Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Annotation Manual

Creo Elements/Direct Modeling

Annotation Manual
Version 1.0

March, 2016
Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Annotation Manual

Copyright  March, 2016 by Owens-Illinois Global Technology and Operations.

All Rights Reserved
Printed in USA
The information contained herein constitutes proprietary confidential and trade
secret information of Owens-Illinois Global Technology and Operations, and is to
be accepted subject to that understanding. It is to be kept confidential and not be
copied, used, or conveyed to others without Owens-Illinois Global Technology and
Operations' written authorization.
The information contained in this technical manual is offered in good faith by
Owens-Illinois Global Technology and Operations, however, Owens-Illinois Global
Technology and Operations MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY
OF ANY TYPE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING ANY PROCEDURES,
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PROCESSING OPERATIONS, INCLUDING LOSS DUE TO PERSONAL
INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE.

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Table of Contents
1 Navigation of Annotation commands. .................................................................................................. 1
2 Browser Bar........................................................................................................................................... 4
3 Create a new drawing. .......................................................................................................................... 4
4 Adding a sheet to a drawing. ................................................................................................................ 7
5 Adding views. ........................................................................................................................................ 8
6 Creating Dependent Views. .................................................................................................................. 9
Section Views. ............................................................................................................................... 9
6.1.1 Direction of Section Arrows. ............................................................................................... 12
6.1.2 Aligned Sections. ................................................................................................................. 12
6.1.3 Secured Parts. ..................................................................................................................... 13
Detail Views. ............................................................................................................................... 18
Partial Views................................................................................................................................ 20
Partial to Full. .............................................................................................................................. 21
Cutaway Views. ........................................................................................................................... 23
Remove Cutaway. ....................................................................................................................... 26
Broken Views. ............................................................................................................................. 27
Dependent General Views. ......................................................................................................... 29
7 Updating Views. .................................................................................................................................. 30
8 Moving Views. ..................................................................................................................................... 31
Moving views between sheets.................................................................................................... 31
9 Viewsets. ............................................................................................................................................. 32
10 Attaching a drawing to a variant. ........................................................................................................ 33
11 Attach a drawing to a copy. ................................................................................................................ 35
12 Attach a drawing to Mirror. ................................................................................................................ 35
13 View Properties. .................................................................................................................................. 37
14 Calc Modes. ......................................................................................................................................... 41
15 View Profiles. ...................................................................................................................................... 42
The view profile sets the following. ............................................................................................ 43
16 Select which parts have hidden lines and tangent lines. .................................................................... 43
17 Creating, Placing and editing texts and symbols. ............................................................................... 45

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Texts. ........................................................................................................................................... 45
Symbols. ...................................................................................................................................... 48
18 Ownership. .......................................................................................................................................... 50
Changing the owner of a symbol or text..................................................................................... 51
19 Linear Dimensioning. .......................................................................................................................... 51
Single dimensions. ...................................................................................................................... 51
Tangential linear dimensioning. .................................................................................................. 52
Datum Long. ................................................................................................................................ 54
Datum Short ................................................................................................................................ 54
Chain Dimensioning. ................................................................................................................... 56
Coordinate Dimension. ............................................................................................................... 57
19.6.1 External Base Points. ........................................................................................................... 59
Chamfer....................................................................................................................................... 62
Symmetry Single, Symmetry Long .............................................................................................. 63
Put Dim In /Take Dim Out. .......................................................................................................... 65
19.9.1 Take Dim Out Datum Long Dimensions. ............................................................................. 66
19.9.2 Put Dim In for Datum Long Dimensioning. ......................................................................... 67
19.9.3 Take Dim Out for Chain Dimensioning. ............................................................................... 68
19.9.4 Put Dim In for Chain Dimensions. ....................................................................................... 70
19.9.5 Put Dim In and Take Dim Out for Coordinate Dimensions. ................................................ 71
20 Circular Dimensioning. ........................................................................................................................ 72
Radii. ........................................................................................................................................... 72
Diameters. ................................................................................................................................... 76
Tapped Holes. ............................................................................................................................. 77
Counterbore and Countersunk holes.......................................................................................... 78
21 Tangential............................................................................................................................................ 81
22 Arc dimensioning. ............................................................................................................................... 81
23 Angular Dimensioning. ........................................................................................................................ 83
Dimension Properties. ................................................................................................................ 85
Stagger extension Lines/move dimension text. .......................................................................... 85
Break Extension Lines. ................................................................................................................ 88
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24 Editing dimensions and Dim Fix Texts................................................................................................. 91

25 Manage Parts. ..................................................................................................................................... 91
Remove Parts. ............................................................................................................................. 92
Add Parts. .................................................................................................................................... 93
26 Using Configurations to Create Views. ............................................................................................... 94
27 Shading a view. ................................................................................................................................... 97
28 Change Part Color. ............................................................................................................................ 100
29 Improving Update Performance. ...................................................................................................... 102
Remove Invisible. ...................................................................................................................... 102
Calc Mode. ................................................................................................................................ 103
30 Appendix. .......................................................................................................................................... 105
Fixing the View Reference Points.............................................................................................. 105
31 Revision History. ............................................................................................................................... 107
32 Credits ............................................................................................................................................... 107
33 Endnotes. .......................................................................................................................................... 107

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1 Navigation of Annotation commands.

Annotation commands can be accessed in several different places. Commands are in the ribbon menu,
the Mini Toolbar, the right mouse click menus, the side bar menus and several O-I company defined
toolbars.

When a command is started, a Dialog Box will open. The Dialog Box shows all of the operations available
for a given command.

Some Dialog Boxes can be expanded to provide more options. Expand these Dialog Boxes by clicking the
double down arrow. The Dialog Boxes can be shrunk by clicking the double up arrow.

Figure 1-1 Expand the Dialog Box. Figure 1-2 Shrink the Dialog Box.

If a command is started with the Mini Toolbar, the Dialog Box may not show. To show the Dialog Box,
click the green arrow to expand the command. To have the Dialog Box open by default when a
command is started from the Mini Toolbar, click the icon shown in FIGURE 1-3.

Figure 1-3 Display Dialog box

when a command is started
from a Mini Toolbar.

Figure 1-4 This is a typical Dialog Box.

Several customized commands are in the O-I toolbars. To display these toolbars go to

File Customize
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This will open up the Customize Command window.

Select the Toolbars tab. Toolbars can be displayed by clicking the radio button next to the toolbar. Drag
the toolbars to a desired location on the borders. O-I customized toolbars have “O-I” in the name.

Figure 1-5 Customize Toolbars menu. Figure 1-6 Example of toolbars placed on the border.

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Toolbar name Toolbar functions

O-I Annotation Utilities

Update drawing, update view, Inch settings, metric settings,

fractional settings, insert change card
O-I Basic Dimensions

Suppress the leading zero, Modify dimension decimal places to

1, 2 or 3, suppress dimension trailing zero, modify dimension
turn basic box on, turn basic box off, Turn basic box on/Off for
selected dimensions, add parenthesis to selected dimensions
O-I Dimension Modification

Modify dimension to metric, fractional inch, decimal inch, Modify

dimension text to vertical/horizontal, break overlapping
extension lines
O-I Model Manager 3D

Open Workspace, Save 2D (recommended), Save (slower), Add

thumbnail, DB drawing properties, Reserve, Unreserve, Update
title block, Start Model Manager, Stop Model Manager
O-I Text Modification

Change Text Ratios, 1:1, .0.8:1, 0.7:1, 0.6:1. Change text color to
Orange, Blue, Bold printing Green, Yellow, Change leader to
yellow, Change leader to non-printing blue.
Table 1 Suggested Annotation toolbars.

For a full explanation of the O-I Toolbars, please see the document Creo Elements/Direct Modeling O-I
Toolbar Menus.

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2 Browser Bar
The browser bar in Annotation has three different Browser Views that will be used on a regular bases.
Change the Browser View by clicking the appropriate icon on top of the Browser Bar.

The Structure Browser View shows all of the models

currently loaded.

Figure 2-1 Structure Browser

The Template Browser shows all of the Corporate and

User defined Text, Symbol, and Drawing templates.

