Ghost Images of the OS!

No I am not talking about Halloween here even though it will be here before we know it!

Ghost is a disk cloning program, originally produced by Binary Research, but purchased by Symantec on June 24, 1998. The Ghost program launched the market for disk-cloning software. The name Ghost originated as an acronym for "General Hardware-Oriented System Transfer". (Wikepedia)

Our friendly computer manufactures now use the ghosting technique for the Operating System (OS) when they build and ship out new computers. The idea behind this process is good but it does wreak havoc for those computer users that are running CAD software.

Here at ECAD we have run into several instances where either Autodesk products or COADE products are not running correctly because of this issue.

It is recommended that when you receive a new computer that you reformat the hard drive and re-install the OS before you load any of the CAD packages.

As always, please check the links below for hardware requirements before you buy a computer to make sure that you are getting what you need to run the CAD software effectively. Autodesk recommends a 128MB graphics card for running their software but what they do not tell you is that they recommend and support certain brands/types. To find out more about the system requirements and certified hardware please visit the links below.

Links to System Requirements:
AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Land Desktop, AutoCAD Civil 3D, and AutoCAD Map 3D

Links to Graphics Hardware:
AutoCAD 2008 and 2009 and Inventor (Civil 3D and Map 3D)

Certified Hardware XML Database Update:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=7440746&linkID=9240698

CADWorx ISOGEN Drawings: Overall Dimensions

Do you ever question if there is a way to generate a CADWorx ISOGEN drawing with just overall dimensions, which would work out better for your pipe fitters? If you need this, then you are surprised with how many dimensions show up on your first ISOGEN drawing.

There are several Option Switches in Project Manager that users have access to changing and configuring within ISOGEN. Outputting overall dimension is one of the few simple changes that can be set. To get the following result make the next few changes.

In the Project Manager go to the Drawing Control Tab and edit your Options File. Once the Options File Editor appears then you will need to go to the Dimensioning tab.

Next you will change option switch 9 to “No Dimensions (unless OS 118 is set for Overall). Click the arrow displayed in the Options File Editor to go forward a page and display more settings.

Go to Page 3 of 3 and change option switch 118. If set to “Overall Dims to Valve centers & across Branches” then only overall dimensions will show up.

To allow overall dimensioning across branches and to the center of valves you must first set the spindle direction on all valves. Go to your CADWorx model double click the valves and click on the ISOGEN button to preview the ISOGEN Data dialog box. Or on the command line type IEDIT and select valve. In the ISOGEN Data dialog go to section previewed “Spindle/Flat/Support Direction” and set the spindle direction before creating your ISOGEN drawing.

After the Spindle direction has been configured in the CADWorx model then ISOGEN will output overall dimensions and to center of valves.

EdgeCAM CAD Links

There are a few clients who want to know how to bring data such as thread information from 3d CAD into EdgeCAM. Yes EdgeCAM does have the solution for that kind of task. For EdgeCAM to bring in these information, first we need to install EdgeCAM Cad Links found in the EdgeCAM installation CD. Once it is install there will be an Edgecam icon right inside your 3d CAD software.

Now here’s the interesting part. So let say you have a part with couple taped holes around the OD of the part with information such as in this picture. And when you finish go ahead and click on the EdgeCAM icon inside your CAD software, it’ll load up Edgecam automatically.

Once EdgeCAM is loaded you’ll have to do a “Feature Finder” command to find those taped holes. In this case the holes are radial so the option set like this.

When the Feature Finder is completed, you’ll find new properties which we calls feature. And if you do everything right then look at the “Properties Window” while highlight the new feature you should see all the tap thread information is correctly migrated from the CAD software.

Civil3D Tips-n-Tricks

Alot of companys are asking about vault in Civil 3D, but don't want to go through the process of setting it up. But not to worry, because there is a way around it!

Data shortcuts are used to share AutoCAD Civil 3D objects outside of project management utilities (Vault). You are able to create a reference, export objects, and access them within a reference file. Data shortcuts are limited to surfaces, alignments, profiles, pipe networks, and view frame groups.

Below I have included a instructional video on Data Shortcuts.

BOM Weight

This little change is a fun one. It's not exactly for the faint of heart I guess, but it's not THAT painful either. In CADWorx Plant, you can add weight to your BOM. The great thing about this is that you also get a TOTAL BOM Weight. The downside to this, and anyone who's put out a Weight on a BOM will understand this, the weight that is figured off of a drawing is WRONG. Nothing against the way we do weight, but there are a lot of variables that aren't taken into account, coating, weld (in some cases), shipping flanges, etc... It's a universal habit to take the weight we come up with and add 10%. In CADWorx Plant, although we can't do this, we can append what the BOM says to indicate that the end user should add 10%. Think of it as covering your tail. The steps are easy, but you have to modify a file that COADE prb doesn't want you too, but that's okay :)

In the support directory, under your instal of CADWorx Plant (or Plant Professional) You'll find a file called English.dic. Open this file up with Notepad and do a FIND on T0097 . This will take you to a line of text that looks like this:

T0097=TOTAL WEIGHT: %.2f

This is the line of text that get's appended to bottom of a BOM when you add weight as one of the columns. The %.2f tells the software to append the total weight, to 2 decimal places. Let's change that line to read:

T0097=TOTAL ESTIMATED WEIGHT +/- 10 PERCENT: %.2f

Now, save the file, restart CADWorx Plant and run a Bill of Materials with the weight column in there.

You'll notice that right there in the BOM is your text.

KP

New Sizes

So, you have gotten into CADWorx Plant, or even CADWorx P&ID, everything is going great, until you get to a REALLY big OD of pipe. As a default, CADWorx has sizes from 1/8th of an inch, to 64" on the Imperial measurements. This SHOULD cover about everything, but as a good friend of mine in California pointed out today, sometimes that's just not enough. He had to do a 90" Elbow. Now, some of the really cool things that we did with the elbow, will be the subject for another day, but for today, let's talk about how we get 90" into our software.


There are 2 things that you need to do, the first, and easiest is really almost the most intimidating. Just like in the BOM change we did, we are going to have to "tweak" the software.



In the install directory of CADWorx Plant (or P&ID for that matter) is a folder called system. In there, we are going to open up the file called setsize.tbl . This file is where CADWorx pulls the size numbers for the size dialog box that we see in the software.


Let's break for a second, and really look this thing over. This is complete, I mean, complete on the size range. 1/8th inch to 64" inch is a pretty good spread, but when was the last time you used some of the sizes? Don't need them? No problem, delete them. Some companies may want to reduce the AVAILABLE size here, as well as limit through the spec.
Now, back to where we were, let's scroll to the bottom of the list and add in our 90" numbers. Yea, that's it. Save the file, and when you re-open CADWorx, those numbers that you added (or deleted) are there (or gone).


Once that's done, it's now just a matter of updating your data files to have the dimensional data needed to place a component to your new size.


There, that wasn't TOO painful was it?


There are 3 of these files, setsize.tbl for imperial, setsizeM.tbl for metric, and setsizeA.tbl for mixed metric.


Hope this helps, and if it sounds any at all confusing, please, let me know.


KP

Welcome

Welcome to the new ECAD, Inc. blog. Here you will find valuable information regarding Autodesk, COADE, Edgecam, DezignWorks and other CAD/CAM related products, as well as tips and tricks to help you with your design and engineering needs.

We hope that you will enjoy reading and responding to these blogs as much as we enjoy posting them for you.