Bolted Connection issue

[fridtjofZM5ME]

Bolted connection used to be great for creating holes in multiple parts at assembly level, and used to let me choose multiple circular references from absolutely ANYWHERE as long as they were normal to the start plane, but now I'm apparently limited to circular references within the specific part from which I select the first circular reference. Can I fix this somehow? The ability to do this is a very central part of my workflow...

 

[johnsonshiue · Accepted solution]

Hi! Many thanks for sharing the findings! It is indeed a defect, regressing from 2020. It as reported as INVGEN-39898 and it has been fixed on the coming major update to 2021 (2021.1, not 2021.0.1).

Thanks again! Sorry for the trouble!

[fridtjofZM5ME]

@johnsonshiue When can we expect update 2021.1, that takes care of this issue, to be ready?

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! I believe it is currently scheduled for later part of July. If you cannot wait, please feel free to escalate it through Autodesk Product Support. Please mention the Defect ID involved in this case.

Many thanks!

[jan_priban]

Hi Fridtjof,

I am sorry I am saying this, but I have to. Introducing flat Bolted Connection (exclude sub-assembly structure) we had to break ability to select circular references from various/multi parts. As you said, it is only allowed to select circular references belong to the same part. For upcoming update we are not so strict, we allow to select circular references from every pattern member if part was patterned. So when part has more holes and was patterned, BC allow to select every hole as circular reference. In your picture, if door hinge is patterned, BC allows you select every hole. Fix for pattern will be available in upcoming 2021 update

Regards

Jan Priban

[fridtjofZM5ME]

This helps at least. Will the bolted connection itself be possible to pattern as well? Say I have a sketch with a point and use that to create a bolted connection, and then apply the pattern command at assembly level? I Know I can get pretty much the same result by using pattern in the sketch itself, but somteimes the former would be more convenient with regards to workflow.

[jan_priban]

Hi,

it is possible to pattern BC itself (both configurations: Flat structure and Structured as well). Image shows that for flat structure. But one disadvantage is here: BC drills hole into part where bolt goes through, while patterning BC patterns just bolt+washer+nut, not hole. So only BC can grill hole, pattern does not (and hole can't be member of component pattern) .

Regards

Jan Priban

[chris.cremeens]

Hey Team Autodesk,

As you can see from the video there appears to be a glitch when trying to place multiple sets of hardware will using the new no phantom assembly feature.

Any help would be appreciated.

[timw]

is issue is still not fixed with the 2021.1 update 

[VCardenasQP]

This is unfortunate. This is a huge waste of time for us since we use many iterations of the same part placed on panels in all of our assemblies. The parts aren't spaced evenly, so the pattern feature won't help us any. We used to be able to use less than 10 bolted connections on our panels. We now have assemblies with 30 plus bolted connections.

[Russell.BrownVEZMW]

Hi,

We have just upgraded to Inventor 2021 (Build 2021.1.2). But we are having the exact same issue as the OP, was this issue definitely fixed or are we doing something wrong?

Very frustrating as this issue is also affecting assemblies that were already bolted together before we upgraded to 2021, so if any edits need to be made, the bolted connections fail because it no longer lets us have holes selected from multiple faces.

Cheers, 

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Folks,

I am sorry that I did not follow this issue as close as I should. It is possible there are multiple issues here. Let me work with the project team and see where we are.

Many thanks!

[StepanenkoY]

Hi Johnson,

I have just checked 2021.2.RC1. The problem is still there.

Yuriy

[jan_priban]

Hello All,

I am sorry I have to say that: Bolted Connection (Placement = Concentric) allows to select Circular References only on parts they belong to pattern. Means does not allow to select Circular reference of various/different parts. This limitation came with ability to generate Bolted Connection Flat structure. This limitation/behavior will be in R 2021.2 as well.

Regards

Jan Priban

[Russell.BrownVEZMW]

Hi,

Are there any plans to fix this limitation? This is causing us quite a few issues as we use the feature pretty heavily, and now any time we have to work on an assembly that's been bolted together previously we pretty much have to re-bolt the entire thing due to the bolts giving us lots of errors.

Thanks, 

[StepanenkoY]

Thanks for the update.

Are there any workarounds? Will this limitation/behavior be repaired/removed in future versions?

You agree that having 100 bolted connections with one fastener inside is not a good solution?

Cheers.

[xenocatalyst]

Has this issue been fixed yet?

[jan_priban]

Hi,

we understand that circular references  from one component/pattern was limitation for user. Check please future update for this limitation.

Regards

Jan Priban

[BDCollett]

So we are at Inventor 2024, is Bolted Connection development still happening at all? It feels like using a piece of the software that's stuck in the past.

A huge limitation that seems to still be apparent with BC is derived parts. Every other feature seems to recognise a hole feature from a derived part, bolted connection however does not.

[BDCollett]

Bumping this just over 1 year later.

We now have pattern recognition.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work very well with assembly level holes when set to "Sub-Assembly"

With pattern:

The holes are not a 'Pattern" but one feature with several holes which may be why it's getting confused.
The pattern is also unconstrained.
I am testing workflows to add holes at the assembly level via a skeletal model to position them however and a pattern would not work here.
It seems Bolted Connection is just not a tool still that can work this way.