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QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
i
Quick Reference Guide By Bryan A. Ross
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QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents
CREO ELEMENTS/DIRECT INTRODUCTION Historical Overview ................................................................... ii
Direct Modeling in Creo ........................................................... iii
Creo Elements/Direct New Feature Highlights ...................... iv
MODELING Interface Introduction ........................................................... 1-3
Interface Summary ..............................................................1
Files, Ribbons, and Toolbars ..............................................2
Right-Hand Rule...................................................................2
Dialogue Boxes ....................................................................3
Calculator .............................................................................3
Workplanes ..........................................................................4
Real and Construction Geometry .......................................4
Basic Modeling .................................................................... 5-15
Catch, 2D CoPilot, Lock and Keyboard ..............................5
Modify 2D and Relative Measurement ..............................6
Putting it all Together ..........................................................6
Selecting Regions ................................................................7
3D Copilot and Reference Cones .......................................7
Pull ........................................................................................8
Selection ..............................................................................9
Blends and Chamfers....................................................... 10
Moving and Pulling Faces ................................................ 11
Stretch Face, Edge, and Offset ........................................ 12
Taper Faces ...................................................................... 13
Cut, Copy, and Paste Faces ............................................. 13
Punch, Stamp, and Section ............................................. 14
Shell and Imprint .............................................................. 14
Boolean Operations .......................................................... 15
Mirror, Scale, Align, and Merge ....................................... 15
Advanced Modeling ........................................................ 16-18
Freeform Modeling ........................................................... 16
Splines, 3D Curves and Points ........................................ 16
Projected Profiles ............................................................. 17
3D Surfacing Tools ........................................................... 17
Features and Patterns ..................................................... 18
MODULES
Machining ............................................................................... 19
Surfacing ................................................................................. 20
Basic Sheets ........................................................................... 21
ASSEMBLIES Building Assembly Structures ............................................... 22
Containers .............................................................................. 23
Copy, Share, and Instancing ................................................. 23
Advanced Assemblies .......................................................24-25
Clipping Planes ................................................................. 24
Stock/Finish ..................................................................... 24
Coordinate Systems ......................................................... 24
Configurations .................................................................. 25
Explosions ......................................................................... 25
Clash Analysis ................................................................... 26
ANNOTATIONS Annotation Application .................................................... 27-29
Introduction....................................................................... 27
Drawing Structure ............................................................ 27
Template Browser ............................................................ 27
Starting Drawings and Views ........................................... 28
Placing and Updating Views ............................................ 29
Adding Dimensions, Text, and Objects ........................... 30
Sketching Geometry ......................................................... 31
BoM Tables ....................................................................... 31
Printing .............................................................................. 31
3D Documentation Application ....................................... 32-34
Introduction....................................................................... 32
Setup ................................................................................. 32
Annotate ............................................................................ 33
Display ............................................................................... 33
Modify with Dimensions ................................................... 33
BoM ................................................................................... 34
Group ................................................................................. 34
Template Browser ............................................................ 34
MODEL MANAGER
Introduction ........................................................................... 35
Model Manager Breakdown ................................................... 36
Search and Load ................................................................... 37
Save ........................................................................................ 38
Conflict Resolution ................................................................. 38
Bill of Material Editor ............................................................ 39
Versions and Inseparable ...................................................... 39
APPENDIX A — SUPPORT Platform Support .................................................................. 40
Technical Support ................................................................... 41
APPENDIX B — SHORTCUTS Creo Elements/Direct Shortcuts ........................................... 42
APPENDIX C — STRUCTURE BROWSER ICONS Structure Browser Icons ......................................................... 43
APPENDIX D — INTERFACE BREAKDOWN
Quick Access Toolbar, Ribbon, Prompt, and User Input ...... 44
Structure Browser, Catch Toolbar, and Status Bar .............. 45
File tab ..................................................................................... 46
Modeling, Structure, and Feature Tabs ................................ 47
3D Geometry, Analysis, and View Tabs ................................. 48
Applications Tab ..................................................................... 49
GLOSSARY Glossary ......................................................................... 50-51
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
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HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Creo Elements/Direct Introduction
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
The lineage of Creo Elements/Direct
(CED) introduced the concept of dynamic
modeling to mechanical designers across
the world. Starting with
ME 30, CED has been
providing continuous
improvement and inno-
vation for over 27 years.
ME 30
ME30 isn’t actual-
ly the originating soft-
ware behind CED.
SolidDesigner is. Still,
ME30 provided the seeds that eventually
grew into SolidDesigner.
Originally developed in Germany, HP
Precision Engineering / ME30 (HP PE/
ME30) was released in 1986 by Hewlett
Packard MDD (Mechanical Design Divi-
sion) . The first versions were exclusive to
the HP-UX operating system, but a Mi-
crosoft Windows compatible version was
developed as popularity grew.
ME30 was based on the Romulus ker-
nel and therefore had an inherent issue
with freeform surfaces.
SOLIDDESIGNER
HP licensed the ACIS kernel in 1989
for the PE suite. Solid Designer was devel-
oped shortly afterwards with freeform capa-
bility.
HP PE/SolidDesigner began in
1994 as a product-modeling
suite simultaneously supported
with ME30, but HP transitioned
their customers from ME30 to
SolidDesigner through 1995.
COCREATE ONESPACE
CoCreate Software Inc. adopted its
name in 1996 when it became a subsidiary
of HP rather than the Mechanical Design
Division thereof.
By 1998, HP CoCreate Software solu-
tions were installed in more than 30 coun-
tries on more than 120,000 systems. A
testament to the success of the software.
Cocreate then became its own inde-
pendent entity in 2000. Two years later,
the product line changed names and
CoCreate OneSpace Modeling made its
début.
HBK Investments took-over CoCreate Software Inc. in 2006.
PTC purchased CoCreate from them in 2007 for roughly $250M.
Shortly afterwards, PTC released CoCreate Modeling 2008 as the
last revision with the historic interface (rev 16).
It wasn't until rev 16.5 in late 2009 that we started to see changes toward a mutual-
istic relationship with Pro/Engineer (Pro/E). 16.5 introduced the save-as functionality for
the GRANITE and ProductView formats and an integration with Mechanica.
CREO ELEMENTS/DIRECT
Creo Elements/Direct (Rev 17) came out in 2010. This is where we get our first
taste of the sweeping changes to come. Two new commands appeared; Pull and Stretch
Face. New functionality showed PTC’s willingness to continue the product line; Import na-
tive Pro/E data, improved dimensioning, better PCB interaction, additional constraint recog-
nition in the 2D Copilot, and more for a total of 30 major changes.
Creo Elements/Direct (Rev 18) appeared in 2011 and was the first time we saw the
new Fluid UI common to the Creo applications. We also see 28 more major changes intro-
duced including the new Stretch Edge command and numerous functionality improve-
ments like improved data exchange with CP, cross-part move and stretch, and the impres-
sive Face Part Modeling.
PTC released Creo Elements/Direct (Rev 18.1) in 2012 with
19 more major changes . Improved selection and stretching, 2D
geometry and 3D wire parts added to Annotations, edge change
commands, and much more.
PTC proved its commitment to product improvement and en-
hancement in Creo Elements/Direct and will carry it well beyond the
next generation of CAD tools.
Forward looking information is subject to change without notice
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
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DIRECT MODELING IN CREO
Creo Elements/Direct Introduction
PARAMETRIC AND DIRECT
There are at least two distinctively different design paradigms in the 3D CAD
world; Parametric and Direct modeling. They sit on opposite sides of the modeling
spectrum, but PTC brought them together in the new Creo product suite. Learning from
Creo Elements/Direct, PTC created Creo Direct and the Flexible Modeling Extension for
Creo Parametric. PTC continues to significantly invest in expanding direct modeling in
Creo and making direct modeling its core CAD strategy.
DIRECT MODELING SOLUTIONS
Developers spent years perfecting techniques to trade data amongst CAD applica-
tions. Translation, feature recognition, 3D from 2D generation, and more. Most of
these fall short of providing what the parametric industry needed for years; a method to
effectively manipulate foreign data without re-creation.
Direct modeling provides that and much more. You gain the ability to better ad-
dress late stage changes, generate faster concept designs, have an easier time with
model simplification, and include more people in the design workflow. The cost is typi-
cally the loss of your design history. PTC eliminated that drawback with the interaction
between Creo Parametric, FMX, and Creo Direct. Designers now gain the power of di-
rect modeling without giving-
up design constraints.
FLEXIBLE MODELING EXTENSION
Flexible Modeling Extension (FMX) for Creo Parametric (CP) lends the paramet-
ric user the ability to manipulate existing parametric or neutral parts using di-
rect modeling techniques. The interface has been stylized after Creo Paramet-
ric for ease of use. The commands are deceptively simple and easy to pick-up.
The move command itself has an incredible array of options to explore once you under-
stand the basic concepts. Each direct command creates a new feature on the history tree
which adds a new dimension to parametric mod-
eling. You can not create new geometry with it,
but you don’t need to. You can use CP’s full ca-
pability to create any new geometry seamlessly.
CREO ELEMENTS/DIRECT
A portion of the technology from CoCreate now appears in PTCs new CAD suite of
products under the CREO moniker. The original application has been re-named, re-faced,
and re-distributed as Creo Elements/Direct, but is not actually part of the Creo suite. The
term “Creo Elements” is meant to describe that the original application was one of the
elements used to create the new Creo framework, but does not reside within the frame-
work itself.
Productview and Pro/Engineer were the other two technology platforms that formed
the basis for Creo. They were re-named at the time as well to Creo Elements/View and
Creo Elements/Pro respectively. Those applications, however, have new incarnations
inside of the Creo framework. Creo View/MCAD and ECAD both replaced Productview.
Creo Parametric replaced Pro/Engineer. Creo Elements/Direct continues as its own ap-
plication suite.
CREO DIRECT
Creo Direct (CD) is a new stand-alone application within the Creo suite. Very simi-
lar to FMX in functionality, Creo Direct comes with the additional ability to author
new geometry using direct modeling techniques, but no 2D drawing capability.
The interface leans more towards new users and further away from seasoned para-
metric ones. There’s a click-through workflow where one operation ends by starting another,
and a mini toolbar that appears with feature options while you work. The intent is for some-
one without parametric modeling experience to
participate in the design. One can then Round-Trip
data between Creo Direct and Creo Parametric with-
out any need for translation while retaining all de-
sign history.
NOTE: Creo Direct will continue to grow in features and may eventually replace the Creo
Elements/Direct product line, but Creo Direct has a long way to go and PTC is committed to
continuing support and enhancement for Creo Elmenets/Direct for many, many years.
ALERT: Creo Direct is not a continuation of
CoCreate inside Creo. It’s a re-birth.
NOTE: FMX modifications become more difficult as
the model’s shape becomes more organic.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
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CREO ELEMENTS/DIRECT NEW FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Creo Elements/Direct Introduction
MIDDLE CLICK BEHAVIOR
When the cursor is over a current
viewport, you can middle-click to perform
the following operations:
Middle-click to end a command
Middle-click and rotate (or
press CTRL, middle-click, and
drag the cursor) to zoom.
Middle-click and drag the
cursor to rotate (spin).
Press CTRL and Shift, mid-
dle-click, and drag the cursor
to rotate elements in the view-
port around a point.
Press SHIFT, middle-click,
and drag the cursor to pan.
To change the mouse
interaction mode, click File
SettingsViewport. The View-
port Settings dialogue box
opens. Then click the CoCre-
ate mouse interaction mode
check box in the Dynamic
Viewing pane of the Viewport
Settings dialog box.
CREO ELEMENTS/DIRECT NEW FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
PTC implemented many major enhancements to Creo Elements/Direct, roughly 82 since rev 16, and is committed to the continua-
tion of those improvements. Many of those changes had drastic impact on the modeling environment. Like Creo Data Exchange, Para-
metric Assemblies, Outline Views, Cross Part Move-and-Stretch, Enhanced 2D CoPilot, Projected Profiles, Modify Edges, and many more.
Four of those improvements, though, stand out above the rest. Stretch Faces, Stretch Edge, Pull, and Face Part Modeling.
STRETCH FACES
You can now move a
face while maintaining their
boundaries and adapting the
neighbor faces. This new
Stretch command strongly
resembles the stretch feature
in 2D where you move e.g. a
straight line and the connect-
ed edges are adjusted like a
rubber band. You can also
stretch several unconnected
faces at the same time.
STRETCH EDGE
The new Stretch Edge
command is the logical next
step beyond the Stretch Face
command. Stretch Edge al-
lows you to move edges (one
per face), automatically ad-
justing the affected faces.
Some model changes that
required several steps before
can now be performed in one
operation.
PULL
You now have one oper-
ation that combines the Ex-
trude, Mill, Turn, Bore, and
Linear and Angular Lift com-
mands. The new Pull com-
mand simplifies the user inter-
action. When selecting a work-
plane, closed profile areas are
automatically detected and
highlighted as pre-selected.
Pull can also work with select-
ed faces.
FACE PART MODELING
Parts that do not repre-
sent a closed volume can be
modified like solid models as
long as the open boundaries
are not affected. This situation
often arises when imported
models don’t match the receiv-
ing system’s accuracy require-
ments. Repairing such models
requires expert skills which is
not a good prerequisite for
potentially simple changes.
NOTE: You can also right-click the
current viewport and drag to pan.
NOTE: For the complete list of updates from Rev 16 to current, please visit:
http://www.ptc.com/appserver/wcms/relnotes/?show=y&product=137115
Or search on http://www.ptc.com/ for Enhancement Details.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
1
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
INTERFACE SUMMARY
Browser Bar The
browser bar shows all
opened browsers; for
instance the structure
browser. The struc-
ture browser displays
all 3D objects and
elements (parts, as-
semblies, workplanes,
and so on) and their
interrelationships.
User Input Line Used to enter commands, general ex-
pressions, or text. On by default and can be shown us-
ing the Ribbon ViewToolbarsUser Input Line.
Status Bar Shows the alert history, current work-
plane, part, and settings for Catch and Units.
Also shows pre-selection focus, quick viewport
settings, and a "previous application" switch.
Configurable on right-click.
Prompts By default, displayed in the status bar. Provides gen-
eral feedback, messages, and guidance. Can be added to a
Prompt Bar using the Ribbon ViewToolbarsPrompt Bar.
Quick Access Toolbar Provides quick access to frequently-used commands. You can
customize it by adding, removing and reordering commands (buttons and groups) to it.
Ribbon Contains commands organized as a
set of tabs. On each tab, related commands
are grouped. Fully customizable.
Mini Toolbar Helps you to quickly execute a
command from the viewport, and changes
content based on current selected object and
context. The first command is the default
for that operation. Fully customizable.
OK, Cancel, and Detail Buttons
These buttons are only available
if a command is active. Check
mark to complete, ex to cancel,
and triangle to view Command
Details dialogue box.
Command Details
Opens by activating
the Detail Button.
You can select
elements or set
properties, com-
plete or cancel the
command, and get
quick access to help.
Context Menu Opens when you select
and right-click any element in the view-
port in the pre-selection mode. Depend-
ing on the current context and selected
object, the commands change.
File Tab Unique tab providing the application’s most intrinsic
commands. Session and file operations, settings and options,
module and application activation, command search, and exit.
TIP: You can press SPACEBAR
to open the Mini Toolbar and
click on its to open the
Command Details during an
operation.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
2
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
WORKING WITH FILES
Creo Elements/Direct is a session
based software rather than file based. This
allows it to open multiple files at the same
time. Opening new files adds them to your
current session.
When saving, you’re asked to provide
what, where, and how. Select what objects,
parts, and/or assemblies to save. Then
direct the file browser to the desired save
location. Finally, choose your preferred file
format.
CED interacts with a large array of file types.
These are the native file types typically used:
*.pkg — Package. Some or all of the 3D data for a
project in a single file.
*.bdl — Bundle. Assembly and/or 3D model and
associated drawing stored together.
*.sd* — Individual 3D Content and Instance data
files.
*.ses — Session. All parts, assemblies,
workplanes, and settings like units,
lights, viewports, etc.
*.env — Environment. All active environment
settings.
*.mi — 2D drawings and annotations.
WORKING WITH THE RIBBON
The ribbon UI provides an efficient layout for modeling commands. The most frequently used commands are displayed in large icons.
Uncommonly used commands are grouped into submenus within each section of the ribbon The commonly used Utilities section is available
in most tabs. Settings for each functional area are grouped with the modeling functions.
RIGHT-HAND RULE
The right-hand rule has been around
for a long time, and is still commonly re-
ferred to today. It’s a mathematical mne-
monic for understanding 3 dimensional
vectors. There are several ways to use the
right-hand rule, but it’s generally referred to
in association with rotation in CAD.
If you choose an edge as your rotation-
al axis, and a positive number for your rota-
tional value, will the subject turn inward or
outward? Right or left?
If your rotational axis’s positive direc-
tion is your right thumb as it points in a
“thumbs up” gesture, then a positive num-
ber will rotate your subject in the direction
your fingers curl.
TIP: Some object or file-type selections will
only correspond to their respective file-types
or objects. Don’t be surprised if your options
change based on what you click.
BEST PRACTICE: If you’re working directly
with 3D files, and not using a data manage-
ment solution, use “Package” (*.pkg) as your
go-to file format. Otherwise, packages are not
recommended due to their file size and prob-
lems generated from a broken file stream
when saving in a PDM or PLM environment.
Common Un-Common
Settings
TIP: You can add commands to the Quick Ac-
cess Toolbar directly from your search results.
MINI TOOLBARS
The operations mini toolbar offers di-
rect access to commonly used operations
based on your operation without having to
traverse the ribbon. The most common
command is automatically activated without
having to be selected. The list of commands
can be customized to suit your needs.
The options mini toolbar offers addi-
tional options during an operation. To acti-
vate, press the SPACEBAR. This has the
added benefit of bringing the operations
toolbar back into view if it’s faded.
Functional Areas Divided Into Tabs
Closely Related Command Groups
Operations Mini Toolbar
Options Mini Toolbar
COMMAND FINDER
Open the File Tab. At the bottom is a
search window used for finding commands.
The search assumes a wildcard on either
end of your entry. It doesn’t search the
command description, but will search the
FULL command name; displayed or not.
BEST PRACTICE: It is always preferable to
work with a PDM or PLM rather than a file
system when possible.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
3
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
DIALOGUE BOXES
Command dialogue boxes display your
current option sets, but also typically require
some additional information before being
able to complete the command. To provide
the required information, you can click an
item in the viewport or structure browser if
you need to choose a face, object, drag an
angle, pull a position, etc. You can also type
data in a yellow field if the information can
be given alphanumerically. For example, for
Model Name you can type “p1” to specify a
part rather than selecting it in the viewport
or Structure Browser. The forward slash
prefix “/p1” isn’t required. Spaces are not
allowed for parts, assemblies, or file names.
TIP: If you use a postfix to specify measure-
ment units, they are converted to the sys-
tem’s current units. Math is also supported.
Length Units: um, mm, cm, m, km
uin, mil, inch, foot, yard, mile
Angle Units: deg, rad, grd
Angle Convert: Degrees:Minutes:Seconds
Math:
RIGHT-CLICK DIALOGUE
Right-clicking in a dialogue box that can
accept numeric entries will provide a contex-
tual menu designed for your input options.
It offers a list of the last values you’ve en-
tered into similar boxes, a link to measure-
ment based on the dialogue box type, a link
to the calculator, and quick access to your
copy/paste functionality.
From the Calculator, you can use the X
box to the left of your numerical entry win-
dow to send your product back to the dia-
logue box.
From the measurement output dia-
logue, you can use the leftmost green arrow
to send your measurement back to the dia-
logue box. If you need to do some calcula-
tions first, use the green arrow with the cal-
culator icon to send your measurement to
the Calculator command.
From the measurement dialogue you
can select any of the different types of
measurement if the one selected was not
what you truly needed. ALERT: You can’t use unit conversion and
math in the same step.
=
=
=
+, -, *, /
sin, cos, tan
asin, acos, atan
sqrt (square root)
exp (e^x)
PI (or lower-case pi)
bracket terms
floor(n) (highest integer less
than or equal to n;
rounds n down to the
next integer)
ceil(n) (smallest integer not less
than n; rounds n up to
the next integer)
^ (power: x^y where Y is an
integer
CALCULATOR
The utilities
command group
is repeated in
most tabs. In the
lower right corner
of the utilities
group you’ll find
the Calculator command.
Change the calculator from a standard
(the default) to a Reverse Polish Notation
(RPN) calculator from File Settings
System.
Use the EngLen, Dist, Rad, Ang, 3D,
and Prop buttons for a variety of measure-
ment options. Use the measurements di-
rectly in your computations and copy/paste
your solutions back to dialogue boxes or use
the X button to send them to your active
dialogue box. Use the scroll bar (circled in
red on the lower right of the illustration) to
see additional math operations.
RPN CALCULATOR
EXTENDED OPERATIONS
R->P and P->R are exclusive to the RPN
calculator. Also, y^x is x^y in the standard
calculator.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
4
INTRODUCING WORKPLANES
The workplane (WP) is a 3D represen-
tation of an infinitely large plane. This is
where you define all 2D geometry for mod-
eling. It has its own coordinate system with
a u, v, and w axis. You can have multiple
workplanes defined, but only one can be
active at any given time.
Default Workplane: Most basic WP.
Its origin is aligned with the global
coordinate system upon creation.
