Drawing Formats

8/4/2019 Drawing Formats

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Drawing Formats

You can use a standard or sketched drawing format in any number of drawings and then modify

it or replace it at any time. This chapter describes how to create and manipulate drawing formats,

as well as how to use format libraries.

Topic

Overview

Standard Formats

Creating Formats Using Sketcher ModeUsing Formats in a Drawing

Format Libraries

Overview

A format is a customized layout for a drawing sheet. It includes a title block, a border, tables, andyour company logo. To create standard formats, you must be in Format mode and you must have

a license for Pro/DETAIL. You can select the desired format size from a list of standard drawing

sizes, or create a new size by specifying values for length and width. To create sketched formats,

you must use Sketcher mode in basic Pro/ENGINEER. Because you can modify them

parametrically, you can create nonstandard size formats orfamilies

of formats.

Standard Formats

Standard formats consist of note text, symbols, tables, and draft geometry, including

draft cross sections and filled areas. You create or modify a standard format as you

would a drawing, and you also use drawing setup files (see Using Formats in aDrawing. If you have a Pro/DETAIL license, you can do the following in Format mode:

Create draft geometry and notes.

Move, mirror, copy, group, translate, and intersect geometry. Use and modify the draft grid.

Specify user attributes.

Create drawing tables.

Use interface tools to create plot, DXF, DWG, SET, TIFF, CGM, and IGES files.

Import IGES, DXF, and SET files into the format.

Create user-defined line styles.

Create, use, and modify symbols.
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Include draft cross sections in a format.

How to Create a Standard Format

1. From the Pro/ENGINEER menu bar, choose File > New.2.

In the New dialog box, clickFormat and type a format name in the Name box, or acceptthe default name. ClickOK.

New Format Dialog Box

3. In the New Format dialog box, specify the format size by selecting Set Size and doing

one of the following:

o ClickPortrait in the Orientation box (to make the height larger than the width)

and select a standard size from the Standard Size list.

o ClickLandscape in the Orientation box (to make the width larger than the

height) and select a standard size from the Standard Size list.

o ClickVariable in the Orientation box to define both the height and width

dimensions. Select Inches orMillimeters and type values in the Width and

Height boxes.4. ClickOK. The system displays the format as specified, and the FORMAT menu appears.

Creating the Format


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To create format geometry, you use draft entities. For a complete description of how to create

draft geometry, see 2-D Drafting. To sketch draft geometry, choose Detail from the FORMAT

menu, Sketch from the DETAIL menu, and any command from the DRAFT GEOM menu.

The sheet outline is the border of the standard drawing format you selected, as shown in the

following figure. Because it is the actual border, it may not appear on pen plots unless you use apaper size larger than the drawing size. Everything within the sheet outline border is also plotted,

but you should make an allowance for the plotter hold-down rollers.

Sketching a Standard Format

Modifying Standard Formats

To modify the values of symbol text, symbol height, and note text in a standard drawing format,use the same commands that are available during creation. To modify an existing format, choose

Open... from the Pro/ENGINEERFile menu, retrieve the format, and choose Modify from the

DETAIL menu. Remember to save the format by choosing Save from the File menu before

choosing Done/Return from the EDIT FORMAT menu.

Parametric Notes
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When you place a parametric note in a format, the format acquires the appropriate value when

you use it in a drawing. For example, if you create the note ``&model_name'' in a format, the

system displays it as ``model name.''

When you use the format in a drawing, the note displays the actual model name. For the system

to update these parameters when you add the format to a drawing, you can include in parametricnotesonly the drawing labels listed in System Parameters for Drawings(except &todays_date).

You must include all user-defined model and drawing parameters in format table cells in theform of ``&param'' using Enter Text in order for the system to update them in a drawing.

Format mode interprets the following types of parametric notes:

Notes with symbol instances

Notes with standard system symbols Notes with drawing labels

Notes with a default tolerance

Using Tables in Standard Formats

Using the Table command in the FORMAT menu, you can also include tables in drawing

formats (see Drawing Tables). When you add a format to a drawing, Pro/ENGINEER copies all

of the tables in the format into the drawing. After it copies them, the tables are independent of

the original format, and you can move, modify, or delete them.

When you replace a format or remove it, the system highlights the tables copied from the old

format and asks if it should remove them from the drawing or keep them. If you add a table to a

format, it does not update drawings that reference this format to show the new table. The table

must be part of the format when you initially copy it into the drawings. Therefore, to use the

modified format in the drawing, you must choose Sheets from the DRAWING menu, Formatfrom the SHEETS menu, and Add/Replace. For more information about creating and using

drawing tables, see Drawing Tables.

