Iparts and Assemblies

[Anonymous]

I think I understand the purpose of Ipart factories. Please let me know if
I am misunderstanding the concept.



Ipart factories are used to generate *new individual part files* based on
the similarity of features. Does this describe it properly?



I have been experimenting with Iparts in assemblies, and I am trying to
accomplish something I don't believe the software is designed to do.



If I start a new assembly file, create a component within that assembly, and
then convert that component to an Ipart, the assembly then has no integrety.
What I mean by this is as follows: If I change the default component within
the Ipart, then that component changes within the assembly too. All
instances of the Ipart within assemblies update to the "default" component.



This is what I want to do: I want to create an Ipart. I want to insert that
Ipart into an assembly. When I insert the Ipart into the assembly, I want
Inventor to ask me which version of the component I want to insert. Then I
want the assembly file to retain which version of the Ipart has been
inserted (so the "default" component is a function of the assembly rather
than the Ipart itself).

If the software allows me to do the above functionality, I could then create
many different assemblies based on a few Ipart files. Inventor wouldn't
need to create a bunch of new individual static part files from the Ipart
factory. And then, my drawings of those assemblies wouldn't change either.



Any thoughts?



Thank you.



Matt

[Anonymous]

I think what you are asking for is for the assembly to hold the configuration
information of that individual part. This is not currently possible. You are
correct in saying "Ipart factories are used to generate *new individual part
files* based on the similarity of features"

--
Dave Jacquemotte
Automation Designer

[Anonymous]

Matt:

See embedded comments.

Matt Holmes wrote:
> I think I understand the purpose of Ipart factories. Please let me know if
> I am misunderstanding the concept.
>
>
>
> Ipart factories are used to generate *new individual part files* based on
> the similarity of features. Does this describe it properly?

I think so. For example an iPart factory of a Rod Seal (for hydraulic
cylinders) would generate seals for Ø8mm, Ø12mm and so forth for each of
the piston rod sizes that are
a/ in the iPart factory spreadsheet
b/ that have been called into an assembly at some time.


> I have been experimenting with Iparts in assemblies, and I am trying to
> accomplish something I don't believe the software is designed to do.
>
>
>
> If I start a new assembly file, create a component within that assembly, and
> then convert that component to an Ipart, the assembly then has no integrety.
> What I mean by this is as follows: If I change the default component within
> the Ipart, then that component changes within the assembly too. All
> instances of the Ipart within assemblies update to the "default" component.

Don't know. I've always created iPart factories outside of assemblies.


> This is what I want to do: I want to create an Ipart. I want to insert that
> Ipart into an assembly. When I insert the Ipart into the assembly, I want
> Inventor to ask me which version of the component I want to insert.

So far so good.

> Then I
> want the assembly file to retain which version of the Ipart has been
> inserted (so the "default" component is a function of the assembly rather
> than the Ipart itself).

The inserted size will appear in the assembly. The default size is
merely the initial size displayed when you insert the iPart.

> If the software allows me to do the above functionality, I could then create
> many different assemblies based on a few Ipart files. Inventor wouldn't
> need to create a bunch of new individual static part files from the Ipart
> factory.

Inventor will create an individual file for each iPart that gets called
in an assembly.

> And then, my drawings of those assemblies wouldn't change either.

If the iParts in one assembly are different in size than in another, the
drawings of each of those assemblies will reflect their respective
current state. Of course, if assembly A is copied to B and the iParts
are changed in B, this will have no effect on the drawing of assembly A.

> Any thoughts?

Hope this helps

> Thank you.
>
>
>
> Matt
>
>
>
>

Richard

[Anonymous]

Matt,

Read Sean's tutorial "How to Setup Your Project File for iParts." It sounds
as if you may want to use the method he describes as the global method.
With this setup, all iPart children are created on a shared directory and
are not recreated each time they are used.