User Interface and Workflow

Model-Based Definition > Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing Advisor > GD&T Advisor > User Interface and Workflow

Starting the Application

After opening a part file to which you intend to apply GD&T, startup GD&T Advisor by selecting the GD&T Advisor button on the Applications ribbon. Once the application has been started within a Creo modeling session, it will continue to run until you either exit Creo or select Close in the GD&T Advisor ribbon. Note that closing the application releases the GD&T Advisor license.

Model Update

The application runs through the Model Update process under the following conditions:

• When GD&T Advisor starts.

• When GD&T Advisor is running and the CAD model is regenerated.

• When the Update button is selected from GD&T Advisor ribbon.

The Model Update process includes the following steps:

1. Model Cleanup — Due to a variety of conditions, annotations in the model may become 'misplaced', such that they cannot be shown in the model. One way this could happen if there is a change made to the CAD model such that an annotation is no longer compatible with the annotation plane. For example, the diameter of a shaft must be placed on a plane that is either through or normal to the shaft axis. If the diameter dimension is placed on an annotation plane that is neither of those, the diameter dimension cannot be displayed. In some cases, not only are these annotations not displayed but they are sometimes not even listed in the model tree. In order to ensure that the model is 'clean', when you start up GD&T Advisor, the application searches the model for misplaced annotations and automatically deletes any that are found.

2. Checks the Tolerancing Standard — The application reads the tolerancing standard from the CAD model properties and applies the applicable rule set based on the specified standard.

3. Checks for Unvalidated Annotations — The application searches the model for annotations created with native Creo annotations tools (i.e., not with GD&T Advisor). When starting the application on a part for the first time, you are presented with an option to either delete or validate these annotations, depending on the available license options (see Unvalidated Annotations for more information). When the CAD model already includes GD&T Advisor data, the application attempts to automatically validate all unvalidated annotations. Any annotations that cannot be validated are listed in the Unvalidated Annotations List.

4. Updates the GD&T Advisor Model Data — The application performs the following additional tasks:

◦ Updates all features and linked patterns (based on the current state of the CAD model).

◦ Checks all validated annotations and…

▪ Corrects obvious errors in the annotations

▪ Updates GD&T Advisor based on any valid changes made to the CAD annotations

◦ Runs all advisor tests and updates advisor messages.

User Interface

The picture below shows the various components of the GD&T Advisor user interface.

1. GD&T Advisor Ribbon

2. GD&T Advisor Navigator Tab

3. Feature Tree

4. Advisor Tree

5. Constraint State Legend

The GD&T Advisor Ribbon

The GD&T Advisor ribbon in Creo Parametric that contains the following buttons:

Button	Function	Description
	Tolerance Feature	Add a feature to the GD&T Advisor model and then applying tolerances to that feature. See Add Feature for more information.
	Tolerance Pattern	Add a pattern to the GD&T Advisor model and then applying tolerances to that pattern. See Add Pattern for more information.
	Establish DRF	Add a datum reference frame to the GD&T Advisor model. See Add DRF for more information.
	Edit Properties	Edit the properties of the GD&T Advisor model. See Edit Part Properties for more information.
	Update	Update the GD&T Advisor data, including changes made to the CAD model.
	Delete All	Delete all of the GD&T Advisor data from the CAD model and then close the application.
	Show/Hide Constraint State Display	Toggle the display mode of the CAD model. When the Constraint State Display is activated, the surfaces of the model are color-coded to indicate their constraint state. See Constraint State Display for more information.
	Unvalidated Annotations List	View a list of unvalidated annotations. See Unvalidated Annotations List for more information.
	Options	View and/or edit the application options. See Application Options for more information.
	About GD&T Advisor	Opens a window with information about the application (e.g., version and license info).
	Close	Close the application.

GD&T Advisor Navigator Tab

GD&T Advisor is very tightly integrated with Creo Parametric. When you first start the application, there is a new tab added to the Creo Navigator pane. The GD&T Advisor navigator pane displays two components of the user interface: the Feature Tree and the Advisor Tree.

Feature Tree

The Feature Tree displays the contents of the GD&T Advisor model, including features, patterns, datum reference frames, dimensions, and geometric tolerances. The order of the Feature Tree reflects the precedence of the features in the model. Thus, datum features that are used to establish the predominant datum reference frame of the part should be the first features in the Feature Tree.

Feature Tree Objects

The Feature Tree contains various icons as described in the table below.

Icon	Meaning
	The active part
, etc.	A feature (see Feature Descriptions for a complete list of supported feature types)
, etc.	A pattern (see Pattern Descriptions for a complete list of supported pattern types)
, , etc.	A datum plane or a datum axis.
	A datum reference frame (DRF). A DRF is always ordered to immediately follow the last referenced datum feature.
, etc.	A size dimension
, etc.	A geometric tolerance (see Geometric Controls (ASME), or Geometric Controls (ISO) for more information)

In some cases, an object in the Feature Tree may be marked by a double dagger symbol (‡), indicating that it is a 'failed' object, or a single dagger symbol (†) indicating that it is dependent on a failed object. See the 'There are failed objects in the model' advisor message help page for more information.

