Creating Custom Sections

[roy7BB24]

Hi Folks, hopefully a pretty simple one, I'm creating my own library of parts and am starting to fill in to structural steel sections, nothing crazy just recreating the standard sizes to that the properties are filled in to suit my system. I've created the profile and exported it part family and it works in frame generator with no problems, however I'd also like to be able to insert the profile from content centre as a part as well. At this stage when I do this I can select the correct OD and wall thickness (for pipe), but I can't enter the length, its only letting me select in starting value I put in, where for the standard content center section's I'd be able to enter a value between 0.001 and 10m for example. I've attached and screen shot of when I'm trying to insert the section as a part. 
The work flow here is : create new assembly - insert from content centre - select my custom section - select OD - select thickness - *wish I could enter length*

Any help would be appreciated

Kind Regards

Roydon Mackay

[theo.bot]

Did you set the length column to custom? Edit the family table, set the length column to custom in the columns properties. You can set the min, max value as well. 

[James_Willo]

Also, from looking at your screenshot, it is much better to place CC items 'As Standard.'

This saves disk space and makes sure everyone is using the same library files. 

Standard will still allow you to type in specific lengths. 

If you want to add holes, cuts or modify the CC part after placement, place as custom, or just use the command 'save and replace' on the Productivity tab in the assemble ribbon. 

[roy7BB24]

Hi, Thanks for the assistance - I've made those changes and that part of the library now works as expected. 

I'm now working on the naming convention for the part number. Ideally for the pipe section I would like the part number to be: = <OD> X <THICKNESS> PIPE - <LENGTH>, e.g. 33.4 X 2.77 Pipe - 250.0 mm, which is similar to the standard way its done from content center. 

To achieve this I've had to remove the part number from the table values and instead calculate it by inserting the formula as shown into the part number of the Iproperties. My only problem here is that the text is coming out as 33.4000 mm X 2.770 mm PIPE - 100.000 mm. I've gone into the parameters and tried to tweak the tolerances here, and also tried creating and additional property that the tolerance would be applied to, but this doesn't seem to be working the way I'm expecting it to? any advice or tips?

[James_Willo]

Why have you had to remove it? CC can do this by just including all those columns in the part number column?

The length in the part number will be updated upon placement.

[roy7BB24]

It could be my syntax is wrong, but trying to enter any kind of equation like that into my table is giving me an error

[James_Willo]

This is an example of a standard part which is why it's read only and greyed out. 

But use the 3 dots to add your column headings to the string and it should work then.

" " is just text, {} is a column heading. 

[James_Willo · Accepted solution]

OH wait, I missed your image. You're in the iPart table. Do it in the Content Center family table. 

Right click the item in CC to and choose family table to get the final image I show below. 

[roy7BB24]

Hi, Thanks for the help, I've now got that behaving as expected. 

I have one last question for something that I'm not going to be able to implement in the near future regarding how I would like to name these parts. 

I'm likely going to tweak this as I redesign all my systems but my current naming convention for parts is 

JOB NO - REV - PRT - PRT NO, e.g. 041-03-PRT-056. Is there a way I could create a variable that would be tied to a project, (ideally tied to the project itself, not the sub-assemblies or general assemblies within the project) that would track what part number I'm up too, so that if I create these parts using frame generator or insert them as a standalone part, these structural sections would also follow my convention. The end goal here is likely I'm going to have to write a macro that will be able to go through and change the file names and part numbers automatically every so often. I was just wondering if you've ever been involved in a system like this or if its possible or advisable?

[James_Willo]

The only real part number management is if you use Vault.

[roy7BB24]

hypothetically if I was to use a macro to write an excel spread sheet, to track what I was up to, would it be possible to use this macro to also change all the file names and part numbers in a project, or is this simply not possible. Would it be possible to rebuild all the assemblies also using this macro once you had redone all the parts or is the whole thing asking for trouble?

[SBix26]

I'm sure it is possible with some custom programming.  Look through the Inventor app store, and try posting specific questions in the Inventor iLogic, API & VBA Forum.

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Sam B

Inventor Pro 2023.1 | Windows 10 Home 21H2