Multilinguale IDW files for assembly instructions

[oransen]

We'd like to have a single file which can optionally show text in any language (for example Polish or Spanish).

This would be almost easy in AutoCAD, one layer per language, and unfreeze the language we want to show.

But in Inventor IDW is it possible to somehow achieve this?

TIA

Owen Ransen

PS: As far as I can see there are no "real" layers like AutoCAD in IDW...

[JelteDeJong]

Inventor has layers and its posible to turn them on or off.

[oransen]

Thanks for the screenshot. I've added a new layer to the IDW...but...

Excuse my ignorance, I'm a programmer and not a designer, how to I set "Spanish" layer of existing text?

[johnsonshiue · Accepted solution]

Hi! I am not 100% sure Inventor could fulfill what you are intended to do. Is the text a sketch text or the text in a sketch symbol? The way Inventor manage layer is different than AutoCAD. In AutoCAD, you can move any geometry from Layer1 to Layer2. But, Inventor goes by objects. Each object (sketch, drawing view, or  can be assigned to a different layer but the geometry within the object cannot be set to a different layer.

Many thanks!

[oransen]

@johnsonshiue, thanks for the reply, that was what I was afraid of.

[JelteDeJong]

I did not see that your text is in a sketched symbol. But in that case you can make a sketched symbol for each language and switch them with some code like this iLogic rule.

Sub Main()
    Dim doc As DrawingDocument = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
    Dim sheet As Sheet = doc.ActiveSheet

    Dim currentSymbol As SketchedSymbol = getSketchedSymbol(sheet, "SymbolWithSpanishText") 'sheet.SketchedSymbols.Item("SymbolWithSpanishText")
    Dim newSkecthedSymbolDefinition = doc.SketchedSymbolDefinitions.Item("SymbolWithPolishText")

    sheet.SketchedSymbols.Add(newSkecthedSymbolDefinition, currentSymbol.Position)
    currentSymbol.Delete()

End Sub
Private Function getSketchedSymbol(sheet As Sheet, name As String) As SketchedSymbol
    For Each symbol As SketchedSymbol In sheet.SketchedSymbols
        If (symbol.Name.Equals(name)) Then
            Return symbol
        End If
    Next
    Return Nothing
End Function

Make sure that you insert point is on the same point point of the symbol or you text will move. (by default Inventor uses the midpoint as insert point wich is no good for this trick, but you can move that point)

[oransen]

@JelteDeJongthanks for that solution, I'll investigate to see if it is possible in our case...