by Luke Davenport
Problem:
You want to take a copy of an existing Content Center part, and modify the geometry.
Solution:
1) First follow the instructions in my previous blog here. You will then have a copy of an existing Content Center family, but no geometry modifications as yet. (Note: if you haven’t already followed these instructions, the rest of this blog may not make much sense!)
2) Once this is done, we need to modify the geometry of the ‘master’ part. To do this we will use the ‘Replace Family Template’ command in the Content Center Editor. Read on….
1) Hit File –> Open from Content Center
2) Double click on the family you have already copied. In this case I want to create a version of a Nord-Lock ™ washer, so I need to add serration geometry on the landing faces.
3) Select ‘As Custom’ and hit OK.
4) Name the new file sensibly and save it in a non-library location
5) Now add your required new geometry. A few notes on this:
- Make sure you don’t disturb the existing iMates that have been applied. You should get an error if this occurs, allowing you to modify accordingly.
- Remember this part will become the ‘Master’ part for a whole family of parts. Therefore any changes you make should be fully parametric, and referenced to the existing named parameters in the model. In this case I made the quantity of the serrations always equal to 20, but I made the depth of the cut equal to 1/5 the thickness of the washer. This will ensure all sizes of the part are published correctly.
6) Save the part and close it.
7) Go to Tools -> Content Center Editor.
8) Find your copied family from before
9) Right click on it, and hit ‘Replace Family Template’.
10) Navigate to your saved file.
11) Once successfully updated, try placing a few sizes of the part in an assembly to check that it resizes correctly. Also check the ‘AutoDrop’ functionality, and test in a Bolted Connection if required.
Easy as that!