Figure 2-2 Template Browser

The Drawing Browser shows the current drawing, the

sheets in the drawing and what views are on each
sheet.

Figure 2-3 Drawing Browser

3 Create a new drawing.

Start the New Drawing command.
Annotation will give a warning if a drawing is
currently loaded.

Figure 3-1 Start the New Drawing command.

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Select the Owner of the view.

Select the Front direction by Clicking the Front Dir

button and then clicking the face, an edge or a pair
of points to define the front direction. The arrow will
point into the view.

Figure 3-2 Select the Front and Up Direction.

Pressing the Tab key will toggle the arrow direction.

Figure 3-3 The arrow points into the view.

The default direction selection defaults to +/- Face

direction and edge tangent direction. Right clicking
brings up a menu with more direction options such
as direction by Two Points.

Click the Up Direction and select an edge, a face or

two points for the direction. Again, pressing the tab
key will toggle the arrow direction.

Figure 3-4 Right click options.

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Select the appropriate sheet size for the drawing.

The Sheet size can always be changed later if more

space for views is required.

(The user must be logged into Model Manager to

see the title blocks.)

Figure 3-5 Select the Sheet size.

Click the Add Views button to expand the

Create Drawing menu.

Figure 3-6 click the Add Views button.

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The default views are Top, Front and Right. The

user can select any view required. A view can be
unselected by clicking the radio button again to
remove the checkmark.

Select the desired scale. This can be modified later

if needed.

The Direction radio button opens up the Auxiliary

3D viewport. The user can positon the 3D model
and right click to select the command Apply this
direction. A view will be created from the chosen
perspective.

Make sure that the Use View Profiles button is

checked. See chapter 15 VIEW PROFILES.

Figure 3-7 Select the desired views.

Figure 3-8 View Direction.

Position the views on the drawing.

Initially the views will just be cyan colored blocks

until they are updated. (Some view profiles will
automatically update views as they are created.)

Figure 3-9 Place the views on the drawing.

4 Adding a sheet to a drawing.

A drawing can contain more than one sheet.

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To add an additional sheet to the drawing, click on

the New Sheet command.

Figure 4-1 New Sheet command.

Select the correct sheet number, scale and sheet

size.

Click the checkmark to create an empty sheet or

click Create Sheet & Add Views to add views similar
to starting a new drawing.

Figure 4-2 Select the sheet number, scale and size.

5 Adding views.
A drawing can have as many views as required. Views from different parts can be on one drawing.

Additional views can be created by starting the New Std.

View command. This opens up the Add View dialog box,
similar to the what was shown for creating a new drawing.

Figure 5-1 Add View command.

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Add additional views by selecting any of the Orthogonal

Views, Isometric views, or General View.

To add views from a different part, click Owner and select the
Model, and set the Front Dir and Up Dir as when creating a
new drawing.

Figure 5-2 Add Views Dialog Box.

6 Creating Dependent Views.

Dependent views are views created from an existing view. These include section views, detail views,
partial views, cutaway views, broken views and dependent general views. The appearance of dependent
views can be changed by modifying the view properties. See chapter 13 VIEW PROPERTIES.

Section Views.
The Create Section view command is in the Mini
Toolbar and in the annotation tab under the Dep
View menu.

Start the Create Section View command.

Figure 6-1 Start the Cross Section command.

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Figure 6-2 Dep View Menu.

Select the Parent view to create the section from.

Once the parent view is selected, Annotation will

show temporary Auxiliary lines. These lines
represent symmetry and centerlines and can be
used to aid in drawing the section line.

If needed for clarity, these can be turned off as

shown below.

Figure 6-3 Select the parent view a sketch the section lines.

Uncheck the Auxiliary lines radio button to hide

the Auxiliary lines.

Figure 6-4 Auxiliary lines.

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To add the section lines, simply sketch the lines

on the view. The Section Line can have multiple
segments if needed.

After the lines are complete, right click and

Accept the Section Line.

Annotation will draw the section arrows.

Figure 6-5 Right Click and Accept the Section Line.

If the arrows are pointing in the wrong direction,

simply click Reverse Dir.

The Swap Dir button swaps the arrow directions

in multi-segment sections when they arrows are
not aligned.

Figure 6-6 Reverse or Swap the Arrow Direction if needed.

Surface Mode toggles between showing the

whole part at the section and showing only the
surface at the section.

The view shown to the left is with Surface Mode:

Off

Figure 6-7 Surface Mode: Off

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The view on the left is the same as the above

view with Surface Mode: On.

The Surface Mode On has two options.

- On, No Secured Parts.
- On, Incl. Secured Parts (see Chapter
6.1.3 SECURED PARTS)

Figure 6-8 Surface Mode: On

6.1.1 Direction of Section Arrows.

The direction the section line is drawn, influences the direction the section arrows are pointing. The
arrow direction can be reversed or swapped afterwards as noted above.

Direction Lines are drawn Section Arrow Direction

Bottom to Top Arrows point to the left
Top to Bottom Arrows point to the right
Left to Right Arrows point up
Right to Left Arrows point down

6.1.2 Aligned Sections.

Section views can be created from multiple segment section lines. The radio button Aligned determines
how this view is generated.

If the Aligned radio button is unchecked, the

section arrows point perpendicular to the last
segment drawn.

Figure 6-9 Section view with the Aligned button unchecked.

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If the Aligned radio button is checked both

arrows will be perpendicular to the segment that
they are attached.

Figure 6-10 Section view with the aligned button checked.

6.1.3 Secured Parts.

A secured part will not be sectioned. A part can be universally defined as secured (Influenced in
General). This prevents the part from being sectioned by anyone that would create a drawing with this
part. A part can also be defined as secured for just selected views.

6.1.3.1 Securing a part in general.

A part can be universally defined as secured. This will keep the part from sectioning in any view created
by that part. This can be accomplished directly on the 3D modeling without having to go through
annotation.

Start the Secure command.

Figure 6-11 Start the secure part command in Modeling

.

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Select the part to permanently secure. (the part

must be reserved by the user.)

Figure 6-12 Select the part to be secured.

Change the Mode to Secure.

Click the Green Checkmark

Figure 6-13 Change the mode to secure.

6.1.3.1 Securing a part for selected views.

Securing a part for selected views will only keep that part from sectioning in the selected views. Any
new views created on the same or a new drawing from that part will still section.

Figure 6-14 Section view with un-secured parts. Figure 6-15 Section view with a secured part.

The view on the left has two parts and both are sectioned. The view on the right has the plug secured
from sectioning.

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Start the Secure command in annotation by selecing

the …More submenu from the Setup menu.

Figure 6-16 Secure Part command.

An Auxilliary 3D viewport opens.

Select the part to secure.

Figure 6-17 Select the Part to be secured.

To keep the part from being sectioned in any drawing

created with the part, set the Mode in the Influence in
General to Secure.

This is typically done with Fasteners.

This has the same affect as 6.1.3.1 Securing a part in

general.

Figure 6-18 Secure in all views created with this part.

To secure a part only in selected views.

Keep the Influence in General set to Section.

In the Influence per view area,

Select the Views where the part is not to be sectioned.

Set the Mode in the Influence per view to Secure.

Figure 6-19 Secure in only the view selected.

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6.1.3.2 Sectioning a secured part.

A part that is Secured using Influence in General will not section in a view. However, this can be easily
overridden by the user.

The plug needs to be sectioned, but it is Influenced in

General to be secured.

Figure 6-20 View with a Secured part.

Start the Secure command in Annotation.

Figure 6-21 Start the Secure command.

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An auxiliary 3D viewport will open.

Select the secured part to be Sectioned.

Figure 6-22 Select the Secured part to be sectioned.

Select View under Influence per View and

select the view(s) in which the secured part is
to be sectioned.

Figure 6-23 Select the view.

Set the Mode under Influence per view to

Section.

Do Not Change the Influence in general mode.

Figure 6-24 Change the Influence per view mode to Section.

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Update the view.

The secured part is now section in the selected

view.

Figure 6-25 Completed view.

Detail Views.
The detail view command is located on the Mini Toolbar and in the Dep View Menu.

Start the Detail View command from the Dep View

menu, or from the Mini Toolbar.

