Building a Part using commands

[devouring]

Dear all,


My question is whether Pro/E (wildifre v.2)is capable of building a part from a series of previously given commands. The sort of thing you get in Mechanical desktop or Autocad when you load a script file.


Is there any way how to do this? or any plug in or software which helps in 'programming' your part from a text file?


Thank u in advance,


Frank

 

[elab.theken]

I am not sure exactly what you want to do.


ProE has several tools that may be of use.


First: mapkeys. These record a series of ProE actions that can be replayed. Allows for some interaction from the user (e.g. pick surface to place hole.)


Second: Trail files. These do not allow for user interaction, but can replay the entire ProE session to recreate multiple models. Can be manually edited in a text editor, but not easily.


Third: UDFs. Series of feature (could be entire model). Prompts the user for model references and dimensions to vary. Builds new features based on user input.


Forth: ProProgram. Prompts users for input and then rebuilds model based on that user input.


There are probably others as well, but we really need a better idea of what it is you are trying to accomplish to give a better answer.


Hope this helps.

 

[devouring]

Thanks for ur reply,


Let me specify a bit better what I am after.


I need to build a complete 3d part from just a text file, without any user interaction.


That is the part to be modeled is completely new, and is created from a series of commands read from a source file (whatever this is) -where the source file is generated by the user or by some other program.


Hope this clears a bit my question.


I don't know if this is posbile in pro/e, whoever I am sure it works very easily in Autocad and Mechanical Desktop when using script files. You simply write the code in the *.scr file, then load the script file in mechancial desktop and there you are.

 

[jbuckl]

"I need to build a complete 3d part from just a text file, without any user interaction.

I am sure it works very easily in Autocad and Mechanical Desktop when using script files."


There has to be some user interaction!!!!!

Computers definately dont log themselves in and create models. Or do they?


Loading a trail file is the closest Pro-e comes to doing this.(usually used for training or diagnostics)


All other automation does require user input eg pro-program or scripting from a custom gui.

 

[jbuckl]

"without any user interaction.


That is the part to be modeled is completely new, and is created from a series of commands read from a source file (whatever this is) -where the source file is generated by the user or by some other program.


Ahh heres the user interaction:- the 'other program' can be messily linked to drive Pro-E.... or if pro program is used get rid of the legacy 'other program'


We had a requirement like this where the output of a calculation program is used to modify a 'master part' to create a specific version.


I wanted to include the legacy program into the pro program, but it was not allowed so hence the 'messy scripting' has to map the output parameters to the master file.


Neatest way is using a single point of data entry into a pro-e drawing or pro-program but its not always allowed to have calculation info/code in the Pro-E model.


Regards


Jbuckl

 

[devouring]

When I said no user interaction I meant - the user only inputs the commands at the beginning.


The 2 important criteria for my problem are these:


1. The part must be created solely from the script file(or text file) which is geenerated from a program


2. The part is not a variation of an another part, that is it is completely a new part


hence the following proposed solutions are not good in my case:


"First: mapkeys. These record a series of ProE actions that can be replayed. Allows for some interaction from the user (e.g. pick surface to place hole.)"


- since they require the user to create them beforehand. In my case I need the pro/e to read from a file generated by another program.


"Second: Trail files. These do not allow for user interaction, but can replay the entire ProE session to recreate multiple models. Can be manually edited in a text editor, but not easily."


-since they replay analready built part this is not acceptable. The part has to be built directly from the script file.


"Third: UDFs. Series of feature (could be entire model). Prompts the user for model references and dimensions to vary. Builds new features based on user input."


-Again requrie the model to be already built and then edits the model. So again this is not what I am after


"Forth: ProProgram. Prompts users for input and then rebuilds model based on that user input"


- Again I think that thsi is not a suitable solution since for the pro/program to work, on needs to have the model already created.


As you can see all these which you have suggested are used for editing an already existing part. But this is not my case.


Hope u can help me!

 

[jbuckl]

If the model has no generic form at all, what is required is a user trained in the creation of solid geometry via the original cad systems user interface.


What you are being tasked with does not, so far seem to make any other sense.


Perhaps the motivation of the task is to produce a user interface that:-


1) Does not desire that level of skill or cost.


2) Reduces therequirement for the potential number of licences.


Is this a correct interpretation?


Jbuckl

 

[devouring]

No.


Let me give you some further information, without getting in excessive detail on the project.


The project I am working at requires the building of a 3d model (in pro/e and mechanical desktop) via another program - which generates a series of command lines from a scanned image.


Hence we need a way how to input these commands to the pro/e, so as to have the pro/e build our model (which corrisponds to the scanned model).


I have already used the mechancial desktop and its script file command, to load a generated *scr file into it and build the model automatically.


Hope this clears it better.

 

[jbuckl]

So the sequence would go something like:- create scan file, open pro-e, import scan file, save pro-e file.


Why do you need a 'program' to do that?


Or did I miss something (again!)


Jbuckl

 

[devouring]

The scanned file is then processed, giving a script file. This script file is then run in pro/e to give a 3d model.


This is the procedure we used in mechanical desktop. Hope there is something similar for pro/e.


Any help pls!