Workplane on Face: The most com-
monly used WP. Once you have a
face selected, hold ALT and middle-
click for an instant WP. You can also grab a
draw tool and simply start drawing on a
face. The WP will be generated for you.
Workplane on Axis: When working
with a cylindrical part, a WP aligned
with its axis is often needed. The
new WP can align its u, v, or w axis
to the part’s center axis by select-
ing a curved surface as reference.
BEST PRACTICE: Workplanes can be deleted.
Try to keep their number to a minimum. Or-
ganizing, categorizing, and managing the
display of many used workplanes can unnec-
essarily clutter your design.
TIP: It may be easier to line-up your axis WP with
the Pt on WP option to anchor to a specific point.
POSITIONING WORKPLANES
Use the work-
plane positioning
options to move your
workplane to exactly
where you need it to
be. Use the mini toolbar or right-click while
the workplane is selected in your 3D view-
port. Position the
workplane using
the 3D CoPilot
and/or the meth-
ods available in
the command
dialogue box.
You can
change the work-
plane’s origin by
using the Slide
WP Origin com-
mand. It can be
found in the
Structure Tab in
the Workplane
group under the
More menu.
Click a point
on the workplane
or type the point
position relative
to the old workplane origin.
CONSTRUCTION GEOMETRY
Construction geometry is generated
using many of the same 2D drawing
methods as real geometry. It’s used to
create references for real geometry
creation, and can even be traced over
with real geometry using the Overdraw com-
mand. You can also use it as a guideline
for machine operations like turning
an axis.
REAL GEOMETRY
Real geometry is directly used
for machine commands. Any remain-
ing construction geometry is ignored.
In addition to the typical line and
circle creation commands, you can
create a variety of rectangles, arcs,
splines, and project 2D geometry from
faces, edges, cross-sections, and out-
lines. Real geometry can be modified
with fillet, move/stretch, trim, rotate,
scale, mirror and more.
Delete 2D geometry by selecting it and
using your Delete key or right-click menu
delete option.
NOTE: The workplane UVW axis starts off in the
lower left of the workplane. (as viewed from +W)
When you reposition the origin, it does not retain
this boundary relationship. From then on, the
boundary is centered on the UVW where possible.
The workplane grows off center to encompass all
contained 2D geometry.
CREATING 2D GEOMETRY
Use the 2D Geometry creation tools
under the Modeling tab in the Draw group.
All 2D geometry is created on a workplane.
In fact, you can only create, modify, or de-
lete geometry from the active workplane.
Aside from your basic geometry, you
can create arcs, splines, ellipses, functional
and conical curves, fillets, and equidistant
offsets.
The Overdraw command
is used to draw on top of con-
struction geometry to create
real geometry. The usage of
Overdraw depreciat-
ed with the advent of
the 2D and 3D CoPi-
lots, but can still be
very useful.
Quickly swap
between geometry
and construction
with the Overdraw dialogue box options.
The tracking options allow you to choose
what your traces snap to; real geometry or
construction geometry. You can also decide
to compute the intersection between your
contour and edges. Uncheck to ignore inter-
sections for faster performance.
If you take a wrong turn, use the Back
button in the dialogue box to return to the
previous selection. You can also click your
last profile point or use the Z key to return to
the previous selection.
NOTE: You can also draw 2D geometry on Docuplanes
from the 3D Documentation application.
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
5
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
THE CATCH TOOL
The Catch tool defines how your cursor
catches or snaps to the elements defined
in the 2D and 3D Copilot settings. It’s an
integral part of the environment, and a core
piece of the 2D drawing and 3D modeling
experience in CED. As you mouse-over
geometry, the catch tool gathers references
based on those snap settings. For exam-
ple, if you mouse-over an edge, that edge
will be referenced in your 2D sketch. To
clear the reference memory, hit the Delete
key. You can access the catch settings
from the Catch label on the status bar.
Within the Catch settings you have a
dropdown for Next Catch, Default 2D, and
Default 3D. This dropdown indicates which
group of Catch settings you’re affecting
with your changes.
Next Catch settings only apply to the
very next caught entity — The one-off catch-
es needed as you sketch. It returns to de-
fault after the operation if it was changed.
Default 2D and Default 3D refer to the
default behavior in 2D mode and 3D mode
for your next catch and every subsequent
operation. Take care when making chang-
es to these settings.
By default, Default 2D catches to all
geometry elements on the active workplane
and projects the point onto the workplane.
By default, Default 3D catches all ge-
ometry elements on all workplanes and all
parts.
THE 2D COPILOT
The 2D CoPilot can assist in creating 2D geometry without using construction geome-
try. It’s an interactive tool with automatic snaps, real time referencing and feedback, and
relative measurement capability. Access the 2D CoPilot settings from the Draw and Modify
2D command groups under the Modeling tab or File Settings 2D CoPilot.
Combining the catch tool and 2D CoPilot, the drawing
experience is enhanced significantly. For example, in the im-
ages above, the 2D CoPilot guides the creation of the new line
by indicating newline length, distance to horizontal reference,
angle from existing geometry, parallelism and perpendicularity to existing
geometry. In a typical workflow outside of CED, you’d need to create those
references through the use of construction geometry in many cases.
Further, you can type dimensional values where applicable by clicking the TAB key to
cycle through available dimensions. You can also alter the snap-grid precision by using
PgUp and PgDn. For example, dragging your line may progress from 14 to 15 and 16. Af-
ter pressing PgUp, the numbers jump from 10 to 20 and 30. Similarly, using PgDn can
take the dimensions down to 2 decimal places while dragging. Home key resets.
The little keyboard icon appears when you have a Mini Toolbar available. Use the
SPACEBAR to open the Option Mini Toolbar or click the keyboard. Click the button
for a list of available shortcuts. Access relative measurement, bends, the back command,
ignore o r lock snaps, and more in a context sensitive list with shortcut hot-keys listed.
Use the Set Length or Set Angle command to constrain your lines. Use Set Radius to
constrain your circles, or swap between rectangle types using their respective commands.
New Line
Catch Points
LOCKING CONSTRAINTS
You can lock or unlock (by use of the L
key) snapping conditions as they appear in
the 2D CoPilot to restrict the movement of
your profile element during creation. The
individual snapping conditions additively
restrict degrees of freedom in the element,
refining its final placement.
You can recognize lockable constraints
by the red lock that appears next to them.
Locked constraints
will appear red them-
selves and must be
unlocked in the same
way to restore free-
dom of movement in
that direction.
Multiple locked con-
straints, while having
a beneficial additive
effect, can also be-
come too difficult to
navigate as refer-
ence combinations
bind movement con-
trary to the desired effect. You can unlock
or explicitly ignore (by use of the I key) spe-
cific constraints or clear the buffer entirely
with the Delete key.
KEYBOARD INPUT
Type 2D coordinates at any time to
start or end a single line, rectangle, or speci-
fy the center of a circle. Entering a number
during line creation indicates length. A sub-
sequent number will be its angle. Circular
entities will have their radii defined.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
6
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
MODIFY 2D
The basic Modify 2D commands like
Rotate, Move, Scale, Mirror, and Stretch will
change the geometry by either location, size,
or orientation. Convert Geo toggles geome-
try types between real and construction.
Use the trim and extend commands to re-
pair 2D geometry.
MOVE AND STRETCH 2D
You can activate Move
and Stretch from the com-
mand button, but get a wid-
er array of fast options from
the Options Mini
Toolbar by simply
clicking on a piece
of 2D geometry.
TANGENCY
At any point during line creation, use
the Options Mini Toolbar to override any
active snaps and use the Tangency snap.
SET MIRROR
Mirroring your 2D geometry real-time
couldn't be simpler. Use your Options Mini
Toolbar, select Set Mirror, and choose a
mirror line/reference.
RELATIVE MEASUREMENT
Create any 2D geometry relative to
existing geometry or references. Tap the R
key to start a relative measurement. The
point or line your cursor was over at the time
is immediately used as a reference point.
You can use multiple references for a single
command. For example:
Start a new rectangle and catch a verti-
cal reference. Then tap R to define that
vertical reference edge as a relative meas-
urement reference.
Then move to a horizontal reference,
and tap R again.
Notice that the 2D CoPilot is already
using the first reference for a relative di-
mension. Now that you have both refer-
ences, you can either type manual dimen-
sions (cycling with Tab) or drag your refer-
ences out to the desired starting point and
left click to begin your rectangle.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Mastering 2D drawing in Creo Ele-
ments/Direct will require using all of these
features together. Particularly, get use to
using your hot-key commands.
R for relative measurement.
B to create a bend (arc).
Z to undo your last 2D command.
SHIFT pressed to suspend snapping.
I to ignore a snap.
L to lock/unlock a snap.
Delete clear Catch memory.
SPACE for your Mini Toolbar.
PgUp increase adaptive grid size.
PgDn decrease adaptive grid size.
Home reset adaptive grid size.
Shift+Ctrl to snap to a center.
Relative measurement can be used mid
-sketch. Not just to initiate a sketch. Any-
time you want to place a point relative to
another location, use R.
Using B to create an arc can save you
from creating construction circles and arcs
with Overdraw to get what you need. Press-
ing B when your cursor is positioned as a
continuation of the previous line will start
arc tangent to the previous line. Pressing B
when your cursor is positioned at an angle
to the previous line will start an arc that’s
tangent to that angle.
Easily recover from missteps with Z.
New users will tend to finish the 2D com-
mand, delete unwanted geometry, then
begin again. Some will delete the workplane
entirely and start fresh. This interrupts the
rhythm of your design process and con-
sumes valuable time. Get familiar with us-
ing Z to simply back-up one step.
Snaps can be extremely valuable while
drawing in 2D. Using I to ignore some snap
conditions may open-up further snaps that
you may have been looking for but were
considered lower priority. Use SHIFT, I, and
L to traverse snap conditions quickly. Use
Delete to wipe your current snap conditions
and start over.
Change your snap options to suit your
needs under your 2D CoPilot settings.
Orange symbols appear when the snap
is activated against existing geometry. The
adjoining geometry will also be highlighted
in orange. If the snap represents a theoreti-
cal relationship provided by the 2D CoPilot,
the icon will be in cyan. These symbols
gives you the opportunity to suppress, ig-
nore, lock, or just run with the snap.
TIP: You can use H to show/hide the 2D CoPilot cursor
text that normally shows u,v position or dimension text
TIP: In Creo Elements/Direct Trim, you pick what you
want to keep. Not what you want to delete.
Perpendicular
Vertical
Horizontal
Tangent
Parallel
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
7
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
REFERENCE CONES
The green and red reference cones act
as anchors for the dimensional definition of a
3D modification. For example, if you were to
pull a face, the default anchors would give
you a dimensional reference that indicates
the from-to change. What if that wasn’t your
aim? Maybe you were interested in the re-
sulting overall length of the part after the
modification.
Traditionally, you’d need to measure the part,
subtract its current length from the desired
length, and then enter the remaining amount
in your modification. In this case, though, you
only need to click the red anchor, click the
rear of the part, and type-in or drag to your
desired dimension.
3D COPILOT
The 3D CoPilot ap-
pears in many forms de-
pending on the context of
your modification. In every
case, though, its job is to help
you clarify a 3D set of con-
straints in a clear and easy
manner.
The blue widget is looking
to be placed on an appro-
priate reference. The or-
ange widget (in whole or in
part) is anchored to your
reference and displays your
degrees of freedom. Select
an axis for linear move-
ment, a toroid for angular,
or one of the planes for
planar movement options.
The green reference dia-
mond indicates that you
can change the origin of
the 3D CoPilot widget.
The red reference dia-
mond indicates an origin
change. You’ve selected
a green reference dia-
mond, and now need to use
the new widget to re-position
the 3D CoPilot widget. When
you’re done, select the red
reference diamond to com-
plete the movement.
Change the settings from File Settings
3D Copilot.
NOTE: Operating the 3D CoPilot is a click and re-
lease interface. There is no drag-and-drop.
SELECTING REGIONS
A 2D profile must contain at least one
closed loop, but that’s the only restriction.
You can have several loops, extraneous
geometry, and construction lines. Once
you’re done with your 2D profile drawing,
middle-click or click the check mark to
complete. When you Pull the profile (or
another command, but Pull is most com-
mon), you’ll be given the opportunity to
select which closed loop (region) you wish
to use for the given command.
Simply click on the closed loops until
you have the desired region(s) selected.
UNDO AND REDO
On the Quick Access Toolbar, you can
undo or redo one step at a time. You can
also click the down arrow next to the undo/
redo icons to select the number of steps
you want. If you want to view the history
before making your choice, click Expand.
Creo Elements/Direct tracks both the
command history and the history of any
active module applications. When you un-
do, you may get a warning that you’re about
to undo a module application
command.
TIP: If you click on the workplane border to
start a Pull, as shown here, you can immedi-
ately start selecting regions and continue the
pull by then clicking on the 3D CoPilot widget.
If you instead execute the Pull command from
the ribbon or mini toolbar first, you’ll need to
open the dialogue box and change the Select-
ed option to modify the selected region(s).
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
8
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
THE PULL COMMAND
Extrude, Mill, Turn, and Bore have been replaced by Pull. The Pull command actually con-
tains a combination of two 2D profile commands (Linear Pull Profile and Angular Pull Profile)
and two 3D modification commands (Linear Pull Faces and Angular Pull Faces). 3D modifica-
tion is covered elsewhere in this guide.
Linear Pull Profile and Angular Pull Profile are the main focus for most 3D geometry crea-
tion from 2D profiles. You can activate the Pull command by clicking on the command ribbon,
left-click on your workplane border, or double left-click on the
workplane representation in your structure browser. The only
difference being that the command ribbon option automati-
cally assumes all closed loops in your profile are to be pulled.
If you intend to change the region selections, you’ll need to
modify the selection list through the command dialogue box.
The default command is Linear Pull Profile when using
pull on a 2D profile. To change this option to angular pull,
use the Option Mini Toolbar or change the command dia-
logue box.
The Linear Pull Profile will provide a linear 3D CoPilot
widget for the pull along with Reference Cones to refine the
distance after the initial definition.
The Angular Pull Profile will provide a reference 3D CoPi-
lot widget for you to place on an edge, axis, line, or oth-
er axial reference (see Right-Hand Rule). Then, a rota-
tional 3D CoPilot widget appears to define the angle of
the pull.
Add/Remove Material. Each of these commands
will attempt to automatically add or remove material
from your existing part (if one exists). Sometimes, the
automatic determination is not what you want. You can
change this option in the dialogue box under Method
Operation.
3D Snapping. Your Pull Profile can terminate with a fixed
dimension or a reference to an existing element.
You can change which
elements are snapped to un-
der the Type option for the
command. It can be changed
to Part, Face, Point, or Plane.
Change Direction by dragging your 3D CoPilot widget from
one side of the starting workplane to the other or use the Direc-
tion option in the command
dialogue box. The dialogue
box has the added capabilities
to extend your profile from
both sides of the workplane or
take a User Defined approach
to the pull direction.
Specify a Draft Angle between 90 and –90 degrees. The
draft works much like a Taper Face command using the work-
plane as your draft plane and the entirety of your profile to deter-
mine the faces to be changed.
TIP: The 3D CoPilot attempts to snap 3D references you mouse over.
ALERT: To intersect a part, the profile must be fully bound inside the
intersecting part. You can overlap with face, point, or plane, but not part.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
9
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
SELECTION
Before you can dynamically modify
geometry, you need to select it. Creo Ele-
ments/Direct provides everything you need
to make selections on-the-fly.
Click Selection: This is the most intui-
tive and simplistic selection method. Driven
by mouse-over, the click-what-you-want
method is your first tool. Simply mouse-over
what you want until it highlights, then left-
click. If you need more, shift-left-click to
start a Selection List instead.
Tab Selection: This is a geometry
based selection method. This huge time
saver grabs geometry by applying rules to
the mouse-over target. Mouse-over a face
until it highlights. Then press Tab. The Tab
Selection method will grab all faces possibly
associated with your mouse-over target by
rule definition. To switch rule definitions,
press Tab and your selection will change.
Cycle through with Tab until you have what
you need and then left-click to complete the
selection. If you need more, shift-left-click to
start a Selection List instead.
Select Mini Toolbar: The Select Mini
Toolbar isn’t a selection method in itself, but
does provide access to three other selection
methods. The toolbar is context sensitive. It
will only appear when a selection method
may be needed. Press SPACEBAR for the
Mini Toolbar.
The Geometry Rules allow you to create
a custom rule configuration (like using Tab
Selection) for selection criteria.
Window Selection: Drag a window with
a left mouse button held down. There are
two possible results. First, everything within
the window is selected. Second, everything
within the window and everything intersect-
ing the window is selected. To toggle be-
tween the two results, hit Tab before releas-
ing the left mouse button.
Selection List: A selection list is exactly
what it sounds like; a list of multiple selec-
tions. You can start one multiple ways; shift-
left-click, select mini toolbar, through the
Probe Selection dialogue, and through the
Selection Tool. To add members to the list,
select them using your preferred method(s)
in any combination. To remove them, select
them again. To end a list, middle-click. You
can also end one from inside the Select Tool
by clicking the List End button.
Probe Selection: The probe selection
tool allows you to select through a stack of
elements piled on top of each other. To
activate, use the Select Mini Toolbar,
Ctrl+Tab, or the command icon Utilities sub-
group in the Ribbon UI. Once it’s been se-
lected, you can move your mouse around
freely. Probe select will remember where
your mouse was originally as the defining
point for your probe selection.
Selection Tool: The Selection Tool can
be activated through the Select Mini
Toolbar, in the Ribbon UI under the Utilities
sub-group, or by pressing F2. It is the most
powerful of your selection options, allowing
for very precise selection criteria.
The Selection Tool changes options
based on its mode. Creo Elements/Direct
chooses the mode for you based on the
context of your operation. The modes are
2D, 3D Elem, Feature, 3D Obj, and 3D Anno-
tation.
The List menu provides a quick way to
create a selection list of elements. This list
interface has much more precise controls
that are accessible by clicking the down
arrows on the right of the List menu title.
You get the new options Add, And, Remove,
and XOR.
XOR is the default behavior of selection
lists. Click on an element. If it’s already
selected, it’s removed from the list. If it’s
not selected, it’s then added to the list.
Add will do just that. Add the next se-
lection to your list. If it’s already a member
of the list, it does not get removed.
Remove is the opposite. Clicking on a
list member will remove it from the list.
Clicking on a non-list member will not add it
to the list.
And empowers the next selection to re-
form the list to include only members that
were already in the list AND are in the next
selection. Everything that doesn’t fit those
criteria is removed from the list.
The Elements area provides a radio
button list of the valid element types you
can select in the current mode. Choosing
one will narrow your selections to those
element types only. Initially, the most com-
mon elements are visible. Clicking the ar-
row button will expand the menu to include
all possible options.
The Boxing options are a representa-
tion of the Window Selection options for
element intersection.
The Methods options provide further
refinement of your selection criteria.
Choose a method to narrow your selection
to related elements.
Selection Tool
Probe Selection
Geometry Rules
BEST PRACTICE: The combination of Tab
Selection and on-the-fly Selection Lists is the
fastest way to select subsets of complex ge-
ometry and will quickly become your most
used selection method.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
10
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
BLENDING
Blends are generated on edges based
on the neighboring faces and geometry. The
edge where two faces meet is smoothed or
blended by a singular or various radii. Creo
Elements/Direct uses a rolling ball computa-
tion to generate these blends.
In the
blend operation,
only one blend
face is created.
If your geometry
would require
more faces to
be generated to
make your
blend valid, Creo Elements/Direct will fail
the blend operation. The model would re-
quire additional preparation before a proper
blend could be applied.
You can create Constant Radius
Blends, Var 2 Radius Blends, and Var N
Radius Blends. “Var” refers to the bend
radius as a variable number. In Var 2 Radi-
us Blends you specify the starting and end-
ing radii. In Var N, any number of radii at
any location along the edge can be speci-
fied.
To create a blend, select and edge and
choose your options from the mini toolbar,
or click the command button in the Engi-
neering group of the Ribbon UI.
Blends have four options for how they
behave in relation to each other and exist-
ing geometry.
Intersect is the default behavior and
will ignore neighboring
geometry. If the blend
doesn’t fit, OnTanFaces is
attempted. If both options
fail, you’ll get an error
message.
OnTanFaces is the
default fallback behavior.
With it, a patch surface is
created to get tangency of
all faces.
OnSharpEdge is really a variation of
OnTanFaces. It adds the
contingency of the blend
running-in to a sharp edge
(green). It will handle tan-
gencies in the same way
as OnTanFaces (red).
OnAnyEdge creates a
sharp edge and surface
patch to achieve its own
tangency regardless of the
neighboring edge type.
CHAMFERS
Chamfers behave similarly to Blends
and are restricted by the same rules. You
can create Distance, Dist/Dist, and Dist/
Angle Chamfers after selecting your edge or
using the command button under the Engi-
neering group of the Ribbon UI.
Distance Chamfers as-
sume a 45 deg angle and
measures distance from the
original edge to either of the
two resulting edges.
Dist/Dist chamfers only
require two distances. The
distance from the original
edge to each of the two re-
sulting edges provided as
two separate measurements.
Dist/Ang chamfers
need only one distance di-
mension and one angular
dimension. You can swap
which end of the chamfer
you’re measuring for the distance dimen-
sion.
RECOGNITION
Recognizing blends and chamfers can
convert them from extruded entities. This
process will alter the behavior so that future
updates will have the expected effect.
