Autodesk Inventor

[#1]

Hi,

I was wondering if there was a way of forcing an update of the colour styles from the original Multi-Body part to the assembled/derived components.

I always control colours in the original Multi-body part as I can select groups in one go to change colours, this doesn’t filter down to the derived/assembly component I then have to go into each part and uncheck then recheck the 'Use color override from source component'.

I am aware of the reg file/vba to remove the source override completely but which works for certain ways of working / problems, but I want to control it from the original part which I assume was the way it was intended as it is the default option!

Yours gratefully

Rob

[#2]

You might find this post interesting:

http://beinginventive.typepad.com/being-inventive/2011/09/default-setting-for-the-option-use-color-o...

[#3]

Does this not break the link to the original file?

I want the colours to update from the original to the derived.

When you first make the part the colours come thru, but if you change the colour on the original the colour does not update on the derived.

If I have a wooded left hand part I want a wooden right hand part, if I change from oak to ash I want both parts to be the same.

[#4]

Colors are derived by default, but can be overridden from within the part file.

[#5]

In the individual sub part file yes, I use multi body to create up to 60 sub parts.

If I change the colour of the original I have to individually go in to each sub part and refresh the colour link.

The colour link is active by default but does not update the colour every other modeling aspect comes through.

[#6]

I see, sounds like a pain!

I have to say I prefer a differnt workflow. I set all my parts to colour by material. This means that I can change the material from the BOm editor, and the colours will change to suit.

Could you tell us any more about your workflow?

[#7]

Paul,

Hmm interesting thought!

I had previously contemplated that method in the past, yes it would be a good way of representing the colour and group changing things although I can see occasions when this would either have to be modified in the part or a new material created and potential only used once.

I use the multi-body method to model partial or whole cabinets this allows a quick initial view of what the final assembly will look like. While I am there I have always assigned colours because it is so easy to pick exactly the parts I need to change. I can also pick a particular faces to assign colour, one side of a board could have a wood texture the other a plain white balancer.

It would mean potential a lot of different materials thought we currently hold at least a 100 different board finishes and it keeps growing with each new project.

Currently I only use the materials to assign a generic physical properties wood, m’steel, s’steel, mdf, acrylic.

I may just have to put it on the AUGI wish list I’m not sure how popular it would be though, most people want to sever the links.  

[#8]

The advantage of using materials is that you can pull the material property from the BOM into your parts list. You can also use the material to calculate weight and centre of gravity (useful for tables!)

You can always override the colours at the part level of you want to show something as being painted. Inventor 2013 breaks the two properties apart explicitly by separating Materials and Appearances.

I recommend that you set up part templates for materials, and allocate them when you derive out your parts...

Food for thought!