Create “User Defined Symbols”

What are User Defined Symbols?

There are a couple ways to get your companies special symbols into a NX Drawing. One way is to manually draw it with curves and text. To add the same symbol to another drawing you could open the part up, select the geometry, copy and paste into the new drawing. Or you could just redraw it. Who wants to do that. So there is something called “User Defined Symbols”. I consider this a legacy system versus the “Custom Symbols” mechanism. For now we will discuss how to create and apply a User Defined Symbol. Once the symbol(s) are created they can be added to as many drawings as you wish. All will be exactly the same.

Create the UDS (User Defined Symbol)
Start NX and create a new part or open a part that already has the geometry of the symbol. I prefer to keep one part file for all the symbols that will be contained in that symbol definition file.

Create Geometry
– Lines and text only, no curves allowed

File -> Utilities -> Symbol Fonts…

Browse to location where you want to save the library. Enter a name, or select an existing sbf file

Select Yes, to create new library (if you are creating a new file)

select “Define Symbol” (button)

enter “Symbol Name” (max 8 characters long)

select point1 (the starting point of the geometry)
select anchor point (what point the symbol will use when it’s placed)

select all the geometry and text you want in the file

cancel the dialog when your done

INSERTING CUSTOM SYMBOL

Insert -> Symbols -> User Defined Symbols
“Current Directory” is the directory you started the system in
“Part” what symbols are used or where used in the current part you have open
“Utility Directory”

select the symbol you want to add, select the placement icon, pick on the screen, your done.

Once the symbol is used in the part it is added to the part. So if you update the symbol definition file and reopen the file it will NOT update. You need to rerun the “File -> Utilities -> Symbol Fonts…” application and select update symbols in part from SBF file. Also, I have not found anyway to delete symbols from the file once they are added. I’ve looked in the NX/OPEN api and all over the user interface but couldn’t find anything. While this is not an issue, it is annoying. I like to keep a clean part file. If anyone knows how to delete User Defined Symbols from a part file, please let me know.

A little information about Custom Symbols. This mechanism is newer then UDS (User Defined Symbols) and it has a much better Programmical API. While it is not perfect, this new mechanism allows a better organized structure, and more options. I would only use Custom Symbols in any new project and replace UDS going forward.