topic Batch Export Images with transparent background in Inventor Programming Forum

Batch Export Images with transparent background

patioroofriser — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:38:57 GMT

Hello! I am currently using an iLogic rule I found from some years back on this forum to batch export a large group of images. It would be ideal if these images could already have a transparent background when I export them, so I don't have to run another photoshop script to accomplish this. I know that some compression formats of .bmp support an alpha channel, but I'm not sure what all can be accomplished in Inventor, or if there's a rule to export as PNG which would make it much easier potentially. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Imports System.Windows.Forms Imports System.IO Sub Main sResultPathImage = SelFolder(ThisApplication.DesignProjectManager.ActiveDesignProject.WorkspacePath) 'oDefaultPathImage) sResultPathBatch = SelFolder(ThisApplication.DesignProjectManager.ActiveDesignProject.WorkspacePath) 'oDefaultPathBatch) 'Dim oHolderList As String If sResultPathBatch <> "" Then Dim oFiles = Directory.GetFiles(sResultPathBatch, "*.IAM") For Each FileName As String In oFiles On Error Resume Next oDoc = ThisApplication.Documents.Open(FileName, True) Dim sPartNumber As String = oDoc.PropertySets("Design Tracking Properties")("Part Number").Value oCamera = InventorVb.Application.ActiveView.Camera oCamera.Fit oCamera.Apply oCamera.SaveAsBitmap(sResultPathImage & "\" & sPartNumber & ".bmp",2800,2000) oDoc.Close() oHolderList = oHolderList & sPartNumber & vbLf Next End If MessageBox.Show(oHolderList) End Sub Private Function SelFolder(sPath As String) As String On Error Resume Next If sPath = "" Then sPath = ThisApplication.DesignProjectManager.ActiveDesignProject.WorkspacePath Dim FBrowserDialog As New FolderBrowserDialog FBrowserDialog.SelectedPath = sPath Dim result As DialogResult = FBrowserDialog.ShowDialog() SelFolder = "" If ( result = DialogResult.OK ) Then 'And ( FBrowserDialog.SelectedPath <> sPath ) Then SelFolder = FBrowserDialog.SelectedPath End If End Function

Re: Batch Export Images with transparent background

dalton98 — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 21:40:20 GMT

Edit: this doesn't work woops

There's a transparency option when creating a color:

Dim oColor As Color
oColor = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateColor(255, 255, 255, 0)
'---
'-------
'----------
Dim oCamera As Camera
oCamera.SaveAsBitmap(sResultPathImage & "\" & sPartNumber & ".png", 2800, 2800, oColor)

Re: Batch Export Images with transparent background

patioroofriser — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 21:11:29 GMT

This won't export with a transparent background though because it's a 24x bitmap. only 32x bitmaps have a transparency layer.

Re: Batch Export Images with transparent background

JelteDeJong — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 20:46:00 GMT

If you use the function:

Camera.CreateImageWithOptions( Width As Long, Height As Long, Options As NameValueMap ) As IPictureDisp

then there is an option according to the help files.

But this will not give you a picture file but just an IPictureDisp object. You can convert those objects to Bitmap objects check this post:

https://adndevblog.typepad.com/manufacturing/2012/06/how-to-convert-iconbitmap-to-ipicturedisp-without-visualbasiccompatibilityvb6supporticontoipicture.html

Maybe then it's possible to save the picture to a file. But I'm afraid this will be too much for an iLogic rule. I would suggest that you create an addin for this. You can find a tutorial for this on my blog.

http://www.hjalte.nl/60-creating-an-inventor-addin

And in the follow-up post a converter Bitmap <-> IPictureDisp is used for creating buttons.

http://www.hjalte.nl/61-adding-icons-to-your-buttons

Maybe it will help you but I guess it won't be easy and in the end I'm not sure it will work.

Re: Batch Export Images with transparent background

Tony_Yates — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 03:31:42 GMT

This might be helpful to you:-

'Get the active view.
    Dim oView = ThisApplication.ActiveView
'Create a new NameValueMap Object
    Dim oOptions As NameValueMap
    oOptions = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap '.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap
    oOptions.Value("TransparentBackground") = True

'save screenshot 
    Call oView.SaveAsBitmapWithOptions(CurrentFile, 0, 0, oOptions)