Pro/Intralink & MC

[kebling]

Has anyone run into an issue where a 3D model created in Pro/E 2001, through a linked session of Pro/Intralink, only creates 2D arcs & splines when directly imported into MasterCam v9.0 as .prt? We created (2) models, one in Intralink and one in stand-alone Pro/E. The stand-alone version imported fine but the Intralink version causes the above problem. For those of you not familar with Intralink, it is a PDM (product data management) system that tracks version & rev history. When a model is created in Intralink it embeds system parameters for use in tracking. I think Intralink parameters might be causing the problem. Is there a listing of standard MasterCam parameters? I need to see if there is a conflict with parameter names. We did export the Intralink Pro/E model as an IGES and it worked fine.

 

Any info. will be appreciated. Thank you!

[McRae]

When the files are in Intralink - where are you grabbing them from? I have two sessions of Pro/E as well and use the following scheme.

 

1) open Pro/Intralink

2) checkout models into a workspace

3) rightclick on the checked in models

4) a) export to disk

if need to edit - run Pro/E local, make changes and save local

 

5) in windows explorer, navigate to users/name/proi/*.* directory (or local directory that you edited above in 4b)

6) highlight models

7) copy models to a working direcory for MC

8) launch Mastercam

9) File/Converters/Pro/E/Read - Go...

10)Depending on the complexity of the model, it will open as a soldi or trimmed surfaces - see the options available.

 

IGES will always work - as long as you save it out of pro/e properly. Haven't enough evidence to confirm the case you describe. I will try it and let the group know.

 

[ 12-09-2002, 02:42 PM: Message edited by: Andrew McRae ]

[kebling]

Andrew,

 

The users either exports the file from the workspace or while in the linked session he goes to File, Backup and specifies the directory. What version of Intralink are you running? We are at 3.1 build 2001361. We use a pretty basic start_part with the following parameters: Part, Size, Description, AS400_Number1 & Material. We assign a material file to the part and run a mass props. The following relations are specified:

material=material_param("BEND_TABLE")

mass=mp_mass("")

volume=mp_volume("")

surf_area=mp_surf_area("")

density=material_param("MASS_DENSITY")

 

I implemented Intralink about 2 months ago and started running into this.

 

Thanks,

Keith

[McRae]

Intralink:

Release 3.0

Build 2001021

 

PTC is even more guilty of Incremental releases than anyone. I have had about 6-7 build versions of Pro/Manufacturing in the last year.

 

You indicate that the file is modified by Intralink as it is saved? I understood that the .prt is not modified but that another file is created in the database to manage access to that .prt file. The only thing that Intralink is supposed to do is to manage the data path.

 

Conversion:

My experience with the Pro/E transaltor is that only trimmed surfaces and wireframe geometry are successful when using helical swept geometry. Prismatic stuff seems to go alright as a solid.

 

I have sent files to [email protected] for their evaluation. Perhaps you should as well.

[kebling]

Andrew,

 

I will send some files to qc and see what they say. As far as Intralink, if you make a new part in Pro/E and save it in a workspace it creates Intralink parameters inside the part even if it is exported outside of Intralink. That save in Intralink becomes part of the audit trail. To test it create a part outside of Intralink with whatever parameters you use. Then run ProE from a linked session of Intralink, open the part you just created and then save it in the workspace. Go to parameters, Part, Info and you will see parameters such as PDMRev, etc. Those are strictly Intralink parameters which can not be removed.

 

Anyway, enough talk about Intralink. I'll do some more testing with it and send files to QC@Mastercam. As mentioned everything was working fine until Intralink was implemented.

 

Thanks,

Keith

[McRae]

Kieth,

 

Did you take the Intralink course by any chance?

 

Just kidding, I am having similar problems with importing files and think it could be related. Sometimes when you are on that Deserted Island, its good to find that there is at least another person there.

[Neal Z]

We're dealing with the same problem. Thanks for info.