Using Drafting with the Design Range Management

The Drafting app supports design range management. The design range is used in creating drawings, layouts, sheets, and views. When you create new content, you must specify the associated design range. Normal range is the default option and is sufficient in the majority of cases. For more information, see 3DEXPERIENCE Native Apps: Introducing Design Range Management.

This page discusses:

See Also
Generating a New Drawing

Automatic View Creation Using the Design Range Management

When a product or a 3D area part or a 2D layout is active and a drawing is created, you can create a set of views automatically.

Note: The word "range" in this section refers to the scale of the drawing. For more information, see Introducing Design Range Management.

The following table explains the two cases of automatic view creation using the design range:

Cases View Generation Options for the Compatible Ranges Comment
A 2D layout is active
  • Empty sheet
  • All Design Sheets
  • Current Sheet
  • Selected Sheets
  • Custom Sheet Range

If the ranges are not compatible, a message is displayed in the Drawing Information tab of the Drawing dialog box informing you that the current range prevents the view generation.

A product or 3D area part is active
  • Empty sheet
  • All views
  • Front, Bottom, and Right views
  • Front, Top and Left views
Notes:
  • A drawing contains one range corresponding to a set of tolerances: there is only one range for a given drawing. That is, all views of a drawing use the same range. Once created, you cannot modify the range of a drawing.
  • When the drawing to be generated is under a product, ensure that the design range of the drawing is less than that of the product. Else, an error message appears to diagnose the issue. In this case, the views are not generated.
  • When the drawing to be generated is not under the product and the drawing is of smaller range compared to the product to be represented, an error message appears. In this case, the views are not generated.
  • When the drawing to be generated is not under the product and the drawing range is greater range compared to the product to be represented, the following scenarios are possible:
    • The views are generated without any checks performed.
    • A warning message appears and no views are generated.
    • A warning message appears and views are generated.

    You can select the preferences to change the behavior. See Generation.

When a product or a 2D layout is active and the Drafting app is opened, a warning appears if the ranges of the two are not compatible. In the warning dialog box, you have the following choices:

  • Click OK to automatically adapt the range of the drawing with the 3D part to be represented.
  • Click Cancel to ignore the warning and use the preferred or default range.

Generative View Creation Scenarios

The following scenarios are possible when generating views:

  • If the drawing range is lower than the product range: It displays the message that it is not possible to generate views. After you click OK in the message box, an empty drawing is generated.

    For example: The drawing range is normal and the product range is large.

  • The drawing range is same as the product range: Views are generated.
  • If the drawing range is larger than the product range: The views are created based on the value of Allow view creation from 3D data of smaller range check box available in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > 3D Modeling > Mechanical Systems Drafting > Generation expander, under View:
    • If Allow view creation from 3D data of smaller range option is set as Yes (no warning): The views are created.
    • If Allow view creation from 3D data of smaller range option is set as Yes (warning): A warning message appears informing that the drawing large range is greater than the physical product normal range. When you click OK in this 3D View Extraction message box, the views are generated.
    • If the option Allow view creation from 3D data of smaller range is set as No: A warning message appears informing that it is not possible to generate views because drawing large range is greater than the physical product normal range. When you click OK in this 3D View Extraction message box, the views are not generated.

View from 3D

You can create views from 2D Layout for 3D Design or 3D Tolerancing & Annotation only if the range of the reference view is equal to the drawing range or according to the value of Allow view creation from 3D data of smaller range.

When creating a view from 3D, the compatibility between the drawing range and the root product context range is checked prior to view creation. If the ranges are not compatible, a warning message appears and the view is not created.

View Dress-up

  • You can create 2D geometry and annotations using the range of the drawing. That is, you can create and modify annotations as long as they are attached to a representation or a 3D area shape located inside the drawing geometrical limit. Sketched geometry can be created and modified in Drafting and 2D Layout for 3D Design exactly like in Sketcher.
  • You can create and modify an area fill, axis line, center line or thread as long as they are attached to a representation/3D area shape located inside the drawing geometrical limit.
  • You can create and modify dimensions on generated geometry using the range of the drawing (whatever the range of the product pointed by the generative view).
    Note: The dimension value precision is strongly dependent upon the range of the drawing.

2D Components
You cannot instantiate a 2D component in a drawing which has a smaller range than its own representation.

Geometry Import and Export
Import and export of geometry is independent of the range of the drawing. For DXF, IG2D, and DWG formats, the export generated data is computed according to the sheet paper unit.
When importing a DXF, IG2D or DWG file, the drawing representation is created with the default range.
Grid
The characteristics of a view geometry grid depend on the range of the representation containing that view. You can customize it for each range.
Paper Grid
This grid is used for snapping the position of annotations and dress-up elements. It is adaptive to the view ratio and independent of the range of view representation.

View Generation Modes

  • Exact and Raster: Only these modes are available to create views from large and small scale 3D area data.
  • Approximate and CGR:
    • You cannot create views in Approximate mode if the range of the drawing is large or small.
    • An existing view projection mode cannot be modified to Approximate or CGR if the range of the drawing is large.

The precision of the following views is managed by the range of the drawing:

  • Section
  • Associative section
  • Detail
  • Associative detail
  • Clipping
  • Broken
  • Breakout
  • Add 3D Clipping
  • 3D SPACE Clipping

Import from V4

Import of views from V4 using range of the drawing. The import behavior is dependant on the drafting preferences in case of small range drawing. For a batch import, the import is done in normal range irrespective of the setting value.