About Importing Feature Points from Creo Elements/Direct

When you import Creo Elements/Direct Modeling files, the feature points of parts and assemblies are converted to datum points. The import also creates notes that include the labels of the feature points.

Dimensions that reference feature points are semantically transferred as the dimension references of the corresponding datum points. The Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) of the reference dimensions are imported as semantic representations. The annotation planes of the part and assembly models that are imported as reference planes place the dimensions and notes in Creo Parametric.

Feature points, like datums and tolerances, are owned by a single part or assembly in Creo Elements/Direct and are hidden from view. You can create feature points for complex reference structures in Creo Elements/Direct with respect to references such as faces, vertices, reference planes, edges, surfaces, and the center points of elements.

Reference Type	Description of the Feature Points
On face	Defines a feature point on a face.
By vertex	Defines a feature point with respect to a vertex. When you select the location of the point, Creo Elements/Direct Modeling automatically selects the nearest vertex as the reference and specifies its X,Y, and Z offsets from the selected point. You can change these offsets when required.
RefPlane	Defines a feature point with respect to a reference plane. You can change the U and V offsets of the point and specify the plane by its normal and U direction.
By two edges	Defines a feature point with reference to two edges. You can specify offsets for the two selected edges.
CenterPt	Defines a feature point with respect to the center point of an element.
Three surfaces	Defines a feature point at the intersection of three planes that are either faces or work planes.

Although these feature point reference types are associated with the relevant model geometry in Creo Elements/Direct, they do not map to the corresponding Creo Parametric references types when you import feature points of various reference types. Therefore, feature points transfer as datum points without preserving the associativity of the datum references with the model geometry.

However, when you import feature points with dimensions as references, the dimensions and their PMI data retain the geometric references. That is, the semantic transfer of the dimensions retains the association of the feature point references with the corresponding model geometry and the association of the dimensions with the feature point references. Therefore, feature points with dimension references create the corresponding semantic representations of the dimension references for the datum points in Creo Parametric.

When feature points reference two straight edges that intersect without offsets specified, the feature points create dimension references that are associated with the intersection of the edges. The reference dimensions are then semantically transferred to Creo Parametric as linear dimension references of the intersection references. Similarly, when dimensions reference feature points that reference the center point of an edge without offsets specified, the dimension references are associative and are semantically transferred as linear dimension references.

However, if you specify offset values while defining feature points that reference intersecting edges or the center points of edges, the associative references are not preserved. Therefore, the feature points are transferred as datum points without the dimension references.

Similarly, if feature points with intersecting edges or the center points of elements as the reference types are offset from their references when you select reference faces, the feature points are transferred as datum points without the associative references. The feature point references that are associated with the intersection of the edges or the center points of elements do not map to the appropriate Creo Parametric reference types. As a result, the datum points are the dimension references instead of the original references.