Extruded cylinders will maintain a fixed
axis. Therefore, when you change the radius
of an extruded cylinder, neighboring faces
will not maintain tangency. You’re left with
a failed modification or a non-tangent round.
When a typical blend is modified it al-
ways maintains the tangency with neighbor-
ing faces. To recognize blends, choose the
command option under the engineering
group and select the face(s) or part in ques-
tion.
In a similar manner, geometry resem-
bling a chamfer can be just as important to
recognize. A chamfer will reference the
original edge when being modified. You can
get away with modifying a chamfer using a
move command if you don’t intend to
change the angle, but even so, you wouldn’t
have the same control over the chamfer as
if it were recognized.
BEST PRACTICE: It can be difficult to backtrack
to your base geometry after adding complex
cosmetic blends. Try to adding cosmetic blends
at the end of the design. It’s best to meet your
prismatic design requirements first. Some de-
sign houses will make a copy of the part before
adding blends so that subsequent changes can
be made from the base geometry. Blends start
from scratch each time with that method, though.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
11
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
MOVING FACES
Moving faces looks a lot like a 2D stretch command in the 3D world. Select a face and
the default command is Move 3D. It results in a 3D CoPilot widget and reference cones.
The Move 3D can add or remove material and will attempt to do so
automatically. You can change these options in the command dia-
logue.
You can use the same command to move multiple faces, assum-
ing the geometry lends itself to being altered in the desired direction.
You can also grab multiple internal faces for modification. These are
usually pockets of geometry that need to be resized or positioned.
In this case, you’ll likely want to change the origin for the move.
Once you’ve selected the geometry and chosen the move command, click on an alternate
face or edge to guide the movement. In the same way, you can make decisions about the
kind of modification you want to make. If you change the origin of the move to an edge, you
can either move the face(s) linearly along an axis or create a
rotational movement (See Right-Hand Rule).
Rotational movement can look like bending the model.
When the face(s) is moved, the neighboring faces grow until
they meet the modified face or other faces.
The 3D CoPilot offers an easy and intuitive way to manage the move command. Individ-
ual dimensions can be typed, dragged, or snapped to geometry.
PULL FACES
At first glance, pulling faces may seem a lot like moving faces. Understanding the dif-
ferences can have a huge impact on your design. The Move 3D command will only grow
neighboring faces. The pull command always adds faces unless new faces collapse into
original faces. This offers flexibility to add design features without having to consider
neighboring faces.
The Pull 3D commands are option vari-
ants of the Pull command; Linear Pull Fac-
es and Angular Pull Faces (See Right-Hand
Rule).
To activate them, either grab the command from the Modify 3D sub-
group of the Ribbon UI in the Modeling tab, or use the mini toolbar once
you’ve selected your face(s). Use the
command dialogue box to switch be-
tween the two commands without ending
the operation.
TIP: Hold down SHIFT during a Move 3D or Pull operation to snap to
existing geometry courtesy of the 3D CoPilot. You can change this
behavior to be automatic (not requiring the SHIFT to be pressed) by
altering the 3D CoPilot snap settings. File Settings 3D Copilot.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
12
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
STRETCH FACE
Immediately upon se-
lecting a face, the default
command will be Move 3D.
You’ll be presented with a 3D
CoPilot widget and a Mini
Toolbar to confirm the com-
mand. Right next to the Move 3D command
is Stretch.
The main difference between the two
commands is that the Move 3D command
grows neighboring faces while the Stretch
command alters neighboring faces.
In the conic illustration below, Move 3D
continues the conic shape while Stretch
translates the original face and stretches
the neighboring faces to keep-up.
Stretch Face has a much more dra-
matic impact when considering 3D altera-
tions that the Move 3D command has no
comparison for. For example, in a cubic
example, if you grab any face for Move 3D,
your options are to extend the face in a
positive or negative direction, adding or
removing material as you go. The 3D CoPi-
lot widget seems to imply that you have the
option to move in a parallel planar direct by
way of the circular face presented on the
widget. However, if you click the circular
face, the Move 3D command can offer you
nothing in that direction in most cases.
If you’re using Stretch Face,
though, you can turn a cube into a rhom-
boid, skew a cone, etc.
Along the same lines, while rotating a
face with Move 3D can have devastating
effect depending on the 3D origin you
choose, using Stretch Face for rotation can
provide equally as devastating changes
from the original origin. Once you start
moving the origin around for Stretch Face,
you can get all kinds of effects never before
possible so quickly.
STRETCH EDGE
Stretch Edge is the
natural extension of Stretch
Face. It allows the same
power of Stretch Face, but
with the precision of edge
selection. The selected
edge translates position while neighboring
faces and edges stretch.
CHANGE RADIUS/DIAMETER
When you
take what we
learned from
Stretch Face
and Stretch Edge and apply that to the
Change Radius and Change Diameter com-
mands, you get an option to select an edge
as opposed to being restricted to faces. For
example, before you were able to grab a
cylinder and change its radius/diameter.
Now, you can select each end of the cylinder
and modify the radius/diameter individually
rather than needing to create a Loft or com-
plex revolve for the same effect.
OFFSET FACE
At first glance, Offset Face looks like a
Move 3D command as used on any face.
The power really shines when you’re offset-
ting groups of faces rather than a single
face. While Move 3D will grab all the faces
and translate them in the one direction you
specify, Offset Face will move each face in
the direction normal to each of the original
faces in the selection group. It’s a great way
to add/remove material on full or partial
surface chains.
On internal features, Offset Face can
grow/shrink while Move 3D can only trans-
late. You’d need to Move 3D each face indi-
vidually to get a similar effect to what Offset
Face can do in one operation.
ALERT: While the Move 3D command is nearly
a “no-fail” operation, Stretching Faces can pro-
duce bounding faces that cannot be enclosed
in one volume. This will fail the operation.
3D CoPilot Circular Face
ALERT: Resulting surfaces have the potential
to be undefined. This will fail the operation.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
13
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
TAPER FACE
Taper Face is typically
used to add draft to the mod-
el. To execute a taper, you’ll
need a target face or faces, a
draft plane, and a draft angle
chosen in that order. Alternately, you can
pick and choose the creation order through
the command details dialogue.
Change face. The target face(s) that
will be altered by the operation.
Draft plane. This plane is meant to
intersect with your change face(s). The line
formed by that intersection creates the axis
of rotation for each face.
You can select any
planar entity as your
draft plane or create one
on the fly several ways.
In the images, the draft
plane is represented by
a blue disc and axis
widget. See how chang-
ing the draft plane dras-
tically affects the taper
of the same four faces.
Draft angle. The
angle to be applied to
the change against the
normal of the draft
plane along the inter-
secting axis. You can
set the angle by using
the 3D CoPilot or by
typing a numeric value.
Advanced Taper. With the standard
taper you can only taper planes, cones and
cylinders. The main difference is that, in an
Advanced Taper, the resulting taper may not
keep its original curvature. The face might
be transformed into a freeform surface to
satisfy your taper requirements. For exam-
ple, you might use an Advanced Taper for a
rib that’s curved in the shape of an S.
You can clearly
see in the illustration that the curve on the
top of the taper is completely different than
the curve at the bottom, but the angle of the
taper has been preserved.
CUT, COPY, AND PASTE FACES
A solid model is comprised of a series of connected faces. When faces are cut, neigh-
boring faces grow. Therefore, the result from cutting can be a removed feature, the model
size may change, or the model is simplified. In a similar
fashion, faces can be copied and pasted within the same
part or between different parts.
Copy and pasting faces is
one of the best methods for de-
sign reuse available in the envi-
ronment. To begin with, when you
copy a set of faces you’re left with
a Face Part. This face part is, by default, characterized as a cyan (light-blue) set of faces that
are typically not solid on their own. The copy is completely independent from the original.
When you paste the faces onto the same or separate part, you have the options to add or
subtract the geometry from the paste target. Upon pasting, the faces can grow or extend
themselves to match-up with the target area even if they previously did not touch.
Notice that the subtraction worked like a cookie-cutter
or ice-cream scoop. The direction of the subtraction is
defined by the normal of the face part. To flip the normal,
go to the Ribbon 3D Geometry 3D Surface Tools
More Flip Faces. Alternately, you may want to solidify
the face part first, then do a Boolean subtraction between
solid parts.
NOTE: The draft plane does not need to intersect
the change face(s) visibly. The intersection can
be theoretical as long as
the planes intersect.
Cut Faces
Copy Faces
Paste Add
Paste Subtract
TIP: When copying and pasting be-
tween parts, make sure that the parts
are set to the same resolution first.
Part Properties Geo Resol
Resolution.
TIP: Blends can be preserved in Advanced
Tapers. The blends get removed, the taper
is executed, then the blends get replaced.
This is why you can’t specify the edge of a
blend as a fixed edge in a taper.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
14
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
PUNCH AND STAMP
An easy way to remove material is by using the Punch tool to blast entire-
ly through a part in both directions. In fact, you can use Punch to go through
an assembly as well. The same can be done with Pull, but by using Punch,
you save yourself the trouble of dragging the 3D CoPilot entirely through the
part/assembly.
If you want to do the opposite of a Punch, where the 2D profile defines
the geometry that remains instead of removed, you can use the Stamp com-
mand. Again, this could be done with Pull, but you’d need to draw a larger
rectangle around your entire profile and part/assembly, then drag through.
SHELL PART
You can find Shell Part
under the Modeling tab in the
Model group. It removes mate-
rial from inside a part by remov-
ing one or more
faces and add-
ing thickness to
the remaining
faces either
inside or out-
side the original part.
Turn a cylinder into a tube or cup, a
cube into a box, or more commonly, shell a
complex shape to create the beginnings of a
plastic molded version of your design.
SHELL FACES
You can find Shell Faces
under the Modeling tab in the
Model group inside the Shell
drop-down. While seemingly
obscure, the Shell Faces com-
mand is another huge time
saver.
This command works
similarly to Shell, but allows
you to operate on parts that
have already been shelled.
Instead of requiring a full part, this al-
lows you to shell faces (or recognized fea-
tures) by any distance. You can update an
already shelled part by first adding your
feature and then using Shell Faces to shell
the faces of the newly added feature.
IMPRINT
This command is used
to create edges on a target
part. Those edges can then
be used to for separate
operations themselves
since they’re defining new
face boundaries in your
part. The commands can be found in the
Modeling tab in the Model group.
Linear. Use a sketch with closed re-
gions to define a new set of faces on your
part. Linear will project your sketch from
your workplane onto your part.
Line does not have a dialogue box. It
will ask you for a face and two points along
edges over and over until you complete the
command. It simply creates and edge be-
tween the two points along a face.
Intersection will ask for a blank and a
tool. The command will drawn an edge
along your blank wherever the tool inter-
sects it. You also have the option of keeping
the tool after the operation (default) or auto-
matically deleting it when the operation is
complete.
Silhouette is particularly useful for
rounded and freeform surfaces. If you view
a cylinder from the side, it looks like a rec-
tangle. View a sphere and it looks like a
circle. That 2D silhouette is imprinted onto
the object itself exactly along the viewed
edge. Imagine tracing your hand as it lays
flat on a piece of paper. This can alleviate
the need to go through some complex work-
plane positioning gymnastics when you need
to work with freeform surfaces.
SECTION
The Section command can be found along side Punch and Stamp under
the Modeling tab in the Model Group and Remove drop-down. It’s not (by
default) seen on the mini toolbar from a Pull command like they are, though.
Section will divide a single part into one or more individual parts. It
doesn’t remove any material, but does create new parts. To complete this operation you’ll
need a part to be divided and some sort of tool or surface to execute the division. That enti-
ty can be a face or faces, a surface, plane, workplane and closed profile, another part, or a
face part.
A workplane with a profile will project the profile against the part (potentially in both
directions off the workplane) and slice through as if the profile were a laser path. A face,
part, surface, or face part must be in such a position as to completely divide your part exact-
ly where you want it divided. The new parts will perfectly conform to your dividing entity at
the point of intersection.
ALERT: Section is often confused with the Clipping Plane commands. Section will physically divide
your part into separate pieces. It is not a visualization tool like Clipping Planes.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
15
MODELING: BASIC MODELING
Modeling
BOOLEAN OPERATIONS
Boolean operations are found on your Modeling tab under
the Model group. Boolean refers to a logical combinatorial sys-
tem as implied by the logical operators of AND, OR, and NOT;
adding, replacing, or removing material based on two or more
entities. Unite, Subtract, and Intersect can use solid parts or
face parts. The result will either be a solid part a face part
based on the resulting geometry.
Unite. Add material. This works somewhat like the Paste
Face command except that parts will not be grown or stretched
to meet each other like in
the Past Face command.
Two parts become one part.
Any overlap or intersection
between the blank and tool
is combined into the result.
Subtract. Remove ma-
terial. This command allows
you use one part (or many
parts) as the blank and one
(or many) as the tool to cut
away from the blank. Much
like sculpting something out
of clay, the Subtract command allows you to use a custom tool to cut away from existing
geometry. You always have the option of keeping the tool in case you want to use it again to
subtract in another location.
Intersect. Replace ma-
terial. Intersect can use
several parts as the blank and several parts for the tool. The resulting geometry will be a
representation of only the intersection between the blank and the tool. Everything else is
removed.
Reflect. Is a special
command. It’s a combina-
tion of Copy, Mirror, and Unite. Choose a part and a define a reflection plane. The part will
be copied, mirrored about the reflection plane, and united with the original. You can choose
to reflect material on one or both sides. Depending on the position of the reflection plane,
Reflect can add, remove, or add and remove material.
MIRROR PART
Mirror can be found in the
Modeling tab in the Modify 3D
group in the More dropdown. It
works differently than Reflect
in that you’re mirroring an entire part(s)
about the defined plane. Not mirroring ge-
ometry within a part. If you choose to keep
the original, Mirror will create a new part in
the mirrored position rather than mirroring
the original. You can also mirror entire as-
semblies, workplanes, docuplanes, and
layouts in this way.
SCALE PART
Scale can be found in the
same dropdown as Mirror. You
can change the size of parts
are assemblies isotropically or
anistropically.
Isotropic scaling will change the tar-
get’s volume and its position relative to the
global coordinate origin. A value larger
than 1 will increase while values larger
than 0 and smaller than 1 will decrease.
Anistropic scaling approximates the
shrinkage of molded plastic parts as they
cool. You can specify scaling factors in the
xyz directions to compensate for shrinkage.
Scale the part or face by using values from
0 to 1. For example, 0.9 would scale the
part or face by 10%.
ALIGN FACES
Align can be found in the
Modeling tab under the Modify
3D group. It’s most commonly
used to adjust faces such that
they are aligned with another reference face
(s). For example, if you had 4 embossments
of various heights and wanted to make sure
that the tops were all on the same plane.
You could manually adjust each, or you
could select 3 of them and align to the
fourth. There’s even an offset option if you
wanted to select all 4 tops and offset them
all from the base part in one command.
A more advanced usage is to modify
face topology to match an existing reference
rather than re-creating.
MERGE
During the modeling pro-
cess, you can sometimes end
up with situations where one
part has overlapping faces or
un-needed edges. Merge will
combine faces by removing overlapping
edges or combine edges by removing verti-
ces.
Using Imprint can, in particular, leave
stray edges on faces that should be Merged
in the final design.
ALERT: Use the Use Glue option only when the faces of the two
parts match exactly and will not create an intersection of geom-
etry. Otherwise, the resulting part may become corrupted.
ALERT: Never use identical parts in the same position for a
subtraction. Use the Delete 3D function or right-click delete in
those cases where a total removal is required.
TIP: Try using Intersect for quick interference checking.
TIP: If you have commonly subtracted geometry, try saving the
tool off on its own. You can then reference it for future subtrac-
tions rather than re-creating it each time.
BEST PRACTICE: Use Reflect to create symmetric parts. Create
one half or quarter, then reflect them to complete your design.
NOTE: Mirror can also be found in the Struc-
ture tab inside the Part & Assembly group.
TIP: Try using Mirror for left-hand and right-
hand type part situations.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
16
MODELING: ADVANCED MODELING
Modeling
FREEFORM MODELING
The name Freeform Modeling is really referring to the kinds of
surfaces that can be created by the operations in this command
group. Generally, freeform is used to describe surfaces that can’t
be defined as prismatic objects like a plane or cylinder. In that
way, you could group most of Creo Elements/Direct’s surfacing
tools under the same umbrella. Those surfacing tools, however,
have already been captured under a different group — some twice.
What we’re left with is Loft, Sweep, and Helix in the Ribbon
Modeling Model ...More overflow menu.
Loft. The Loft tool can be very elaborate. At it’s heart, Loft will
create a freeform model by forming a smooth transition between
at least two profiles.
The Loft tool is drawing lines between the profiles from ver-
tex to matching vertex, so the number of vertices need to match-
up. You also provide a Match Line (Create ML) for that purpose.
This ML represents the first match-up between vertices. The tool
assumes the rest. Not only do you need to provide these things,
they need to be wrapped-up in a nice package called a Workplane
Set before you can begin your loft. Ribbon Structure
Workplane ...More Workplane Set. Once you have
everything together, execute your Loft Add and most of the
options are defaulted for you.
Use Add Tan to add tangency controls to the vertices
before lofting. The dialogue allows you to adjust the refer-
ences and weighting of the tangency as well. All this ad-
justs how the lines connecting your profiles are drawn. Do
they shoot directly from one vertex to another, or do they bow
and curve to achieve tangency or curvature continuity with
existing parts or faces? Try adding multiple workplanes to your
set and rotating them in different directions.
Sweep. Only one workplane and one spline
curve to worry about in a Sweep. The profile(s) from
the workplane is swept along the spline curve (the
Spine) to create a freeform part.
Helix. The Helix operation sweeps one
profile about an axis (see Right-Hand Rule)
in order to create a helical part. Adjust the
pitch and number of turns in the dialogue
and click the Preview until your helix is per-
fect before completing the operation.
2D SKETCHING WITH SPLINES
2D Splines come in two flavors; Interpo-
lation and Control. In an interpolation
spline, you define a series of points through
which the curve passes exactly through.
With control splines, the shape of the spline
is influenced by a dynamically created con-
trol polygon formed by control points against
the spline curvature.
3D CURVES AND POINTS
Sketching in 3D space can be an unset-
tling proposition. When it comes down to it,
what you’re doing is defining points in 3
axes. See your tools. They can be found
under the 3D Geometry tab in your ribbon.
The different commands like line, cir-
cle, spline, or arc are all just doing different
things with the points you define. So how do
you define points in 3D space?
The trick is really the first
vertex. From then on, each sub-
sequent point can reference the
previously created one. Rather
than simply clicking on the
screen, try defining coordinates with the
user input line or capitalizing on the Catch
tool to grab an existing 3D reference for
your first point. Each tool will have its own
snap helpers too. Face, edge, and axis, for
example. If you have nothing to snap to, you
can use the 3D CoPilot helper for your first
point.
It may take a little getting
use to, but this u, v, and w axis
widget represents the local
coordinates of each point. Click on its axes
or planes to restrict movement and select
your target location. This same widget is
then used for each subsequent point. From
then on it’s much like sketching in 2D.
ALERT: If you create prismatic geometry with
splines like straight lines or circles, your part my
later appear corrupt. Use the right tool for the
job to avoid more work down the road.
ALERT: There must always be a gap, even a mi-
cro-inch, between each turn of your helix. If the
turns touch, the intersection will cause an error.
BEST PRACTICE: Use Containers to group all of your workplanes,
workplane set, and match line together for future reference.
Note: Cursor icon may change to have 3 dots
under it during these commands to indi-
cate a command specific right-click menu.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
17
MODELING: ADVANCED MODELING
Modeling
CREATING 2D PROFILES FROM 2D AND 3D GEOMETRY
There are a series of projection tools available for the purpose
of speeding your 2D profile creation. With the typical tool set,
you’d need to grab references to 2D or 3D geometry and draw over
them, much in the same way that you might create construction
geometry and use the Overdraw command to trace what you want
to keep. Creo Elements/Direct has done away with the absolute
need for Overdraw and likewise done away with the need to trace
already existing 2D and 3D geometry into new profiles. These
commands can be found in the Project drop-down in the Draw
command group of the Modeling tab. Ribbon Modeling
Project.
The distinction between Construction and Geometry com-
mands defines how the resulting projection will appear in your
workplane; as construction lines or 2D geometry. The Face and Edge commands don’t have
command details, so you wouldn’t be able to toggle between the two as if they were part of
the same command.
Project Face, 2D Edge, and 3D Edge do as their namesakes suggest. They project the
geometry of a face, 2D edge, or 3D edge respectively onto the target workplane. The Gen-
eral command does have a command dialogue and allows for a bit more control over your
projection options. Cross Section projects a cross section onto a target workplane(s) wher-
ever it intersect a part(s), while Outline will project only the outline of a part or face(s) onto
the intersecting workplane.
Along the same line, there are two combo commands that will
create a workplane and create 2D profiles for you at the same time.
The projected profile works more like a cross section than an out-
line. Internal features that intersect the workplane are projected as
well. New WP on Face and Project Real and New WP on Face and
Project Constr don’t have command details either. Just activate the
command and select a face. You can find these commands on the
Workplane dropdown in your Ribbon Modeling Workplane.
BEST PRACTICE: Commands can be separated like this to make it easier to access the
exact function you want on a keyboard shortcut or abbreviation. If the commands were
consolidated, your shortcut would only get you to a details dialogue that you’d then need
to manually, or through a mini toolbar, adjust for your needs. Try assigning common
commands in File Customize to speed your work.
