9Mirroring components
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7.1Introduction to External References
When creating parts in Assembly mode, you have the advantage of seeing the geometry of existing components. The existing geometry can be used in creating the geometry for the new part. When creating new geometry, external references can be created.
An external reference is any reference used to create features of a part that does not belong directly to the part in which the feature is being created. External references can be formed with the top-level assembly, subassemblies, or other components. External references should be avoided but can easily be created in the following
situations:
• Selecting the sketching and orientation planes
• Creating geometry using the options Edge > Use, Edge > Offset, and concentric circles and arcs
• Selecting references for sketching
• Selecting references for the depth options
Creating external references cannot be avoided in some situations. In these situations, you must be aware of how the part reacts. When the assembly is in session, all of the required references to create and display the part are recognized by Pro/ENGINEER and the part functions as expected. If the part is retrieved on its own and the assembly is not in session, some of the references are missing and you have limited control over the part; in this case, modification and redefinition of features may not be possible. Consider the design intent when deciding whether or not to build the part in Assembly mode.
Pro/ENGINEER offers tools that can help you manage external references. These tools enable you to specify the scope of the external references, as well as how Pro/ENGINEER reacts to invalid reference selections. External references can be managed in the following ways:
• Current Assembly
• Global Settings
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7.2External References for the Current Assembly
Managing external references within the current assembly enables you to specify both the allowable scope of external references and how the system reacts to invalid selections. The setting is only available for the current assembly.
General Steps
Use the following steps as a general guideline to control external references for the current assembly:1. Activate the reference control.
2. Define the Accessible tab options.
3. Define the Shared tab options.
4. Complete the settings.
Click Edit > Setup > Ref Control or click Reference Control in the pop-up menu while the top-level assembly is active. The External Reference Control dialog box appears as shown in Figure 7–1. Use the Look In pull-down menu to select the object type (model or component) and the object.
Step 1: Activate the reference control
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Figure 7–1
The Accessible tab enables you to define the scope of components, which may be referenced by the current model. The available options are described in Table 7–1.
Table 7–1
The All option is the default option; unless otherwise specified, you can select references from all other models in the assembly.
Step 2: Define the Accessible tab options
Option Description
All Enables references to be made to any model in the assembly
Subassembly Enables references to be made only to the
components that belong to the same subassembly Skeleton
Model
Enables references to be made only to the skeleton model of the subassembly
None Prevents references to other components
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The Shared tab enables you to specify which geometry in the current model can be referenced by other models. The Shared tab options are shown in Figure 7–2.
Figure 7–2
The Geometry Allowed for Referencing section enables you to define which geometry in the current assembly can be referenced for
geometry creation. The options are described in Table 7–2.
Step 3: Define the Shared tab options
Table 7–2 Option Description
All Enables references to be established to all geometry in the current model
Published Geometry
Enables you to restrict the references that are made to this model to only published geometry features
None Prevents any references from being made to the current model
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The Allowed Placement References section enables you to define whether references in the current assembly can be used for component placement. The options are described in Table 7–3.
Select the button to complete the reference control settings for the current assembly. The settings are stored with the model.
Table 7–3 Option Description
All Enables all geometry to be used as component constraints
Component Interfaces
Enables only component interfaces to be used for the component constraints
None Prevents geometry from being used as a component constraint
Step 4: Complete the settings
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7.3Global External References
Managing external references within each assembly enables you to set individual settings depending on the assembly and the design intent. Pro/ENGINEER also offers tools to globally set the reference control for all assemblies in the current session.
General Steps
Use the following steps as a general guideline to define global external reference settings:1. Activate the reference control.
2. Define the Object tab options.
3. Define the Geometry tab options.
4. Define the Selection tab options.
5. Complete the settings.
Click Tools > Assembly Settings > Reference Control. The External Reference Control dialog box appears as shown in Figure 7–3.
Figure 7–3
Step 1: Activate the reference control
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The Objects tab enables you to define the scope of the components that can be referenced. The options are described in Table 7–4.
Table 7–4
The Geometry tab enables you to specify the type of geometry that can be referenced, as shown in Figure 7–4.
Figure 7–4
Step 2: Define the Object tab options
Option Description
All Enables references to be made to any model in the assembly
Inside
Subassembly
Enables references to be made only to the
components that belong to the same subassembly Skeleton
Model
Enables references to be made only to the skeleton model of the subassembly
None Prevents references to other components
Step 3: Define the Geometry tab options
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The Geometry tab options are described in Table 7–5.
Table 7–5
The Selection tab, shown in Figure 7–5, enables you to define which references are displayed in the Selection Bin dialog box when using Pick From List. This option can be used in conjunction with the control that is set in the Geometry tab to set colors for references that are allowed or not allowed. Setting colors makes references easily recognizable.
Figure 7–5 Option Description
All Enables references to be made to all geometry Published
Geometry if Exists in a Model
Enables you to restrict references to published
geometry that currently exists in a model. If none exist in the model, this option allows external references to any geometry
Published Geometry Only
Enables you to restrict references to any published geometry
Step 4: Define the Selection tab options
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The Selection tab options are described in Table 7–6.
Table 7–6
Select the button to complete the reference control settings for the current session. These settings must be specified for each
Pro/ENGINEER session.
Option Description
None Enables you to select all references in the model, whether or not they are actually allowed as external references
Forbidden References not Allowed for Backup
Enables you to set additional control over selecting references. Any reference type that was prohibited in the Component or Geometry tab cannot be selected.
All Forbidden References
Prevents you from selecting any forbidden references in the model
Change Color of Not
Allowed for Backup
Enables you to set the display color of the entities that are not allowed to be selected based on the settings in the Components and Geometry tabs.
Change Color of Allowed for Backup
Enables you to set the display color of the entities that are allowed to be selected based on the settings in the Components and Geometry tabs
Step 5: Complete the settings
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7.4Global Reference Viewer
The Global Reference Viewer is a tool that can be used to review references within the assembly structure. To access the global reference viewer, click the Info > Global Reference Viewer. The Global Reference Viewer dialog box appears. An example of the dialog box for an assembly component is shown in Table 7–6.
Figure 7–6