Hi all,
We've recently upgraded to Inventor 2015 and tried to install the AddIn to create the custom property sheet metal extents but we're not able to generate the values anymore.
The AddIn is showing as installed and loaded but it does not update the values. I've tried installing the addin from a local drive rather than a network drive but that doesn't seem to have had any effect.
Any suggestions on what can be done?
Thanks in advance,
John Houston
Solved! Go to Solution.
Hi! There is no longer a need to use an Add-In or creating driven dimensions to get Sheet Metal Extents (been true for quite a few releases already). In the sheet metal part, you can add custom iProperties to get the extents. The syntax is like the following.
Custom iProperty Name: MyFlatArea (or any name of your choice)
Value: = <FLAT PATTERN AREA>
You do the same for length and width.
In drawing, these properties are also available for text or annotation, when there is a view referencing the sheet metal part flat pattern.
Thanks!
Sure, here ya go.
It finds the length okay, just doesn't have the correct width.
I still would need a way to parse the unit string as well as make the value fractional.
FWIW, the SME addin was much easier. 😉 🙂
Thanks for your help.
I just tried the "Flat Pattern Width" and it didn't work for me either.
I use: =<SHEET METAL LENGTH> & =<SHEET METAL WIDTH>
The only way I know of to do that is with iLogic. You'll need to create user parameters, assign the value using iLogic, and then use the export parameter option with it's formatting options to get a property formatted the way you require.
lengthExtents = SheetMetal.FlatExtentsLength widthExtents = SheetMetal.FlatExtentsWidth
Hi! My prior reply did not include an example and it led to some confusion. Attached is an example showing how to extract sheet metal extents without using any Add-Ins. The tricky thing here is how to get the extents readout properly formatted. The readouts are cm based. If you simply apply column formatting in partslist, the result might be off. It is because the the partslist looks for the unit setting in part document settings and then do the conversion. In order to have the correct readout, simply change the sheet metal part document setting to cm. Next, in the parslist, apply the desirable unit formatting to the column.
Please take a look at attached example created on R2010. Let me know if you have any question.
Thanks!
Johnson,
That works fine for new parts and if I was updating my sheetmetal template. But these custom iproperties are not in hundreds of legacy parts that we have. Thats the thing about using the addin. It works on existing legacy parts and newly created parts equally well (when it works).
There is no additional steps that the user has to do (like create the custom iproperties or run an external ilogic code).
Kirk
Mike,
Were you going to share the iLogic code? If you dont want to post here, you could send me a PM.
Thanks,
Kirk
I have a little time and would like to try and get this issue resolved. I really need the "SheetMetalExtents" add-in to work like it did in the past. The nice thing about this is that it would write the extents values to the part parameters. I have weldments that have both sheetmetal and regular parts in them. In order to get the information on the parts list like Johnson is doing it, would require me to have a special column for the width and length just for the sheetmetal parts. Would make for a very messy parts list on the weldment.
I just dont see a way to do what I need to do without the add-in working correctly. It will have to work on new parts and legacy sheetmetal parts that already have detail drawings made for them. By no means would I say that the add-in is obsolete.
I do use some iLogic code now..... not real fond of it because sometimes it looses the path to the file and I get errors when I save (because the trigger is set to "before save"). Even if the ilogic is the solution for new files, I have hundreds of legacy files that the iLogic code is not setup in. For those, I would have to go into each file and manually set the trigger.
Still looking for a solution....
Kirk
I don't know anything about the add-in, so I can't help you with it.
Did you take a look at the code I PM'd you before? If you set it up like I have mine then it does everything you're asking for.
I've never had any issues with "not finding the path". The way mine is set-up it automatically creates the trigger in the file. All that is required is to open the file, open the external form that I have created and click the button I have on it. Everything is seamlessly automated. If that's not easy enough, you could use MegaJerk's code injector to mass update your legacy files.