The 3D Surface Tools group is located
under the 3D Geometry tab along with 3D
Curve and 3D Point command groups.
These tools have more of a repair and recov-
er feel to them. Granted, you can get ex-
tremely advanced surfaces by using 3D
Curves and Insert Face, but mostly the tool-
set is basic in its face operations; Can be
much less organic and much more rigid in
execution than what you would see in the
Advanced Surfacing Module.
Face Parts are made-up of individual
faces that do not form a solid body. This
allows you to design complex models by
adding individual surfaces to existing de-
signs or starting new ones from scratch.
Once the faces converge into a closed shell,
Creo Elements/Direct will automatically
convert the face part into a solid part.
Insert Face is arguably the most ad-
vanced tool in the group. Insert Face cre-
ates faces by interpolating from a set of
boundary curves or edges. If you’re using
3D elements (Collectively occupying more
than one plane in 3D space), there’s a limit
of six edges. On a 2D plane, there’s no
limit. Many of the subsequent tool func-
tions can be achieved with an Insert Face.
Grow Surface will grow a face(s) in the
direction of the edge(s) you choose. This
growth will happen infinitely, so you must
define boundaries in the way of parts, faces,
planes, or surfaces to limit your growth.
Otherwise the command will likely fail.
Reintersect Faces will grow several
faces or edges at once using their own inter-
section as your boundary definition. Best
used to close gaps between neighboring
faces.
Untrim is, in essence, a reverse engi-
neering aid. It creates a new face part rep-
resenting the geometry that was used to
trim away at your selected geometry.
Thicken creates a solid part from a
face part by creating an offset copy of the
face(s) and growing side-surfaces between
the original and the copy.
Show Gaps highlights unbound edges
in a face part. These edges mean the differ-
ences between a face part and a solid part.
Gather Faces allows you to select
faces from a solid part and copy them to a
new face part. Very similar to the Copy com-
mand, but without the position option.
Delete Face will poke holes in your
solid part turning it in to a face part or allow
you to take your face part to pieces one face
at a time.
Flip Faces will flip the direction of the
normal on a given face or set of faces.
Trim will use one face as a boundary
(Tool Face)to cut another (Blank Face(s)).
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
18
MODELING: ADVANCED MODELING
Modeling
PATTERNS
Patterns can be accessed from the
Feature tab as well.
You’re able to pattern
Machining features,
Mold Design features, or
Face Set features. You
can also create patterns
of parts within the same
assembly.
Modify the pattern
at any time by excluding
elements or include ele-
ments that were previ-
ously excluded. It can’t be deleted with the
delete key or a right-click option. Use the
delete command from the Pattern group.
Geometry in a pattern is shared out
from the initial feature. If you make chang-
es to any of the features in the pattern, all of
the other features in the pattern have the
potential to change to match. You can use
Modify to restore the altered pattern mem-
ber to its original, or use the OwnPat check-
box to propagate the changes to the pattern.
Defining a pattern can depend on the
type of pattern, but generally the definition
shares some common characteristics.
Linear Direction. You need 1 for a Line-
ar pattern and Radial Grid, and 2 for a
Linear Grid. This uses the 3D CoPIlot
widget to define which way these pat-
terns point.
The Number of pattern members is tied
to the direction. In a grid, if you define 4
in one direction and 4 in another, you’ll
have 16 total pattern members. In non-
grid patterns, the number is exactly how
many total pattern members you’ll end
up with. A Free pattern’s members are add-
ed one at a time.
The Start Position defines where the
pattern should begin. Normally, the start
position is the origin of the originating fea-
ture, but this can be offset according to your
needs.
Your Distance can be defined as the
distance between each pattern member in a
given direction, or as the Total Distance in a
given direction. In either case, the members
are evenly distributed.
In Radial patterns, you must define an
Axis. Normally this is the center of your
source feature, but can be changed. The
Radius determines how far out from your
start position the pattern members will start
to occur in a circular pattern. The Angle
determines how much space is between
each pattern member. Similarly to the line-
ar distance, you can define this as a gap or
as the Total Angle to be covered by the pat-
tern.
FEATURES
A Feature is a set of faces grouped
together and saved in a named container in
the structure browser under the given part.
They can be used as a method for selec-
tion, can contain information for down-
stream processes, and are also used to
create patterns.
There are two variations on the Fea-
ture functionality. You can create a Face
Set Feature of four specific geometry types
or a User Defined Feature for
everything else. The difference
is that a Face Set Feature can
be patterned while a User De-
fined Feature can not.
A feature can consist of any number of
3D elements but they must all belong to the
same part. 3D elements are recognized as
edges, vertices, or faces. You can access
these feature commands and a few more
on the Feature tab of your ribbon.
Your geometry does
not need to match the
icon exactly. The icon for
each of the four Face Set
Features is strictly convey-
ing a simple set of re-
quirements for each.
If your feature needs to change, you
can alter the type of Face Set Feature you’ve
selected. Use the Ex-
change command in
the More drop-down to
select a new type.
When defining a
Face Set Feature, you’ll have 3 attributes
automatically defined for you. The local
coordinates for the feature, the main direc-
tion used for a manufacturing process, and
the secondary direction.
Ref. Pos. This local coordinate system
can have a big impact on future patterns.
Consider a boss whose diameter changes
down the road. If the local coordinate sys-
tem had not been centered, the resulting
pattern would be affected by a diameter
change.
MainDir. A manufacturing process
would be a drill, mill, punch, etc. This can
help define which side of the part should be
worked during manufacturing.
StartDir. Should not be parallel to
MainDir. Helps define where a machining
process should begin.
TIP: A User Defined Feature can still be patterned
using Copy Face and Paste Face commands. You
just don’t have the creation and redefinition op-
tions available for pattern features.
TIP: When making changes to features, be sure to
use the correct Modify command. There are 3 on
the Feature tab and they’re not interchangeable.
TIP: Use the TAB key to flip a direction widget
from the 3D CoPilot.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
19
MODULES: MACHINING
Modules
Creo Elements/Direct Machining is an
advisor module. It assists during the de-
sign phase by allowing easy specification of
common machining features, providing
easy modification of those features, and by
providing advice about machining opera-
tions. Machining assists further when cre-
ating documentation by providing methods
to transfer dimensional tolerances into the
annotation module in a streamlined pro-
cess. You can even transfer technical infor-
mation into select CAM systems.
Creating Holes. Click on the hole of the
desired type (Through, Tapped, or Blind) for
the placement dialogue. Fill the yellow dia-
logue boxes and complete your new feature.
Notice that the hole is created as a feature
in the structure browser and matching anno-
tation was generated.
During the feature dia-
logue step, you can click
Show Image for a detailed
image explaining your hole
options.
Also during feature specification, the
advisor component kicks in. These checks
are based on general rules and can be
changed using the CED Integration Kit.
Modifying Holes. Simply right-click on
the hole feature in the browser and select
modify to go right back into the hole dia-
logue.
Hole Patterns. Create a New Pattern
from the Feature tab and choose the hole
feature from the 3D viewport as the source.
You can create linear, linear grid, radial,
radial grid, or free patterns in this manner.
The pattern feature is fully parameterized
and can be modified just as easily as the
hole feature itself.
Adding Threads to Cylinders. The ma-
chining module can also
add thread features to ex-
isting cylinders for the crea-
tion of bolt or screw mod-
els. Choose one of the
outer threads from the machining options
and select your bolt or screw’s cylinder as
the target face.
Specifying Tolerances. You can add
tolerances to hole features. By default,
they’re appended to the dimension label,
not the note hole
note text. You
can add Upper/
Lower, Plus/
Minus, Limits, or
ISO. Inside the
hole dialogue,
click on the Show
T&Q button for the extended tolerance op-
tions to appear under Diameter Tol.
Specifying Quality. Surface quality can
be assigned to all machining features.
These are best used in the 2D drawing from
the information stored in the 3D note or
further downstream in manufacturing
through the machining output reports. Also
under the Show
T&Q options,
click on the Side
Quality button for
your options.
Machining Settings. Under File
Settings Machining, you can make quick
adjustments to common controls for ma-
chining features.
Data Table Customization. A more
permanent form of adjustment is achieved
with data table customization. This method
allows you to customize the machining envi-
ronment to suit your design needs exactly.
You can create custom holes, defaults,
change advisor validations, and more. This
is typically done by your CAD administrator
through the use of the CED Integration Kit.
CED Integration Kit. The kit itself is a
collection of tools typically used to program
add-on applications for CED. Making chang-
es with the Integration Kit requires a thor-
ough understanding of CED, some basic
programming skills, and a basic knowledge
of the Common Lisp Programming Lan-
guage.
Activate Machining FileModulesMachining Access Machining RibbonFeatureMachining
NOTE: Settings changed in this way work for
your current session only unless you save the
settings to an environment file.
ALERT: Changes made through the Integra-
tion Kit are not guaranteed to work with fu-
ture releases of Creo Elements/Direct.
BEST PRACTICE: Adding threads as a feature
is usually preferable over an actual helix.
Conserve your graphics capability for your
design imperatives.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
20
MODULES: SURFACING
Modules
The Surfacing Module is a much more
organic set of surfacing tools than are
available out-of-the-box. Each command
takes much more time and dedication to
master, but the resulting capability and
possibilities are well worth it.
Skin is like Insert Face times ten.
You’re inserting a face via 2D or 3D curves
or edges like Insert Face, but here you can
use curves inside a mesh as guides in addi-
tion to the boundary curves. This apparent-
ly simple change opens the door to a wide
range of capability, command options, opti-
mization, and built-in surface analysis
tools. Many of the subsequent tool func-
tions can be achieved with a Skin.
Advanced Sweep adds three new
additions over normal
Sweep; The option to
create face parts, the
use of any collection
of edges as the sweep
profile, and the use of
a second guiding
curve for the sweep.
Guided Loft is a marriage of the
Sweep and Loft tools. A Sweep allows you
to take a single profile and sweep it along a
single guiding line or spline. Loft will take a
series of profiles and draw lines between
them to create a solid body. Guided Loft
combines them by removing the need for
multiple profiles, adding a line or spline as
a guide for your loft, and automatically add-
ing helper profiles along the path.
Cap creates a
freeform cap on a part
using a Cap Point and
looped edges.
Face Round. Like a 3D fillet between
faces, Face Round creates a chain of
rounded faces to connect two face part
sets tangentially or curvature continuously.
Bridge. A quick way
to fill the gap between two
faces. Does not need to
be fully bounded. Just se-
lect two edges or sets of
edges you want to bridge.
The connection can be
made tangential and the
curvature weighted.
Extrude Edges. Similar to Grow Sur-
face, but here you’re creating a new face
part and can change the direction and
length of growth with the 3D CoPilot.
Extrude Face Part. Similar to Thick-
en, but you’re not creating a uniform thick-
ness offset. You’re extruding directly from
the original face part to create a solid part.
Surface Editor. An extremely power-
ful surface tool used to control surface
contours with a wire model and parametric-
like constraints.
Smooth Surface.
Easily analyze and
smooth surface transi-
tions with color coded
feedback and real time
surface analysis.
Modify Surface. Quickly and easily
manipulate custom surface meshes to cre-
ate complex surfaces. A favorite tool for
making bold surface changes. You build
your custom mesh by click points on the
surface. The
tool creates
intersection
lines that you
can grab and
manipulate.
Offset Face Part. Similar to Offset,
this tool will offset a face part normal to the
original faces while making adjustments to
the face geometry based on the offset dis-
tance (similar to the adjustments a Thicken
might make).
Adjust Faces is used to work the tran-
sition between faces. Typically, it’s a good
idea to create good face transitions during
design, but Adjust Faces can be used to
repair poor connections.
Analysis. Skin, Guided Loft, Cap,
Bridge, Smooth Surface, Modify Surface,
and Adjust Faces have built-in real-time
surface analysis capability. Once Surfacing
is activated, you can also access these
tools under the Analysis tab.
The Surface Analysis tool
will analyze the quality and
curvature of a surface or sur-
face transitions. You can also
check min-max radius values.
Types are Gaussian curvature, Mean curva-
ture, and Zebra stripes.
Angle Analysis will deter-
mine the maximum angle
along an edge between two
faces along the intersection.
Activate Surfacing Module FileModulesSurfacing Access Surfacing Module RibbonSurfacing
ALERT: Surface Editor requires the Parametrics
module as well as the Surfacing module.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
21
MODULES: BASIC SHEETS
Modules
Basic Sheets is a free module with a
small, but surprisingly effective set of sheet
metal creation and modification tools. You
can start using sheets by either creating a
new piece of sheet metal from scratch (New
By Outline) or by using these sheet metal
operations on any model that would meet
the physical requirements to be manufac-
tured as sheet metal. Keep in mind that
using this module does not preclude you
from using standard modeling commands.
By combining the techniques, though, you
run the risk of creating a part that can no
longer be modified by the Basic Sheet com-
mands. For example, a non-uniform thick-
ness part will eliminate or hamper most of
your options.
New By Outline. Create a brand new
sheet metal part from an active workplane
and a sketched closed region. The dialogue
box will allow you to choose a material which
will derive your sheet thickness for you.
Material. The Attach Material com-
mand can initiate or modify the material
definition of your sheet metal part. It brings
up a list of thicknesses from the Basic Shop.
Careful when deleting these thicknesses.
Adding them back is not as easy.
Unfold and Refold. Simple, but essen-
tial in sheet metal design. These com-
mands will do just as their namesake sug-
gests. They’ll unfold or refold your entire
sheet metal part. Simply select the com-
mand and choose the face(s) that are to
remain stationary during the process.
Fold/Unfold. This single command will
recognize and toggle the bend status of any
given bend. It doesn’t matter if the bend
was created with Basic Sheets or some oth-
er process.
Create Bends and Modify Bends. You
could create the entire sheet metal part in
the flat, then use bends to fold it up. To
create a bend, you’ll need an active work-
plane with a sketched line on it. Your line
is extrapolated infinitely and intersected
with your sheet metal part for bending.
Breaks in the sheet metal are recognized
so if you want multiple flanges to bend,
make sure your sketched line crosses into
each if they’re on the same plane.
Bend Animation. Visually simulate the
folding and unfolding of a bend. You can
change angle between each step in the
animation. Step in and out of the anima-
tion one frame at a time. Finally export
your animation as an AVI.
Add Lip. Once you have a
sheet metal part, you’ll need to
start designing with it. Lip is a de-
ceptively simple command with a
significant amount of complexity
tied into it. On the simple side, just
grab an edge, type in a length, and
Lip it. Done. On the complex side,
there’s a myriad of options availa-
ble for the Lip command.
L/R AutoMiter. Turn this on to
detect a miter situation. If detect-
ed, the system retrieves as many
parameters as possible.
Left/Right Lip. Select corner
options. The green area is the new
lip to be added.
Left/Right Angle/Dist. Angle
in/out from and Distance from
each end reference.
Connection. Options to pre-
vent material deformation where
the lip connects to the original
sheet. Defaults to automatic for
each end.
Activate Basic Sheets Module FileModulesBasic Sheets Access Basic Sheets Module RibbonSheets
Add Lip
ALERT: Once a lip is created, it’s
treated like any other bend. You
won’t get back the same dialogue
when making changes.
Angle
Distance
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
22
ASSEMBLIES: BUILDING ASSEMBLY STRUCTURES
Assemblies
ASSEMBLY STRUCTURES
Assembly structure refers to a logical collection of parts and assemblies in a hierar-
chical structure. In Creo Elements/Direct, the assembly structure is visually represented in
the Structure Browser. Each individual assembly in CED is a simple Bill of Material (BoM)
that acts as a container for parts and sub-assemblies. You can manage assembly member-
ship in the structure browser through a drag-and-drop interface. Assembly tools can be
found in the Structure tab.
GLOBAL AND LOCAL COORDINATES
Creo Elements/Direct uses two 3D coordinate systems; global (X, Y, Z) and local (U, V,
W). While there is only one global, all children of the world of CED have their own local coor-
dinate systems. It follows that an assembly container has its own local 3D coordinate sys-
tem. Further, each part and assembly within can be considered to have a relative position
to the parent coordinates. Likewise, each element in the hierarchy of the Structure Browser
can be considered to have a relative position to its parent up to the root of the hierarchy
where the global coordinate system is the parent.
STRUCTURE BROWSER
The Structure Browser lists all 3D ob-
jects and elements in a hierarchical struc-
ture which illustrates their relationships to
each other. Check and uncheck individual
items to show or hide them in the viewport.
Use Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multi-
ple items. You can also right-click for a
menu of actions to execute against the se-
lected item(s). Click the plus or minus signs
to show or hide the children of a container
in the hierarchy display of the browser.
NEW ASSEMBLIES
Using New Assembly will cre-
ate the container in the structure
browser. The dialogue box asks
for the name of the new assem-
bly, the model name, and the
owner. Adding an owner allows
you to avoid the drag-and-drop by starting
the assembly under another container. The
model name is optional. It refers to the
name of the Contents Data container.
Global Container (X,Y,Z)
/a1 Container. Local U,V,W relative to Global XYZ
Local U,V,W Relative to /a1
/a2 Container. Local U,V,W relative to /a1
Local U,V,W Relative to Global X,Y,Z
Local U,V,W Relative to /a2
POSITIONING PARTS
You can position a part by using the Position command from the ribbon UI, by double
left-clicking the part in your structure browser and clicking the Position command from the
mini toolbar, or by the right-click context menu in
the 3D viewport. Dynamic and Mate Align are only
two of the fifteen methods available for positioning.
Dynamic position is the default, and allows you to use the 3D
CoPilot widget to position your part.
The Mate Align option opens another set of options with which
you can position a part by face relationships.
Align Axis is another very important placement option under Ma-
te Align. Especially useful when employing Coordinate System fea-
tures to position complex parts. (By Ref CS works well there too.)
TIP: You can also initiate the Position com-
mand by left-clicking on any vertex in a part.
BEST PRACTICE: Containers can help organize workplanes or other useful objects in the Structure
Browser. Structure Parts & Assemblies More Tools New Container
ALERT: Positioning a part does not constrain the part permanently. Any
implied constraints are only used to aid in placement and are temporary.
The part is free to be moved in any direction after positioning.
Aligned Mated
Parallel Parallel
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
23
ASSEMBLIES: CONTAINERS, COPY, SHARE, AND INSTANCING
Assemblies
COPY VS. SHARE
It’s best to use Share for any part or assembly that you’re using more than once rather
than making a copy. Making a copy will duplicate the part or assembly entirely. Sharing
does not create a copy, but an instance of the original. This will ensure that any modifica-
tions you make to the part or assembly Contents Data are automatically reflected in all oth-
er shared instances (Instance Data). This applies to geometry as well as changes in the
base settings and other shareable attributes. Any previously shared part or assembly can
be unshared. This will, in effect, create copies where once were only instances.
SELECTIVE INSTANCING
Sharing is a huge time saver and it’s also just good practice to have
one master part that’s shared when possible. Still, there are some situ-
ations where the inherent association between shared parts and assem-
blies can become a problem. For example, if you wanted to move a bolt
in a set of shared assemblies independently from the others without
affecting the BoM. You might selectively unshared the instance and
make your changes.
Unshare and select the bolt in question. Chose a new name if you
have one and the new context. Notice in the images below that the Sel
Inst Context is set to the container above the shared parts. The default
is one container upwards in the hierarchy where the selected instance has an impact, but
you can change this manually in the Unshare command dialogue box.
Use Reshare when you’ve changed your mind or circumstances require the reversal of
your previous Unshare. The part or subassembly will revert back to its original state.
The Cleanup command is used when a selective instance exists, but all the other
shares have been deleted or unshared. There would be nothing to revert back to if Reshare
was used. The Cleanup command effectively removes any sharing baggage and makes the
selective instance independent. This command will not work if there are still shares that
would be affected by the removal of the share data.
Master. Selective instancing can cause issues with assembly instances that are shown
in the documentation. Master allows you to specify which assembly share is to be used
when computing view geometry.
Content
Data
Instance
Data
Content
Data
Instance
Data
Content
Data
Instance
Data
Content
Data
Instance
Data
Instance
Data
When you create a share, the system automatically creates a folder to contain share
data and places your newly shared items underneath. Creo Elements/Direct has no dis-
tinction between the original part and the shared instances. If you change one, it changes
them all. However, each instance can have its own part
and instance data while remaining an instance.
For example, you can change the position, name,
and part colors of instances. To change part instance
colors, examine the properties of any of the shared
parts. The dialogue box shows appearance properties
for Instances separately from Base properties. Assy_In
stance1
Assy_In
stance2
View Details
CONTAINERS
You can find the New Container command under the Structure tab in the
Part & Assembly group’s More overflow menu. A container is a structural or-
ganization tool. They can be used to hold models, assemblies, and work-
planes. They are particularly useful for organizing complex geometry modification elements.
None of this reference data or geometry will be transferred to Annotation so these building
blocks will not appear in the drawing. Without a container, you’d likely need to manually
remove these references from each drawing view.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
24
ADVANCED ASSEMBLIES: CLIPPING PLANES, STOCK/FINISH,
AND COORDINATE SYSTEMS
Assemblies
CLIPPING PLANES
A clipping plane allows you to look through a part or assembly
as if you’d cut away from them along a plane to reveal the fea-
tures, parts, or assemblies behind. A familiarity with clipping
planes will allow you to navigate and inspect your designs much
more effectively. You can find the clipping plane commands on
the View tab in the Clipping group.
