Power Copies: Useful Tips

Creating a Power Copy
 
  • As far as possible, minimize the number of elements making up the Power Copy.
 
  • When defining Power Copies including sketches, use profiles constrained with respect to edges or faces rather than to planes. Additionally, set the option Create geometrical constraints off before sketching. Generally speaking, it is always preferable to use profiles both rigid and mobile.
 
  • It is preferable to constrain elements with respect to external references such as faces, edges, reference or explicit planes.
 
  • It is preferable not to use projections nor intersections in your sketch if you want to use your sketch in a Power Copy.
 
  • Avoid constraints defined with respect to reference planes.
 
  • Before creating your Power Copies, make sure that your sketch is not over-constrained.
 
  • Make sure that your sketch is iso-constrained (green color). You can use non-iso-constrained sketches, but it will be more difficult to understand and control the result after instantiation.
 
  • Create sketches on an axis system, to better control the Sketch position.
 
  • Avoid access to sub-elements.
 
  • Formulas are automatically included if you select all the parameters.
 
  • For complex design, integrate knowledge rules.
  You cannot select a Power Copy reference as the component of another Power Copy.

Managing inputs:

 
  • Always rename your inputs to help the end user understand what he needs to select.
 
  • A formula is automatically included in a Power Copy definition when all its parameters are included.
    Otherwise, i.e. if at least one parameter is not selected as part of the Power Copy, select the formula to make it part of the definition. If you do so, all the formula parameters that have not been explicitly selected, are considered as inputs of the Power Copy.
 

  • Note that when including parameters sets containing hidden parameters in a Power Copy, the hidden parameters are automatically instantiated when instantiating the Power Copy.
 
  • When creating a Power Copy, you may select components that point a relation. If this relation is not activated, it will not be taken into account by the Power Copy. For this relation to be inserted into the Power Copy, you have to activate it.
 
  • PowerCopies keep only a link to their components, thus there is no way to be informed when one of these components is deleted. The lists of the powercopies inputs and available parameters are just computed again when the components are modified (even when they are deleted).
 
  • When an object is embedded into a Power Copy, it is isolated from its context and thus no link is maintained with its father when the power Copy is instantiated. All relations are inserted into the Relations set at instantiation.
    • If the main Relations Set (always named “Relations”) already exists, everything is instantiated into it. The name of the object is normally kept, but if a conflict is detected, a rename operation is performed.
    • If no Relations Set exists, and the “root object” in the Power Copy is a Relations Set, this “root object” becomes the main Relations Set (always named “Relations” whatever its original name).
    • If no Relations Set exists, and the “root object” in the Power Copy is a relation, this relation is instantiated into the new main Relations Set which is created during the paste operation.

Preview:

 
  • In a Part document, create only one Power Copy reference. It is not a technical restriction, but there are at least two reasons for this: The cost of an instantiation will be smaller if the Part document is smaller. The end user can understand the feature to be instantiated.
 
  • Put in "show" only the input and the result (to help the end user to understand what he needs to select).
 
  • Use color to differentiate inputs (put transparency on result for example).
 
  • Choose a pertinent viewpoint before saving the Part document reference, default viewpoint in preview during instantiation will be the same.

Catalog:

 
  • Do not forget catalog integration if you want to provide several Power Copies.

Instantiating a Power Copy

 

  • Always check the orientation for curves and surfaces.

 

  • If you need to instantiate a Power Copy several times on the same input, rename your inputs and use the "Use identical name" option.

 
  • Before instantiating drafts created with versions before V5R14, we strongly recommend you to open and save the CATPart document containing those drafts in your session.
 
  • Before instantiating a power copy containing a draft created with versions before V5R14, we strongly recommend you to open the CATPart document containing the power copy, edit the draft, update it and then save the CATPart document in your session.