Figure 6-26 Create Detail View command.

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Click on the parent view from which the detail view

is to be made.

Figure 6-27 Detail View Dialog Box

.
Select the type of border.

Rectangles, Circles and Polygon type borders are

automatically accepted when the border is closed.

To complete the spline type border, click Accept in the

Dialog Box, or right click and Accept.

Figure 6-28 Pick the border type from the command

Dialog Box or right click menu.

This is a spline type border. After completing the

border Right Click and Accept, or click Accept in the
Dialog Box.

The default view scale is two times the parent view

scale. If the parent is 2:1 the detail will be 4:1. This can
be overridden by the user.

Figure 6-29 Draw the border, for splines, right click

and accept when complete.

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Click the Green Checkmark to complete the command

and place the detail view.

Figure 6-30 Completed detail view.

Partial Views.
A partial view is convenient when only a small section of a view is required. When a partial view is
created, all dimensions and annotations on the parent view will be lost.

The Create Partial View command is started from

the Dep View menu. This can also be added to
the Mini Toolbar.

Figure 6-31 Start the Create Partial View command.

Select the Parent View to be converted into a

partial view.

Note! Please note that all dimensions attached

to the Parent View will be lost. It is best to
create the partial view early in the drawing
process.

Figure 6-32 Select the Parent view.

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Draw the border (done in the same manner as

the Create Detail View border)

Figure 6-33 Spline Border.

Once the border is complete, click the Green

Checkmark to finish the command.

Figure 6-34 Partial View

In the example above, notice that the secured part did not carry through to the partial view. This is
because the part was only secured to view Section A-A and not the Partial 1 view. If the part was
secured in general, it would not be sectioned in any view.

Partial to Full.
The partial view can be converted back into a full view with the Partial to Full command in the Dep View
menu. All dimensions and annotations on the partial view will be lost.

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Start the Partial to Full command from the Dep

View menu.

Figure 6-35 Start the command.

Select the partial view to convert back into a full

view.

Figure 6-36 Select the view.

All dimensions on the view will be lost. Click

Continue to proceed.

Figure 6-37 Click continue to change the view to full.

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Click the Green Checkmark.

Update the view if required.

Figure 6-38 Click the Green Checkmark to complete.

Cutaway Views.
Cutaway views show internal features of a part or an assembly that would normally be hidden.

Start the Cutaway command from the Dep

View menu.

Figure 6-39 Start the command.

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Select the Parent view.

Figure 6-40 Select the Parent View and the Border type .

Draw the border around the area to be Cutaway.

The border command works the same as the detail

view command.

Figure 6-41 Draw the border.

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After accepting the border, a 3D auxiliary viewport

opens.

Select a point, face or Workplane for the depth of

the Cut Away.

Figure 6-43 Select the Cut Away depth, by point, face or

workplane.
Figure 6-42 Select the Cutaway to point.

Review the Cutaway volume by rotating the part.

Click the Green Checkmark to complete the

command.

Figure 6-44 Confirm the Cutaway depth and click the

Green Checkmark.
The final Cutaway.

Figure 6-45 The completed view.

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Remove Cutaway.
Cutaway views can be removed from a view by selecting the Remove Cutaway command and selecting
the cutaway view on the drawing. Any dimensions going to the Cut Away geometry will disconnect and
turn red.

Start the Remove Cutaway command from the

Dep View menu.

Note! This command differs from many of the

other commands because there is no dialog box.

Figure 6-46 Start the command. This command does not

have a Dialog Box.

Select the Cutaway to be removed.

Figure 6-47 Select the Cutaway to be removed.

Confirm that the Cutaway is to be removed.

Figure 6-48 Confirm the selection.

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Update the view if required.

The Cutaway is removed from the view.

Any dimensions going to geometry within the Cut

Away will turn red.

Figure 6-49 The completed command.

Broken Views.
Broken views allow a very long part to fit on a sheet by splitting a view and removing one or more
portions from the view. Care must be taken not to leave important features out.

In this example the front view of the part is too

large to fit on the sheet. The view can be broken
to allow it to fit.

Figure 6-50 The front view does not fit on the sheet.

Start the Broken View command from the Dep

View menu.

Figure 6-51 Start the Broken View command.

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Select the View to be broken

Figure 6-52 Broken View Dialog Box.

Select the gap to be removed for the break by

clicking on Horizontal or Vertical . Multiple gaps
can be created.

In this example, the Vertical gap was chosen.

Drag the arrows to change the size of the break.

Figure 6-53 Place the gaps on the view. A Vertical gap is Hint: Creating a workplane in modeling with lines
shown.
evenly spaced, can be used to create very precise
breaks (gaps).

The Border is the shape of the spline use to

represent the cutaway in the view. The default
border works well for most situations.

Select the Green Checkmark and update the view

if required.

The gaps can be edited by restarting this

command.

Figure 6-54 The final broken view.

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Dependent General Views.

Dependent General Views allows the creation of auxiliary views from an existing view. The Dependent
General view will keep the attributes of the parent view.

Start the Create Dependent General View

command from the Dep View menu.

Figure 6-55 Start the command.

Select the view from which to create the

dependent view.

Figure 6-56 Select the Parent View.

An auxiliary 3D viewport will open.

Move the part into the correct orientation.

This can be done by viewing a face,
rotating the part manually, by selecting a
preset isometric view, etc.

Right Click and Apply this direction.

Figure 6-57 Rotate the part into the desired view orientation.

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Position the view and click the Green

Checkmark.

Update the view if required.

Note that the Dependent General view

keeps the attributes of the parent view
including the break.

Figure 6-58 Completed view.

7 Updating Views.
The color of the text in the Drawing Browser indicates the state of the views in comparison to the
model.

Dark Blue: Updated

Cyan: Needs Updated
Red: The 3D model is not loaded, or the drawing is not linked to a loaded viewset.
Black: No Model is associated to the drawing, such as a Target Sheet.

Figure 7-1 Color Update Status

When views required an update (cyan text) there are several options there are several options.

All of the views can be updated at once by clicking on the Update Drawing icon. from the O-I
Annotation Utilities toolbar, or right clicking on the Drawing Title in the Drawing browser, and selecting
Update all Views.

Sheets can be updated by right clicking the Sheet in the Drawing Browser and selecting Update all
Views.

Individual views can be updated by right clicking the View Name in the Drawing Browser and selecting
Update View. Or the view itself can be picked and click on the Update View from the Mini Toolbar.

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Figure 7-4 Update View, Mini

Toolbar
Figure 7-2 Update all Views on the Figure 7-3 Update all Views on
drawing a selected sheet

8 Moving Views.
Views can be moved by selecting the view and dragging. To line up with other views, pick the view to
be moved and hover over those views to align to. Green guide lines will pop up as a guide to indicate
view centers. Move the view until the magenta center dot aligns to the green guide lines. See Also 30.1
Fixing the View Reference Points.

For some auxiliary views, it is necessary to create construction lines and move the view by 2 points.

Figure 8-1 Hovering over other views displays alignment lines.

Moving views between sheets.

A view can be moved from one sheet to another on multiple sheet drawings.

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Start the Move View command from the Ribbon

Menu, or by clicking on the view and selecting
Move View from the Mini Toolbar.

Figure 8-2 Start the Move command.

Select the view to be moved.

From the Target sheet drop down menu, select the

target sheet for the view.

Figure 8-3 Select the Target sheet for the view.

9 Viewsets.
When a drawing is created Creo Elements/Direct creates a viewset for the parent part or assembly. The
viewset is attached to the part or assembly as a child. The viewset is similar to a set of workplanes.
However, unlike workplanes, viewsets cannot be edited or moved. Saving the 3D model with viewset is
not the same as saving the drawing. Both the drawing and the model must be saved independently. If
saving the drawing to Model Manager, the 3D model will be saved automatically at the same time.
Always double check the Model Manager save window.

This is important. Saving the 3D model does not save the drawing. The best practice is to save the
drawing first. Make sure that the Model Manager Save window shows both the model and the
drawing as being saved.

Figure 9-1 The Viewset is a child of the part.

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10 Attaching a drawing to a variant.

