In idw. drawing deleted bitmaps get inserted again

[mlowesKKCQP]

Hello community,

i have an issue with our inventor idw. template. If found similar cases but the workarounds didn't do it in our case.

We inserted our company logo in the titel block. Suddenly, the file size is about 130 MB. Upon checking the links i found 5 bitmap files (see picture 1). There are no visible pictures in the drawing template!

So i tried running the VGA-Script which is often found in the forums. It runs, it works (at least for a moment, see Picture 2).

We need our logo in the title block, so i wanted to add it as a .jpeg or .png for reduced file sizes. So i opend the title block for editing and SURPRISE! The bitmaps are back in town as in Picture 1. Surprisingly the templates' file size is small.  Scratch that! Saving the file pushes it to 160 MB!

Does anyone know a fix?

   I already tried saving it as .dwg. It doesnt work.

Worst case, i will have to redo the template...

[Gabriel_Watson]

Check under "Drawing Resources" in your browser tree/pane (on the left side of the screen), to see if any unutilized sketch symbols, title blocks, or others are using those. You can have a clear drawing with only resources at the ready that are consuming those references.

To make sure all links are broken, I often use another tool in iLogic that can remove any OLE links (especially when Inventor does not allow us to remove them via the "Links" button you showed):

1- Go to the Manage tab > Add Rule;
2- Paste the following code into the new rule;
3- Click on "Save & Run" and hit OK to remove each OLE link.

Dim oDoc As Document
oDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
If oDoc.ReferencedOLEFileDescriptors.Count = 0 Then
    MsgBox("There aren't any OLE references in this document.")
    Exit Sub
End If
Dim aOLERefs() As ReferencedOLEFileDescriptor
ReDim aOLERefs(oDoc.ReferencedOLEFileDescriptors.Count - 1)
Dim iRefCount As Integer
iRefCount = oDoc.ReferencedOLEFileDescriptors.Count
Dim i As Integer
For i = 1 To iRefCount
    aOLERefs(i - 1) = oDoc.ReferencedOLEFileDescriptors.Item(i)
Next
For i = 1 To iRefCount
    If MsgBox("Delete """ & aOLERefs(i - 1).FullFileName & """?", vbQuestion + vbYesNo) = vbYes Then
        aOLERefs(i - 1).Delete
    End If
Next

[mlowesKKCQP]

Hi Galaxybane,

first of all, thank you for your quick response!

Unfortunately, this procedure did not solve the problem. In my understanding using an iLogic rule is similar to a VBA script. In addition, you can trigger the iLogic scripts depending of certain actions.

The script worked, the OLEs were removed. But, when i edited the title block to insert our logo, instantly the OLEs were added again and the file size exploded again.

I tested the drawing template on a random part. Inserting some views and saving the file lead to a regular file size. But when trying to edit the title block, BOOM, OLEs are there again.

The problem narrows down to the editting of the title block. Not editing it anymore is no sensible option. And, the logo must be in there.

Best regards,

Marvin

[Gabriel_Watson]

Everything works fine here, when I test your sample... no bloating of the file, but again, I don't have your image file to insert and test.

Try this: when adding/inserting the image into your Title Block, leave the "Link" option checkbox unchecked/empty!

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/inventor/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Inven...

[mlowesKKCQP]

Hi Galaxybane,

I had this box unchecked by default.

Editing the title block triggers the insertion of the invisble OLEs.

I can delete the OLEs, insert our Logo, save the changes and the File size is normal. If I create a drawing of a part it works.

As soon as I open the title block, the OLEs appear again. Removing them with the script also deletes the logo. Then I have to insert it again.

If I copy the (apparently) okay title block into a new drawing, the OLEs are created and the file size explodes.

I will now create the template from scratch and report if this was successful. That would mean the template was faulty. If the bug still persists it is a problem with Inventor.

Maybe until then a solution will have been found.

Best regards and thanks again for the help,

Marvin

[sundars]

Hi @mlowesKKCQP 

Maybe I am missing something and my apologies. I just tried your attached idw and inserted my own bmp file with and without links and I can manage the links fine without an issue. I can edit the title block, insert the image, save it, use it as a template, edit it again, delete and the links dont come back.

Its possible there may be an ole image management issue - so if u have exact steps to reproduce or a demo video that would be great. 

Thanks

-shiva

[mlowesKKCQP]

Hi @sundars,

thanks for your time. I tried my hand at creating a little screencast video to visualize my problem.

Please excuse the bad audio quality and my struggle with the word "significantly" (not in practice with English :)):

https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/c3eXiDVF3Io

I hope the Link works.

[sundars]

Hi @mlowesKKCQP 

Thanks for the demo video. Johnson ( @Anonymous ) just told me today that this issue was reported and fixed back in 2021.2 and in 2022. However, it looks like the drawing you posted has a create version of 2021.4. Can you please let me know what version of Inventor and Build Number you have? You can find it in the "About Inventor" box. 

If you haven't done so already, please make sure to apply all the latest updates.

We will get back to you tomorrow once we get a better handle on this.

Thanks

-shiva

I will double check the defects tomorrow and get back to you. 

[mlowesKKCQP]

Hi @sundars,

This is my build.

Best regards,

Marvin

 

[Gabriel_Watson]

As a workaround, would you be able to locate where the bitmap is being acquired from, and substitute the image with a lower quality/resolution picture that is much smaller in size? That way, even if Inventor keeps adding the embedded links, you will not have the drawing bloat up so much. Just a thought.

[mlowesKKCQP · Accepted solution]

Hello @Gabriel_Watson,

this was a very helpful suggestion. Since i knew, i only ever inserted company logos into the drawing template, i renamed the template folder.

The bitmaps were not added, while editing the title block. Fortunatly, i knew where the potential culprits were located.

In the meantime, i recreated the template with a png.-file logo. The size is normal, after every test i can think of.

This resolves the problem, even though it is some extra work. @sundars, hopefully the discussed information helps you to permanently resolve the problem, maybe by adding options to acutually delete those hidden links (the intended option was always greyed out in my case).

I consider the case resolved. If further questions arise I gladly offer my support.

Best regards,

Marvin

[sundars]

Excellent! Thank you for the update @mlowesKKCQP  - glad to know that you have resolved the issue. Much appreciated. Let us know if you have any further issues.

Thanks

-shiva