Chapter 11: Working with Part Configurations
IN THIS CHAPTER
Controlling part configurations
Exploring design tables
Creating a design table
Examining the benefits of using the Configuration Publisher
Configurations, also known as simply configs, are variations of a part in which dimensions are changed, features are suppressed (turned off), and other items such as color or custom properties may be controlled. Configurations enable you to have these variations within a single part file, which is both convenient and efficient.
This chapter deals only with part configurations, but assemblies can also have configurations. Assembly configurations can use different part configurations, among other things. This will mean more to you as you learn about part configurations.
Assembly configurations are discussed in Chapter 19.
One example of configurations is having many sizes of a fastener within a single part file. Socket Head Cap Screws have thousands of potential sizes, and you could very efficiently reuse the same sketches and features to create all of those sizes based on a table. Configured parts can also have features that you can turn off and on (suppress and unsuppress, respectively), such as a cross drive or a slotted drive. Changing dimensions and suppressing or unsuppressing features are the most commonly used techniques available through configurations.
There is some overlap ...