Attaching a drawing to a variant allows an existing drawing to be copied and attached to a new part.
The views in the new drawing will attach to the new part and update with it.

If the new part does not have a viewset, Attach to Variant will copy the viewset from the base model to
the new model.

Note: If the new part does not have a viewset (or copied form the original part) attached make sure that
the original model and the new model are aligned with each prior to using “Copy Variant”. Otherwise
the viewsets may not be aligned to the part correctly and the drawing will be incorrect.

The part at the left already has a drawing

attached to it. The part at the right was
copied from the part at the left, but does
not yet have a drawing or a viewset.

We can use the drawing for the left part to

make the drawing for the right part.

Figure 10-1 The part on the left was copied and modified to make
the part on the right.

If not already loaded, load the original

drawing. (Make sure that the drawing is
saved.)

The original part must be loaded as well.

Figure 10-2 The left part drawing is loaded.

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Start the Attach to Variant command.

Figure 10-3 Start the attached to Variant command.

If the drawing is saved, click Continue,

otherwise Cancel, save and start again.

Figure 10-4 If the drawing is saved, continue.

The Original Model should be selected by

default, select the Original Model from the
Structure Browser.

Select the Target Model from the

Structure Browser.

Figure 10-5 Select the part to attach the drawing.

If the new part does not have its own view

set, click Continue to copy the viewset
from the old model to the new model.

If the new model already has a viewset,

then this window will not appear.
Figure 10-6 Continue to copy the existing viewset.

Select any options desired, and click the

green checkmark to create the new
drawing.

Figure 10-7 Finish the command.

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Update the drawing, and edit as needed.

If the views move drastically and it is

difficult to align them, see Appendix 30.1
FIXING THE VIEW REFERENCE POINTS.

Figure 10-8 The new drawing.

11 Attach a drawing to a copy.

This command should not be used. Instead, use the Copy to Variant.

12 Attach a drawing to Mirror.

A drawing can be attached to a mirror of the part. All of the dimensions and special views created in the
original drawing will be transferred to the mirrored drawing. A few important notes here. First, the
original part and drawing must be created first. Then the 3D model of the part can be mirrored. After
that, the drawing can be attached to the mirror.

Start with the original part.

Figure 12-1 Original Part.

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Create the drawing for the original part.

Add any dimensions, dependent views and sections

required.

Save the Drawing!

Figure 12-2 Original drawing for the Original Part.

Create a mirror of the original part.

Figure 12-3 Create a mirror of the original part.

Start the Attach drawing to Mirror command.

Figure 12-4 Start the command.

The same warning comes up that was seen in the

copy to variant command.

Click Continue to create the mirrored drawing.

Click cancel to stop.
Figure 12-5 Make sure the drawing was saved!

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The Original Model should be selected by default,

if not select the Original Model from the structure
browser.

Select the Target Model, this is the mirror part that

was just created.

Click the Green Checkmark to complete.

Figure 12-6 Select the mirrored model for the Target.

Update the drawing.

If the views move drastically and it is difficult to

align them, see Appendix 30.1 FIXING THE VIEW
REFERENCE POINTS.

Figure 12-7 The completed mirrored drawing with all of

the dimensions.

13 View Properties.
View properties define the view scale, angle, label information, the update mode, visibility options, line
appearance, if all parts are displayed in a view, if full circles are displayed in a view, how sections are
transferred and shown, if a secured part will be honored, and shading techniques.

The View Profiles automatically will set view properties for a view based on how may parts are in the
view.

To modify a view’s properties, click on the view and select view properties from the Mini Toolbar

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This is the View Properties Dialog box.

The General page has the view title, scale and view
angle.

Figure 13-1 General Page.

The Calc Mode page defines how a view updates.

See Chapter 14 Calc Modes for more information.

Clash handling is important. This will check if parts

clash and will use the defined clash method for the
part in the drawing. Leave this at its default setting.
See 3D best practices for an explanation of Press
Fits.

If any of the Shaded options are selected for the

Calc Mode, an additional “Shaded” page will be
added.

Figure 13-2 Calc Mode Page.

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This is the Visibility page.

This is basically self-explanatory.

The Selected buttons for hidden and tangent lines

allows the user to select which parts will have
hidden lines and tangent lines displayed in an
assembly. This can make a view much easier to
understand. See Chapter 16 Select which parts
have hidden lines and tangent lines.

Figure 13-3 Visibility Page.

This is the Appear page.

For all basic views leave these settings as is.

For Shaded views, change the Normal color to Part

Color.

Figure 13-4 Appear Page.

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This is the Filters page

Small parts can be removed automatically from a

view. This is good for very large assemblies where a
small part will not even be seen.

Leave the full circles as it is, otherwise all circles will

be drawn as an arc. This confuses the views.

Figure 13-5 Filters Page.

This is the Section page.

Handling of Sectioned Parts and Workplanes:

On – all secured parts will be displayed as secured,

any parts in front of the section view will not be
displayed.

On Include all parts in front of the section plane. –

This will show all secured parts in the view even if
they are in front of the sectioned view.

Off- This will section all secured parts.

Calculations including :

Previous Sections: Yes will add the previous section

to the new section view.
Figure 13-6 Section Page.

No, will not include any previous sections

Previous Cutaways: Yes, will add any existing

cutaways to the section view. No will ignore the
existing Cutaways for the section view.

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This is the Shaded page. This page will only be

available if any of the Shaded options are selected
for the Calc mode.

The options for shading are self-explanatory.

Note Adding shading does add to the annotation

file size.

Figure 13-7 Shaded Page.

14 Calc Modes.
The modes are automatically selected based on the view profile being used. However, it is still valuable
to know what these modes do. (View profiles are covered in 15 View Profiles.)

Figure 14-1 Available calc modes.

Creo Elements/Direct used a number of different methods for updating views. The primary types are
Classic and Graphics. These both can use the Econofast update method (this is explained below).

Classic mode calculates the geometry of the view based on the model geometry. This is slow but very
accurate. This works well for small assemblies and individual parts.

Graphics mode uses the graphics card to generate the views. This is less accurate and works very well
for large assemblies. Dependent views can be set to a more accurate mode if desired.
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When Econofast is turned on, the views are quickly calculated using the graphics card, this is only to
determine what parts are hidden. The views are then created using the selected mode above.

In addition to the above modes, shading can be added which creates a fully shade “3D” image for a
view. It is recommended to use either Classic + Shaded or Graphics + Shaded as the include the part
geometry in the view. Shaded does not include part geometry. Balloons, text and dimensions can only
be attached to geometry. Change the part geometry to Part Color to “hide” the geometry. See Figure
13-4.

15 View Profiles.
View profiles are automatically selected based on the number of parts in the view that is being created.
View profiles are defined in the company configuration and are not user customizable.

Refer to Chapter 3 Create a new drawing. Be sure that the Use View Profile
radio button is checked. Once this is checked it will stay on by default for
all new drawings unless it is unchecked by the user.

This is an important step. It determines what method will be used to

update the views in the new drawings. It will optimize the Calc Mode
according to how many parts are in the view.

This will save time when updating large assemblies.

Figure 15-1 Make sure the

Use View Profiles is
checked.

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The view profile sets the following.

Update mode
Turns on or off Econofast
Sets 2D associativity
Sets whether or not views update immediately or manually
Set how circles are displayed (full or Limited) (full by default)
Sets if duplicate hidden lines are removed (removed by default)
Turns on or off thread creation
Sets centerline creation
Sets symmetry line creation
Sets hidden lines on or off
Sets tangent lines on or off

Small drawings and assemblies use the slowest update modes for the highest accuracies. Hidden lines,
centerlines and symmetry lines are displayed. As the number of parts increase in the assembly, the
faster and less accurate the calc mode selected. These views will not have hidden lines, centerlines or
symmetry lines shown.
Keep in mind, that disabling the “Use View Profile” will affect the update performance. See chapter 29
IMPROVING UPDATE PERFORMANCE. The user is able to override the default selection and select a different
profile.

16 Select which parts have hidden lines and tangent lines.

Large assembly drawings can be very confusing if all of the hidden lines of all the parts are shown.
Annotation allows the user to select which parts will have hidden lines displayed in a view on an
assembly drawing. This make the views much more clear.