Once defined, a clipping plane remains in your
design as a clipping plane feature that can then be
activated or deactivated as needed. You can view
particularly troublesome areas and access their
clipping planes whenever needed.
A single clipping plane feature can contain many clipping
planes. In fact, you can not have multiple clipping plane features
active at once. Only one per viewport active. So, if you want to
clip from multiple directions, you’ll need to define each plane in a
single feature’s dialogue box. Up to six total clipping planes can
interact with each other in a single feature.
To change which parts will be clipped and which will not, use the Targets command.
Your selection will define the targets for all clipping features in your model. To change how
your clipping planes are viewed in the viewport, change the viewport show properties via a
right-click Show Properties, or change the clipping plane settings. Use the settings button
on the Clipping group in the ribbon UI.
STOCK/FINISH
A stock finish relationship does not propagate changes from one member to another like
a share relationship. The idea is that you may have a situation where you have a stock part
that is somehow altered in its finished form. Color, extra holes, draft, etc. Maybe you actually
have a literal stock/finish relationship where you buy copper bar stock and cut your own fin-
ished lengths. The Stock/Finish operation will create a relationship between the two parts to
aid the process of managing different related product states.
A stock part can have many finished parts, but a finished part can only come from one
stock piece. However, you can also chain the effect. So the finished product from one opera-
tion can be come the stock for another finished piece. TIP: You can also activate/deactivate
clipping planes by double-clicking
them in the Structure Browser.
Finish_Cut2
Bar_Stock Finish_Hole
Finish_Cut1
COORDINATE SYSTEMS
When dealing with advanced assemblies, it can sometimes become
difficult to find handles or attachment points between geometry. One way
to alleviate this issue is to add custom coordinate systems to your parts or
assemblies. You can line them up to your part or assembly in whatever
direction suits your needs and reference them for movement or assembly placement. These
coordinate systems will attach themselves to their owner and can therefore be shown or hid-
den like any other object in the Structure Browser.
Create a new Coordinate System from the command group of the
same name in the Structure tab. You’ll need an
owner, name, and position. They can always be
renamed and repositioned as well. For your visu-
alization needs, the Coordinate Systems can be
resized and recolored.
TIP: You can always snap to the center of a 2D circular feature or 3D spherical one by holding down
Shift+Ctrl. You’ll need to press Shift+Ctrl regardless of your 2D or 3D CoPilot snap key settings.
TIP: Coordinate Systems can be extremely helpful for advanced
positioning. Try adding them to complex objects.
TIP: You can manipulate geometry while clipping
planes are active. Try modeling with clipping on.
TIP: You can now create new workplanes off of existing clipping planes. This is a com-
mand option in the dialogue box for a new workplane and can also be accessed via the
context menu (right-click in viewport).
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
25
ADVANCED ASSEMBLIES: CONFIGURATIONS AND EXPLISIONS
Assemblies
CONFIGURATIONS
A configurations is used to store the positions of parts, what’s hidden or shown in the
viewport, and different camera direction through various stages of an assembly. To create
a configuration you must have an assembly, but the configuration itself can be owned by an
assembly that’s further up the hierarchy if needed. The
owner of the configuration can not be the root of the
structure browser. Configuration operations can be
found in the Structure tab in the Configurations group.
Once you’ve created your configuration, making
changes relies upon your activation or deactivation of
the configuration. Use the Act/Deact commands or
simply double click your configuration in the Structure
Browser. Once it’s active, any changes that you make
to the assembly or any subassemblies underneath the
configuration’s owner are recorded by the configuration. Toggle Act/Deact to see your parts
smoothly float in and out of the various positions set by each of your custom configurations.
If you do not move a part while your configuration is active, then no positional infor-
mation is stored for that part. If you want to make sure positional informational is stored,
click the Hold command. This can be important especially when considering how subas-
sembly components may get moved around in your design.
When creating an assembly process, it can be convenient to Copy the previous configu-
ration as a starting point. To capture camera position or draw list, use the right-click menu
on your configuration. This information is not automatically stored like part position. You
can even make changes to this information without the configuration being active. Use
Highlight to see which parts are being controlled by the current configuration.
If you make a mistake or want to remove some of the data you’ve captured, use Re-
move Data. The dialogue box will ask if you want to move positioning, camera, or drawlist
information. Of course, you can do away with a configuration entirely with the Delete com-
mand or by right-click delete. To show multiple configurations at the same time, use the
Multiple Positions command.
EXPLOSIONS
An Explosion is the most common kind of Configuration. You can build from scratch or
change an existing configuration into an explosion. This is also the same method used to
modify existing explosions since an explosion is considered just another configuration when
you’re done creating it. The command will take your assembly and blow it apart. You de-
cide how it explodes and how far. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?
To create an explosion, select Explode from the Configurations command group in the
Structure tab. Choose your configuration or create a new one. The One Level check box
indicates if you want the subassemblies to behave as single parts of if you want the individ-
ual parts to move as well. The Scale determines how far the parts will be moved from the
explosion center. In the case of a Cylindrical explosion, you’ll have an Axial and Radial
Scale. The Show Move Feedback checkbox determines if you’ll have a visual representation
of the movement or not. This is shown as green lines extending from original positions to
ending positions. The movement references are temporary and will disappear as soon as
you’re done configuring the explosion.
Align Axes. This mode constrains objects with coincident axial
faces to explode along their common axes. Objects without are ex-
ploded spherically.
Spherical. A spherical explosion will move all objects in all direc-
tions away from the explosion center.
Cylindrical. Move objects away from an axis radially and axially.
You can set the axial and radial scales of movement separately in a
cylindrical explosion.
By Direction. You’re shaping the direction of the explosion. An
explosion is typically spherical; where everything radiates
away from the explosion center. This will move objects
away from the explosion center as well, but only in the di-
rection you specify only.
Pos Dynamic. If none of the default explosion types are working for you, you can al-
ways manually position the parts.
ALERT: You should not use the Formations goodie. The Configurations feature replaces its function-
ality. Use the Convert command to upgrade any Formations you may have in existing assemblies.
NOTE: Please note that each Explosion feature can have a series of
explosions inside. The explode and back buttons inside the dialogue box
allow you to work through each explosion individually.
ALERT: Configurations do NOT change the original position of your assembly. Activate and Deacti-
vate configurations to see your assembly in different positions/configurations. The original remains
the same throughout.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
26
ADVANCED ASSEMBLIES: CLASH ANALYSIS
Assemblies
CREATE CLASH ANALYSIS
The Create Analysis command will cre-
ate a Clash Analysis object in your structure
browser. This object will contain the
parameters for your analy-
sis and any results you may
have calculated. If the icon
is green it means
you’re analysis is out of
date.
Once it’s been created,
you can always modify,
rename, delete, calculate,
clear issues, and bring up
the Clash Issue Browser
from right-click commands
on the object in your Struc-
ture Browser or from com-
mands in the ribbon UI.
When you execute the Cal-
culate option, it will run
through your assembly to discover if there are interferences
based on the parameters you set in the definition of the
clash analysis. Once you’ve selected what will be analyzed
and where the analysis will reside, you can change options
like ignoring press fit parts, ignore parts from the 3D library,
ignore threaded parts and holes, specify specific clearance,
and exclude parts from the analysis.
A Clash Analysis must be owned by an assembly and
not by the root “/” or a selective instance of the assembly.
If the selective instance is created after the analysis, your
icon in the Structure Browser will turn red. This indi-
cates an invalid analysis. To repair the situation, attach the
Clash Analysis to a valid owner and recalculate. When the
icon is yellow it means that the assembly is only par-
tially loaded, might contain lightweight parts, or the state of
the analysis is undefined.
CLASH ANALYSIS ISSUE BROWSER
Once you run the analysis, the Clash Analysis Issue
Browser will show up. If you close it, you can always re-
summon it with the right-click command in the Structure
Browser. This is where you view your clash results. The
issues are listed numerically in the browser and can be
searched, filtered, and sorted for your easy perusal.
Just like the Structure Browser, you can define very
complex searches through the binoculars icon. It will allow
you to define a list of custom criteria and store those
searches for later use. Filtering is much the same.
Once you have the list narrowed, you can right-click on
individual issues for a list of commands. Draw Only will
remove everything from your viewport but the parts brought
into question by the issue. Draw Only in new VP will do the
same as Draw Only, but create a new viewport to view the
parts in. Recalculate Issue will bring up a command dia-
logue for a single clash and an auxiliary viewport with your
issue specific parts in it. Search Clash Analysis in Structure
will find the clash analysis in the Structure Browser (in case
you’ve lost it). Search Parts in Structure will find your issue
specific parts in the Structure Browser. The Properties of
the Issue are also available and provide a detailed status
and resolution pop-up.
RESOLVING CLASH RESULTS
There are only three ways to
resolve a clash. The most obvi-
ous being fix the problem. The
Clash Analysis tools provide a
number of methods for finding
and refining your models by giv-
ing you easy access and detailed
information about each issue. In particular, Recalculate
Issue will give you the Draw Only in New VP, but with a trans-
lucent model that highlights the volume of intersection in
red. The clash dialogue box that pops-up from the Recalcu-
late Issue will give you quick access to methods for redefin-
ing the analysis for that specific issue. Change the status to
“Modified” in the properties pop-up when your changes are
complete.
The second way is to accept and ignore the problem.
You will definitely run into situations where a clash is inten-
tional. Press fits, interference fits, etc. Add a note to the
issue’s properties and select “Accepted” in the status
dropdown.
The third and final way to resolve a clash result is to
ignore it. Yes, you can mark the issue as “Conditional Open”
or “Conditional Accepted” and write a note for posterity de-
scribing why this issue was unavoidable or when it will be
revisited.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
27
ANNOTATIONS: ANNOTATION APPLICATION
Annotations
APPLICATION: ANNOTATION
The Annotation application in Creo Elements/Direct is the 2D tool used for creating
drawings from 3D designs. To use Annotation, you can select File Modules and find the
Applications submenu. Put a check in the Annotation check box. Once you’ve done that,
you can switch between Modeling and Annotation by going to the Applications tab of your
ribbon UI. Toggle between the applications as needed. Annotation runs in parallel with
Modeling.
Look and Feel. The Annotations application has the same look and feel of Creo Ele-
ments/Direct Modeling. It has the same menu and dialogue functions — Even the same
interface layout and navigation as the Modeling application. When toggling between the
two, it’s seamless enough to be considered the same application.
Associativity. The Annotation application maintains association with the 3D model. As
the 3D model is modified, the drawing will reflect the changes in 2D.
2D Features. Just as you would expect in any other 2D CAD application, you can create
dimensions, text, and 2D geometry using the Annotation application for CED. Add these
features to your 3D view projections to complete your drawings.
Bills of Material. A Bill of Material (BoM) can be generated in Annotation using multiple
sources. You can also manually adjust the BoM in Annotation. BoM flags can be added to
the drawing using DIN, ISO, or custom flag standards.
Browsers. The Annotation application adds two new browsers to your interface. In
Modeling, you only have the Structure browser. In Annotation, you’ve gained the Template
browser and the Drawing browser. Similar to the Structure browser, both of your new
browser are organized in a hierarchical fashion. The Templates browser organizes and ena-
bles the reuse of common objects. The Drawing browser organizes all drawing entities in
session.
DRAWING STRUCTURE
Within the drawing structure, owner-
ship falls to the parent. When a parent
object is moved or deleted, the child is also
moved or deleted. Navigate from object to
object by clicking on their icons in the
Drawing Browser. The hierarchy of the
drawing structure looks like this:
Drawing
Sheets
Frame
Sketch
Geometry of title block
Text of title block
Views
Dimensions
Text
Additional geometry
VIEW SYNCHRONIZATION
View synchroniza-
tion is color coded.
Dark Blue indicates that
a view is totally up-to-
date. Cyan shows when
a view is not updated,
but the model is cur-
rently loaded in the
Modeling application.
Red tells you when the
view cannot be updated because its associ-
ated model isn’t in memory.
NOTE: When you click New Session in Annotation, it only clears the session
within Annotation. To clear Annotation and Modeling, you’ll need to switch
to the Modeling app and start a New Session as well.
NOTE: Drawing-Model associativity is
dictated by the views in the drawing.
TEMPLATE BROWSER
Templates allow you to reuse common
text, sketches, and symbols. When added
to a drawing, symbol templates can allow
you to specify new values for named param-
eters. The “Smart” fields are filled-in as
needed. The templates are viewed in your
Template browser which became a new tab
in your Structure Browser with the Annota-
tion Application.
Standard templates include GD&T
Datum and Tolerance, Surface symbols, and
Welding symbols. To add a Template to a
drawing, simply double left-click the Tem-
plate from your template browser and fill-in
the dialogue box for parameters and place-
ment. New user-defined Templates can be
created and added to the Template browser
as needed.
Define text and symbol can be found
in the More dropdown of the Annotation
group of the Annotation tab. Define sketch
can be found under the Insert tab in the
Sketch group.
To define a text or sketch template,
use the appropriate type, enter a unique
name, select a category from the dropdown
list or create a new category, click the
thumbnail checkbox to create a thumbnail,
fill-in any other required boxes, and com-
plete the operation.
To defined new symbol templates,
start with one that was defined from the
standard templates. It can then be added
to your templates itself to create a new tem-
plate; preserving your dialogue box settings
for future use.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
28
STARTING A DRAWING
Start a drawing from the New Drawing command located under the An-
notation tab in the Setup group. You can not create any other annotation
features until you create a drawing. You can only have one drawing loaded
at a time, but each drawing can have multiple sheets. Take care to save
your current drawing before opening another or start-
ing a new one. New Drawing creates a drawing and
a sheet object in the Drawing Browser and then the
dialogue box appears.
The dialogue offers you three Modes of opera-
tion. 2D Process is the default and typical method.
It will assume you want to take your 3D model and
create 2D documentation from it. The 3D Process is
all about creating 2D documentation from 3D doc-
uplanes. The third and final mode is No Model. It
assumed there will be no 3D model association. You
can always add it later.
The dialogue that’s common to all three modes
is Number, Sheet Frame, and Scale (Auto). Number
represents the Sheet number. What do you want to
call your sheet? It doesn’t need to be numeric and
will accept alphanumeric characters, underscores,
and spaces. It defaults to your model name. Select
a sheet frame or None from the dropdown list to select a frame for your drawing.. Default
options range from A0-4 to WM-E. The Scale (Auto) attempts to choose the correct scale
based on the 3D model and the sheet frame chosen as you add views to the sheet frame in
an attempt to make them all fit. You can choose a scale from the dropdown or specify one
manually. You can always modify the individual view scale afterwards if necessary. If you
click Add Views or simply complete the command, you’ll be immediately moved over into the
New Std View command dialogue.
Once you’ve created your drawing and initial sheet, you can create new
sheets with the New Sheet command. You’ll be asked for the sheet Number,
Sheet Frame, and Scale. Much as you were in the New Drawing dialogue.
This dialogue doesn’t not automatically throw you into the New Std View com-
mand dialogue, though. You’re free to create new views or annotations as
needed.
DRAWING VIEWS
CED can generate several types
of views. Use the New Std View com-
mand on your Annotation tab. The
command dialogue box breaks your options
down into different view categories.
Orthogonal View. Orthogonal views
refer to the common “Front”, “Top”, and
“Right” viewing convention. Technically,
views are orthogonal if they’re perpendicular
to each other. So, to-
gether these three views
form an orthogonal rep-
resentation of a part or
assembly.
Isometric. An iso-
metric view of an object
is defined as viewing it in
such a way that the an-
gles between the projec-
tion of the 3 axes are all
the same (120°). Ob-
jects drawn with isomet-
ric projection do not ap-
pear larger or smaller as
they extend from the
viewer.
General. Describes
a view that ascribes to
no specific convention.
Choose a direction in the
viewport and use the
right-click menu to as-
sign the view.
ANNOTATIONS: ANNOTATION APPLICATION
Annotations
Profiles refer to a collection of
settings that give you an optimal com-
bination of accuracy and performance.
For example, you may want to use a
Large Assembly profile for assemblies
with over 500 parts. If so, the views update
faster and small parts and tiny circles are
automatically removed. Available profiles
are Single Part, Small Assy, Medium Assy,
Large Assy, Photo-Realistic, Shaded Only,
Shaded+Geometry, and NC.
Once your
views are creat-
ed, you can
adjust how the
graphic data is
updated by each view individ-
ually. Use your View Proper-
ties to adjust the Calc Mode.
You can choose from Classic,
Classic+Shaded, Graphics,
Graphic+Shaded, and Shad-
ed update modes. Classic is
the traditional dimensioned
method. Graphics is better
for larger models. Shaded
best with renders that don’t
geometry to be dimensioned.
Just below the Calc
Mode, you’ll see Econofast.
Econofast uses occlusion
culling to give you a very fast
and efficient view update, but
requires an OpenGL-based
graphics card. If you don’t
have a compatible video
card, the option will be
grayed out. NOTE: All ME10 and Creo Elements/Direct Drafting drawings can be
imported and re-associated with their models
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
29
ANNOTATIONS: ANNOTATION APPLICATION
Annotations
PLACING VIEWS
The New Std View dialogue box starts off with the
owner of the view, and the orientation of the view. What
this means is that CED can’t generate a view for you
unless it understands the relative orientation of your part
or assembly. The command chooses some defaults for
you to make things easier, but understanding these re-
quirements can avoid a lot of frustration when working
with more complex parts.
Use the Front Dir or Up Dir options to open a 3D
viewer that will present your part or assembly. You can then spin the model(s) around and
use the 3D CoPilot widget to choose a front or up direction. These directions act as the
references for all other view options in the dialogue box. You can also change the scale as
needed. Scale is a ratio describing the relative size of your part or assembly on the drawing.
A scale of 5:1 would indicate that every 5 units of measure in the drawing represented only
1 on the part. Meaning that the drawing is five times larger than actual size. 1:1 being
actual size. (Drawing : Part/Assy)
At any point during the view definition where you have at least one type of view defined,
you can click a point on your drawing to define placement. If you’re not happy with the
placement, use Reposition Views to make updates until you are satisfied. Up until you com-
plete the view definition, you can add, remove, or reposition views as many times as you’d
like.
Your views will show-up as a hatched box on your drawing until you complete your view
creation dialogue box. Once you’re done creating the views, you will not get the same dia-
logue box to edit the views you created.
After you’ve placed your views, you can use the Move View command to
reposition, or simply click on the view border twice. The first click will bring up a
mini toolbar in case you want to access some other view command. From there
you can right-click for a contextual menu or click again. The second click acti-
vates Move View.
CREATE DEPENDENT VIEWS
Under the Annotation tab in the Setup
group, you’ll see the Dep View drop-down.
Each command has its
own dialogue box. As you
use a command you’ll no-
tice that the icon for the
Dep View drop-down
changes. You can quickly
repeat the last command.
The dependent view will show-up in
the browsers underneath its parent.
OUTLINE VIEWS
If you want to conserve some time and
don’t need the interior detail of a view,
change the “Calculate Outline Only” property
on your view. It will leave your view with
nothing but the outline of whatever part or
assembly was within. View Properties >
Visibility > Calculate.
UPDATING VIEWS
You can Move and Scale a drawing view.
You can also change a few options on de-
pendent views, but you can not change view
type. The views are actually created in Creo
Elements/Direct Modeling.
The Annota-
tion application has the position on paper,
scale, and such, but the Model contains the
actual view. The two must work together to
complete a drawing.
To keep them working together, use
Update View. This command will check the
validity of your 3D model references and
recreate your 2D projections if there’s been
an update.
Updated view geometry will change color
according to the status of the 2D and 3D
geometry. To see the colors, change Viewport
Show Setting Upd Color.
Unchanged Geometry = Magenta
Changed Geometry = Yellow
New Geometry = Cyan
Changed 3D Documentation = Orange
Transferred 2D Elements = Green
Updated 2D Elements = Blue NOTE: Choose a Configuration
from the view dialogue box or
edit the view properties to
display a Configuration rather
than the assembled position.
BEST PRACTICE: Always save your model after
making Annotation changes and updates. Not
just the drawing. Even if you don’t think that any-
thing in the model was changed. This prevents
accidental inconsistencies between the two.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
30
ANNOTATIONS: ANNOTATION APPLICATION
Annotations
your selection. There are a series of Mod
Position commands
available in the same
command group if
you plan on moving
more than the dimen-
sion.
Single. Typical
distance dimension
from one point to another.
Datum Long. A series of
single dimensions attached to a
datum on one end.
Datum Short. Same as Datum Long
except there’s no extension line on the
datum.
Chain. A stacked series of single di-
mensions where you have one occurring
after the other in turn.
Coordinate. A series of dimension
lines in the X or Y direction based off of a
single reference point.
Chamfer. Dimensional call-out at-
tached to chamfer geometry.
Sym Single. Same as a Single dimen-
sion but attached to a symmetry line.
Sym Long. Same as a Symmetry Sin-
gle, but will automatically position subse-
quent dimensions relative to the first one.
Aside from Linear dimensions, you also
have Circular and Angular dimensions to
choose from.
Tangential. Dimensions
a circle in tangential mode.
Would be used for the length
of a slot or distance between
a point and a tangent point
on a non-linear edge.
Arc. Specify the actual linear length and
actual angle of an arc.
Angle. Measured in a clockwise direc-
tion. Switch between your selected angle,
adjacent +, Opposite, and adjacent – by
right-clicking during the dimension creation.
DIMENSIONAL STANDARDS
ASME/ANSI. American Society of Me-
chanical Engineers standards adopted from
the American National Standards Institute.
