Configuring Equations

You can configure equations and global variables in the same way as you configure dimensions.

You can create variations of equations and global variables, and apply them to configurations using the Equations and Modify dialog boxes. You can also configure equations and global variables in design tables, and in various PropertyManagers for parts and assembly features.

For example, when you create an equation in the Distance field of the Chamfer PropertyManager, you select configurations by selecting an option from the configurations option list that appears in the field. You can edit the equation and assign it to different configurations using the Equations or Modify dialog boxes.

You can also specify a different unit of measurement for each configuration. For example, you can have one configuration where a global variable is expressed in millimeters and another where it is expressed in inches.

Selecting Configurations

To view global variables, dimensions, and equations for a specific configuration, click the configuration list in the upper right corner of any view.

To apply a configuration to a dimension or equation, click the Configurations button configure.png in the row, and select one of the following from the flyout menu:
  • This configuration
  • All configurations
  • Specify configurations
  • Link to parent configuration
    Link to parent configuration is available when the dimension or equation is part of a derived configuration. This option links the name to the parent configuration.

Using File Properties in Equations for Configurations

For parts that contain configured file properties, you must use the following syntax for file properties in equations:

filePropertyName@ConfigurationName@PartName.Part

For example, for the first configuration of a part, the value of a dimension D1@ThisPart might be expressed by the equation D1@ThisPart= PropA@Config1@ThisPart.part where:
  • PropA is the name of a file property
  • Config1 is the name of the first configuration of the part
  • ThisPart.part is the part name

The value for the second configuration might be expressed as D1@ThisPart = PropA@Config2@ThisPart.partwhere Config2 is the name of the second configuration.

In this example, if the file property PropA is set at 100 for the first configuration, then in that configuration the dimension D1@ThisPart is equal to 100, and if PropA is set at 200 for the second configuration, then D1@ThisPart is equal to 200 in that configuration.

If you do not specify the configuration in the equation, the software might not return the correct value of the file property for that configuration.