Using GD&T Selection Mode (from File)

GD&T Selection Mode (from File) () lets you open and import an image of your blueprint inside of PC-DMIS. You can find some sample blueprint .pdf files that correspond to the Hexagon demo-block CAD models, in the Training subfolder where you installed PC-DMIS.

When you open the file, you get to decide which GD&T tolerances to import using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). The software opens a widget that cycles through each GD&T tolerance on the blueprint. You can use the widget to skip past tolerances you don't want to import. For items you do want to import, you can interact with the CAD model to select required features.

While an OCR method is in use, DO NOT Copy or Cut information to the Clipboard, or you may lose that information.

This occurs because PC-DMIS monitors the Clipboard. If it detects something in the Clipboard, it assumes it's a GD&T tolerance, and it attempts to import it into PC-DMIS. When it tries to import the data, it clears out the Clipboard.

If PC-DMIS cannot parse the information from the Clipboard, it shows an error message that says, "Cannot parse the selected note".

Demo

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Procedure

Import a CAD model into the Graphic Display window that corresponds with the blueprint that contains the GD&T tolerances you want to import.
From the Graphic Modes toolbar, or the QuickMeasure toolbar, click GD&T Selection Mode (from File) ().
From the Open dialog box, navigate to the blueprint. This can be an image file or a .pdf file. OCR detection works best with an image that has at least 300 DPI. Lower resolutions may produce less accurate results.
Select the file, and click Open to start the import process and to show the first GD&T tolerance on the OCR Selection Preview window.
Follow the instructions in the OCR widget.

Datums Target Definition

If your file defines specific datum target points, you must define those targets first:

Press Ctrl + Shift and click on the CAD to create a vector point QuickFeatures for each target.
As you define each datum target, the vector point feature appears in the Edit window.
Once you define the targets for a datum feature, it shows "Completed" for that datum feature. The OCR parsing of the file may not determine all the number of targets needed. If that happens, you can create additional vector point features even if the targets for a datum feature shows "Completed".
When you're done creating all the points for a target, click Next to go to the next set of datum targets.
Continue to define datum targets until the text on the widget says "Datum Target Definition Complete".
At this point, you can use the Pause button on the widget to pause the GD&T import process so that you can work with PC-DMIS to finish defining the datums.
Use the Edit window, and press F9 on each Datum Definition (DATDEF command in Command mode) to show the Datum Definition dialog box.
Link the datum targets to the datum letter.
Once you use PC-DMIS to define any datums from the targets, click Continue on the widget.

Datums Definition

By default, if the file has more than one FCF, you need to use QuickFeatures to select datum features for those FCFs.

Select the datum features.
Click Next.
When the widget shows "Datums Definition Completed", click Apply to continue.

Tolerances Definition

After you define the datums for the FCFs, you can then define the remaining GD&T information. If you skipped any datum definitions, the widget asks you to define them during the GD&T definition.
Use QuickFeatures to select the minimum number features from the CAD model for the current step. Or, if you don't want to import that GD&T tolerance, click Skip (). You can go back to a skipped item with the Back button () as long as it is not on an earlier .pdf page.
Once you define a feature or features from the CAD model for a step, from the widget, click Next (). This continues with the next step of the GD&T definition. The Next button becomes enabled once you've defined the minimum number of features.
Once you define the features and the widget informs you that the tolerances definition is completed, click Apply (). This accepts your changes and moves onto the next GD&T tolerance in the Selection Preview window.
Continue repeating steps five through seven until you have defined the GD&T tolerances and the Selection Preview window and the OCR widget both close.

Best Practices

OCR detection works best with an image that has at least 300 DPI. Lower resolutions may produce less accurate results.

When you have imported the desired GD&T tolerances, double-check the FCF commands that PC-DMIS generated.