Tangent lines can be applied to individual parts of the assembly view as well.

The instructions below relate to showing hidden lines on specific parts. The tangent lines visibility works
the same way.

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All of the parts in this view have hidden lines

shown. Fortunately, this is a simple view and
hidden lines are not overly confusing.

Despite this, lets only show the hidden lines in

the tube.

Figure 16-1 All parts show hidden lines.

Click the view and select View Properties form

the Mini Toolbar

Figure 16-2 Open the View Properties.

Click the Selected Button on the All Hidden Lines

line.

Figure 16-3 Click the Selected button.

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An Auxiliary 3D viewport opens, select the part(s)

that are required to have hidden lines displayed.

Figure 16-4 Select the part(s).

Close the View Properties window and update

the view.

Only the parts selected will have hidden lines

displayed.

You can revise which parts have hidden lines

displayed by repeating this command. When
revising, selecting parts acts as a toggle. Clicking
on a part that currently shows hidden lines will
turn off hidden lines. Clicking a part that is not
showing hidden lines, will turn on hidden lines for
that part.

Figure 16-5 Only the parts select now show hidden lines.

17 Creating, Placing and editing texts and symbols.

Texts.
Annotation uses a built in editor for creating texts. This editor also has a drop down list to place symbols
into the texts. Once a text is placed, clicking on the text will bring up the mini-toolbar with options to
edit the text. Ownership is important for texts, please see chapter 18 OWNERSHIP.

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To place new text, start the Text New command

from the Text menu on the Ribbon Bar.

Or Right Click on the screen and select Text New

from the Text and Symbols menu..
Figure 17-1 Ribbon Menu

Figure 17-2 Right Click Menu.

This is the Create Text dialog box that opens when

the Text New command is started.

Select the Owner of the text.

Clicking on the Text button to open the internal

editor.

(Short texts can be entered directly into the yellow

box.)

Figure 17-3 Create Text command.

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This is the text editor window.

Note! There is not a built in spell checker. An

option is to enter the text into Microsoft Word to
spell check, then cut and paste into this Text
Editor.

Click the Spec Chars button to open up the symbols

library.
Figure 17-4 Internal Text Editor window.

These are the Special Character symbols. These

will place the shown symbol codes into the text.
When the text is placed on the drawing, the
symbol will show.

For example to show a diameter symbol, click on

Diameter. The symbol code <Diameter> will be
shown in the text editor window. When the text is
placed on the drawing, Annotation will show the
symbol Ø.

Figure 17-5 Special Character Browser.

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Once text is placed, a leader line can be added to

the text by clicking the Ref Line button.

Figure 17-6 Placing the leader.

Texts that are use often have been made into text
templates.

Open the template browser and double click the

required text to be placed in the drawing. Please
see Chapter 2 BROWSER BAR.

Many vendor addresses have been saved as

templates. These then can be placed on the
drawing by selecting the template.
Figure 17-7 Text Templates

Symbols.
Symbols are found in the template browser. Some of these symbols have text fields that can be filled in
by the user. The symbol edit box opens if these fields are available for the user to put in values.
Ownership of symbols is very important.

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Click the Template browser button in the Browser

Bar. This opens up the symbols and text templates
list. (See CHAPTER 2 BROWSER BAR.)

c
Figure 17-8 Symbols Templates.

Select the symbol required.

Select the Owner.

Place the symbol on the drawing.

The text field cannot be edited until the text has

been placed.

Figure 17-9 Select the Symbol and place it on the drawing.

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Edit the text.

If a Ref Line is needed, click the Ref Line Button.

Ref Line is owner dependent. The owner must be
a view or sketch in order to have a reference line.

In this example, the Ref Line option is greyed out

because the owner is the Act Sheet.

Click the Green Checkmark.

Figure 17-10 Edit the symbol field(s).

Once the Checkmark is clicked the symbol will

show the edited text.

Clicking on the symbol will bring up a mini-toolbar

with options to edit the symbol.
Figure 17-11 Placed and edited symbol.
Clicking on Position Next Symbol allows the user
to place the next symbol on the drawing.

18 Ownership.
Placing a symbol or texts on a drawing requires an owner. The owner can be a view, sketch, the active
drawing, or the frame (border).

Ownership is very important.

Texts and symbols cannot have a leader if they are not owned by a view or a sketch.

Symbols such as surface finish will not move with a view if they are not owned by the view.

When placing texts, or symbols make sure that the correct owner is shown in the owner box.

To specify an Owner, click the Owner button, then click the view, sketch or an empty part of the drawing
to select the Active sheet.

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Changing the owner of a symbol or text.

The owner of a symbol or text can be modified.

Click the text or symbol, select Modify Position

from the Mini Toolbar.

Expand the Change Owner dialog.

Select the new owner type, view, sheet etc.

If the text or symbol does not have to be moved,

click Change Owner + Keep Position button to
complete the command.
Figure 18-1 Modify the text owner.

19 Linear Dimensioning.
Dimensioning will be divided into several topics. Linear dimensioning, coordinate dimensioning and
dimensioning features such as holes, fillets and blends.

Sometimes dimensions (particularly coordinate) dimensions are packed so tightly, they are difficult to
read.

Single dimensions.
Single dimension places a dimension from a start point to a finish point.

Start the Single Dim command.

Figure 19-1 Start the Single Dim command.

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Select the base and the first dimensioned

geometry.

Once a dimension is placed, additional dimension

can be added.

Hint: Try to select line segments instead of points,

this will help align the dimension as well as update
correctly if surfaces are moved in future revisions.
Figure 19-2 Start dimensioning line to line or point to
point. Hint: if the dimension is oriented incorrectly, right
click and select the correct orientation.

Hovering over an existing dimension will bring up

placement points so that the new dimension can
be placed in line with the existing dimension or
spaced equally above or below the dimension.

Figure 19-3 Hovering on an existing dimension displays

alignment snaps.

The dimensions snaps in line with the

placement points.

Figure 19-4 Aligned dimension.

Tangential linear dimensioning.

The circular dimensioning toolbar includes the tangential dimension command. This command can be
used to dimension between a radius and linear geometry and between to radial surfaces.

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The Tangential dimension can dimension between

two radii or between a radius and other geometry.

Start this command from the Circular dimension

menu.

Figure 19-5 Start the Tangential dimension command from

the Circular menu.

Select either two tangencies (as shown here), or a

tangency and a line.

Figure 19-6 Two Tangencies.

This is an example of a tangency and a line.

Figure 19-7 Tangency and a line.

Completed dimensions.

Figure 19-8 Completed Tangential dimensions.

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Datum Long.
Datum long dimensioning works similar to Chain dimensioning. The difference, all of the dimension
start from the same point.

Start the Datum Long command.

Figure 19-9 Start the Datum Long command.

Select the start point and the first geometry to be

dimensioned.

Figure 19-10 Select the base point and items to be

dimensioned.

Continue selecting geometry in the same

direction.

The dimension start at the start point and end at

the selected geometry automatically spacing.

Figure 19-11 Finished dimensions.

Datum Short
A Datum Short dimension displays the distance from a start point to an end point. However only the end
arrow and dimension are shown.

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Start the Datum Short

command.

Figure 19-12 Datum Short Dialog Box

.
Select the starting point.

Figure 19-13 Select the starting point.

Select the end point(s).

Figure 19-14 Select the end points.

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This is an example of
Datum short.

Figure 19-15 Completed command.

Chain Dimensioning.
Chain dimensioning allows the creation of a group of dimensions with all of the dimensions aligned or
spaced properly.

Start the Chain Dim command.

Figure 19-16 Start the Chain Dim command.

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Select the start point and end point of the first

dimension. The start of the second dimension will
automatically continue from the end of the first
dimension.

Continue selecting new end points to chain the

dimensions together. The previous end point
becomes the start point for the next dimension.

Figure 19-17 Place dimensions.

This is a series of chained dimensions.

Figure 19-18 Continue selecting dimension end points.

Coordinate Dimension.
The coordinate dimensions work off a base point. Typically the base point is on the same view as the
dimensions. External Base Points will be discussed in chapter 19.6.1 EXTERNAL BASE POINTS.

