Cutting a .iam file to length.

[cparnell]

I have a .iam (iAssembly to change between different materials) file that is made up of two seperate .ipt files that will be welded when it gets to us. I need to be able to cut a portion of the welded assembly with some standard cut lengths and some custom cut lengths. This reduces our inventory. I know how to do this with an iPart using a work plane and the split tool. I am sure there are other ways. I have found that I can create a work plane with an offset amount and sketch on that same work plane, then create a cut extrude which does what I need. I can as well get the offset dimension and the cut extrude in my iAssembly table, but I have not been able to find out how to modify wheather it is included or excluded nor change the cut length when I place it into my assembly.
Does anyone have any ideas of how to do this.

Thanks for any help!

[ToddHarris7556]

'... be able to cut a portion of the welded assembly...'

Sounds to me like a perfect use of Derived part.
Create your assembly (weldment), then create new part, using the derived weldment as your base. You should be able to iPart this, and move your cutplane anywhere you like.

Todd

[cparnell]

That is what we are currently doing. However that means that we have to create our .iam iAssembly of our three variations then create an .ipt of those parts derived then use split to cut them to length. More files to keep up with and create. At least the .iam was a normal BOM status rather than phantom.

Thanks for the help.

[dan_inv09]

I don't know if it works the same in iAssemblies as in iParts (sometimes it seems like Autodesk intentionally keeps its programmers apart).

Have you done much work with "custom iParts"?

[cparnell]

Custom iParts?
We have assigned iPart collumns as custom parameter cells and custom parameter collumn which is how we go the custom length and the suppress or compute to work.

[dan_inv09]

So, you know how to do it in an iPart and it does not work the same in an iAssembly? Sometimes these things devolve into huge discussions about the merits of one method over another when the real question was about which button to push, so I usually try to ask the dumb questions. I hadn't gotten very far into iAssemblies (I tried once and before I got too far the job changed and I had to scrap the whole thing), it's disappointing to find out that they are not as much like iParts as you would hope.

[ToddHarris7556]

Sorry... I misunderstood. I thought your variants were simply different cut lengths of a common weldment.