Full BOM (parts list) export

[nicka_oz]

Hi all,

I work for a consulting co. and on occasions have to work with different CAD packages. This week it's Inventor! My question is probably an easy answer for a seasoned user.

I'm trying to export a BOM which has every single sub level component, i.e. a part which is a component of a 4th level sub-assembly. The problem i face is that some components are set to "Reference" in the "right click/iproperties/occurance/BOM structure" drop down menu.

I've tried going to the top level assembly (some 4000 parts) and clicking on each part/assy in the design tree and setting this property to "Default" which seems to work, however lower level assemblies still have some parts set to "reference".

How do i get the actual ENTIRE BOM?

Exportation isn't a problem as yet, I've had no issues getting an .xls file from it, just one that actually reflects the entire model would be great!

[delineryan]

This was copied from help, referring to reference parts.

"Reference Components are components that are used for construction geometry or add context to a design.

Examples of Reference Components are:

Construction elements such as a skeleton part or assembly for skeleton modeling.
Visual enhancements, such as a tote filled with parts sitting on a desk, where the tote is added for technical drawing/publication purposes. It is not a part of the actual design.
When a component has a BOM Structure of Reference, the BOM treats the component and all its direct and indirect children as if they do not exist. All components, that are a part of a Reference component, are excluded from quantity, mass, or volume calculations, regardless of their own BOM Structure value. Reference components also have special treatment in drawing views."

So my question is Do you actually need those construction parts in the BOM?


If you really think that you need them for the export then you will have to change them one by one, you can speed this up a bit but using the drop downs in the "Bill of Materials" command in the assembly file, you can find this in the manage tab.

Keep in mind that if the original designer wanted to use these parts in the BOM then they wouldn't have made them reference.

Good luck!

Ryan

[nicka_oz]

Thanks for the reply Ryan,

It seems that there are many components which require manufacture and should indeed be in the BOM which have been set to reference. I assume it was an action made by an engineer/drafter to make a particular BOM look like they wanted. So, unfortunately i need a lot of the reference components, and to be honest i'd rather have every single component exported to the spreadsheet and make the decision on a case by case basis as to whether the part is required.

Thanks for the shortcut, however I can't see how you can actually change a parts "BOM structure" status from Reference to Normal or Purchased in the BOM window?