Setting Parameter Values
A common strategy in Parametric Design is to define your parameters so that the entire constraint structure of a part depends on several "Value"-type parameters. This strategy has several advantages:
• It is often possible to generate new variations by simply changing a few key value-type parameters.
• In situations where a Designer or Engineer is responsible for designing constraints for a master part and a Draftsperson is responsible for generating variations, this strategy "isolates" most of the constraint structure from the Draftsperson, who only has to modify the values of a few parameters to generate variations.
Parametric Design facilitates this strategy by giving easy access to all the currently set "Value" parameters in the parameter value table in the Current Constraints dialog box. Rather than display the entire parameter definition table whenever you want to change a "Value" parameter, you can display the Current Constraints dialog box, which contains only "Value" parameters.
Each entry in the parameter value table contains the name of a currently defined "Value" parameter along with the value that will be assigned to that parameter by the next Solve command. This value corresponds to the New Value or Expression column of the parameter definition table. Only those parameters with a type of "Value" appear on this column. If there are too many entries to view at once, use the scroll bar beside the table. To change the value of a parameter, simply select its entry and enter the new value. A full description of the parameter value table can be found in Generating Variations.
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While you can enter an expression rather than a value into the parameter value table, it is not recommended that you do so, because this changes the type of the parameter from "Value" to "Expression," and thus removes its entry from the parameter value table (but not from the parameter definition table).
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