To Compare Two Assemblies
1. Click > . The Compare Settings dialog box opens.
2. Select
First Item and in the structure tree or the view, select the first assembly. Then select
Second Item and select another assembly.
3. To switch the two selected items, select
.
4. See the next three sections for a description of the tasks you can perform on the Comparison, Structure, and Tolerances tabs, to set up the comparison.
To Set Up a Comparison of Geometries
For a comparison of geometries, click Comparison, and set up the comparison using the options that follow:
1. To align the coordinate systems of the assemblies, select the Align default CSYS check box. If you want to compare centers of gravity, clear this check box.
2. To activate the attribute comparison, select the Compare attributes check box. Click Filter to select categories for the attributes.
3. The Compare tool can perform a detailed geometric comparison of the children of the assemblies. For modified children, you can see which features were added or removed and which are common to both versions of the child. See Common, Added, and Removed buttons later in this topic.
To control how a geometric comparison is generated, select one of the options in the Geometric comparison list:
◦ Mass properties and volume difference: Always generate the volumetric difference bodies that are added, removed, and common shapes, regardless if the mass properties are different. This method of generation is the slowest. Use this method when the mass properties are unreliable, such as when you use alternate representations.
◦ Mass properties, volume difference if required: Generate the volumetric difference bodies that are added, removed, and common shapes in the viewer area only when the center of gravity (COG), Volume, or Surface Area values are different.
| You can control the tolerance for considering differences in mass properties in the tolerance tab. |
◦ Mass properties only: Determine whether the child has been modified by comparing mass properties, but do not generate any further volumetric difference bodies. This method of generation is the fastest.
◦ None: Do not generate mass properties or geometric comparison. Use to perform structure and attribute comparison only.
| If you select None or Mass properties only, the Compare tool does not generate the Common, Added, and Removed displays for pairs of components with the status “Modified”. |
To Set Up a Comparison of Structures
For a comparison of structures, click Structures, and set up the comparison using the options that follow:
1. To compare the children of the assemblies and identify any components that are added, modified, or removed, select Compare structures. The Child matching attributes table appears.
2. When comparing children, to match children in one assembly to children in the second assembly, specify what attributes to use as the identifiers for the children. For example, if you specify the Display Name attribute, the Compare tool matches every child of the first assembly with a child in the second assembly that has the same Display Name. If no single attribute identifies the children uniquely, you can select a combination of attributes.
To specify child-matching attributes:
a. Select Add Attribute.
b. In the Insert Attribute dialog box, double-click the desired attribute, or select it and then select Insert Name. Repeat for every attribute you want to specify.
c. Select Close.
| By default, Creo View uses the Display Name attribute to match children. |
3. In the Resolve conflicts list, select how to handle cases in which a child in one assembly is matched to more than one child in the other assembly, according to the selected attributes. The options are as follows:
◦ None: Do not resolve any conflicts. This does not compare the children, and each appears added or removed.
◦ By order: Match the children according to their order in the structure.
◦ By relative position: Match the children according to their relative position to the parents. This is helpful for patterned children, and results in the movement of all instances, if compared by order in the assembly.
To Define Tolerances
The Comparison report shows identical results when the mass properties are below the tolerance level set. In the Tolerances tab, you can define the tolerances between the two assemblies:
• Center of Gravity: In distance units (mm)
• Volume: In percentage (%)
• Surface area: In percentage (%)
• Position: In distance units (mm)
• Rotation: In degree units (º)
Click OK. The comparison is run and the results appear in a message box. The detailed result tree appears in the Compare tab in the secondary panel.
Compare. The Compare Settings dialog box opens.