Objective:
This article showcases the different custom blocks that are available for part labeling.
Applies to:
- Part labeling
- Serialization
Solution:
This article uses a Custom Block to create our desired outcome. If you are new to using Custom Blocks, learn how to import, modify, and update them with the following resources:
- Learning Center course:
- Articles:
This article provides several different options for creating labels on parts. We recommend that you review all the possibilities, as some may be better suited for your application depending on the geometry the label is placed on (CAD face or Implicit). For an in-depth description of each of the methods being shown, you can watch this learning center tutorial video on serialization!
Text to Implicit
The Text to Implicit block is the simplest option for creating a label. It makes the text an implicit body. There are several modifiers available such as size, rotation, and placement.
Text Label on Part
The Text Label on Part block automatically places the label on the surface of an implicit body. The Location input makes it easy to reposition the text on the surface. The Text region input is a thickened body of the original surface. More information on creating a Text region can be found in the geometry section of the Part Labeling workflow below.
Text along a Curve on Body
The process for the Text along a Curve on Body block is more involved than the other custom blocks. These steps outline how to use the custom block in a workflow.
CB - Text along a Curve on Body CB
1. You start by creating a curve from points or an already existing CAD edge. For this example, we will use a CAD edge.
2. Next, identify the body that the curve will be placed on the surface of.
Placing Curve on the Body Option 1:
3a. There are two methods for applying the curve to a body's surface. The first method is to use the Pull Curve to Surface block.
Placing Curve on the Body Option 2:
3b. The second method uses the Section Body block to capture the body's profile. You can then extract the vertices of the profile to create the curve path. In the example shown, a Sub List block limits the number of vertices to 300. This is done so that the curve path doesn't go all the way around the body.
4. The final step is to insert the curve and body into the Text along a Curve on Body block. If you can't see all of the text in the input, the curve isn't long enough to display it. Increasing the curve length or decreasing the letter spacing are the best options for fixing this issue.
Extrude Image on a CAD Face
The last labeling option is to use the Extrude Image on a CAD Face block. This block uses a Bitmap from a png file to place the image on the CAD face. It also contains many extra input options that the other blocks don't have, such as the ability to flip and inverse the image.
CB - Extrude Image on CAD Face CB
Attachment:
- Part Labeling Workflow
- CB - Text to Implicit
- CB - Text Label on Part
- CB - Text along a Curve on Body
- CB - Extrude Image on a CAD Face