force surface in program mode?

[keith]

CAD++ 3.7 mr1

I want to pick points in program mode that are on a specific surface. When I select them near the edge of the surface, the adjacent surfaces are picked - giving me the wrong IJK vectors. How can I pick a surface and tell the software that all the points I pick are on this surface?

Thanks,
Keith

[bw_bob]

If your using cad just pick farther in from the edge. It sounds like your trying to pick multiple points at a time (Plane), don't think you can do this.

[William Johnson]

Make shure that you are in surface mode, and not is wireframe mode.

[bw_bob]

Make shure that you are in surface mode, and not is wireframe mode.

Good point i did not mention.

[Quality4you2]

Some times I find with stuborn Iges files I have to put the surfaces on their
own layers so that it will pick the one that I want
Seem like this only happens on a few select iges translation files
but putting them on their own layers hels alot

[keith]

surface mode is all that is available - curve mode is dimmed out

[keith]

how do i put a surface on its own layer? that's worth a try...

[Mike N.]

how do i put a surface on its own layer? that's worth a try...

in "view setup" click the checkbox for "create" under the levels area

hit F1 for a detailed explanation

[Paul Sarrach]

If you are using CAD how can it pick the wrong vectors? If it picks the wrong side of metal then all you have to do is use the FLIP VECTORS OPTION.

One more question, how do you know its picking the wrong vector? And you should always use the Surface Point option, the only difference for the Vector Option is what you can do with it...exaple using RMeas ( reference measure point) I think they had that back then, not sure.

[keith]

Well, I don't know how, but when I picked a point in the center of a small rectangular surface near the back side of the part, the software made the outside surface turn red and gave me vectors of 0,1,0. The surface was -1,0,0.

I used Vector rather than surface. Hope that doesn't matter a whole lot or I'll have to reinspect all 6 parts. Not a big deal - about 45 min / part. Gotta look into Datapage now to see if I can get the worst point out of all those points. I'd like to show the # of points .0005" out, the # .001" out, the # .0015" out, etc.

Is there a way I can select the dimension and have the software hilight the point in the graphics window? I thought there was a way to do that but I don't recall how it's done.

Thanks.

[Bill **********]

You can also set surfaces as PRIORITY surfaces. To do this go to EDIT>GRAPHICS DISPLAY> CAD ELEMENTS. Check the surfaces you want PCDmis to search first and click SET AS PRIORITY. PCDmis will search those surfaces first. As you program around the part, you can move the priority surfaces as you go. I read somewhere that the new CAD display engine fills gaps in the surfaces of the CAD models so you can't see the gaps now the way you used to be able to. You may be clicking through a gap in the surface you want to check to another surface and not even be able to tell.

Bill

[Bill **********]

You can highlight the point you're looking for in the delete feature box. Select it to be deleted and it turns red. I don't think this is a safe way to go, but it's the only way I know of to highlight a feature from your program. If you select it for execution, the lable will have an astrisk behind it, but thats not very easily seen if you have 150 feature labels up. I typically just call up the feature appearance box and turn off every thing but the one I want to look at.

Bill

[keith]

thanks, Bill

guess I'll do a help on feature appearance box and see what that is...