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Start the Coordinate command.

.
Figure 19-19 Start the Coordinate Dimension command.

Click the base point. (Note that in this example,

the 0 dimension is not displayed.)

Figure 19-20 Select the base point.

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Select the first geometry to be dimensioned.

Correct the dimension alignment if necessary by

right clicking.

Figure 19-21 Select the first dimension and correct the

alignment.

Continue to add dimensions until complete.

Figure 19-22 Continue selecting geometry to dimension.

Completed dimensioning.

Figure 19-23 Finished Dimensions

19.6.1 External Base Points.

External base points allow the zero point from one view to be transferred to another view, such as a
detail view. The view where the external point is selected and the view being dimension must have the
same perspective.

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Figure 19-24 Add coordinate dimensions to Detail 1 using the same basepoint as the front view
.
Start the Coordinate dimension command
and click the External Base Pnt radio button.

Figure 19-25 Check the External Base Pnt checkmark.

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Select the base point of the source view. This is

the point on the geometry that the dimension is
attached.

Figure 19-26 Select the base point of the source view.

Select the object to be dimensioned in the target

view. Ensure that the dimension is oriented
correctly (right click).

Figure 19-27 Select the target feature and ensure the

dimension orientation.
Continue adding dimensions to the target view as
required.

Figure 19-28 Continue dimensioning as required.

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Figure 19-29 Completed coordinate dimensioning.

Chamfer
The chamfer dimension is used for 45° chamfers only. It Will not work on any other angle of chamfer.

Start the Chamfer Dim command. Note that the

postfix x45° is automatically selected.

Figure 19-30 Chamfer Dim menu.

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Select the chamfer to be dimensioned.

Figure 19-31 Select the chamfer.

Place the dimension and change the orientation

to horizontal.

Figure 19-32 Position and orient the dimension.

Symmetry Single, Symmetry Long

Figure 19-33 Section B-B is a quarter of the diameter. Symmetry can be used to dimension the diameter.

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If only one dimension is required, use the Sym

Single command. If more than one dimension is
required use the Sym Long Dim.

The Sym Long Dim is similar to the Datum Long

Dim in that it evenly spaces all of the dimensions
automatically.

Since both commands work the same way, this

example will use the Sym Long Dimensioning.

Figure 19-34 Symmetry Single and Symmetry long menus.

Select the symmetry point of the dimension.

Figure 19-35 Select the Symmetry point.

Select the first end point, and position the

dimension.

If using the Sym Single Dim then the command

ends.

If using the Sym Long Dim command, then

continue selecting geometry.

Figure 19-36 Select the first endpoint.

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If using the Sym Long Dim, continue selecting end

points.

(note that the Ø symbol was manually added

to the prefix.)

Figure 19-37 Continue selecting endpoints.

The completed command.

Figure 19-38 Completed command.

Put Dim In /Take Dim Out.

The major advantage of Chain, Coordinate, and Datum Long dimensioning is the ability to add and
remove dimensions to the group. The other dimensions automatically move to keep proper spacing.
For example if a series of holes is dimensioned and a hole is added, a dimension can be added to a chain,
coordinate or datum dimension.

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19.9.1 Take Dim Out Datum Long Dimensions.

Start the Take Dim Out command.

Figure 19-39 Take Dim Out command.

Select the dimension to be removed from the

Datum Long group.

Figure 19-40 Select the dimension.

The Dimensions will automatically respace to the

default spacing.

Figure 19-41 The dimensions move to keep spacing.

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19.9.2 Put Dim In for Datum Long Dimensioning.

Start the Put Dim In command.

Figure 19-42 Start the Put Dim In command.

Select the Dim group by selecting any of the

dimensions in the Datum Long dimension group.

Figure 19-43 Select the Dimension Group.

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Select the geometry to be dimensioned.

Figure 19-44 Select the Geometry.

The dimensions move to make room for the new

dimensions keeping the default spacing.

Figure 19-45 The Dimensions move to make room for the

new dimension.

19.9.3 Take Dim Out for Chain Dimensioning.

The example in 19.5 CHAIN DIMENSIONING. missed dimensioning a hole, and dimensions the edge of the
boss instead.

Figure 19-46 The boss is dimensioned and a hole is missed.

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First, the dimension to the boss will be removed.

This is the 18mm dimension.

Start the Take Dim Out command.

Figure 19-47 Start the Take Dim Out command.

Select the dimension that will be extended to fill

the gap of the dimension that will be removed.

In this case the 42mm will extend to replace the

18mm dimension.

Figure 19-48 Select the dimension to fill the gap

.
Select the dimension to be removed.

Figure 19-49 Select the dimension to be removed.3

The 18mm dimension is removed and the 42mm

dimension becomes 60mm and extends to fill in
the gap.

Figure 19-50 Completed command.

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19.9.4 Put Dim In for Chain Dimensions.

Dimensions can be added into a chain.

Now the center hole dimension needs to be added

into the chain.

Figure 19-51 The center hole needs to be added to the

dimension chain

Start the Put Dim In command.

Figure 19-52 Start the Put Dim In command.

Select the dimension chain to add the dimension.

Figure 19-53 Select the dimension chain.

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Select the object to be dimensioned.

Figure 19-54 Select the object to be added to the chain

.
The dimensions move over and the new
dimension is added into the chain.

Figure 19-55 The dimension is inserted into the chain.

19.9.5 Put Dim In and Take Dim Out for Coordinate Dimensions.
Put Dim In will add dimensions to the coordinate
dimension group.

Start the Put Dim In command.

Select the Dim Group. Select any of the

dimensions in the group. (for this example any of
the horizontal dimensions.)

Figure 19-56 Start the Insert Dim command and select the
dimension group.

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Select the geometry to be dimensioned. In this

example the base point is select to add the 0
coordinate.

Figure 19-57 Select the base point.

The zero dimension is now added.

Figure 19-58 The 0 dimension is added.

20 Circular Dimensioning.
Radii.

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Start the Radius command and select a radius.

Figure 20-1 Basic Radius dimensioning.

Drag the cursor out to position the dimension.

Figure 20-2 Drag the dimension to the desired location.

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Clicking the Centerline radio button, extends the

extension line to the radius centerline.

Figure 20-3 Centerline option.

The text is in line with the extension line. Since the

center of this radius is within the part, it should be
made horizontal.

There are two methods to change this.

Figure 20-4 Finished dimension.

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Method 1:

Click on the dimension.

Click on View Properties from the Mini Toolbar.

Go to the Text Props menu and change the

orientation from Parallel to Horizontal.

Figure 20-5 Change the text orientation to horizontal.

Method 2:

Select the Change text to horizontal button on the

O-I Dimension Modification Toolbar and select the
dimension.

Using this button has an advantage in that the user

can click this button once and select all of the
dimensions to be modified.

Figure 20-6 Change text to horizontal - method 2.

Final dimension with the proper orientation.

Figure 20-7 The corrected dimension.

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Annotation will automatically place an arc

extension on the dimension, if the dimension is not
directly pointing to the radius.

Figure 20-8 Arc extension example.

Diameters.
The Diameter command has a two options.
Centerline and Tangential Mode.

If none of the above options are selected, then the

Diameter Dimension will have an arrow touching
the circular geometry pointing toward the center
of the circle.

Figure 20-9 Basic diameter dimension.

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The Centerline option will draw the extension line

through the center of the diameter. If the
diameter is a 180° arc where the dimension
touches, two arrows will be shown. If the diameter
is not a 180° arc where the dimension touches,
only one arrow will be shown.

Figure 20-10 Centerline option.

The Tangential Mode option draws the dimension

on the tangencies of the diameter. The diameter
must be at least a 180° arc.

Right clicking when placing this dimension allows

the user to select the orientation of the dimension.
In the example show, the orientation is vertical.

Figure 20-11 Tangential Mode option.

Tapped Holes.
Tapped holes are dimensioned using the Diameter Dim command. Start the command, select the
tapped hole. Tap dimension includes the thread size, the pitch or TPI and the depth of the tap. If the tap
is a thru hole, edit the postfix to say THRU.

