Drawing Formats

You can use a standard or sketched drawing format in any number of drawings and then modify it or replace it at any time. This chapter describes how to create and manipulate drawing formats, as well as how to use format libraries. Topic Overview Standard Formats Creating Formats Using Sketcher Mode Using Formats in a Drawing Format Libraries

Overview
A format is a customized layout for a drawing sheet. It includes a title block, a border, tables, and your company logo. To create standard formats, you must be in Format mode and you must have a license for Pro/DETAIL. You can select the desired format size from a list of standard drawing sizes, or create a new size by specifying values for length and width. To create sketched formats, you must use Sketcher mode in basic Pro/ENGINEER. Because you can modify them parametrically, you can create nonstandard size formats or families of formats.

Standard Formats
Standard formats consist of note text, symbols, tables, and draft geometry, including draft cross sections and filled areas. You create or modify a standard format as you would a drawing, and you also use drawing setup files (see Using Formats in a Drawing. If you have a Pro/DETAIL license, you can do the following in Format mode:

Create draft geometry and notes. Move, mirror, copy, group, translate, and intersect geometry. Use and modify the draft grid. Specify user attributes. Create drawing tables. Use interface tools to create plot, DXF, DWG, SET, TIFF, CGM, and IGES files. Import IGES, DXF, and SET files into the format. Create user-defined line styles. Create, use, and modify symbols.

Include draft cross sections in a format. How to Create a Standard Format

1. From the Pro/ENGINEER menu bar, choose File > New. 2. In the New dialog box, click Format and type a format name in the Name box, or accept

the default name. Click OK. New Format Dialog Box

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

one of the following: o Click Portrait in the Orientation box (to make the height larger than the width) and select a standard size from the Standard Size list. o Click Landscape in the Orientation box (to make the width larger than the height) and select a standard size from the Standard Size list. o Click Variable in the Orientation box to define both the height and width dimensions. Select Inches or Millimeters and type values in the Width and Height boxes. 4. Click OK. The system displays the format as specified, and the FORMAT menu appears.

Creating the Format

To create format geometry, you use draft entities. For a complete description of how to create draft geometry, see 2-D Drafting. To sketch draft geometry, choose Detail from the FORMAT menu, Sketch from the DETAIL menu, and any command from the DRAFT GEOM menu. The sheet outline is the border of the standard drawing format you selected, as shown in the following figure. Because it is the actual border, it may not appear on pen plots unless you use a paper size larger than the drawing size. Everything within the sheet outline border is also plotted, but you should make an allowance for the plotter hold-down rollers. Sketching a Standard Format

Modifying Standard Formats

To modify the values of symbol text, symbol height, and note text in a standard drawing format, use the same commands that are available during creation. To modify an existing format, choose Open... from the Pro/ENGINEER File menu, retrieve the format, and choose Modify from the DETAIL menu. Remember to save the format by choosing Save from the File menu before choosing Done/Return from the EDIT FORMAT menu.

Parametric Notes

When you place a parametric note in a format, the format acquires the appropriate value when you use it in a drawing. For example, if you create the note ``&model_name'' in a format, the system displays it as ``model name.'' When you use the format in a drawing, the note displays the actual model name. For the system to update these parameters when you add the format to a drawing, you can include in parametric notesonly the drawing labels listed in System Parameters for Drawings (except &todays_date). You must include all user-defined model and drawing parameters in format table cells in the form of ``&param'' using Enter Text in order for the system to update them in a drawing. Format mode interprets the following types of parametric notes:

Notes with symbol instances Notes with standard system symbols Notes with drawing labels Notes with a default tolerance

Using Tables in Standard Formats

Using the Table command in the FORMAT menu, you can also include tables in drawing formats (see Drawing Tables). When you add a format to a drawing, Pro/ENGINEER copies all of the tables in the format into the drawing. After it copies them, the tables are independent of the original format, and you can move, modify, or delete them. When you replace a format or remove it, the system highlights the tables copied from the old format and asks if it should remove them from the drawing or keep them. If you add a table to a format, it does not update drawings that reference this format to show the new table. The table must be part of the format when you initially copy it into the drawings. Therefore, to use the modified format in the drawing, you must choose Sheets from the DRAWING menu, Format from the SHEETS menu, and Add/Replace. For more information about creating and using drawing tables, see Drawing Tables. When you add a format to a drawing that contains the format table, the system stores the values you specified for the table as drawing parameters if you have set the configuration file option ``make_parameters_from_fmt_tables'' to ``yes.'' You can access the parameters using the Parameters command in the DWG SET UP menu. If you set this option to ``no,'' when you add a format to a drawing, the system prompts you to retype all of the values every time, and it does not evaluate the values on subsequent sheets of the drawing in the format table. These values are nonparametric text. For the system to reprompt you for the parameter text, you must choose Sheets from the DRAWING menu, Format from the SHEETS menu, and Add/Replace. Standard Drawing Format Including a Table

