Disappearing Pipe

[fspialek]

In a drawing I have multiple sheets to show different pipe runs in the same assembly. I create seperate levels of detail and suppress the pipe runs I do not want to show for each sheet view. Next I insert a view into a sheet and select a level of detail for that view. I only have one view per sheet. Here is my problem:

Say I insert a view showing only pipe run "A" into Sheet 1 of my drawing. Then I insert a view showing only pipe run "B" into Sheet 2. So on and so forth.

When I save the drawing it sometimes will prompt me to save the assembly as well. If I check 'yes' to save both the drawing and assembly in the same prompt, Inventor crashes. If I save only the drawing, the next time I save it still asks me to save the assembly. If I check 'yes' to save the assembly and 'no' on the drawing, the red lightning symbol appears on a few of my sheets. When I activate those sheets so that they update, the piping is missing, nothing else. I have found a way around this, but it is annoying and I would like to find a way to resolve it without the next steps.

To resolve it I activate my assembly tab. Then I activate each level of detail in the assembly, one by one and save each one. Then I go back to my drawing tab. sometimes the lightning bolt appears next to the sheets, but the piping does not disappear doing it this way. This happens quite often when I am saving my drawings and has been very frustrating, especially when my piping disappears along with any labeling connected to it.

[cbenner]

My question is:  Why are you using LOD to show a single pipe run?  Each pipe run is (or should be) created as a sub-assembly of the main assembly, and can be shown as such for detailing on a drawing sheet.

[Esky99!]

Have to agree with Chris on this one.

Sounds like you are going about your drawings incorrectly.

Each Sub Assembly can be detailed individually.

[fspialek]

Chris, I have recently started using Inventor 2015. The disappearing pipe issue does not seem to be happening anymore. However, I am curious as to the way piping should be handled in Inventor. For my drawings I create a single piping assembly. This assembly contains three separate piping systems within it- supplies, returns, and electrical conduit. Then when I lay out the drawings I simply turn off the ones I do not want to show and save it in a LOD. Maybe this isn't the right way to do it, but for the purpose of only having one pipe assembly is my guess. This method was given to me by a peer, so I would like to know if this is not a good way to use piping assemblies. Are you saying to create a separate assembly for each type instead of suppressing elements within a single pipe assembly? Regards, Francis