Feature Tree Context Menu

When you right-click in the Feature Tree, a context menu will be displayed. The content of the menu depends on which object type is selected:

Selected Object Type	Menu Contents	Description
Any	Options...	Edit the application options. See Application Options for more information.
	Expand All	Fully expand the feature tree.
	Collapse All	Fully collapse the feature tree.
Part	Edit Properties...	Edit the part properties. See Part Properties for more information.
	Update	Update the GD&T Advisor data, including changes made to the CAD model.
	Delete All	Delete all of the GD&T Advisor data from the CAD model and close the application.
	Tolerance Feature	Add a feature to the GD&T Advisor model and then applying tolerances to that feature.
	Tolerance Pattern	Add a pattern to the GD&T Advisor model and then applying tolerances to that pattern.
	Establish DRF...	Add a datum reference frame to the model.
Feature	Rename	Rename the selected feature.
	Edit...	Open the dashboard to modify the feature properties.
	Delete	Delete the feature.
	Reorder	Reorder the selected feature(s) to a new location in the feature tree.
	Set Datum...	Set the selected feature as a datum feature (only applicable for certain pattern members).
Pattern	Rename	Rename the selected pattern.
	Edit...	Open the dashboard to modify the feature properties.
	Delete	Delete the pattern. You will be given the option to keep or delete the member features.
	Reorder	Reorder the selected pattern to a new location in the feature tree.
Datum	Change Label	Change the label for the datum feature or datum from targets
Datum	Delete	Delete the datum from the feature
DRF	Edit...	Modify the properties of the datum reference frame.
	Delete	Delete the datum reference frame.
	Show Simultaneous Requirements	Identifies all simultaneous requirements associated with the DRF (not applicable to the ISO 1101:2012 tolerancing standard)
Dimension	Edit Dimension...	Edit a dimension. When there are two dimensions shown together (e.g., diameter and depth), there is a sub-menu to select the specific dimension to edit.
Geometric Tolerance	Edit...	Edit the value for the geometric tolerance.

Advisor Tree

GD&T Advisor continuously monitors the model for potential problems.

1. Advisor Tree Toolbar

The Advisor Tree shows the objects in the model that may have problems. A brief description of each potential problem is listed under the corresponding object. Each message is marked with an icon that indicates it severity:

Icon	Severity	Description
	Information	The message indicates an issue that may or may not be a problem.
	Warning	The message indicates a minor problem with the model.
	Error	The message indicates a significant problem that should be addressed.

Each of the messages displayed in the Advisor Tree provides a very brief description of the problem. If you double-click on a message, a more detailed description of the problem is displayed in the browser.

The toolbar at the top of the Advisor Tree has buttons that correspond to the severity icons described above. Selecting one of these buttons toggles the display of all messages of the corresponding severity.

Tolerance Feature Dashboard

When you add or modify a feature, the Tolerance Feature dashboard provides the controls necessary to define the properties of the feature.

1. Feature properties

2. Geometric Control Properties

3. Datum Feature Properties

4. Action Buttons

5. Property Panels

Dashboard Property Regions

The dashboard has the following regions for defining the properties of the feature:

• Feature Properties — Define the feature properties. (See Feature Properties for more information.)

• Geometric Control Properties — Define the dimension and geometric tolerances to apply to the feature. (See Geometric Control Properties for more information.)

• Datum Feature Properties — Define properties for a datum feature. (See Datum Feature Dashboard for more information.)

Property Panels

You can access optional properties on the property panels:

• Feature Panel — Provides controls for modifying or redefining the surface references for the feature. (See Feature Slide-Out Panel for more information.) For patterns, this is replaced by the Pattern Panel which provides controls for adding or removing members of the pattern. (See Pattern Slide-Out Panel for more information.)

• Dimension Panel — Provides controls for selecting the required dimensions and reference features (See Dimension Slide-Out Panel for more information.)

• Targets Panel — Provides controls for selecting the targets for a datum established from targets (See Targets Slide-out Panel for more information.)

• Notes Panel — Define a note for the feature.

Action buttons

The following action buttons are available:

•

– Accept and Repeat — Accept the properties defined in the dashboard and then repeat the "Tolerance Feature" process.

•

– Accept — Accept the properties defined in the dashboard.

•

– Cancel — Cancel the operation and discard any changes.

There are some fields that are required. When required fields do not have valid values specified, the Accept and Repeat and Accept are colored orange. When all of the required values have been specified, those buttons will be displayed with their normal colors (as pictured above).

Main Workflow

The flowchart below shows the typical workflow in GD&T Advisor.

Note that some options and default values are controlled by the settings defined in the application options. It is a good idea to review the application options prior to defining a GD&T Advisor model for a part. See Application Options for more information.