An INSERT DERIVE question

[RogerInHawaii]

I've started using the Insert Derive capabilities in Fusion 360. Man, I wish I had come across this a long time ago. Very useful!

But I have a question:

I created one design that essentially contains all of the basic User Defined Parameters for my overall project. I call it "General Parameter Definitions". I then created a whole bunch of individual designs, each of which has the General Parameter Definitions inserted into them, so that they each have access to all the user defined parameters for the overall project. Each one of those individual designs has a single Component defining one particular "part" of my design. For example there is one for the Body Tube BT 20, one for each of the several other Body Tube sizes, one for the Engine Standard, one for each of the several other Engine sizes, and so on. Lots and lots of designs dependent upon that General Parameter Definitions design.

l also have several Model Rocket designs, each of which make use of those Parts designs, having used the Insert Derive operation to get the Parts into the designs. So I basically have a hierarchy of dependencies:

General Parameter Definitions
   Inserted into :

Individual Part Designs
  Inserted into :
Model Rocket Designs

The issue arises when I add some new or modify some existing user defined parameters within that General Parameter Definitions design. I realize that each and every one of those other Parts design as well as the subsequent Model Rocket Designs then need to be updated so that the now-modified General Parameter Definitions is properly loaded into it. As far as I can tell I need to open up each and every Part design and explicitly do that update and save it. YOIKS!

IS THERE A WAY that I can tell the project to update all dependent designs, all with just one command?

[helfenj]

Hi RogerInHawaii,

Would you be willing to share your design? I think I follow, but it would be helpful to see.

In the meantime, I will see if I can recreate something similar to get it logged.

Thanks,

John

[RogerInHawaii]

Well, this is a project that contains a couple of dozen designs, most including just one "part", one that includes the main set of User-defined Parameters, and one which makes use of a bunch of the other single-part designs via the Insert Derive function, the whole set constituting a hierarchy of designs.

I know how to do an export on an individual design, but how do I export an entire project? Is it even possible?

[helfenj]

Hi Roger, 

Could you start with a pic, just for a frame of reference?

You could export the F3Z of design that has all the references, that F3Z should get everything that is needed.

Thanks,

John

[RogerInHawaii]

I have a project called Model Rockets. It has two folders, one for the parts, one for the rocket designs.

The Model Rocket Parts folder contains a whole slew of designs, including one that contains the General Parameter Definitions, i.e. the various User-defined parameters:

That General Parameters Definitions design contains (basically) just the user-defined definitions that are used throughout the other design files:

The Model Rocket Parts folder includes numerous individual designs, each for a separate rocket Part, such as the Nose Cone BT60 Simple.

EACH of these separate Part designs has had the General Parameters Definitions design file Insert Derived INTO them, so they each reference that General Parameters Definitions design file. That means that whenever any change, deletion, or addition is made to the General Parameters Definitions design file every single one of those Parts designs has to be manually opened up, updated (via the little update icon), and saved again.

I also have a Model Rocket Designs folder which contains (so far) ONE overall model rocket design. This design has a number of the Parts files Insert Derived into it. 

And since those individual Insert Derived parts are dependent on the General Parameters Definitions design file, the overall Rocket design is also, implicitly, dependent up on it.
 

So, there's a hierarchy of design. At the bottom is the General Parameters Definitions design file. Next up are designs which directly reference that General Parameters Definitions design file, namely the numerous Parts files. And at the top is the actual Rocket design file.

Making a change to any of the Parts files means I have to manually open the overall Rocket design file in order to update it. That's no big problem. BUT if I make a change to the base,  underlying General Parameters Definitions design file, it means I have to manually, explicitly, open, update, and save EACH AND EVERY Parts file as well as the overall rocket design file.

What I'd really LOVE to see is some way to tell it to just "Update All Dependencies". Is there a way to do that?

[helfenj]

Hi Roger,

I wanted to circle back and let you know that this "deep update" of nested derives has not been implemented. It is on the list of work to be evaluated for the next round of work on derive, but this work has not been scheduled.

I have added you to this feature request so we can connect if/when this work is taken on.

Thanks,

John

[Anonymous]

That is very good news! Can I find this feature request somewhere? I've been searching this forum but couldn't find it. I'd really like like to be added too!