DIN. Deutsches Institut fur Normung.
German institute for standardization. Mem-
ber of ISO.
ISO. International Organization for
Standardization is composed of representa-
tives from various national standards organ-
izations.
JIS. Japanese Industrial Standards pro-
vided by the Japanese Industrial Standards
committee and published through the Japa-
nese Standards Association.
Custom. You can also create custom
dimension standards to suit your needs.
ANNOTATION
Annotation is mainly about placing your
2D features along with your projected views
to complete the full representation of your
3D objects for the purposes of illustration
and/or manufacture. To that end, Creo
Elements/Direct provides several tools for
annotating your views.
DIMENSIONS
Each dimension
has a type, attach-
ment, unit of measure,
and adheres to one of
four dimension stand-
ards. (or a custom
standard)
Dimension com-
mands are found on
the Annotation tab in the Annotate com-
mand group. Relocate a dimension the
same way you would a View. Left-click the
dimension twice. First click brings-up a mini
toolbar and a right-click from that point will
show the contextual menu where you can
access dim properties. The second click
initiates the Move Dim command against
Chain Coordinate
Chamfer
Single
Datum Long
Diameter
NOTE: Value, tolerance, format, text, and
arrow adjustments can be made in the
dimension properties dialogue box.
ADDING TEXT
Text can be added to drawings by man-
ually creating text, importing text from a file,
or using a text template.
Manually add text through
the Text New command in the
Annotation tab under the Anno-
tate group. The dialogue allows
for changing style, angle, size, adjust point,
ratio, slant, line space, font, fill, frame and
color. Fill-in your text with the pop-up text
editor and define a placement position.
Import/Export text in the same Text
New command using the pop-up text editor.
Use the save and open options to grab or
save *.txt, *.lsp, or *.rec files.
Edit text with the Edit Text
command through the mini
toolbar, ribbon, or by right-
clicking on a selected text entity and select-
ing the command from the context menu.
INSERTING OBJECTS
You can insert pictures and OLE ob-
jects through the Insert tab of the Annota-
tion application. Pictures require a *.bmp,
*.png, *.tif, *.jpg, *.jpeg, or *.tiff file type.
You can also take a picture of a 3D or 2D
viewport as your image using the Viewport
dialogue box option.
You can embed objects from other
applications into your drawing using an OLE
object. For example, you could display a
Microsoft Word or Excel document.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
31
ANNOTATIONS: ANNOTATION APPLICATION
Annotations
SKETCHING GEOMETRY
Creo Elements/Direct Annotation Application comes with your typical 2D geometry cre-
ation tools under the Geometry tab; lines, rectangles, circles, splines, etc. It also includes
the associated modification tools; copy, paste, rotate, mirror, stretch, trim, etc.
Use these tools to create new 2D geometry in your drawing. The Annotation CoPilot will
help guide your geometry creation. It provides incremental movement, size indication, snap
lines, and 2D geometry snaps.
Incremental movement can be adjusted using the Page Up or
Page Down keys while creating geometry. The grid size will go from 3
decimal places up to increments of 50,000 units in 26 steps.
Size indication label shows the new element size or the modifica-
tion distance in a convenient X,Y format as you work.
Snap lines appear when you move your cursor close enough to
the catch point. By default, these snap lines are green. The catch
points are added to your buffer by holding the cursor over a vertex
for .5 seconds. (by default) A small plus sign will appear on the vertex.
You can snap to start, end, and midpoints of lines, centers, and 2D geometry intersections.
2D geometry snaps occur whenever a constraint
requirement is met. You’ll see a green symbol if the
constraint is snapping to snap lines or an orange symbol if it’s snapping to geometry.
A Sketch acts as a container for 2D geometry. It can be found on the Insert tab under
the Sketch group. To group geometry under a sketch, you can either create the geom-
etry first, and then use the Move command to change the owner of all your required
geometry or you can create an empty sketch first and change owner of your geometry
as you create it. You only need to set the owner dialogue of new geometry
once. All subsequent geometry will default to the last owner.
BOM TABLES
Your Bill of Material (BoM) commands
can be found under the Insert tab in the
BoM command group. To place a BoM ta-
ble, you must first generate or import one.
Use Scan Model to grab your BoM from an
existing assembly.
Once you have BoM data, it can be
accessed from the BoM Table command.
Assign numbering using the BoM Numbering
command.
Draw your BoM onto the drawing using
the Draw BoM command. In this dialogue,
you assign the table layout and configure
the growth direction, table range, and the
table adjustment point.
The table layout is what determines
how the table is displayed and what data
should be mapped. Default table layouts
are Company, DIN, and ISO. Configure your
own for specific columns, titles, or other
requirements using the BoM Table Layout
command.
Place position flags using the Pos Flags
command. Use dialogue option From
Table to preserve your BoM Table number-
ing. Use flag layouts to govern the look of
your position flags. Select the item from the
BoM table, the geometry view, then flag
position.
PRINTING
Printing is done in
two ways depending on
the type of printer chosen
from the print dialogue
box. Find the print dialogue in File Print.
If you’re using a GDI printer, the raw
print data is sent to the print spooler. The
spooler then produces the final output. If
using one of the generic printer types, the
internal print drivers will generate the output
and send it to a print file.
Depending on your output device(s)
configured on your machine, the Print Man-
ager may allow you to set several printer
options in addition to those offered by Creo
Elements/Direct Annotation.
Typical print configurations are PDF,
Clipboard, Laser (B&W), Laser (Color), Plot-
ter (Ink), and Plotter (Pen). You can choose
from a large list of paper sizes, select an
orientation, and even preview your settings
directly on your Annotation viewport.
3D SCREEN DUMPS
If you want to capture your 3D viewport
screen, you can create a High Resolution
Print. Select the High Resolution Print from
your print dialogue in the Creo Elements/
Direct Modeling Application. Alternately,
right-click in your 3D viewport and select
Viewport Properties. HR Print is one of the
options and will bring up your printer set-
tings dialogue. You can also use this dia-
logue to Print the output to TIFF file
rather that directly to a printer.
NOTE: You can’t move a selection list of 2D geometry by selecting and double click-
ing. You must either group the geometry into a sketch or use the Move command.
Tip: Try using the Grid Settings under File Settings Grid ...
Perpendicular
Vertical
Horizontal
Tangent
Note: You can scan an existing BoM from
the 3D Documentation Application or send
the data from Model Manager BoM Editor.
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32
ANNOTATIONS: 3D DOCUMENTATION APPLICATION
Annotations
APPLICATION: 3D DOCUMENTATION
The goal of the 3D Documentation Application is to communicate design ideas and
thoughts in the 3D environment. It provides various capabilities to attach information to
your design that may not have been easily captured by the geometry itself. For example, a
specific manufacturing process. Activate the application by selecting File Modules and
finding the Applications submenu. Put a check in the 3D Documentation check box.
Activating 3D Documentation creates three new tabs, one new envi-
ronment, and opens the template browser for your use. Annotate, 3D
Documentation and Insert are your new tabs, but only the Annotate tab
and template browser are accessible from the main Modeling application.
The Annotate tab appears to the right of your existing tabs and is high-
lighted in blue.
The new environment is accessed through the Applications tab. From there, you can
switch back and forth between both environments. This is not a totally new session as with
the Annotate Application, though. This is more like a modified Modeling environment. If you
select New Session in either environment, it applies to both. They share the same memory
space. In this 3D Documentation environment, the new Annotate tab becomes a command
group under the 3D Documentation tab and you gain Setup and Display. Under the new
Insert tab you gain BoM, Group, and Index. There are three other tabs available (Analysis,
View, and Application), but these are standard fare from the Modeling application.
With 3D Documentation, you can create 3D dimensions, GD&T symbols, and notes.
You can construct and implement Bills of Material (BoM) and attach position flags. Finally,
you can create transfer your 3D dimensions and annotations over to the Annotation Applica-
tion.
3D documentation has distinct advantages, like sharing im-
portant design information in the 3D environment with subsequent
designers, indicating important dimensions, and describing specific
manufacturing processes. Even so, you may not be able to share
your 3D annotations with every manufacturer or simply want to com-
plete the documentation in the traditional 2D format. Your 3D
documentation work is not lost. Using docuplanes, you can lever-
age your work and transfer it into the 2D Annotations Application.
SETUP COMMAND GROUP
A docuplane is similar to a workplane
with only a few differences. A docuplane
can be active at any time. A docuplane
can not exist outside of a docuplane set.
Also, docuplanes can not be saved individually. They are married to their own-
ing part or assembly. Finally, they are different in their purpose. A docuplane
only exists to transfer 3D documentation into the 2D Annotation Application.
First, create a docuplane set using New Set. This combo-command asks for the name
and owner of the new set and also defines and underlying reference direction with the Front
Dir and Up Dir options. As soon as you accept these options, the docuplane set is created
and you’re thrown into the New Docuplane dialogue. The owning DP Set is already filled-in
and you’re ready to choose a type and any other positional options for your new plane. You
can create plane after plane from the same dialogue
by clicking Next after each one.
It’s important to understand how docuplanes
are used to transfer data before you begin adding
3D documentation to your design. If an annotation is not attached to a
docuplane, it will not transfer. To attach an annotation to a docuplane,
the annotation and docuplane must share an owner. Also, dimensions
can not be transferred unless the docuplane it’s attached to is a valid
display plane that is parallel to the measure direction of the dimension.
Whenever you create an annotation, you’re given the option to attach it to a doc-
uplane. You can also modify an annotation for attachment after it’s been created or use
the Gather command to assign free 3D annotations to docuplanes. To transfer these anno-
tations you must use the Transfer Docuplane from the Annotations Application and use
Sync to DP to keep them up-to-date.
In this relationship between docuplane and Annotation Application view, the doc-
uplane is the master. Dimension positions are not synchronized, but things like scale, up
direction, normal, section line, detail border, name, or component list are all controlled by
the docuplane. The synchronization will override any conflicting changes made in the An-
notations Application with docuplane values. If you need to alter these values more perma-
nently, make your changes in the docuplane to avoid having your changes overridden with
the next sync.
NOTE: Annotations are seen from either
side of a docuplane. The labels flip as
you rotate the view to remain readable.
TIP: Matching Templates in the Template browser can make it easier to trans-
fer symbols between the 3D Documentation and Annotation Applications.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
33
ANNOTATIONS: 3D DOCUMENTATION APPLICATION
Annotations
ANNOTATE COMMAND GROUP
Whether it be attached to a docuplane or free
floating, an annotation can be created and modified
through a series of commands in the Annotate com-
mand group. (The Annotate command group also
exists in the Modeling application once the 3D Doc-
umentation application is activated.)
Dimensions. Linear, circular, angular, coordinate, and datum
long dimensions can be generated using the corresponding com-
mands. Coordinate dimensions form series of individual dimension
lines based off of a single reference. Datum long dimensions are a
series of single dimensions attached to a single datum on one end.
The interface for attaching them to 3D geometry is a little different
than what you’re used to in a 2D environment, but not by much. When you activate a di-
mension command, an elaborate dialogue box appears, but the actual dimension place-
ment is intuitive. Click the element or start and end-points needed for your dimension oper-
ation, then place the dimension text.
The 3D Note command will ask you for an element to attach a reference line. This
referenced part becomes the owner of the note and the 3D Note a feature within it. For this
reason, a 3D Note can only reference one feature of the model. They are generally used to
specify manufacturing processes or specifications.
The dialogue will ask you for a docuplane or free placement. Then you can fill-in the
actual note text using the pop-up text editor. This same editor will allow you to save and
open text files. If you enter a Ref. URL, it will be displayed as a hyperlink in the feature re-
port’s URL column. If you click Ref. File, the browser options and allows you to link a file.
Finally, you can choose the note type from Generic, Engineering, Manufacturing, or Inspec-
tion. These categories can be useful when filtering customer process features for reporting
or highlighting purposes.
Text objects are generally much more generic than the 3D Note. The dialogue box
starts off asking for the text to be entered since reference lines are much less important to
a text object. Enter or open your text as before, then add a primary reference. Optionally,
add as many secondary references as you’d like. Define placement as docuplane or free,
and place your text.
Text generated in a dimension, 3D Note, or Text can be format-
ted using the Annotation 3D Properties command. You can change
color, frame, display mode, anchor point, arrow type, size, and more.
Access the Annotations 3D Properties command from the mini
toolbar, the More dropdown, or right-click for the context menu.
Modify your anno-
tations first with Orien-
tation (if needed) and
then with Position. The
Orientation command asks for Text Dir and
Up Dir. Use any 3D references you’d like.
Surprisingly, these two simple commands
will quickly orient your annotations exactly
as required. Once you have the annotation
in the correct plane, use the Position com-
mand to move it In Plane (left and right, up
and down, as if you were viewing it straight
on a piece of paper directly in front of your
eyes), or Thru Plane (closer or further away
from you if viewed from the same orienta-
tion). Use Ref Position and Refline to
change the reference line targets and ori-
entation.
DISPLAY COMMAND GROUP
Display has a few
functions to help manage
the visibility of your anno-
tations. Show will drop
down to several com-
mands for docuplanes,
groups, annotations, features, tolerances,
and indexes. The Highlight drop down
works for docuplanes, annotations, and
features. HTML Reports can be generated
to display a list of all custom features at-
tached to a model, assembly, workplane,
WP set, or selection list. Create filters in
the dialogue box before completing the
command for cleaner output.
MODIFY WITH DIMENIONS
You may have noticed that the Move
3D command has the option to use a dimen-
sion as a transformation reference.
This will allow you to guide a transfor-
mation using a dimension, similar to how a
parametric dimension might control geomet-
ric properties. The difference is that this
relationship in CED is not exclusive. You’re
fully capable of making more modifications
with other references. Conversely, you can
guide the transformation of any geometry
using any dimensional reference. It’s not
fully restricted to the geometry that’s been
dimensioned. However, at least one ele-
ment must be directly to related to the di-
mensioned reference.
This is very similar
to behavior you might
achieve using refer-
ence cones. With this
method, though,
there’s some sem-
blance of permanency.
The dimensional refer-
ence remains to be
used over and over if
necessary.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
34
ANNOTATIONS: 3D DOCUMENTATION APPLICATION
Annotations
INSERT TAB
The Insert tab contains command groups for the insertion and management of a Bill of
Material (BoM) and an annotation Group. The BoM works similarly to the one in the Annota-
tion Application, but you’ll not be drawing the actual BoM table from here. This BoM group
is geared towards placing flags only. A Group is an organizational tool for annotations.
BOM COMMAND GROUP
Use Collect to grab BoM data from your assembly or data management source. Collect
a flat or multi-level BoM as needed. You can then use Table to see a pop-up dialogue de-
scribing your collected BoM, the new BoM table will start with empty position numbers.
Placing flags will fill-in position numbers as you go.
Placing flags with the New Pos
Flag command will pop-up
both the flag dialogue and the
BoM table. You need to use
them both, along with the 3D
viewport for flag positioning.
Double-click on a BoM table entry to fill in the BoM Entry box. The
part highlights in the 3D viewport. Type a Number or go with the
automatically assigned one. Choose docuplane or free. Optionally
adjust your text orientation. Before you can complete the dialogue,
you must choose a reference for the flag, which is some element on
the geometry of the BoM Entry that your flag reference line will point to. An arrowhead will
appear at the point you choose and a stretching reference line will allow you to place the
label. The dialogue is set-up such that using the Next option can quickly take you through a
BoM.
Using Modify Pos Flag will take you to a very similar dialogue to the one used in crea-
tion, but the BoM table doesn’t appear and you’re not able to change the owner of the posi-
tion flag. You can, however, use Delete Pos Flag to remove ALL position flags from a given
assembly. Simply use the command, click on the assembly, and confirm. If you need indi-
vidual deletion, just select a flag and hit your delete key. Use the annotation positioning
and property commands to make adjustments to the display of your flag.
GROUP COMMAND GROUP
All annotation types can be contained
in groups. Groups can also contain other
groups. When selected, a group will return
all children directly within it and all children
of any subgroups.
A New Fixed group can be quickly pro-
duced from a selection list. Simply define
by clicking on the specific annotations
you’re interested in grouping. Your selec-
tions can belong to any part or assembly
owned by the group’s owner or by any sub-
assembly or subgroup thereof.
You can create general or exclusive
fixed groups. Within general fixed groups, a
single annotation can belong to multiple
groups. A general fixed group can be a
parent or subgroup. Exclusive fixed groups
can only be subgroups. They must have a
parent group. Within exclusive fixed
groups, an annotation can only belong to
one group. That same annotation, howev-
er, can belong to several owners outside of
the exclusive group hierarchy.
A New Variable group is created with
the intention of having the group update its
own membership list. Membership is con-
trolled by a rule you generate from any
number of annotation properties.
To modify a group’s options or mem-
berships, right-click the group in your struc-
ture browser and choose the modify option.
Use Show to highlight and traverse
your annotation group hierarchies. You can
also use Show to hide/show entire groups
of annotations.
Note: BoM data can be
used by the Annotations
Application using the
Scan Model command.
TEMPLATE BROWSER
The Template browser in the 3D Docu-
mentation application is identical in behav-
ior to the one in the Annotation application
with a few restrictions on the geometry al-
lowed in your symbols. You can not use
splines, hatches, dimensions, symmetry
lines, centerlines, construction lines, or
points. Further, your elements can not have
a line size of zero. Text can not have a ratio
of 1 and slant of 0. You must also have a
frame on your text.
Standard templates include GD&T Da-
tum and Tolerance, Surface symbols, and
Welding symbols. The selection has been
pruned to comply with the restrictions of
being affixed to geometry in 3 dimensional
space. To add a template, simply double
left-click the template from your template
browser or use the Create Symbol command
and fill-in the dialogue box for parameters
and placement. When added to a
drawing, symbol templates can
allow you to specify new values for
named parameters. The “Smart”
fields are filled-in as needed.
New user-defined templates
can be created and added to the
template browser as needed
using Define Template.
Specify the default owner of
any GD&T templates using GDT
Owner. Any subsequently created
GD&T templates will default to
the specified owner. It’s located
in the overflow menu More
under the Annotate command
group.
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MODEL MANAGER: INTRODUCTION
Model Manager
PRODUCT DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Model Manager is the fully integrated Product Data Management (PDM) system for Creo Elements/Direct. Data management is extremely important when working with a large number
of files and an extended design team. Manual file shares can be managed for a time, but quickly become more of a burden than a solution. Compare common data management concerns
without and with a software solution in place.
Manually managed by a CAD administrator or by each design-er. They create an elaborate system of folders to maintain data integrity.
There is usually nothing to prevent a designer from operating outside the convention other than doctrine.
Large numbers of files become increasingly difficult to manage as you approach the critical limit for hardware, networking, or have exhausted manual intervention options.
The IT department refuses to take ownership because of the overriding engineering knowledge required to decrypt the data structure and version control conventions.
Communicating data outside of the design team in a con-sistent and efficient manner becomes virtually impossible.
CAD administrators usually develop a complex system of file naming to accommodate the need to maintain version history.
There is usually nothing to prevent a designer from operating outside the convention other than doctrine.
Versions become confused. Newer versions are overwritten due to lack of control. Older versions are duplicated across the elaborate data structure.
Permissions are usually ignored beyond the need to maintain a separation between administration and design.
In larger file share environments, departments are given own-ership of file structure trees or segments in their entirety. Library data is copied across each segment.
Team or project based permission management is out of the question in most cases.
Data reuse is normally a file copy/paste exercise. Aside from the relationship corruptions, the difficulty is in knowing what’s available for reuse. Some teams print catalogs of categorized part images with file locations that are not kept up-to-date.
In larger file share environments, some have given-up on re-use in general. The best they can manage is keeping the same designers on subsequent projects so they’re knowledge-able enough to know what can be reused.
WITHOUT A PDM SYSTEM
Product structure and file structure are maintained separately. What makes sense for the product is kept isolated from data management concerns. File structure become irrelevant to design and is maintained automatically.
File stores are still at the mercy of hardware limitations, but software solutions mitigate the impact of hardware and net-working shortcomings on the design team. Hardware and networking issues are relegated to the IT department and data integrity is maintained automatically regardless of the file size or number of files within those limits.
Versions are maintained by the system. One file name is rep-resentative of the latest version and all previous versions. Default interaction assumes the latest version, but version history is always available when needed.
Permissions can be left open or narrowed down to depart-ment, project, team, or individual as necessary. You can even configure external access safely; Secure in the knowledge that your external visitors only have access to what they were given access to.
All objects in the system have a series of searchable attributes and notes associated with them that have been configured by your administration team to include everything your designers feel is important. Parts and assemblies have a special Save-As type function that allows the user to reuse data without corrupting relationships.
DATA STRUCTURE
VOLUME OF DATA
VERSION CONTROL
PERMISSION CONTROL
DATA REUSE
CONCERNS WITH A PDM SYSTEM
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MODEL MANAGER: MODEL MANAGER BREAKDOWN
Model Manager
INTERFACE BREAKDOWN
Model Manager comes in three pieces, generally speaking. First, your interface in Creo
Elements/Direct Modeling is altered to accommodate Model Manger. Second, you get a
brand new Workspace window for data management. Third, there’s a centralized database
and a server application on your network that manage the storage and access of all CED
hosted data. This guide will cover the first two pieces of Model Manager from the user per-
spective by describing, from a high level, the interface and capabilities.