When you add a format to a drawing that contains the format table, the system stores the values

you specified for the table as drawing parameters if you have set the configuration file option

``make_parameters_from_fmt_tables'' to ``yes.'' You can access the parameters using the

Parameters command in the DWG SET UP menu. If you set this option to ``no,'' when you adda format to a drawing, the system prompts you to retype all of the values every time, and it does

not evaluate the values on subsequent sheets of the drawing in the format table. These values are

nonparametric text. For the system to reprompt you for the parameter text, you must choose

Sheets from the DRAWING menu, Format from the SHEETS menu, and Add/Replace.

Standard Drawing Format Including a Table
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Note:

You cannot use reserved model parameters. If you set ``make_parameters_from_fmt_tables'' to

``yes'' in the configuration file, Pro/ENGINEER does not prompt you to type a value for reservedmodel parameters because it cannot add them to the drawing. For a list of these parameters,

seeIntroduction to Pro/ENGINEER.

If you change the format size of a drawing with a table, the system scales the table (in the same

way that it scales any views and draft entities) to maintain its location relative to other items and

the sheet boundaries. Since the drawing setup file option ``drawing_text_height'' controls theheight of any text in the table, Pro/ENGINEER does not scale text that you include in the table.

Therefore, it does not maintain a size that is proportional to the rest of the table. You mustmodify the text height manually.

Including Parameters as Labels in Format Tables

You can include parametric labels, such as the drawing name, model name, and sheet number, astext in a format table. For a multi-model drawing, you can type into the format table any

parameters related to both the first model and the second model. To include the parametric labels

in the table, choose Enter Text from the TABLE menu; then type the appropriate label (such as

``&dwg_name'') while you are editing the format. The label appears in the table exactly as youtyped it until you add the format to a drawing.

When including parameters as labels in format tables, keep in mind the following:

Pro/ENGINEER correctly evaluates parametric labels that you include in a format tableonly if you create the drawing first, add the model, and then add the format. It does not


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evaluate the labels correctly if you create the drawing, add the format, and then add the

model.

When you add a format to a drawing with more than one model present, parametric notescan reference only the active drawing model.

To include text in a table as a title block, use the Enter Text command in the TABLE

menu. If you move the table, the system does not keep the text that you add as a note withthe table.

When you add the format to a drawing, Pro/ENGINEER parses any and all that are present of the

standard parametric symbols that it supports (seeSystem Parameters for Drawings)and displays

the correct values in the table. It does this for every sheet of the drawing on which you use theformat, so that the drawing name, model name, or any other standard parameter that you used

appears on every sheet that uses that format.

Setup Files for Drawing Formats

Each drawing format that you create has its own setup file--one that is completely independent ofthe drawing setup file. The configuration file option ``format_setup_file'' assigns a specified

setup file to each format that you create, but does not do so for drawings. For these two setup

files to have the same values, you must edit them separately. To give a format the sameparameter values as a drawing to which you are adding it, retrieve that drawing setup file into the

format using the Set Up command in the FORMAT menu; the system reads only those format

setup file options that formats are using.

The format setup file is restricted. You can use only the following options:

``drawing_units'' (you cannotmodify this option) ``drawing_text_height'' ``draw_arrow_style''

``draw_arrow_length''

``draw_dot_diameter''

``draw_attach_sym_width''

``draw_attach_sym_height''

``leader_elbow_length''

``default_font''

``aux_font''

``text_width_factor''

``line_style_standard''

``node_radius'' ``yes_no_parameter_display''

``sym_flip_rotated_text''

Reusing Formats from a Legacy System
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To reuse an existing format (that is, one that was created in another system), use the interface

options (such as DXF, SET, IGES, TIFF, and so on) to import it into your format.

Saving Drawing Formats

Before you can use standard drawing formats in a drawing, you must save them. To save aformat, choose Save from the Pro/ENGINEER menu File menu; then type the format name.

Creating Formats Using Sketcher Mode

To create a sketched format, you must be in Sketcher mode. When you create it, Pro/ENGINEERgives it the name ``filename.sec.'' The first time you add the format to a drawing, it makes a copy

of it in memory and gives it the file extension ``.frm.''

When Pro/ENGINEER creates ``filename.frm,'' that file ceases to have any relationship or

associativity with the section from which it was created; therefore, ``filename.frm'' does notreflect changes that you make to ``filename.sec,'' and vice versa. For more information, see

Using Formats in a Drawing.

When you add a sketched format to a drawing, the system aligns the lower-left corner (the

origin) of the format to the lower-left corner (the origin) of the drawing, and then centers allitems in the drawing on the new sheet in the locations that correspond to their positions on the

original sheet. If necessary, it adjusts the drawing scale, maintaining relative distances between

items.

Note:

To copy a file, you must save the ``filename.frm'' file by choosing Save As from thePro/ENGINEERFile menu, and typing the format name.

How to Create a Sketched Format

1. From the Pro/ENGINEER menu bar, choose File > New > Sketch.2. Type the name of the sketch to use for the format.

3. Sketch the boundary, title block, and so on, and dimension them.

4. When Pro/ENGINEER successfully regenerates the section, save it using File menucommands. You cannotsave text with a sketched format.

