Rotate a part to the z plane

[stevieboy]

Hello all

 

When I import parts in from Iges, most of the time they come into Mcam on all kinds of angles

or just out there in space, how do you go about putting the part say... on the z plane, so it lays flat?

[Guest]

WCS

[Doug Nemeth CNC Software Sales]

Yep. WCS.

 

Find the view that you want to be TOP; you may have to create it. Once created, go to the View manager, select your new view and set your WCS to this new view.

 

When you exit the WCS, and go to G-view Top, your new view should now be the TOP, and all other views will be relative to it.

[stevieboy]

Hmmm...

Ok, Will that then be Origin?

Let me give it a try.

 

Thanks John

Thanks Doug

[Doug Nemeth CNC Software Sales]

Here's a step by step:

 

The part comes in with the TOP like this, and I want this solids face to be my new top:

 

 

So, I go to the Planes pull-up and use a solid face to define my new view:

 

 

Then I pick the axis orientation that I want:

 

 

Once selected, I name the new view:

 

 

Then I go tp the view manager and set this view as my current WCS:

 

 

Exit view manager, go to g-view TOP, voila! My new Top:

 

[stevieboy]

I was able to do as Doug suggested and It worked But,I was looking to move the part to the origin, flat on the z plane.

[stevieboy]

Oop's sspoke to soon,

Let me try your explained example.

"Oh... nice job by the way!

[Thad]

quote:

---

I was looking to move the part to the origin, flat on the z plane.

---

Xform-Translate-Between points. Click the big "1" in the translate dialog box (assuming you're using X) to select where on your part to call X0Y0Z0, then select the origin. You may have to Xform-Rotate too, depending on how your part comes in originally. 3D construction plane is probably required.

 

Thad

[stevieboy]

McamX MR1 Not MR2 again yet

Thanks again!

Thad,

3D construction plane is probably required...

Creating geometry to rotate the part?

[Thad]

quote:

---

Creating geometry to rotate the part?

---

No, that will move all 3 axes at the same time. In the 2D plane, only X and Y will move and then you'll still have to translate the part in Z.

 

Thad

[stevieboy]

Ok,

 

Thanks Thad

[RandyN]

I'm going to ask this here since wcs is being discussed. In 9, when I set wcs to some random geometry, all planes were relative to the wcs. Say once i set the wcs, if i was in iso view and want to draw something in front plane, I could just set cplane front and a z depth and everything was fine.

 

In X, I set a wcs, and top cplane is the top of the new wcs. but if i'm in iso view, and select cplane front, it wants me to create a new view. Maybe i'm being anal, but I don't want to create all the standard views relative to the wcs just to create some quick geometry. I have found that if I go to front view, I can say cplane=gview and not have to create a view.

 

Is this just the way it is, or am I missing something. Do I have to create views relative to my new wcs to work on standard planes?

 

I have been working on X for quite some time now, but just been working around this and figured it is time I come to grips with this and start creating lots of new views every time I want to draw construction geo, or ask and see if I'm missing something.

[Thad]

Randy,

 

You don't have to create those views. Just click OK when the box comes up.

 

Thad

[RandyN]

So your files end up with a bunch of new view 8, new view 9, etc in them?

[Thad]

Yes. Those are the standard views of your new WCS. You can rename them if you'd like.

 

Thad

[RandyN]

Ok, I knew all that, but thats where the "being anal" part came in, I didn't like my files cluttered up with all those views for geometry creation if I didn't have too. Once the tool hits the floor, the guys are creating more views for positioning and tool planes etc, so unless I take the time to name views it can start to get confusing in a month or so when changes come in and we revisit the file.

 

Thanks for the help Thad

[kinglouie V]

the method I use to get parts out of plane coordinates when importing from catia is this..

 

like thad said..Xform-Translate-Between points-then pick "entities", click two lines from the parts plane origin, destination- "origin", from- instersection of the two lines, to- "origin".

You'll want to be in "3d" mode when doing this to get x,y,and Z to your origin. otherwise you'll have to Xform-Translate-Between points again, but still have to be in "3d".

 

If you don't want to use the wcs then this is the lengthy and somewhat confusing process to go through.

[RandyN]

Yeah, in the past I have always repositoned the part to where I want to start, but we do prototype parts and we get new geo in all the time during our tool builds and changes after the parts are tested, and it has become a lot easier to leave part in car position for merging in new data, etc. WCS is great, I couldn't work without it any more, but I kind of liked the way it worked in 9 better than X, but realize we are moving on and will have to adjust to new stuff.