Setting up UDF in NX

Setup User Defined Features (UDF) in NX

UDF stands for “User Defined Feature”. They allow NX users to create features to apply multiple times and to any part file easily. For example, you create this special slotted hole that NX core does not accomodate with one operation. So you build this special slot once, extract it into a UDF and now can apply it with a couple simple steps repeatably.

UDF library consists of cgm image of the feature (NX provides a way to take a snapshot), a database of all the files, organization, cgm, and UDF part file. NX creates this also for you but it’s an ascii file and you can edit it manually if needed. Then there is a question of where with UDF be managed? Native in the Operating System or in NX/Manager mode. It defaults to your environment, so if your running Native UDF’s will be native, if your running NX/Manager mode it will look for it there.

the name of the definition and database file can be anything, this is the default

Note: When you attach a UDF it’s added as a group feature and can be exploded back into its original features.

According to the documentation there can only be one UDF library. So you may need to merge databases if you have multiple ones. This is a downside, There may be a way to have NX use multiple UDF’s databases programmically but not able to do it at this point. Maybe in a later post we’ll figure out how to manipulate it.

We don’t generally use UDF’s because of the limitations it has and sometimes difficult to attach the features for novice users. We like the Knowledge Fusion features, because they integrate into NX seamlessly and look like a core NX feature. Possibly use a KF feature to attach a UDF programmically, but that is a different subject. Regardless if you choose to use this it is good to know that it’s available.