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This task
explains how to
place a component from a catalog using a
compass. |
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Make sure you have set up the
automatic
compass option.
Open the
SmartPlace.CATProduct document.
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Click Smart
Place
.
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Select the part you want to place.
For example: Standard Parts > Supports > Plastic-A.
In the geometry area, a manipulator displays allowing you to
select:
- The placement point
- The privileged plane
- The direction. By pressing the Shift key, you can
invert the direction.
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Point to the chosen position and click to place the
support.
The support is placed on the plane selected, with a compass
automatically snapped to the part. |
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Note: If you click anywhere, other than on the
existing geometry, the component is not instantiated. |
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Use this compass to orientate the support.
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You can also select an edge in the geometry.
A green arrow appears showing the orientation. By pressing the
Shift key, you can invert the arrow direction. |
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Click to select the chosen orientation.
The support is orientated according to the edge you have selected:
the rotation applied to the object aligns the compass V axis to the
manipulator's green arrow. |
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Point to the next position if you want to place the
support again.
Otherwise, click a different part from the catalog and repeat these
steps.
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Click Close when you are done.
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Smart Placement and Adaptative Parts
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To know more about adaptative parts, refer to
Creating an Adaptative Part. |
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Click Smart
Place
.
The Catalog Browser displays.
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Select an adaptative part.
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Note that this part has been stored into the
catalog with a special keyword:
InstantiateAsNew. Refer to the
Catalog Editor documentation. |
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This keyword, valuated as true, makes it
possible to use a same component several times from the catalog,
creating each time a new document with a new part number.
This functionality is specially designed to work with adaptative
parts. It is not necessary to use this keyword in other cases. |
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It can be practical to create a family in your
catalog to store all your adaptative parts. When adding a part to
this family, the keyword InstantiateAsNew will
automatically be valuated as true. |
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Point to the chosen position and click to place the
support as often as needed.
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Click Close when you are done.
The result looks like this: |
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New documents have been created with different part numbers.
The Part Number is automatically generated from the component part
number, the date (year_month_day) and the time (hour_minute_second_millisecond). |
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- The part is stored in the catalog with:
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- An origin point
- An x, y and z direction
- Optionally, a specific keyword.
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- The origin of the part (the support in this example) is placed at the
point selected with the compass.
- The x, y plane of the part is parallel to the plane selected using
the compass.
- The z direction of the part is collinear to the z direction selected
using the compass.
- The keyword InstantiateAsNew is added and valuated using
the
Catalog Editor.
If the keyword InstantiateAsNew is valuated as False
or does not exist, the same component is used several times, with the
same part number.
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