Autodesk Inventor

[#1]

Its what Solidworks calls configurations....and they have had it for years and years and .........

(Not picking sides, just stating facts)

[#2]

Dave,
Well, The LOD Reps aren't configurations either. Like design views, they don't alter the model. For example, they don't affect mass or the BOM. They provide levels of detail for display, export, and memory footprint. They allow engineers to slice up a huge assembly in different ways for working and documenting -- without affecting the design itself. R11 does provide iAssemblies too, which do provide design variations. Just clarifying!
Katrin Grunawalt /Autodesk/

[#3]

Well, I am REALLY looking forward to that! Sounds better than what I remember of SW2003.

[#4]

Solidworks lightweight components are not configs. Unless you just call everything a config.

It’s more like a switch. When on, only a subset of the part is loaded into an assy. A subset that allows assy type operations to be performed, like mates and measure, but uses less memory per part.

Feathers…. Haha... Metermaid

[#5]

Actually, Inventor has selectively loaded data for years. For example, when you open an assembly, only subcomponent display information is loaded. More design/brep data is loaded as needed by commands. This is invisible to the user (no feathers).

Katrin Grunawalt /Autodesk/

[#6]

I do remember that being one of the early selling points. Or at least something about dynamic loading and 10,000 part assemblies.

If you have 10 partially loaded subs with 1000 parts each… and activate one of the subs to work on one part… are all 1000 then loaded?

SolidEdge v17 came out with some kind of automatic simplification of detail. Creating an assy part config hiding internal features, boxing up shapes and such. To make a smaller part to load. When I hear LOD, that’s what I think of.

All tricks to make the computer faster than physically possible. I like the sound of the part file being smaller. I just want a fast 800 part assy.

[#7]

>automatic simplification of detail.

In R11, we have the bounding box simplification in Derived assembly where you can simplify a complex assembly into a bounding box and add other features to it. I understand more needs to be done here but it's a start. Thanks.

[#8]

Judging by your comment, I think you misread the previous threads.

What ever though, looks like 11 is going to be great.

[#9]

No, you stated something as fact that is false.

In SW, you can create a simplified config of a part to use in an assy. But that is not the same as their Lightweight Components. Is'nt that what you were talking about when you said:
“They have had light weight for years and years.“

I’m not going to look it up, but I thought SW’s LW was relatively new.

[#10]

Automation is almost always a double edge sword. Hopefully by the time you’ve perfected it... computers will be powerful enough to not need it. Hehe.

I’m still curious if working one part within a sub loads all the parts in that sub.
Without the feathers… I can’t tell.