Note: You cannot use reserved model parameters. If you set ``make_parameters_from_fmt_tables'' to ``yes'' in the configuration file, Pro/ENGINEER does not prompt you to type a value for reserved model parameters because it cannot add them to the drawing. For a list of these parameters, seeIntroduction to Pro/ENGINEER. If you change the format size of a drawing with a table, the system scales the table (in the same way that it scales any views and draft entities) to maintain its location relative to other items and the sheet boundaries. Since the drawing setup file option ``drawing_text_height'' controls the height of any text in the table, Pro/ENGINEER does not scale text that you include in the table. Therefore, it does not maintain a size that is proportional to the rest of the table. You must modify the text height manually.

Including Parameters as Labels in Format Tables

You can include parametric labels, such as the drawing name, model name, and sheet number, as text in a format table. For a multi-model drawing, you can type into the format table any parameters related to both the first model and the second model. To include the parametric labels in the table, choose Enter Text from the TABLE menu; then type the appropriate label (such as ``&dwg_name'') while you are editing the format. The label appears in the table exactly as you typed it until you add the format to a drawing. When including parameters as labels in format tables, keep in mind the following:

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

evaluate the labels correctly if you create the drawing, add the format, and then add the model. When you add a format to a drawing with more than one model present, parametric notes can reference only the active drawing model. To include text in a table as a title block, use the Enter Text command in the TABLE menu. If you move the table, the system does not keep the text that you add as a note with the table.

When you add the format to a drawing, Pro/ENGINEER parses any and all that are present of the standard parametric symbols that it supports (see System Parameters for Drawings)and displays the correct values in the table. It does this for every sheet of the drawing on which you use the format, so that the drawing name, model name, or any other standard parameter that you used appears on every sheet that uses that format.

Setup Files for Drawing Formats

Each drawing format that you create has its own setup file--one that is completely independent of the drawing setup file. The configuration file option ``format_setup_file'' assigns a specified setup file to each format that you create, but does not do so for drawings. For these two setup files to have the same values, you must edit them separately. To give a format the same parameter values as a drawing to which you are adding it, retrieve that drawing setup file into the format using the Set Up command in the FORMAT menu; the system reads only those format setup file options that formats are using. The format setup file is restricted. You can use only the following options:

``drawing_units'' (you cannot modify this option) ``drawing_text_height'' ``draw_arrow_style'' ``draw_arrow_length'' ``draw_dot_diameter'' ``draw_attach_sym_width'' ``draw_attach_sym_height'' ``leader_elbow_length'' ``default_font'' ``aux_font'' ``text_width_factor'' ``line_style_standard'' ``node_radius'' ``yes_no_parameter_display'' ``sym_flip_rotated_text''

Reusing Formats from a Legacy System

To reuse an existing format (that is, one that was created in another system), use the interface options (such as DXF, SET, IGES, TIFF, and so on) to import it into your format.

Saving Drawing Formats

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

Creating Formats Using Sketcher Mode

To create a sketched format, you must be in Sketcher mode. When you create it, Pro/ENGINEER gives it the name ``filename.sec.'' The first time you add the format to a drawing, it makes a copy of it in memory and gives it the file extension ``.frm.'' When Pro/ENGINEER creates ``filename.frm,'' that file ceases to have any relationship or associativity with the section from which it was created; therefore, ``filename.frm'' does not reflect changes that you make to ``filename.sec,'' and vice versa. For more information, see Using Formats in a Drawing. When you add a sketched format to a drawing, the system aligns the lower-left corner (the origin) of the format to the lower-left corner (the origin) of the drawing, and then centers all items in the drawing on the new sheet in the locations that correspond to their positions on the original sheet. If necessary, it adjusts the drawing scale, maintaining relative distances between items. Note: To copy a file, you must save the ``filename.frm'' file by choosing Save As from the Pro/ENGINEER File menu, and typing the format name. How to Create a Sketched Format
1. From the Pro/ENGINEER menu bar, choose File > New > Sketch.

