Page setup in BOM editor

[lovecraft]

This one has me really bamboozled.  What is going on here?  I've figured out how to use this editor to a limited extent but something seems really screwy here.  When I right-click on my customized list (in the browser on the right side of the screen) and choose "setup of page" to change from metric units to inches, then step through the dialogue to change everything to an inch format, I then save the template and can see that the ruler at the top of the screen has, in fact, changed to inches as expected.

All right.  Let me describe two different behaviors that now occur.  If I go back to my model and create an .rdf list that gives information on the model objects I've selected, everything looks o.k.  The ruler at the top of the screen still indicates an inch format.  What I do next is export the .rdf file as an Excel file to be inserted into the drawing that correlates with the BOM.  I then select the data cells in Excel and copy them to the clipboard.  The next step is to insert this data into the drawing with the AutoCAD PASTESPECIAL command to link the Excel file to the drawing (it now actually becomes an AutoCAD table object).  Imagine my surprise to see the table appear WAY TOO LARGE (I'm going to check shortly and verify that it is 25.4 times too large.....sure that number means something to most if not all of you out there).  Sounds like my inch settings during this whole process have been nullified and Advance Steel now wants to again revert back to Metric units, EVEN THOUGH I EXPLICITLY INSTRUCTED THE PROGRAM TO STICK WITH INCHES.  What leads me to suspect that this is the case (in fact it seems pretty obvious) is that when I again use the BOM editor to view my custom template, sure enough, AS has decided for whatever reason to change the page setup back to centimeters!!!  How the hell am I supposed to have any control over this behavior??  Has anyone else experienced this?  I mean, c'mon!!!

Thanks in ADVANCE (nyuk, nyuk, pun intended),

LC 

[AleckGiles]

HI,

Lists on drawings are usually created using the BOM Templates in the folder C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Advance Steel 2017\Shared\Support\BOMTemplates or equivalent for you. Then insert the BOM using the Insert BOM function on the Labels and DImensions ribbon followed by Update BOM. There are limitations to the functionality for GA drawings but these work great on assembly and part drawings.

I doubt many people make a habit of creating an Excel export of a BOM and then linking that to a drawing file.

See if you can get the BOM Templates to do what you need. It will be massively easier in the long run if you can. There are other threads on this forum with hints and tips for those. You can add the BOM to a prototype so it is always there when you make a drawing if you like.

[lovecraft]

Thanks again, Aleck, for replying to another of my distress calls.  The first paragraph in your reply perfectly describes the issue I was having (that you already commented on) where, as you know, I could not produce the correct quantities for the objects shown in the view.  You said this was a known issue coded into the software where the quantities listed would reflect the entire model and not what was selected for detailing.

So, following the advice of Emy Nestor, I am trying the alternate method of creating an external materials list and that is why I am using a customized copy of the default materials list BOM with our company's logo and with a few minor changes made.

My question was, "Why will the program not save the settings I have put in place for the page setup within the BOM editor?" When I go to insert the BOM into the isometric drawing it is way too large, but apparently not at a metric to inches ratio of 25.4:1, which is what I was predicting if this problem was being caused merely by some unit conversion error within the program.  Then, at least I could try scaling the list accordingly, but I CAN'T EVEN DO THAT!!

The whole point of this exercise on my part was to create an isometric overview drawing with an attached BOM to be used by our company's project managers & by whichever fabricators they choose to produce the steel assemblies we require.  

Believe me, there is some really funny, inexplicable behavior going on in that BOM editor, especially around the page setup formatting.  Don't you agree that if something is offered.....specifically the apparent ability to change the units from centimeters to inches in the page setup dialogue, that this would work as expected when the user very carefully & deliberately steps through the process and saves his settings wherever they are required to get the anticipated, required result?  What is really nuts is that when I go to use the BOM on my selected parts, when the screen then displays my output/preview, everything appears to be correct, with the ruler in the editor now showing inches (an 8 1/2 & 11 landscape page format).  So I proceed on my merry way expecting to be able to export this to Excel or any of the other available formats, BUT when I try to insert the BOM into my drawing it is scaled way up by some apparently unknown factor.  And then, (hope you're still with me....not trying to re-write "War & Peace" here) when I go back and check the custom BOM template I created....sure enough, the page setup units have ONCE AGAIN REVERTED TO CENTIMETERS!!  I mean, really, I've tried studying all the processes, techniques, whatever that I would need to produce what is necessary with this program....read about them, watched endless tutorials, studied what's in the forum and I'm frankly speechless at the way this program behaves!  O.k., chalk it up to my own ignorance perhaps but I don't think that accounts for everything I'm struggling through.

I guess I'll have to settle for just producing separate documents (the drawing & the BOM) but the idea of offering them on the same sheet sounded really useful and user-friendly.  I'll try using a built-in materials list as you suggested, but my patience and determination are just about used up at this point and like most of the other detailers in the world, I've got billable work I've got to get out.

Thanks for listening (I assume you have) to my emotionally-charged tirade!

LC 

[Emanuel.Nestor]

Hi LC,

I am sorry for all the troubles you are facing now. 

Let's see what can we do for now.

I understand that you have created the external list, you have exported it to Excel file.

Now you want to insert it in the detail drawing, but you cannot scale it or set the desired dimensions.

So it seems to be a problem of inserting an Excel table in an AutoCAD drawing.

You tried one way: to use the AutoCAD Paste Special - AutoCAD Entities, but it is not behaving as you need.

In this case, you could try a different Paste --> as OLE object.

Please see attached drawing, where I have inserted an Excel table using both methods. For the OLE object I used directly CTRL+V.

As you can see, the Excel table can be scaled or even modified by grip points.

Also, you can modify its size by setting the text size. See attached picture.

Please let me know if this method works for you.

Best regards,
Emy

[Emanuel.Nestor]

Hi @lovecraft,

Please let me know if the previous suggestion helps you and if there is anything else I could help you further in this topic.

Best regards,
Emy

[lovecraft]

Emy, thanks for responding to my post.  I developed a workaround that included exporting the .rdf file to a PDF and will use this method in my workflow if and when this is required by my company.  At some point I will view what you have done and try it, if I have the time.

I'm very grateful for your input,

LC 

[Emanuel.Nestor]

Hi LC,

I am glad you have found a workaround that works for you.

Also, it will be very nice if you let us know if the other method of inserting the EXCEL file works, when you will have the time to test it.

Good luck with your projects 🙂

Emy

[lovecraft · Accepted solution]

Thanks for your continuing support.  I will probably continue to export the .rdf to a .pdf format.  If I export to Excel as you suggest, if past experience is any indicator, I'm going to have a lot more trouble making the BOM formatting look right.  I found the PDF much easier to use in this regard & since either method only produces a "dumb" (non-linked) list, I think I'll stick with this method.

thanks again, Emy....

LC 

[Emanuel.Nestor]

Thank you, LC, for sharing with us this solution and for your explanations 🙂

Have a very nice day

Emy