First, Creo Elements/Direct Modeling gains new right-click menus, file management
menus, a new DB Attributes Browser, a new Model Manager tab and matching toolbar (View
Toolbars), and most visibly gains bracket symbols [ ] to the right of each object in the
Structure Browser. The Model Manager information is displayed in the Structure Browser as
— Name [MajorRev.MinorRev] Status.
Second, the interface for the workspace window of Model Manager is very similar to
Creo Elements/Direct. It has a quick access toolbar, ribbon UI, and a Details Panel on the
left where the Structure Browser would be. The main viewport, now Information Panel,
shows information specific to each tab of the Workspace Bar rather than your 3D models.
The workspace acts as your window
to data management outside of
Creo Elements/Direct.
DATA BREAKDOWN
Model Manager stores all of your files
in one large repository. Think of it as a
software managed network drive without
subfolders. The local workspace window
provides a representation of the data sored
in that central repository. That view is re-
freshed every 15 minutes (configurable).
From Creo Elements/Direct, a refresh
will show you a status message to the right
of your model name. You’ll see things like
New, Up-to-date, Locally modified, and Con-
flict. From the right-click menu you can
choose to reload, save, or resolve data
differences as needed.
The default method for file storage is
the 3D Data format provided by Creo Ele-
ments/Direct. It’s a very flexible format
and offers direct access to part and assem-
bly files. There is only one data source per
part or assembly. All iterations of the same
part or assembly are simply references to
the original. (This is contrary to package
files where the same source data might be
found in two different files)
If you have an assembly with four
unique parts in it, then the CED format will
produce six files.
One assembly instance. *.sda
One assembly contents. *.sdac
Four part contents. *.sdpc
ORGANIZATION BREAKDOWN
The default method for data organiza-
tion is through the use of save/search/
load. All data resides in one place and you
must fish for what you need through the
use of search strings and attribute hooks.
<EnablePackets>true</EnablePackets>
Beyond save/search/load, the primary
method for organizing, controlling, and
sharing your data is through the use of
Packets. Your administrator must turn
Packets on through the XML configuration
file.
Packets are used to control and or-
ganize data within and send data outside
of your PDM system. Once implemented,
Packets change the typical workflow in
Model Manager.
Nothing can be created, modified, or
deleted unless it’s in a packet. Think of a
packet as an envelope. Each user has their
own envelope (or mailbox). You can’t open
someone else's mail and they can’t open
yours. However, for collaboration, you can
send envelopes to whoever you need.
<EnableProjects>false</EnableProjects>
Projects and Folders offer a logical
organization and permission control of data
based on container ownership. These
methods are provided for backwards com-
patibility only. They’re off by default. One
major deficiency in Projects is that you can-
not assign roles or permissions directly to
Folders.
1) Quick Access Toolbar
2) Ribbon UI
3) Workspace Bar
4) Quick Search
5) Details Panel
6) Info Panel
Tip: Create new packets (envelopes) to organize
your data into groups (mailboxes). Logically label
them according to project, design phase, etc.
BEST PRACTICE: Use the Refresh command
to get the latest view of your data before
making critical decisions with data that’s
being manipulated by multiple designers.
BEST PRACTICE: Model Manager is highly configurable and is rarely used for long without
alteration. It excels at matching your preferences and processes. Plan on it.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
37
MODEL MANAGER: SEARCH AND LOAD
Model Manager
SEARCHING
Search for information in your workspace window
for Model Manager or the File Open From Model Man-
ager dialogue from CED. Use the quick search function
or use the main search interface. Switch to the main
search interface in Model Manger by clicking the Search tab in the Workspace Bar.
If you’re not using the Project, Folder, and Packet functionality,
searching is your only method for finding data. There is no browsing
other than any lists you’ve created; Recent List and Favorites.
The quick search includes the Name, Version, and Data Class of
the objects in the database. Results are presented in the Information
Panel below your Workspace Bar.
A full search can be executed from the Search tab in the Work-
space Bar. First, choose your data type. Then, you’ll see a set of at-
tributes associated with your data type. Your top 1000 search results
(or fewer) will appear in the Information Panel. Search options, object
preview, and details are available in the Detail Panel as you click
through your results.
You can run similar searches from the File Open From Model
Manager dialogue from Creo Elements/Direct.
LOAD OPTIONS
Single select or multi-select your mod-
els from the Recent List, Favorites, or Open
dialogue. Load from your search results by
right-click, double click, or ribbon UI. All
roads lead to the same pop-up dialogue.
Having chosen your files, the Load
Options Dialogue allows you to more specif-
ically decide which versions, structure
members, and level of geometry you want
to load. In most cases, you could likely
forgo any further specification and simply
click Load when this dialogue appears. The
defaults will load your files at the highest
revision with full geometry.
Navigate the assembly structure by
using the plus/minus icons on the left side
of the table.
Load Rules and Revision column. The
Load rules are As Stored, Highest Revi-
sions, or Highest Released Revisions. De-
fault is Highest Revision. Make your rule
selection to alter the entire list, but note
that you can still make changes to the Revi-
sion column individually as needed.
Use the Filter to scrub the list for Modi-
fiable Items, Non Modifiable Items, Full
Geometry, Lightweight Model, or Partial
(structure only). Notice that you can alter
each individual item in the list by clicking
the dropdown arrow next to the object icon.
Masterdata is a meta-placeholder for
all models, drawings, supporting docu-
ments, and BoM data for a specific manu-
factured instance. Masterdata is helpful
when you have a part or assembly repre-
sented by more than one drawing or docu-
ment. It’s also helpful when you have one
document that needs to be attached to
many drawings. Picture a part that’s cast
and molded in different colors with differ-
ent logos. When more than one master
data exists you can select between them
from the masterdata column. This will load
the geometry and attach the information
stored with the alternate masterdata.
The Options submenu allows you to
configure the way loading takes place.
Your selections are saved and will carry
from session to session. TIP: You can use ? as a single character and * as a general wildcard in searches.
TIP: Save your complex searches so you can run them again later.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
38
MODEL MANAGER: SAVE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Model Manager
SAVING DATA
You can save data from several interface options. You
can use the Model Manger tab inside Creo Elements/Direct
(CED) ribbon. You can use the File Save to Model Manag-
er command from CED. Right-click your model in the Struc-
ture Browser for model manger save options. Use the model manger toolbar (View
Toolbars). All roads lead to the same pop-up dialogue.
The Save Options Dialogue allows you to
specify save type, name, whether or not to
create thumbnails, search, and filter. In most
cases, you could likely forgo any further
specification and simply click Save when this
dialogue appears. Understanding your op-
tions will help you decide when that’s the
case and when it’s not.
The name value synchronizes with the
Model Name attribute in Modeling. It
can be set in the part properties, but if
you don’t set it Model Manager will
use the instance name. You’re given
the opportunity to change the name in
the save dialogue. This will be auto-
populated if using a number generator.
Toggle the binocular icon to highlight or un-highlight table entries based on their status
as modified items or new entries. Use the filter capability to scrub your table for modified
items or new entries.
There are four different Set Save Types. They will alter the versioning method across
all entries in your table. Note that you can still make individual changes even after selecting
a Set Save Type. Major Rev ALL Items will assume you want to go up one major revision for
everything being saved regardless of its change status. Minor Rev MODIFIED Items (the
Default) will add to your version history one minor revision level for every modified item in
your save table. Major Rev MODIFIED Items will do the same but bump the major revision
level. Overwrite MODIFIED Items doesn’t create a new revision. It overwrites the last revi-
sion with your new data.
CONFLICTS
Model Manager identifies potential problems before they happen. Without Model
Manager these conflicts are usually left undetected until they become a major issue. The
two types of conflicts are Name and SysID.
A Name conflict occurs when someone attempts to save a model into Model Manager
that has the same name, but different SysID of a model that already exists in Model Man-
ager. If it were a historical revision of the same part, it would have the same name and
the same SysID.
There are several ways to resolve a name conflict through the numerous methods to
rename parts and assemblies. The Auto Number Generator can even help you avoid the
issue altogether. If parts are set-up to use the Auto Number Generator, no duplicates
occur. When they do occur, the name conflict resolution wizard can suggest a resolution
for you. You can also use the wizard to enable a renaming rule to batch resolve a collec-
tion of similar conflicts.
A SysID conflict occurs when you have a model in session from outside Model Manag-
er that has the same SysID and name as a model already stored in Model Manager. This
usually happens when you load data from the hard drive while working with Model Manag-
er data.
With a SysID conflict you can assign a new SysID to the object in session, replace your
conflicting local data with Model Manager data, or replace Model Manager data with your
local information. You should very rarely ever need to replace Model Manager data with
your local information. If your session information is truly a newer revision of the existing
Model Manager data, you should use the Make Version command rather than overwriting
any data.
Likewise, you should rarely use the Continue to Save option when you run into a con-
flict during a save operation. Investigate the conflict unless you’re absolutely certain of
the issue and the impact of saving into Model Manager.
NOTE: If you’ve configured the number generator,
use the button to get the next number. Each
subsequent click will increase the number by the
configured value.
ALERT: If you're using Packets, you can
not overwrite unless the data is in a
packet you own.
NOTE: You can now save a full structure by
saving the highest member. Lower members
are automatically saved with the parent.
BEST PRACTICE: SysID conflicts can also happen when storing package file data into
Model Manager for the first time and when re-using data by making a copy and
renaming it.
The Assign new SysID to local model command should be used any time new
data is introduced into the system or copied from existing data. This will prevent
corruptions and confusion down the road.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
39
MODEL MANAGER: BOMS, VERSIONING, AND INSEPERABLE OBJECTS
Model Manager
VERSIONING
Versioning can be found in Creo Elements/Direct (CED) on
the Structure tab under the Part & Assembly group. Companies
don’t always model every component that they use internally.
They’ll often send models out for revision, be contracted to work
on a section of another design in progress, or themselves sub-
contract a section of a design to someone who doesn’t use Creo
Elements/Direct. This situation can create major disturbances
in the design process as each participant revises their section of
the design.
The main issue being resolved for CED has to do with the
Model ID. Any time you load an imported model, it’s viewed
as a new model and assigned a new Model ID. Therefore,
you would need to manually re-integrate the new version into
your design. As far as Model Manager is concerned, two dif-
ferent Model IDs means two different parts.
Use Make Version to load and version the original part or assembly. This is where you
might take a model from a vendor or contractor that’s done work on something you’ve
already integrated into your design.
INSEPARABLE OBJECTS
Also in CED, you can Create Inseperable objects from the
Inseperable dropdown under the Structure tab in the Part & As-
sembly group. Inseperable objects are created from assemblies
that need to be represented in BoMs as a single part. For exam-
ple, you may have a welded assembly that is actually several
parts but is purchased as and needs to be listed as a single part
in the BoM.
The Inseperable object will appear as a single part in subsequent BoM scans and ap-
pear in the Structure Browser with a distinctive red circle next to the assembly and part
icons. See the Structure Browser icons in the appendix for examples. Reverse your chang-
es with the Separate command.
The Bill of Material Editor in Model Manager can also flag objects as inseperable and
reverse the change during the generation of a BoM report. The settings can be saved as a
Configuration and reused as the BoM progresses through design.
BILL OF MATERIAL EDITOR
The Bill of Material (BoM) Editor is a separately licensed add-on module for Model Man-
ager. It can construct a BoM from the product structures housed in Model Manager. The
use of the BoM Editor doesn’t require Creo Elements/Direct (CED). You can therefore rele-
gate BoM Editor responsibilities outside of design engineering.
The BoM Editor uses masterdata information. Alternative masterdata entries can be
used to build different BoMs so that multiple products can be made without needing to du-
plicate the design. To create masterdata, right click on your assembly and select Scan from
the context menu. You can also find Scan under the Structure tab in the BoM group.
Once you have masterdata to work with, use the BoM Editor command from the same
right click context menu. You can also find the BoM Editor command under the Structure
tab in the BoM group. From the BoM editor, you can add non-modeled parts like solder,
paint, or lubricants. You can add spare and documentation items. You can also add pro-
cess specific tools or materials for manufacturing.
The first time an item is added in this fashion, you will likely need to use the New Mas-
terdata command. An item that already has masterdata can be added with the Existing
Masterdata command. Compare BoMs between versions or assemblies by using the Com-
pare BoMs command.
Generate custom BoM reports from the Tools menu with the Generate Reports com-
mand. You can create flat, consolidated, and structured BoM reports. Include, exclude,
show, and hide parts as necessary for your reports. You can explode an assembly structure
using the Phantom option (uses the parts but not assembly structure) or define Inseparable
assembly structures that should be treated as a single part rather than an assembly. Add
or remove custom fields for the report like Effectivity or Options. Save all this back to your
masterdata as a Con-
figuration so you don’t
need to repeat the
effort as things change.
You can also use the
Send To command to
export a BoM to HTML,
MS Excel, CSV, Annota-
tion, Drafting, and Mod-
eling.
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40
PLATFORM SUPPORT
Appendix A: Support
Operating System Windows 7 32-bit Editions: Ultimate, Enterprise, and Professional
Windows 7 64-bit Editions: Ultimate, Enterprise, and Professional
Windows Vista 32-bit Editions: Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise
Windows Vista 64-bit Editions: Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise
Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Professional x64
System Memory (RAM) Minimum: 1GB
Recommended: 2GB or more
Very large assemblies: 64-bit processor with 6GB or more
CPU Intel Pentium (III, 4, M, D)
Intel Xenon
Intel Celeron
Intel Core
AMD Athelon
AMD Opteron
Note: Support for single and multi-core CPUs.
Video Display Minimum: 1024x768
Note: Available dual monitor support
Workstations Available certified/supported workstations from different partners.
http://www.ptc.com/partners/hardware/current/support.htm
Optical Drive DVD
Hard Disk Space During DVD Installation: 3GB
Minimum: 2GB
License Server At least one Create Elements/Direct License Server is required
locally or within a network to host and maintain licenses for Creo
Elements/Direct 18 products
Virtual Machines Creo Elements/Direct Modeling 18.1 is not tested or certified on
virtual machines such as Microsoft VirtualPC or VMware products.
Creo Elements/Direct 18.1
Operating System Windows 7 32-bit Editions: Ultimate, Enterprise, and Professional
Windows Vista 32-bit Editions: Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise
Windows XP Professional
System Memory (RAM) Minimum: 512MB
CPU Intel Pentium (III, 4, M, D)
Intel Xenon
Intel Celeron
Intel Core
AMD Athelon
AMD Opteron
Note: Support for single and multi-core CPUs.
Optical Drive DVD
Hard Disk Space During DVD Installation: 3GB
Minimum: 300MB
Model Manager 18.1 Client
Operating System Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit Edition
Windows Server 2008 32-bit and 64-bit Editions of Standard and Enterprise
Windows Server 2003 32-bit and 64-bit Editions of Standard and Enterprise
Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit Editions of Ultimate, Enterprise, and Professional
Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit Editions of Ultimate, Enterprise, and Business
Windows XP Professional 32-bit and 64-bit Editions
System Memory (RAM) Minimum: 2GB (1-20 Creo Elements/Direct Model Manager clients)
Optical Drive DVD
Hard Disk Space During DVD Installation: 3GB
Minimum: 18GB
License Server At least one Creo Elements/Direct License Server is required locally or within a
network to host and maintain licenses for Creo Elements/Direct 18 products.
Virtual Machines Creo Elements/Direct Model Manager client and server are not tested or certi-
fied on virtual machines such as Microsoft VirtualPC or VMware products.
Additional Information For specific, detailed system requirements please refer to
http://www.ptc.com/partners/hardware/current/creo-elements-direct-
Model Manager 18.1 Server
Platform support information is kept up-to-date by PTC at
http://www.ptc.com/partners/hardware/current/support.htm
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
41
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Appendix A: Support
PTC TECHNICAL SUPPORT—PHONE
PTC can be contacted via the phone for technical support and license management in
local time zones and local languages. Support outside of the Monday-Friday business hours
is provided only in English. If you’re current on maintenance and unless you made an addi-
tional investment in PTC support, you’re a Gold-level support customer. As such, you will
receive phone support 24x5 during the workweek. GOLDplus customers get the addition of
weekend support for critical issues. Platinum support customers receive continuous 24x7
phone support.
United States and Canada Technical Support (800) 477-6435
United States and Canada Customer Care (877) ASK-4-PTC (877-275-4782)
PTC TECHNICAL SUPPORT—WEB
PTC provides a wealth of tools and information on the web. First, you need to have a
PTC account. Once that’s in place, you may need to upgrade the account based on your
customer information. PTC provides a knowledge base, case logger, case tracker, SPR
Tracker, subscriptions, and more for your web based technical support needs.
CREATING A PTC ACCOUNT
In order to access PTC web support,
users are required to create an account.
This can be done by accessing the PTC
website at www.ptc.com and clicking the
“Login” link. From there click the “Create
Basic Account” link and follow the dialogue.
UPGRADING A PTC ACCOUNT
Upgrade a basic account through the
“Upgrade to a Customer Support Web Ac-
count” link and dialogue. Upgrading ena-
bles access to tools such as logging and
tracking calls, software downloads, and
searching the Knowledge Base.
CASE LOGGER
Create a new case to document a sin-
gle issue through the web or phone and a
case number is generated for you. Subse-
quent emails, phone calls, file references,
and all other records are tied to your case
number. Find the Case Logger on the PTC
support web site while logged-in.
CASE TRACKER
The Case Tracker allows customers to
view the status of a case, see who’s as-
signed to the case, view history, and upload
additional files. This is also where you’d
escalate a case if necessary. Escalation will
push the call up to a technical support man-
ager.
SPR TRACKER
A software performance report (SPR)
documents an issue that requires a soft-
ware correction due to a bug or problem
with the current software version and date-
code. An SPR can be generated if multiple
call numbers or customers refer to a single
issue. The SPR Tracker allows a customer
to track the status and resolution of an
SPR.
PTC/USER SUBSCRIPTIONS
PTC/User is a free, dedicated forum for
the PTC user community. Share infor-
mation, tips and tricks, and issues with oth-
er users across the globe. It’s a great site to
ask questions, receive answers, and discuss
multiple PTC-related topics.
http://www.ptcuser.org
COCREATE USER FORUM
The forum was originally sponsored by
the CoCreate America’s User Group which
has since dissolved. The main site hasn’t
been updated since 2003, but the user
forums are still active. They provide a his-
torical archive and current conversations.
http://www.cocreateusers.org/forum
Case Logger
PTC’s Support Website
http://www.ptc.com/support/
NOTE: Signing up for a basic account will only give
you access to basic functionality at PTC’s website.
To gain access commensurate with your purchas-
es, it will be necessary to upgrade the account.
BEST PRACTICE: The following are required in order
to successfully upgrade a basic account.
1. Customer Number
2. Service Contract Number (SCN) or
Sales Order Number (SON)
To find out how to obtain the customer number,
SCN, and SON, refer to the Frequently Asked
Questions page for Licensing on the PTC website
by searching for the key word: PTC Order and
License Support FAQ.
