Inserting Excel Spread Sheets into Inventor Drawings

[Cadmanto]

I know you can insert an Excel spread sheet into the general table and have that show up on the drawing, but it has limitations to it that Excel gives you.  My question is there a way to bring the Excel spread sheet into the drawing that would give you Excel functionality?

[jtylerbc · Accepted solution]

Yes.  On the Manage tab, Insert panel, click Insert Object.

Switch it to Create from File (assuming you've already made the spreadsheet), then browse to it.  If you want it linked to the original Excel file, check the link box.  If not, leave it blank and a copy of the spreadsheet will be embedded.

[cbenner]

How does Excel limit you on using a table linked to a spreadsheet?  I use them that way all the time, and have had no problems.  Just curious.

[Cadmanto]

Thank you.

That is exactly what I was looking for.  I have noticed that you have to do some finagiling after you insert the table,

but once it is sized ok, it looks fine.

[Cadmanto]

Excel, does not limit you.  I was talking about originally when you inserted the Excel file into a general table that linits you because the fuinctionality within the general table is not close to what you get from within Excel.

[jtylerbc]

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@Cadmanto wrote:

Thank you.

That is exactly what I was looking for.  I have noticed that you have to do some finagiling after you insert the table,

but once it is sized ok, it looks fine.

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Yeah, there is some of that.  The text also tends to look pretty rough on the screen, but then clears up when you print or PDF it.

Also, when you add rows you'll end up having to reinsert it because it won't show the new ones.  It definitely has some dumb little quirks.

[cbenner]

But you can edit the Excel file, and the table will update accordingly if you do that.  At the top of your drawing model tree will be "3rd Party", which holds the link to Excel.  From there you can open and edit the Excel file.  Then right click over the table on the drawing and select "Update".  Changes you  made in Excel should propogate to the table.  You can also change the source file to a different spreadsheet from the model tree and the table will reflect that. 

We used to do the insert object, and it did work,... not poo pooing that at all... I just found that the tables were a lot nicer in appearance, and definitely easier to "constrain" to the drawing.  They will snap to corners and edges, where the OLE object will not.

Just another option, IMHO

[Cadmanto]

Yes, I have noticed that.  It seems to be working though.

[Cadmanto]

Chris,

Yes I see what you are saying and that does work.  Except that the formatting is gone in the general table.

Case in point.  In the Excel file there are header cells that are merged and centered over 2 columns.

In the general table it takes those cells and places the merged open centered over only one of the columns and inserts a blank one over the second one.  This is where it falls short.

[cbenner]

Ok, gotcha... guess I haven't used it with merged cells.  My bad.

[Cadmanto]

No big deal.  I worked with the other method and I was able to edit within Excel

and funnel it back to my spread sheet in the drawing.  Short of the fact that it brings in the spread

sheet really small and it looks more like and image then the spread sheet it works great.

Weird how the same interface is in Solidworks (insert object) and in SW comes in normal size and looks

like a spread sheet upon the initial insert.

[jtylerbc]

Even AutoCAD does it better.  And it's not just spreadsheets - you run into similar issues inserting images, Word documents, and pretty much anything else.

Not sure why they can make it work in AutoCAD, but can't get it together in Inventor.

[Anonymous]

I have had to same problem with the excel file coming in small in the idw. How did you fix this?

[mcgyvr]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I have had to same problem with the excel file coming in small in the idw. How did you fix this?

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@Anonymous Please be more descriptive.. 

Are you using insert object?

Are you using an excel file to populate a general table in Inventor?

What version of Inventor are you using?

What do you mean its coming in small? Small text? missing field?,etc..

can you post the excel file and an idw where you have already inserted the table so we can see the specific problem you are having?

[Anonymous]

I have an issue I hope somebody can help me out with. I have an Excel table that I insert into my drawings (my companies hardware list). My issue begins when I am doing full construction drawings. I do the drawing, insert the hardware list, edit the quantities that need changed and turn off the visibility of what isn't needed. Then I place a new sheet into the drawing, place the hardware list into that drawing. When I have the same hardware on both sheets, if I edit the hardware list on sheet 2 it changes the information on sheet 1.

Is there a way to make each inserted Excel list independent? The only other options I can figure out is to either 1) make a new drawing for every time I need to insert the table, but that makes for many different drawings (I typically have around 30 different drawings needed) or 2) insert a general table and type the information needed each sheet.

Your help, or even to point me in the right direction, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

ps. I'm using inventor 2018

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! I think you may have to break up the Excel sheets into multiple files. When you insert the sheet to the drawing, Inventor establishes the link to the Excel file and takes a snapshot of the view of the file. If there is any change to the file later, the snap shot will be updated. I guess you are hoping to insert Excel sheet on a per sheet basis. I don't think the workflow exists yet. What you are seeing is typical Windows OLE workflow. You should be able to replicate the same OLE behavior in other products like Microsoft Word.

Many thanks!

[Anonymous]

@johnsonshiue, thank you for your time. That was what I figured needed to happen, I was just hoping there was something that could be done. Is there any way to make a general table in Inventor and be able to attach it to a template? If that is possible, I can copy/paste as needed, change the information needed and turn off visibility of what is not. If not, I can work with what I have been doing.

Again, thank you.