5. Create a drawing and do one of the following:

o Select Retrieve Format from the Create Format dialog box, and enter the sketchname in the Format box.

o After creating the drawing, choose Sheets > Format > Add/Replace. Choose the

sketch name (set the ``type'' filter to ``sketcher'').

Sketched Format
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Effects of Format Size

Pro/ENGINEER automatically assigns a correct paper size to a sketched format. For example, if

a format is 7 x 10 inches, it automatically places the format on an A-size sheet. It does this evenif the drawing was originally created in another size. If you add a format of a different size to the

drawing, the drawing assumes the size of the format. It scales all views and draft entities

accordingly.

Modifying Sketched FormatsUsing Sketcher mode, you can retrieve and change a sketched format. When replacing formats,

Pro/ENGINEER looks first for a format with a ``.frm'' extension, and does not accept ``.sec'' as a

valid extension for format names.

To replace the existing version of the format with the modified one, do one of the following:


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Rename the sketch of the modified format, so that the name is different from the current

format, and use the Add/Replace command to replace the modified sketch in the

drawing.

Use the Remove command to remove the existing format and rename its ``.frm'' file. Add

the modified sketch to the drawing.

Note:

You mustrename one of the formats; otherwise, if you try to replace the current format, it simplyreplaces itself with the same ``filename.frm.''

How to Modify and Replace a Sketched Format in Sketcher Mode

1. Retrieve the sketch of the format into Sketcher mode. Pro/ENGINEER cannot retrieve a

``filename.frm'' into Sketcher mode, so ``filename.sec'' must exist.2. Modify the sketch. You can resketch or redimension, but you cannot add notes, symbols,

or draft entities.

3. Save the format sketch.

Using Formats in a Drawing

Pro/ENGINEER saves drawing formats in a separate file. When you revise a format, it

automatically updates it in all drawings that use it. When retrieving a drawing, if it cannot find

the format that the drawing uses, it displays an error message in the message area.

How to Add or Replace a Format in an Existing Drawing

1.Choose SHEETS > Format > Add/Replace.2. Type the format name. Pro/ENGINEER first looks for a file with a ``.frm'' extension. If it

is a sketched format, use the filename extension ``.sec'' when replacing a format with thesame name.

How to Add an Existing Standard or Sketched Format to a Drawing When You

Create the Drawing

1. ClickFile > New... > Drawing > OK.2. In the Create Drawing dialog box, clickRetrieve Format.3. Select a format name by doing one of the following:

o

Choose a name from the Name list in the Format box.o Type [?] in the Name listbox and select a name from the Open dialog box.

o ClickBrowse... and select a name from the Open dialog box (see Format

Libraries).4. ClickOK.

After adding a format to a drawing, you can also use the DRAW FORMAT menu to do one or all

of the following, as necessary:
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Remove the format from the drawing by choosing Remove.

Blank or unblank it by choosing BlankorUnblank.

Display a list of formats that are available in the current directory by choosing List.

Drawing Formats in Multi-sheet Drawings

For a multi-sheet drawing, you can have two default formats--one for the first sheet and another

for the remaining sheets. The first sheet you create assumes by default the first sheet format. All

of the remaining sheets use the second sheet format.

You can change the format on any sheet (including the first sheet) independently of the formats

on other sheets; therefore, you could use a different format on each sheet of the drawing. To add

or replace a single format on all existing sheets of a drawing, you must add the format to each

individual sheet.

Creating Sheet Templates for Process Assembly DrawingsWhen working with a drawing of a Pro/PROCESS for ASSEMBLIES or Pro/PROCESS for

COMPONENTS model, you can use the Copy Process command in the SHEETS menu to create

a template from the current sheet. When you clickOKin the Process State dialog box, thesystem adds a sheet to the drawing using the current sheet as the template. The new sheet

contains copies of the views and tables that were on the template sheet, and they reference the

step that was highlighted when you clicked OK. The views retain their orientation.

When creating sheet templates, keep in mind the following:

You cannot use a sheet as a template if it contains views of more than one model. The Copy Process command appears in the SHEETS menu only if you are working with

a drawing of a process assembly and you have a license for Pro/PROCESS forASSEMBLIES or Pro/PROCESS for COMPONENTS.

Format Libraries

To set up a format library, use the configuration file option ``pro_format_dir.'' This option uses a

pathname as its value, so you can create a single set of formats that everyone on the system canuse, and place them all to a single directory. Use the configuration file option to automatically

search this directory for company formats when adding or replacing formats in your drawing andlayout. Pro/ENGINEER places modified formats in this directory when you save them.

Retrieving Formats from the Format Library


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Using the File Open dialog box, you can retrieve formats from a format library

directory within Pro/ENGINEER. To retrieve a format, choose Open from the

Pro/ENGINEERFile menu; then select Format Dir from the Look In list in the FileOpen dialog box. Navigate the menu tree until you locate the format.

Drawing Formats

Documents

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