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Start the Diameter command and select the OD of

the tapped hole to be dimensioned. If the hole is
a thru hole, edit the postfix, as shown here.

Figure 20-12 The postfix is edited from <Length> to THRU.

Place the dimension and change the orientation of

the text.

Figure 20-13 Final placed tap dimension.

Counterbore and Countersunk holes.

Counterbore and Countersunk holes require two steps to dimension. First dimension the thru hole and
the dimension the diameter of the countersink or Counterbore.

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Start the Diameter command and select the thru

hole.

Edit the postfix to indicate the depth is THRU.

Figure 20-14 Dimension the thru and edit the postfix.

Dimension the Counterbore or Countersink.

Edit the Prefix:

For Counterbores, edit the Prefix to show the

Counterbore symbol and the Diameter symbol.

For Countersinks, edit the prefix to show the

Countersink symbol followed by either 82°(inch) or
90°(metric) and the diameter symbol.

Edit the Postfix:

For Counterbores, edit to indicate the depth of the

Figure 20-15 Dimension the Counterbore and edit the
prefix and postfix.
counter bore.

For countersinks, use the Ø and the diameter of the

countersink.

After placing the dimensions, change the

orientation to horizontal.

Change the dimension to the desired unit if

required. This can be done by right clicking and
modifying the dimension properties, or by using the
O-I Dimension Modification toolbar buttons.

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Change the orientation of the dimensions to

horizontal and position them.

Figure 20-16 Change the orientation to horizontal and

position.

Change the leader of the Counterbore dimension to

blue. Blue is a non-printing color.

Figure 20-17 Change the leader of the Counterbore to

blue.

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The blue leader will not be plotted.

Figure 20-18 The blue leader will not plot.

The dimension is plotted with only one leader. O-I

Plotting defaults do not print blue lines.

Figure 20-19 This is how the plot will appear.

21 Tangential
Tangential dimensions under the circular dimensioning menu. However, it is basically used for linear
measurements. See Chapter 19.2 TANGENTIAL LINEAR DIMENSIONING.

22 Arc dimensioning.
Arc dimensions the length of an arc, or the angle of an arc.

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Start the command. Using the radio buttons

choose either to dimension the length of the arc,
or the angle of the arc.

Figure 22-1 The Arc Dim menu.

For arc Length, select the start point of the arc.

Going counter clockwise select the end point.

Position the dimension.

Note that the linear dimension only works

directly on the arc. The linear dimension will not
be able to measure missing piece in this view.

Figure 22-2 Arc Length.

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The Angle selection (see FIGURE 22-1) in the Arc

Dim can dimension an arc itself, or the missing
piece.

Select the start point.

Going counter clockwise, select the end point of

the arc.

Place the dimension.

Figure 22-3 Arc Angle.

23 Angular Dimensioning.
The most difficult thing about angular dimensioning is getting the orientation correct.

Start the Angle command. Pick the entities to be

dimensioned, the order does not matter.

Figure 23-1 Start the command and pick the entities.

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If the angle is not oriented correctly, right click and

select the options. In this example the required
dimension is 30° between the base and the lip.

Clicking on Swap and then Adjacent- gives us this

orientation.

This process is experimental and it will take some

practice to become proficient. Do not get
frustrated, eventually the angle dimension will be
correctly oriented.
Figure 23-2 work with the orientation to achieve the
desired appearance.

This is the correctly oriented angular dimension.

Figure 23-3 This is the correct orientation.

Similar to the radius dimensions, switch the

orientation to horizontal.

Figure 23-4 Completed dimension.

Modifying Dimensions.

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Dimension Properties.
The user can modify dimension colors and orientation.

The O-I Toolbars are many one click methods of

changing the dimension properties.

Clicking on these buttons and then on the

Figure 23-5 One of the Many O-I Toolbars available. dimension will quickly change the dimension
properties. For example, the AB Vert will change
all dimensions clicked on to a vertical orientation.

Clicking on the dimension and then clicking

Dimension Properties from the Mini Toolbar
brings up the Dimension Properties menu.

All aspects of the dimension can be changed with

this menu including the units, adding second units,
the arrow type and color, the text type and color.

The Fix Text can also be edited from this menu.

Figure 23-6 Dimension Properties Menu.

Stagger extension Lines/move dimension text.

Overcrowded dimensions are difficult to read. The extension lines can be staggered and text moved to
improve the clarity of the drawing.

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Click on the extension line where the stagger is to

start.

Click the Stagger button from the Mini Toolbar.

Figure 23-7 Stagger command in the Mini Toolbar.

Click the second point on the extension line where

the stagger is to end.

Figure 23-8 Click the second stagger point.

Select the point where the stagger is to offset.

Figure 23-9 Click the stagger to point.

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The line staggers, but the text stays where it

started.

Figure 23-10 Completed Stagger command.

Click on the text.

Right click and select Move Dim Text.

Drag the text to the desired location and left click

to place it.

Figure 23-11 Click the text, right click and Move Dim Text.

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Completed Stagger.

Figure 23-12 Click the new location for the text.

To remove the stagger:

Click on the dimension.

Select Reset Line from the Mini Toolbar.

Drag the text and it will automatically realign with

the dimension.

Figure 23-13 Reset the line.

Break Extension Lines.

Extensions lines that cross over other extension lines or text confuse a drawing. These extension lines
should be broken and is the proper drafting technique.

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The 35mm and 29mm extension lines cross over

other dimensions. This is bad form and these lines
should be broken.

A single overlapping line can be fixed using the

Mini Toolbar.
Figure 23-14 Overlapping extension lines.
The two overlapping lines can be broken with the
Mini Toolbar command, but there is a simpler and
better way. This is discussed below.
A simple break is one that does not have
overlapping extension lines.

Click the extension line where the break is to

begin.

Select Break from the Mini Toolbar.

Figure 23-15 Click the break start point.

Select the second point of the break on the

extension line.

Figure 23-16 Click the break end point.

This is the completed break.

The other extension line is overlapping.

This command would have to be used twice to

break two overlapping lines. This is time
consuming and difficult. Instead, use the Multi-
Break command.

Figure 23-17 The broken line.

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Click on the Multi Break command from the O-I

Dimension Modification toolbar.

Figure 23-18 Multi-Break command.

Click the first point of the break.

Figure 23-19 Click the start of the break.

Click the Second point of the break.

Figure 23-20 Click the end of the break.

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Both overlapping lines are broken simultaneously.

Figure 23-21 Both overlapping lines are broke.

To remove the break:

Click on the dimension.

Select Reset Line from the Mini Toolbar.

Figure 23-22 Reset Line.

24 Editing dimensions and Dim Fix Texts.

Never edit the dimension value. Edit only the prefix, postfix, Superfix and Subfix fields. The only
allowable time to edit the dimension value is when the dimension is being used in a table. For example
if the dimension is labeled “B” and then “B” is defined in a table of dimensions. Use Dim Properties to
edit the –Fix texts.

The same symbols used in creating texts can be used in the Fix Texts.

25 Manage Parts.
Too many parts can clutter an assembly and make it hard to see important details. Removing these
parts from a view can bring clarity to the view. The parts are not removed from the assembly, they are
just not shown in the view. The nice thing is that since these parts are not part of the view, annotation
does not have to do any calculations on them to update the view.

Sometimes, reference parts need to be added to a view to help with assembly or placement on a
machine. Manage Parts allows the user to handle both of the situations.

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Remove Parts.
The bolts and the nuts on the left side of this view
need to be removed to clarify this view.

Figure 25-1 The bolts and washers on the left side should
be removed from the view.

Click on the view.

Select Manage from the Mini Toolbar.

Figure 25-2 Click the view and select Manage.

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An auxiliary 3D Viewport opens.

The Manage Parts/Workplane menu opens.

Expand the entire Dialog box (always do this to

show all of the options.)

Select Rem Selected (default)

Select the part(s) to be removed.

Figure 25-3 It is recommended to always click the Expand
button. Click the Green Checkmark.

Update the view.

Figure 25-4 Update the view.

Add Parts.
Manage Parts can also add parts into a view. The parts must be in the assembly, directly under the
assembly, in a subassembly, or in a container. The example below is simplified, adding parts from a
subassembly or container works the same exact way.