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
42
CREO ELEMENTS/DIRECT SHORTCUTS
Appendix B: Creo Elements/Direct Shortcuts
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS MOUSE BEHAVIOR
VIEWPORT SHORTCUTS
STRUCTURE BROWSER SHORTCUTS
F1 Help on Current Context
F2 Open Selection Menu
F3 Toggle Global Axis
F4 Toggle 3D Hidden Edges Visibility
F5 Toggle 3D Geometry Visibility
F6 Toggle 3D Shaded/Wireframe View
F7 Toggle Workplane Borders Visibility
F8 Toggle Local Workplane Axis Visibility
F11 Toggle Full Screen for Current Viewport
F12 Toggle Structure Browser
Ctrl+Z Undo One
Ctrl+Y Redo One
Ctrl+Q Hide/Show Open Menus
Ctrl+X Cut Selection to Clipboard
Ctrl+C Copy Selection to Clipboard
Ctrl+V Paste Selection Contents
Ctrl+N New Session
Ctrl+O Open Load Dialogue Window
Ctrl+S Open Save Dialogue Window
Ctrl+F Opens Search/Filter Dialogue from Structure Browser
Left Click Select a single item
Ctrl+Left Click Select multiple items
Left Click and Hold Drag and drop
Shift+Middle Click Expand or collapse select-
ed object
Right-Click Display context-sensitive
menu
Double-Click Apply selection
Right-Click Apply Apply selection
Space Open command specific mini toolbar
Shift+Space Toggle command dialogue box
Delete Delete selected 2D and 3D elements
Tab Initiate or cycle to next selection method in
sequence starting from initially highlighted face
Shift+Tab Initiate or cycle to previous selection method in
sequence starting from initially highlighted face
(Boss/Pocket, Rib, Slot, Boss, and Pocket)
Ctrl+Tab Activate probe selection
Arrow keys Rotate view by 45°
Shift+Arrow keys Rotate view by 3°
Ctrl+Arrow keys Pan view
R Relative measurement
B Create a bend (arc)
Z Undo the last 2D command
Shift Suspend snapping
I Ignore a snap
L Toggle snap locking
Delete Clear catch memory
PgUp Increase adaptive grid size
PgDn Decrease adaptive grid size
Home Reset adaptive grid
Shift+Ctrl Snap to center
Left-Click Single select
Start selection window (while dragging mouse)
Selection list: Toggle selection list membership
Middle-Click Ok/complete command (when mouse is still)
Dynamic rotate (while dragging mouse)
Right-Click Pop-up context sensitive menu (when mouse is still)
Dynamic pan (while dragging mouse)
Shift+Left-Click Select list start/resume
Shift+Middle-Click Dynamic pan (while dragging mouse)
Shift+Right-Click Pop-up menu with catch, select, and show options
Ctrl+Left-Click Dynamic pan (while dragging mouse)
Ctrl+Middle-Click Dynamic rotate (while dragging mouse)
Ctrl+Right-Click Dynamic zoom (while dragging mouse)
Alt+Middle-Click Over a face: New workplane on face then start Line/Arc
Shift+Alt+Middle-Click Over planar face: Move face by typed distance
Shift+Alt+Left-Click Over planar face: Move face by From point and To point
2D COPILOT SHORTCUTS
Length Units
um, mm, cm, m, km, uin, mil,
inch, foot, yard mile
Angle Units
deg, rad, grd
Angle Degrees to Decimal
Degrees:Minutes:Seconds
Math
+, -, *, /, sin, cos, tan, asin,
acos, atan, sqrt, exp, PI
floor(n), ceil(n), ^ (power)
DIALOGUE BOX
CONVERSIONS
Ctrl+H Hide elements
Ctrl+U Unhide elements
Shift+F4 Toggle tangent lines
Shift+F5 Toggle sketched geometry
Shift+F7 Toggle vertexes
Shift+F10 Toggle update colors
Shift+F11 Show template browser
Shift+F12 Show drawing browser
ANNOTATION APPLICATION KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
43
STRUCTURE BROWSER ICONS
Appendix C: Structure Browser Icons
Part
Assembly
Container
Stock/finish relation
Workplane
Workplane set
Face part
Wire frame part (3D curve)
Coordinate system
3D view set of an Annotation drawing
3D view of an Annotation drawing
3D docuplane set
3D docuplane
Multi-section
Part loaded with the lightweight option
selected
Configuration
OBJECTS
Modified
Locked
Multiple versions of a part loaded
Shared part
Shared assembly
Selective instance
Untouchable—due to open references
the object cannot be modified
Open references
Partial assembly
Partial part
Partial container
Partial workplane
Partial workplane set
Inseparable assembly
Inseparable container
Inseparable face part
Inseparable part
Inseparable stock/finish relation
Inseparable wire part
Inseparable workplane
Inseparable workplane set
Feature
Part group
Fixed or variable 3D annota-
tion group
GD&T datum
GD&T tolerance
Applied taper feature
Not applied taper feature
Clipping feature
Assembly which is a version of an original
Part which is a version of an original
Container which is a version of an original
Workplane which is a version of an original
Workplane set which is a version of an original
Face part which is a version of an original
Wire frame part which is a version of an original
Partially loaded objects are displayed with the
same icons shown in the partially loaded ob-
Drawing
Sheet
View updated using Econofast mode
View updated using Graphics mode
View — updated
View—not updated
View—error
Flat view—updated
Flat view—not updated
Flat view—error
OLE object
Sketch
Modified
Frame
Shared view—updated
Shared view—not updated
Shared view—error
Section line
Detail border
Cutaway border
Picture
Stepped Hole
Countersunk Partially Toleranced Through Hole
Countersunk Through Hole
Counterbored Through Hole
Counterbored Through Hole with Chamfers
Threaded Hole
Partially Threaded Through Hole
Partially Threaded Blind Hole
Flat Blind Hole
Countersunk Partially Toleranced Flat Blind Hole
Countersunk Partially Toleranced Blind Hole
Countersunk Flat Blind Hole
Countersunk Blind Hole
Blind Hole
ANNOTATION
STATUS
INSEPARABLE
FEATURES
PARTIALLY LOADED
MACHINING MODULE
VERSIONS
Up-to-date
Out-of-date
Invalid
Partially loaded or lightweight
subject or undefined
CLASH ANALYSIS
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44
QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR, RIBBON, PROMPT, AND USER INPUT LINE
Appendix D: Interface Breakdown
Quick Access Toolbar. Located in the upper left hand corner of the
interface, it provides quick access to frequently-used commands.
You can customize it by adding, removing and reordering commands
(buttons and groups) to it. Right-click any command from the com-
mand search or ribbon UI to add them to the Quick Access Toolbar.
The Ribbon UI is an interface style where a set of toolbars are placed
on tabs in a tab bar at the top of the screen. Each tab in the ribbon
contains icon commands that are organized into groups. This is also
where you’ll see new colored tabs appear as modules and applica-
tions need them.
The ribbon UI provides an efficient layout for modeling
commands. The most frequently used commands are displayed in
large icons. Less common commands are displayed with smaller
icons. Uncommonly used commands are grouped into submenus
within each section of the ribbon.
Prompt Bar. By default, displayed in the status bar on the bottom left corner of the interface. It provides general feedback, mes-
sages, and guidance. It can be removed from the Status Bar as its own entity using the Ribbon ViewToolbarsPrompt Bar.
Closely Related Command Groups
Functional Areas Divided Into Tabs
Utilities Command Group Is
commonly located on all but the
View and Application tabs. It
provides quick access to several
frequently used utilities.
Settings. Most command groups provide a settings button that provides quick ac-
cess to a dialogue for those system settings that are related to that command group.
These same settings can also be accessed from the Settings menu located in the
File tab.
User Input Line. Several commands within Creo Elements/Direct
will require keyboard input to complete without a dedicated
dialogue box. Also, when drawing in 2D, you can enter coordi-
nates instead of clicking on the viewport. Use the U,V syntax
with each coordinate separated by a comma. To specify several
coordinates, separate each with a space.
Enter a command name to start that command. For exam-
ple, type “LINE” to start the Line command. You can also set
and retrieve variable values using setf (S E T F) and the variable
name. For example, “setf a 20” will make the variable “a” equal
to the number “20”. Typing the variable name into the User
Input Line is the same as typing its value. Note: String values
must be contained in double quotes.
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45
STRUCTURE BROWSER, CATCH TOOLBAR, AND STATUS BAR
Appendix D: Interface Breakdown
Search and Filter icons will pop-up a dialogue
used to find, filter, and display items from the
Structure Browser based on your criteria.
Status Bar is found on the lower right hand section of the main interface. It
shows the alert history, current workplane, part, and settings for Catch and
Units. Also shows pre-selection focus, quick viewport settings, and a "previous
application" switch. Configurable on right-click.
Structure Browser lists all currently loaded 3D objects and elements and shows their interrelationships through its hierarchal structure. You can control the display of 3D objects and ele-
ments using the check box next to each one. You can also expand and collapse the hierarchy as needed with the plus and minus symbols. The structure browser has a details display
option toggled by the blue table icon located just below the Structure Browser tab icon. This alternate view will show a context sensitive list of properties. The browser area will also house
new tabs like the Template Browser, Drawing Browser, and DB Attributes Browser as your active modules and applications that require a browser. It’s located on the left pane of the inter-
face but can be undocked and moved about.
Catch Toolbar can be activated from the View tab or by clicking
the Catch icon on the Status Bar. It controls the settings for your 2D
and 3D snaps with three unique groups of settings.
Next Catch settings only apply to the very next caught entity. It
returns to default settings after the next catch operation.
Default 2D and Default 3D refer to the default behavior in 2D
mode and 3D mode for your next catch and every subsequent opera-
tion. Take care when making changes to these settings as they can
have a drastic impact on the 2D and 3D modeling environments.
Quick Viewport Settings. From left to
right the viewport commands are Full
Screen, Window, Last View, and Fit.
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46
FILE TAB
Appendix D: Interface Breakdown
File Tab is a unique tab providing the application’s most intrinsic commands. It pro-
vides load and save functionality, database access, print capability, and customiza-
tion.
New Session will wipe all objects from your current environment and start
fresh. There is no Close option so a New Session is the best way to start anew other
than closing and reopening the application. Open, Save, and Print work much like
you’d expect from any other Windows based application with the exceptions of CAD
specific nuances such as, opening a myriad of CAD data formats with extensible
translation capabilities. Also, saving data out selectively to different file formats.
The interaction with different data storage methods might also be a little different
than Windows users may be use to, but the concept is the same — New, Open, Save,
and Print.
Edit file will open the selected file in a separate text editor. The Modules sec-
tion is where you’ll make adjustments to which modules, applications, and interfaces
are active in your environment. Some of these options will require licenses beyond
the standard, but that’s clearly indicated in the dialogue.
Use Settings to tweak how your various functional areas look and operate while
Customize will get into extensive toolbar, pop-up, and keyboard modifications. Op-
tions is where you make modifications to the Quick Access Toolbar, Ribbon UI, and
your Command Mini Toolbars.
Finally, search for any command in the interface with your command finder at
the bottom of the File tab. Results will be displayed in a list which replaces the rest
of your File tab options while you’re searching. You can right-click results to add
them to your Quick Access Toolbar or execute directly. Take note that the command
finder search text looks in the command description as well as the command name.
Toolbox is an empty menu
that you can use to place
your frequently-used com-
mands. You can drag this
menu item to any toolbar
or to the top menu bar
itself in order to get faster
access to the Toolbox
buttons.
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47
MODELING, STRUCTURE, AND FEATURE TABS
Appendix D: Interface Breakdown
Modeling Tab contains most of your 2D and 3D object creation and manipulation tools. You’ll need to start with a workplane and a 2D profile to create 3D geometry, so those tools are available
on this tab in the New and Draw groups. The 2D CoPilot will help streamline 2D profile creation. Tweak your 2D profile with commands from the Modify 2D group. Once you Pull some geometry,
shape it with your intuitive 3D CoPilot and/or use the Model and Modify 3D commands. Round or Chamfer your edges or put your final Tapers in place with the Engineering group.
Structure Tab. Through the use of different types of containers, the Structure Tab offers faster assembly manipulation, complex feature intelligence storage, helper object creation, and even a
special container to store different assembly positions for your process drawings. Everything you would need to organize and prepare for assembly management and documentation. The Struc-
ture Tab also introduces the concepts of part and assembly sharing and instancing to capitalize on reuse. Your more advanced workplane commands are found here too. Some of the com-
mands in the Modeling tab and 3D Geometry tabs may require you to use the more advanced workplane tools found here.
Feature Tab. The Feature tab organizes your parts. While Creo Elements/Direct is history free, it may become necessary, and it’s even recommended in some cases, to organize part history or
design specific elements into containers for future reference. These commands allow you to group faces and other elements together into their own containers. The New Pattern command can
only be executed against certain containers fashioned in this way. Part Group extends beyond the standard feature capability and can contain full parts, assemblies, and other containers. This
tab is also where you’ll find the Machining operations if you’ve activated the Machining module. Finally, you have 3D dimensional annotations that can be added to your designs. These basic
Annotation 3D commands are representative of the functionality you see extended in the 3D Documentation Application and can provide dimension features that can also be used as a modifica-
tion reference by the Move 3D command.
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48
3D GEOMETRY, ANALYSIS, AND VIEW TABS
Appendix D: Interface Breakdown
3D Geometry Tab contains your basic surfacing commands. You can add 3D curves, splines, and points. Use these to create and modify Face
Parts for complex freeform surfaces. This is also where you’d gain access to the Wire Editor if you’ve activated the Parametrics Application.
Analysis Tab provides Check Part to troubleshoot corrupt parts, Compare Parts to compare geometric and topologic information, and Clash/Interference reports and single evaluations. You’ll
also find a comprehensive set of measurement tools here, some of which are repeated in the Utilities command group. Run color coded Draft analyses on your parts and Curve analyses on
your 2D and 3D curves. This is also where you’d gain access to Angle and Surface analysis tools if you’ve activated the Surfacing Module.
View Tab. Many of the view commands are built-in to the interface through the use of shortcut commands. Many, like isometric positioning and center selection, are exclusive to the Viewing
group. Store custom camera views with Edit Camera and cycle through the list with the Next camera and Previous Camera commands. Create custom lighting, create, modify, and cycle through
new viewports, and adjust model shading modes from the View tab. From here you can open or close current and legacy toolbars. The Clipping group provides invaluable visualization tools by
adding methods to cut away model visibility with real-time editing capability. This is also where you’d gain access to the Render command if you have the Rendering module active.
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49
APPLICATIONS TAB
Appendix D: Interface Breakdown
Applications Tab comes fully loaded with all of the application icons available
for Creo Elements/Direct Modeling. If the application is not active, the icon
will be grayed out. You can activate/deactivate the applications, if you have
access to the proper licenses, from the Modules dialogue box shown below.
You can get to the Modules dialogue box from any of the three settings but-
tons under the Applications tab groups or from File Modules.
There’s also an Previous Application function that switches between your
current application and the previously used application. The icon is located on
the bottom right hand corner of your interface in the Status Bar. The Previous
Application function is not a recognized command that can be found
using the command search, but it can be added elsewhere in the
interface using File Options.
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50
Glossary
Creo Elements/Direct (CED) PTC’s direct modeling me-
chanical CAD software. Purchased in 2007 as CoCreate.
Re-branded to Creo Elements/Direct in 2010 as one of the
three core elements that make-up the Creo software
framework.
CED Integration Kit A Creo Elements/Direct tools and doc-
umentation collection provided for the purposes of custom-
izing Creo Elements/Direct and programming add-on appli-
cations on top of Creo Elements/Direct.
Creo Direct (CD) PTC’s new stand-alone Direct modeling
software released under the Creo software framework in
2011.
Creo Parametric (CP) PTC’s mechanical CAD software re-
leased under the Creo software framework in 2011. His-
torically referred to as Pro/E.
Creo Simulate (CP) PTC’s FEA software package released
under the Creo software framework in 2011. Available as
an extension to Creo Parametric or as a standalone appli-
cation. Historically referred to as Mechanica.
Creo View (CV) PTC’s viewing and interrogation software
suite released under the Creo software framework in
2011. Historically referred to as ProductView.
Direct Modeling is the history free method of CAD where
objects are manipulated based on existing geometry only;
without conforming to a rigidly controlled design con-
straints system. (see Parametric)
Drawing Browser Creo Elements/Direct Annotations inter-
face element located on the left pane. The drawing brows-
er provides a hierarchical display of object, container, and
relationship information about drawing elements in ses-
sion memory.
Drawlist In Creo Elements/Direct, refers to the list of ob-
jects and elements to be drawn in the 3D viewport. Its
contents can be edited through the use of the check boxes
in the Structure Browser. A separate drawlist is also stored
with each Configuration feature.
Drawing File (*.mi) Creo Elements/Direct Annotation
standard file type for 2D drawings. The files maintain rela-
tionship information about the 3D models referred to by
the associated 2D views in the drawing. The relationship is
maintained on both ends and therefore both files must be
saved after edits to maintain the relationship.
Docuplanes Creo Elements/Direct 3D Documentation
feature represented as a plane in the 3D viewport. Doc-
uplanes provide a position reference for annotations and a
medium for the transfer of annotations from 3D to 2D.
Dynamic Modeling Term originally coined by Hewlett Pack-
ard to describe their method for history free 3D CAD mod-
eling. Later referred to as Direct Modeling.
Environment File (*.env) Creo Elements/Direct standard
file type for the storage of user specific environmental da-
ta. The environment file contains information such as
units, color of 2D geometry, and part and workplane ap-
pearance settings.
Face Part A 3D part that is made-up of individual faces
that do not form a solid body. In Creo Elements/Direct
Modeling, a Face Part becomes a solid body automatically
once the faces converge into a closed shell.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) The process of generating a
computer model that then has theoretical stresses applied
to it for the purposes of deriving the most likely physical
results.
Flexible Modeling Extension (FMX) Refers to a break-
through extension for Creo Parametric that allows a user to
apply Direct modeling modification techniques to geometry
in conjunction with the native parametric environment.
Fluid UI PTC’s terminology for the interface of their Creo
suite. Includes a Ribbon UI and Quick Access Toolbar simi-
2D Copilot Refers to the automated toolset which provides
the functionality and feedback for creating all 2D geometry
in Creo Elements/Direct Modeling.
3D Copilot Refers to the 3D widgets and functionality pro-
vided by Creo Elements/Direct Modeling to facilitate the
creation of all 3D elements.
Access Control List (ACL) Describes a list of permissions
for a given object or set of objects in a computer file sys-
tem. The ACL dictates who has access as well as what
operations can be executed against an object.
Bill of Material (BoM) In Creo Elements/Direct, a list of sub
assemblies, parts, and the quantities of each as derived
from a given assembly. A final production level BoM may
include additional reference designators, attributes, and
documentation. CED provides tools to derive, modify, and
maintain production level BoMs.
Bundle File (*.bdl) Creo Elements/Direct file type that
ideally includes a 3D model and associated drawing that
have been saved together from the Creo Elements/Direct
Annotation application.
Computer Aided Design (CAD) The use of computer sys-
tems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or
optimization of a design.
Camera Position In Creo Elements/Direct, refers to the
position and orientation of the viewing perspective in a 3D
viewport.
Content File (*.sd*c) Creo Elements/Direct standard file
type that contains the master workplane, part, or assembly
properties, geometry, and topology information.
Creo PTC’s newest line of CAD software applications fea-
turing a common data model, common user interface, and
common application framework. The name Creo repre-
sents the software framework along with PTC’s develop-
ment path and vision for the future of CAD.
GLOSSARY
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
51
Glossary
ing design intent and enabling the easy modification of the
design within those constraints.
Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) As one of the
world’s largest and fastest-growing technology companies,
PTC works with over 27,000 businesses worldwide in a
wide array of manufacturing industries. They help manu-
facturers address the biggest business challenges they
face. PTC provides software solutions for Product Lifecycle
Management (PLM), Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Appli-
cation Lifecycle Management (ALM), Supply Chain Manage-
ment (SCM), and Service Lifecycle Management (SLM).
Pro/Engineer (Pro/E) PTC’s parametric mechanical CAD
software. Re-branded to Creo Elements/Pro in 2010 as
one of the three core elements that make-up the Creo soft-
ware framework. Re-branded to Creo Parametric in 2011
and released under the Creo framework.
Product Data Management (PDM) Refers to the use of
software to track and control file data related to product
development. In CAD, a PDM also maintains the integrity
of CAD specific file relationships, version control, and ac-
cess control.
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Refers to the use of
software to manage a single source of product information
through its entire lifecycle; from inception to obsolescence.
A PLM integrates people, data, process, and business sys-
tems to provide a software backbone for product develop-
ment companies. PLM systems typically have a wide range
of functionality that’s uniquely configured to meet the indi-
vidual needs of each production environment they support.
A PLM system is generally defined as providing multi-CAD
product data management, varying degrees of embedded
visualization, distributed collaboration capabilities, docu-
ment management, BoM management, configurable pro-
cess workflows, change management, and configuration
management. Many PLM systems start with these capabil-
ities and scale well beyond them as needed.
ProductView PTC’s viewing and interrogation software
suite. Re-branded to Creo Elements/View in 2010 as one
of the three core elements that make-up the Creo software
framework. Re-branded to Creo View in 2011 and re-
leased under the Creo framework.
Quick Access Toolbar Coined by Microsoft to refer to one
of their user interface elements, the phrase refers to a
customizable toolbar on the upper left corner of an applica-
tion that houses frequently used command icons and
groups of the same.
Ribbon UI Describes a major software interface element
where virtually all toolbars and menus are placed in a se-
ries of narrow tabs that span the top of the window. Each
tab in the ribbon contains command icons that are orga-
nized into functional groups and arranged according to
frequency of use. These command groupings are fully con-
figurable in most environments. The Ribbon UI element is
commonly recognized as part of Microsoft’s Fluent UI re-
leased with their Office suite.
Session FIle (*.ses) Creo Elements/Direct file type meant
for a fast and easy saving of all current data. They’re used
for temporary storage of projects in progress typically out-
side of a PDM system. The session file saves all parts,
assemblies, workplanes, workplane sets, and all environ-
ment settings.
Structure Browser Creo Elements/Direct Modeling inter-
face element located on the left pane. The structure
browser provides a hierarchical display of object, contain-
er, and relationship information for 3D elements in session
memory.
Template Browser Creo Elements/Direct interface element
located on the left pane. The template browser provides
clear display of stored templates of design symbols, regis-
tered sketches, and registered texts that can be added as
3D and 2D annotation elements within the active session.
lar to the Microsoft Office Fluent UI, unique mouse naviga-
tion, and a fluid look and feel to the overall colors, layout,
and interface behaviors.
Formations Goodie Creo Elements/Direct Modeling depre-
ciated add-on package provided to create assembly pro-
cess views. Replaced by Configuration features.
GDI Printer Refers to a printer that has built-in support for
the Windows Graphical Device Interface (GDI).
GRANITE Refers to PTC’s feature-based interoperability,
3D surface, and 3D solid modeling kernel. Specifically
built to support a robust parametric modeling environment
and data transitions between related software packages.
HP Precision Engineering (HP PE) Hewlett-Packard’s suite
of mechanical engineering centric CAD software.
HP PE/ME30 Hewlett-Packard’s mechanical CAD package
introduced in 1986 and transitioned away from in 1995.
Instance File (*.sd*i) Creo Elements/Direct standard file
type for a workplane, part, or assembly that works in con-
junction with a parent Content File. The Instance File con-
tains additional property and position data unique to the
instance, but is dependent upon the Content File for base
information.
Package File (*.pkg) Creo Elements/Direct file type that
potentially stores an entire design; assemblies, parts, and
drawings. Typically used by solo engineers, design groups
using file system storage, and designers who need to cre-
ate a complete design package to be sent to a partner.
The package format is slower to update and comes with
the intrinsic danger of creating multiple copies of data
originally intended to be unique.
Parametric Refers to the concept of a design being com-
pletely value driven; using dimensions and parameters to
rigidly define and control the size and location of features
and components. This is done for the purposes of captur-
GLOSSARY