Drawing annotation automation

[mrattray]

Is it possible to automate dimensioning of drawing views?

Here's the situation: I have an Inventor assembly that's controlled entirely by iLogic. My users, who have zero Inventor training/experience (or with any 3D CAD software for that matter), pull up the assembly. They enter product related parameters from paper work orders into an iLogic form and hit a "Go Button". The assembly updates based on the parameters, supressing and unsupressing parts, features, patterns, and mates.  This works great.  They then hit a "Run Job" button. This takes them to an .idw where they fill out another form with order specific information and hit another "Go Button". This then cycles through every detail sheet and the parts list, deleting sheets deeemed unneccessary for the product, generating part numbers, exporting dxf's, generating an excel BOM, etc. This works great as well. The problem is with the dimensions.  They blow all apart when the model changes.  I know I can run some API code to delete dangling dimensions, but is there away to programatically create dimensions so I don't have to rely on my users remembering what needs them?  I've played around with using model dimensions, but I find that they stay and remain attached even when their corresponding feature gets supressed.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts,

Mike

IV 2012

[Anonymous]

Hi Mike,

In response to your post on my questions, unfortunately I cannot exchange models and drawings with you but instead can use photos or screenshots in assistance to written explainations.

On the other hand, I'm not sure if I would have anything to contribute to you anyways. After reading through your situations, I believe you have gotten a lot farther than I have. I am new to iLogic and using a pretty simple model to get used to coding as well as develop some basis coding which I can now use on the more complex models I'm working on.

I have programmed for a short period of time beforehand in C++ but did not learn anything with interfacing as it seems you must know for Visual Basics or really digging down into inventor. Therefore my code is based on manipulating snippets for the most part with a very few "outside" coding.

Let me know if there is anything you would have questions on, but from my position and lack of programming experience I'm not sure that I can offer any solutions in regards to dimensioning either.

But if you might be able to inquire on a question I have, I am curious as to how you created your own buttons in the form to launch another application. I am trying to do something similar as well with an Add-In we use but I'm not sure how to access the button. If you'd like, here's a link to that post although nobody has commented as of now.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Inventor-Customization/Trigger-Custom-Add-Ins-Button-through-...

Again, Sorry that I cannot share models or might not have anything to offer. But I would be willing to work with you through written explanation or snippets of code.

Thanks

Mitch