iPart Individual Part Automation

[kanewsome3]

Hey guys,

I have a project that requires lots of very similar part files (very simple too, only like 6 parameters I'd be changing). I cannot simply use iParts in this assembly, as my company is trying to automate the design process for all these assemblies and requires individual part files for that automation to work. Thus, it seems I have to manually create all these part files. Here are my options:

1. Use an iPart master file, create all the different configurations in that file using a table of data, then extract all the different configurations into their own individual files. This would be quick and easy, but I was told this method loses some metadata for the parts, like their faces and extrusions, and just saves it as a body, which isn't ideal if we want to swap a file in an assembly, and lose the constraints.
2. Use "save as" a couple hundred times, filling out an iLogic form for each copy to configure the part. This would work fine but takes a while.
3. Somehow automate the "save as" method.

I hope that all makes sense. I'm relatively new to Inventor so I apologize for any errors. I'm really looking to see if there's a way to automate the "save as" method, which would save me a lot of time, and push out proper part files with all the required metadata. Even if this is a clicking script with python, linked to the table, that would probably work. What are your thoughts? Is there an easier solution here? What's the best way to automate the "save as" method?

Let me know if you need any more clarification

[andrewiv]

I think you are actually looking for iParts.  After you fill out the iPart table, each of the configurations gets saved as its own separate file but still linked back to the iPart parent.  The way to generate all of them at once is to select all the members under the table and choose generate files.  That will make all the ipt files for the entire iPart table.

[kanewsome3]

Yes, but it saves as a body, when I need it to save with all the extrusions and sketches and stuff. I can't figure out if that's possible, I've been toying around with it a little bit, but no luck.

[andrewiv]

Yes, the files it creates are basically derived parts that reference the iPart parent.  But it still works to replace them in assemblies and the constraints hold.  Is there some other reason you need the features in the individual parts?

[kacper.suchomski]

Hi

I think the iLogic component configurator will be a good solution.