2. Type the name of the sketch to use for the format. 3. Sketch the boundary, title block, and so on, and dimension them. 4. When Pro/ENGINEER successfully regenerates the section, save it using File menu commands. You cannot save text with a sketched format. 5. Create a drawing and do one of the following: o Select Retrieve Format from the Create Format dialog box, and enter the sketch name in the Format box. o After creating the drawing, choose Sheets > Format > Add/Replace. Choose the sketch name (set the ``type'' filter to ``sketcher''). Sketched Format

Effects of Format Size

Pro/ENGINEER automatically assigns a correct paper size to a sketched format. For example, if a format is 7 x 10 inches, it automatically places the format on an A-size sheet. It does this even if the drawing was originally created in another size. If you add a format of a different size to the drawing, the drawing assumes the size of the format. It scales all views and draft entities accordingly.

Modifying Sketched Formats

Using Sketcher mode, you can retrieve and change a sketched format. When replacing formats, Pro/ENGINEER looks first for a format with a ``.frm'' extension, and does not accept ``.sec'' as a valid extension for format names. To replace the existing version of the format with the modified one, do one of the following:

Rename the sketch of the modified format, so that the name is different from the current format, and use the Add/Replace command to replace the modified sketch in the drawing. Use the Remove command to remove the existing format and rename its ``.frm'' file. Add the modified sketch to the drawing.

Note: You must rename one of the formats; otherwise, if you try to replace the current format, it simply replaces itself with the same ``filename.frm.'' How to Modify and Replace a Sketched Format in Sketcher Mode 1. Retrieve the sketch of the format into Sketcher mode. Pro/ENGINEER cannot retrieve a ``filename.frm'' into Sketcher mode, so ``filename.sec'' must exist. 2. Modify the sketch. You can resketch or redimension, but you cannot add notes, symbols, or draft entities. 3. Save the format sketch.

Using Formats in a Drawing

Pro/ENGINEER saves drawing formats in a separate file. When you revise a format, it automatically updates it in all drawings that use it. When retrieving a drawing, if it cannot find the format that the drawing uses, it displays an error message in the message area. How to Add or Replace a Format in an Existing Drawing
1. Choose SHEETS > Format > Add/Replace.

2. Type the format name. Pro/ENGINEER first looks for a file with a ``.frm'' extension. If it is a sketched format, use the filename extension ``.sec'' when replacing a format with the same name. How to Add an Existing Standard or Sketched Format to a Drawing When You Create the Drawing
1. Click File > New... > Drawing > OK. 2. In the Create Drawing dialog box, click Retrieve Format.

3. Select a format name by doing one of the following: o Choose a name from the Name list in the Format box. o Type [?] in the Name list box and select a name from the Open dialog box. o Click Browse... and select a name from the Open dialog box (see Format Libraries). 4. Click OK. After adding a format to a drawing, you can also use the DRAW FORMAT menu to do one or all of the following, as necessary:

Remove the format from the drawing by choosing Remove. Blank or unblank it by choosing Blank or Unblank. Display a list of formats that are available in the current directory by choosing List.

Drawing Formats in Multi-sheet Drawings

For a multi-sheet drawing, you can have two default formats--one for the first sheet and another for the remaining sheets. The first sheet you create assumes by default the first sheet format. All of the remaining sheets use the second sheet format. You can change the format on any sheet (including the first sheet) independently of the formats on other sheets; therefore, you could use a different format on each sheet of the drawing. To add or replace a single format on all existing sheets of a drawing, you must add the format to each individual sheet.

Creating Sheet Templates for Process Assembly Drawings

When working with a drawing of a Pro/PROCESS for ASSEMBLIES or Pro/PROCESS for COMPONENTS model, you can use the Copy Process command in the SHEETS menu to create a template from the current sheet. When you click OK in the Process State dialog box, the system adds a sheet to the drawing using the current sheet as the template. The new sheet contains copies of the views and tables that were on the template sheet, and they reference the step that was highlighted when you clicked OK. The views retain their orientation. When creating sheet templates, keep in mind the following:

You cannot use a sheet as a template if it contains views of more than one model. The Copy Process command appears in the SHEETS menu only if you are working with a drawing of a process assembly and you have a license for Pro/PROCESS for ASSEMBLIES or Pro/PROCESS for COMPONENTS.

Format Libraries
To set up a format library, use the configuration file option ``pro_format_dir.'' This option uses a pathname as its value, so you can create a single set of formats that everyone on the system can use, and place them all to a single directory. Use the configuration file option to automatically search this directory for company formats when adding or replacing formats in your drawing and layout. Pro/ENGINEER places modified formats in this directory when you save them.

Retrieving Formats from the Format Library

Using the File Open dialog box, you can retrieve formats from a format library directory within Pro/ENGINEER. To retrieve a format, choose Open from the Pro/ENGINEER File menu; then select Format Dir from the Look In list in the File Open dialog box. Navigate the menu tree until you locate the format.