment" command.  It breaks both the alignment and the scale relationship between the views.  We should probably make the command clearer that it's more than just alignment.
6. Line lengths driven by dimensions.  Thanks.  You can do this with our sketching tool in a part studio, so I understand what you want.  Initially we're expecting people will do their part design and assembly design in part studio and assembly tabs and then create drawings to document their designs.

Please keep the comments coming.  We're looking for feedback and it will impact how we improve drawings.

_Ðave_

Having full sketching (lines, arcs etc.) would be important as there's a lot of drawing references that will require this. One example that comes to mind would be in creating dimensions over rolls to measure a dovetail or similar feature.
Or possibly a dimension from a tooling ball, I'm sure there's many more I can come up with.

jonathan_stedman

Thanks for the prompt reply @bobminer

2.  Perhaps I'm a bit unorthodox with my 2d drawings.  

"You want to create geometry in your part studios,"  Yes
"then create a drawing of the parts, " Yes
"then create construction lines in the drawing constrained to the view geometry" Yes

"and then dimension to the construction lines? "  the dimensions I would want to put on the construction lines would be to drive the position of the lines in reference to the edges and features of the part drawing.  As an example I might create a construction line, make it thicker and then use it as a global datum.  I would want to dimension it 20mm parrallel from an edge on the model in free space and then dimension everything else off this construction line.  The construction line might not be parallel  to and edge.  I might want it to have an angle.  However at the moment the dimensions cannot drive the solid lines nor construction lines, but I think this will be useful in the future - see 6.  Perhaps have a sketching tools for lines, and then like in the part studio, be able to change solid lines to construction lines.  Edge offset would also be useful, as on aluminium extrusion profiles, a dotted offset line is used to designate which part of the profile is visible and then the diemaker takes a bit more care over this surface if he is feeling conscientious .  This has saved me a fortune in rejection of dies when I have pointed out the drawing has the visible areas marked clearly.

6 - I think your assumption is correct and this is how 99% of the drawing will be created.  However there are times when occasionally you need to quickly draw a feature onto a drawing, albeit a single line, perhaps a circle, a slot.  Perhaps just to designate the area where there is a change in texture.  I do it every now and then on drawings when there is some graphic glitch that does not show the drawing exactly as the part is.  Blame SW for this request   


Jon

andrew_troup

jonathan_stedman said:

....dimensions I would want to put on the construction lines would be to drive the position of the lines in reference to the edges and features of the part drawing.  As an example I might create a construction line, make it thicker and then use it as a global datum.  I would want to dimension it 20mm parrallel from an edge on the model in free space and then dimension everything else off this construction line.  The construction line might not be parallel  to and edge.  I might want it to have an angle.  However at the moment the dimensions cannot drive the solid lines nor construction lines, but I think this will be useful in the future 

"Fresh-air" datum planes like this are standard practice, for a lot of machining drawings for large fabrications (weldments), where I come from