The fasteners are to be added back into this view.

Click the view.

Select Manage from the Mini Toolbar.

Figure 25-5 Add the fasteners back into this view.

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An auxiliary 3D viewport opens.

The Manage Parts/Workplane menu opens.

Expand the menu.

Click on the Add Selected button.

Select the parts to be added into the view.

Figure 25-6 Select the items to add. Click the Green Checkmark.

Update the view to show the fasteners added

back into the view.

Figure 25-7 Update the view.

26 Using Configurations to Create Views.

Configurations created in 3D can be used to create 2D views. The drawlist saved with a configuration
can also be used to determine what parts are seen in a view. This is an efficient way to manage parts in
a view. It is the only method available to create exploded 2d views.

The EXAMPLE configuration in this assembly will

be used to create an isometric view.

Figure 26-1 The configuration in the assembly.

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This is the configuration applied to a model.

Figure 26-2 The configuration applied to the model.

Start by Adding a view to the drawing.

Select the Configuration to be used from the drop

down list.

Figure 26-3 Select the configuration to apply to the view.

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Determine how the Drawlist will affect the view.

No: The view will show all of the parts in the

assembly, even if they are not part of the
configuration.

Once: Only the parts in the configuration will be

shown in the view. However, parts can be added
or removed by Managing the view.

Always: Only the parts in the configuration will

be shown in the view. Parts cannot be added to
or removed from the view by Managing the view.
Changing the configuration will change the view.
To add parts or remove parts from the view, the
configuration will have to be modified.

Figure 26-4 Select how the drawlist affects the view.

Click on Direction to create an Isometric view.

Figure 26-5 Click on direction to create an isometric view.

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Position the assembly as desired.

Right Click and select Apply this direction.

Figure 26-6 Apply the view direction.

Position the View and update if required.

Figure 26-7 Position the view and update.

27 Shading a view.
Let’s take the view created with the configuration and apply shading to it.

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Click on a view and select View Properties from

the Mini Toolbar.

Figure 27-1 Open the View Properties.

Select Shaded from the dropdown menu.

If the view was originally Graphics, select

Graphics + Shaded.

If the view was original Classic, select

Classic + Shaded.

Figure 27-2 Select (current) + Shaded.

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Do not show Hidden lines, Tangent lines,

Symmetry Lines or Center lines.

Figure 27-3 Do not show Hidden, Tangent, Symmetry, or

Center lines.

Change the Appearance of normal lines by

changing the Color to Part/WP Colors.

Figure 27-4 Change the Normal line color to Part/WP

Colors.

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Select the colorization option.

Resolution: The higher the resolution the larger

the saved size of the drawing. 150 dpi is a good
resolution for most parts.

Colorize Parts: The parts in the view will be the

same color as the models.

Photo-Realistic: This gives a very nice rendered

view with shading and lights.

Figure 27-5 Select the desired resolution and options.

The completed Shaded and Photo-Realistic view.

The view is actually an image with geometry that

can have notes and balloons attached to them.

The edges are slightly jagged when view, but

print nicely. The jagged lines can be reduced by
increasing the resolution. However, this comes
at a price of a large file size.

Figure 27-6 Updated Shaded, Colorized, and Photo-Realistic

View.

28 Change Part Color.i

Use the Part Color command from the O-I Toolbox. This command replaces the difficult to use built in
Part/Workplane Geometry Styles. This allows the color and linetype of part(s) in annotation to be
changed. For example, this would be used if a part is strictly for reference, the linetype would be
changed to phantom and the color to green.

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This assembly has several parts that are for

reference. The reference parts are not part of the
bill of material but are important in this view to
show how the assembly mates to the reference
parts.

O-I standards dictate that these reference parts

should be phantom. The line color should be
green to plot with the proper lineweight.

Figure 28-1 assembly with reference parts.

Start the Part Color command from the O-I

Toolbox Tab on the Ribbon Menu.

To show the 3D model, click the 3D-View radio

button.

Notice that the Select automatically has the

Recursive radio button selected. With this
selected, clicking a single part will automatically
Figure 28-2 Select the parts that will be revised in
select the entire parent assembly. To select single
annotation. parts un-check the Recursive radio button.

Select the parts that will be revised in annotation.

Click Start on the select list to make a list of parts.

Click the center mouse button when complete.

Select the view(s) to be revised.

Figure 28-3 Select the view to revise.

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Select the color of the revised parts.

Notice that the Auto-update radio button is

checked. This will force an update of the view
when the Green Checkmark is clicked.

Figure 28-4 Select the color

Select the linetype.

Figure 28-5 Select the linetype.

Click the Green Checkmark.

Figure 28-6 Click The Green Checkmark.

29 Improving Update Performance.

Large drawings can take a very long time to update the views. This chapter gives tips and trick on
improving the time it takes for these view to update.

Remove Invisible.
Annotation will calculate each part in an assembly in order to update a view, even if those parts are not
visible in a view. The update time for a view can be improved if these invisible parts are removed.

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Manage the parts in a view, expand the Manage

Parts menu and click the Rem Invisible button.
Click the Green Checkmark. SEE CHAPTER 24
EDITING DIMENSIONS and Dim Fix Texts.
Never edit the dimension value. Edit only the
prefix, postfix, Superfix and Subfix fields. The
only allowable time to edit the dimension value is
when the dimension is being used in a table. For
example if the dimension is labeled “B” and then
“B” is defined in a table of dimensions. Use Dim
Properties to edit the –Fix texts.
The same symbols used in creating texts can be
used in the Fix Texts.
Manage Parts.

Figure 29-1 Remove Invisible parts.

The second option is to click the Rem. Inv. Parts button in the O-I Toolbox tab on the Ribbon Menu and
click the view(s).

Figure 29-2 O-I Toolbox button

Calc Mode.
Calc Mode settings play a large role in the speed of an update. Making sure that view profiles is checked
when creating a view. It will automatically pick the optimal Calc Mode. These settings can always be
over-ridden by the user.

Large assemblies are those that have over 100 parts, or parts with complex splines.

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Calc Mode:
Classic: Small Assemblies
Graphics: Large Assemblies

Econofast mode: Always on unless it

causes an update error.

Facet Accuracy:
Low: Large assemblies
Medium: Small assemblies
High: Assemblies of 50 parts or less.

2D Association:
Full: Small assemblies
Limited: Large assemblies. (This keeps
annotation from updating parts
of a view that did not change.)

Figure 29-3 View Properties Calc Mode.

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30 Appendix.
Fixing the View Reference Points.
Sometimes views are created with the reference point of the view off in space. This make the views
very difficult to line up. There is a tool in the Toolbox Dropdown Menu to fix this.

The top views reference point is not located in the

center of the view. The reference point is the
purple dot on the green crosshairs

This makes this view difficult to line up with other

views.

There is a tool to fix this.

Figure 30-1 The view reference point (cross hairs and

purple dot) are not on the view.

Open the Toolbox Dropdown Menu.

Figure 30-2 Toolbox Dropdown Menu.

Start the Set View Ref Pnt command.

Figure 30-3 Start the Set View Ref Pnt. command.

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Select a view to fix.

Figure 30-4 Select the view to fix.

Select a new reference point. Pick a point that can

be easily found on the 3D geometry.

For this example, the center of the boss was

selected, since this is an easy point to pick on the
drawing and the model.

Figure 30-5 Select a point on the view.

An Auxiliary 3D viewport opens.

Select the reference point on the 3D model.

Click the Green Checkmark.

Figure 30-6 Select the same point on the 3D model.

The reference point for the view is now corrected

for this view.

These steps must be repeated for each view on

the drawing.

Figure 30-7 The View reference point is fixed.

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31 Revision History.
2-24-2016 approved for proof read.
3-10-2016 ready for final proof read.
3-23-2016 Released Version 1.0.

32 Credits
V1. Written by Thomas R. Kirkman, Proofread and edited by Charlie Obee, Susan Taber and Josh
Przbylski.

33 Endnotes.
i
This section is copied from the Creo Elements Direct Modeling O-I Toolbox commands v6.0

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