tlehnhaeuser Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Can anyone explain the proper way to use and setup external links? There is no documentation that explains the proper procedures for maintaining the exernal linkages. Many clients and including myself have created external link files with many times getting caught in a circular loop that cannot be fixed or the entire file structure is corrupted and damged only to loose forever. We can't seem to figure the proper procedures to developing a stable external link system for our designs. My current approach: 1. Create a Top Level assy which includes parts and assemblies 2. Save As Part/Assy all the appropriate files from this "main" top level 3. Saves AsPart/Assy parts from the individual sub-assys into their own files. So on and so forth until the last sub-assy/part. 4. Create 2D drawings from the individual ext. link sub-assys and parts. 5. that's it. There appears to be a point where IC gives up and either corrupts files or gets caught in circular loop. I can't seem to pinpoint the cause. I myself get arounf 250 ext links when this happened last, but I have clients with less . Would really like to solve this problem, since this is a primary concerns for most clients and is vital to 3D modeling. any feedback is welcomed. Thanks Tom Lehn... Magnacad Design Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmccall Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 I use the same steps you use... Still having to deal with file problems on occasion...which quickly prompted me to use different dash numbers every so often to reduce the collateral damage when a file become un-useable.... less than 250 links... more like 80 to 100 or so.. You mentioned that it seems as if IC simply gives up. I'm not a computer wiz, but I wonder with all the buzz on large assembly management capability in CAD programs, if that has anything to do with it?.. that is , does IC simply need more work done on how it handles large files?... maybe to keep it from running out of steam? Well.. that's my useless input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlehnhaeuser Posted December 5, 2003 Author Share Posted December 5, 2003 Yes Large Assy handling is the new "target" in todays mid-range CAD programs. IC "giving up" is not isolated to IC. I have heard that all other mid-range modeleres get caught up in this circular loop as well at some point. I understand what it means, that a file is being referenced in a "series" type linking array, but I neve do that and it still happens. I think if IC can conqueur this problem, it would be a huge selling point for IC. M2Cents Tom Lehn... Magnacad Design Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llong Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 I have been linking files in IC since the beginning and have had very few problems. However I am very careful when linking them in. For instance, Say you link in part A. Now if you want to have another part A in the scene it is important to either do a insert link with the button or use the triball and COPY the part NOT link it. When you copy a linked part the link comes with it automaticly. If you have a linked part and you copy/link in the scene then you have a circular reference. These seems to cause issues. I am careful to avoid that and rarely have problems with linking. If you are doing large files and lots of links there is a 3MB switch you can set up that allows IC to work with a larger number of links. Loren Long CAD Administrator HydraMaster Corp. Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlehnhaeuser Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 Thanks Loren, That may be my problem. This helps tremendously. As for the 3MB switch - where could that be found? To IC -I think that what Loren has stated should have a Warning pop-up stateing that we could have the potential for a Circular Reference if completeing this command. Should also have a cancel button. Thanks Tom Lehn... Magnacad Design Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Twining Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I believe the "3MB" switch you are refering to is really a "/3GB" switch that is used by windows (supposedly to allow computers with lots of ram to fully utilize it). You can apply the swith to your boot.ini entry (look it up on microsoft for the full explination) used to start the machine, however there are serious consequences for some. My machine would no longer boot after adding the switch, and I had to download a patch from microsoft to get it back. Even with the switch and the patch, my machine is still unstable, and I only boot using the /3GB switch when I get memory errors using the default boot entry. Anyway, if you do choose to attempt the switch, I recommend, when editing your boot.ini file, that you add yourself a second boot option (so that you are prompted for an OS choice at the beginning) as opposed to just slapping the switch at the end of your existing entry.... you may save yourself and your IT guys some headaches. MikeT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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