I have recently updated to PC-DMIS CAD++ 2022.2 because my org has an issue with registry access, and one of the first things I tested on it was the Paste with Pattern features. They worked fine. Now I have spent a week on this program I am writing, try to use paste with pattern, and regardless of what alignment my program is in the pattern
appears to be referencing the STARTUP alignment. Even the Curve style paste with pattern gets stretched out and distorted like the curve is being stretched so the centroid is coincident with the STARTUP origin.
Based on this description, is there something I am clearly doing wrong? This is quite disruptive.
How reliable is paste with pattern in the newer versions. I used it all the time back in 2014 and never had an issue with it.
neil.challinor Short answer is no to the measurement routine, my org is locked downs so tight I doubt I could even send you a blank one. I suspect I have found what what is wrong, its the way I created the planes.
Towards the front of my program, after I fully aligned my part, I created a temporary alignment whose only purpose was to create the generic planes. One by one I would rotate and translate the dummy alignment to one of my drawing views,
create a generic plane square to the X axis of the dummy alignment,
copy the generic plane from under my dummy alignment and paste it to above my dummy alignment so all the
Nominals of my generic plane would be recalculated for my primary alignment. After the copy was created, I would delete the original beneath the dummy alignment, adjust the dummy alignment for my next view, and create the generic plane for me next view, copy it, paste it, and so on for like 16 views until all my generic planes have been created and and nominals transformed to my primary alignment. After this process was complete, I deleted the dummy alignment,
created a real alignment and rotated it to one of my generics to measure and report features from each of my drawing views.
The purpose of the generic planes was to be transformed from my main alignment so they were square with the views and sections of my part drawing. This was so later in my program I could
create alignments that rotated to these generic planes for feature creation and reporting. a lazy mans trig calculator.
After I pasted the generic planes above the dummy, the CAD graphic of the generic plane remained at my desired position, the nominal and actual coordinates of my generic plane were set to my desired position, and when I aligned to my generic planes everything that followed my alignment was oriented in my desired orientation. All of my planes were DEPENDENT, all of this programming was done OFFLINE. PC-DMIS CAD++ 2022.2.
When I completed my program everything looked perfect. I ran collision detection and it ran and passed seamlessly. Just for cautions sake,
I executed my program offline. This is where the Fit hit the Shan. Upon execution, all of my generic planes
reverted back to the nominals and actuals I punched in while I was in my dummy alignment rather than the Noms/Acts of my primary alignment. This effectively translated and rotated from my generic plane from cad surface to 10s of inches into random empty space. Remember, most of the alignments in my program were established using these planes!
So every feature, construction, expression, and dimension created in these alignments were scattershot randomly all over creation. My program was bricked.
It took me quite awhile to figure out what the shell happened, then I was able to reproduce the issue. 1) Align your part 2) create a dummy alignment that differs from your part alignment 3) Create a generic feature in your dummy alignment 4) copy/paste above your dummy alignment 5) delete the dummy alignment and original generic feature 6) while watching the coordinates and location of pasted generic feature... execute it offline... POP it zips across the screen.
Attempting to fix this, I recalled one of my previous save points for the routine. This save point was from before I executed the program, and all my planes are still in their desired locations. I proceeded to copy all of my generic planes from the edit window in PC-DMIS to a blank Microsoft Notepad in other window on my computer. So now all of my desired XYZIJK are frozen in a notepad. Then beneath every one of my generic planes I create another generic plane by copying the coordinates from the notepad into the edit window one parameter at at time. So now, I have two generic planes that look
identical in every way except the name. The nominals and actuals are same in both planes, the features are
coincident in the CAD window. Then I executed both the planes.
The one I created with the dummy alignment flew into outer space, the one I created from the notepad stayed put.
AGAIN, before execution these planes were IDENTICAL. If I sat a typical programmer down at my computer, they wouldn't be able to tell me the difference between the two planes. One of the planes is cursed, the other one isnt, the only way to determine which is which is to execute it. Its like Schrödinger's cat back for revenge.
