Automatically disconnect Frame Generator property updates after part edits

[jakub_d]

Hello,

Current Inventor behaviour:

When You prepare frame with frame generator some standard iProperties like Part Number are automatically 

updated when You update frame skeleton. It is because in standard Content Center Part Number contains length.
So in this case it works well.

Issue:
Many times there is need to make changes in certain frame members - for example make some holes.

After making holes - Part Number should be unique. Actually it's not even if You manually change it (to exclude 

it on BOM and Part Lists from merging). It still updates when You update skeleton.

Actually there are at least three manual solutions:

1. Delete frame member and insert it again with unchecked "get Part number from Content Center" checkbox.
It should work but definitely We can improve this.

2. Promote / Demote component - but then part will no longer update length after skeleton chenges.
3. Add something to end of part number value to differentiate it and update this information with iLogic.
(for example part mass).

Idea:

It would be nice to have possibility to disconnect standard iProperty updates .

Solution 1
There should be possibility to change frame member / members (multiselect) and uncheck 

"Get Part Number from Content Center" and from this moment properties should never be updated again ?

Solution 2

Maybe there is possibility to make some mechanism which can check if user make some changes in 

frame member and automatically disconnect iProperty updates. For example according to mass change ?

Solution 3

Save and replace component function can work with frame members.  New part creation will then

disconnect property updates but part should update their length after skeleton changes.

If You have already some solutions or better idea to solve this issue - i will be more than happy to hear them.

Have a nice day !

Jakub

[jtylerbc]

Solution 1 kind of already exists.  You can use "Change Member" to turn off the "Get part number from Content Center" option. 

My suggestion would be to consider fixing this problem yourself via your own custom Content Center families and possibly some changes to your drawing format.  Of course, you may or may not be the person that gets to make that decision, and this may or may not agree with your company's standards.  But this would be my preferred way of solving it.

• Remove the length from the part number entirely (in the settings for your Content Center family).
• If you do need it there, rework the settings so that the length is pulled from the G_L parameter instead (using typical iProperty expressions).
• Always turn off "Get part number from Content Center".
• If you remove the length from the part number altogether, include it in the Description field instead.
• Use the "Reuse Member" tool to deal with repeated identical frame members, rather than relying on part numbers to identify them and roll them up.

That last point is perhaps the downside of my method - If you have members in your frame that are identical, but the user doesn't notice that and manually Reuse to create them, Frame Generator won't find them for you.  But aside from that, it mostly eliminates issues like the ones you are describing.

[jakub_d]

I just read Your first sentence about solution 1. I was checking this few hours ago and in my case it doesn’t work. If You will change this, close tool and do this change member one more time I will be checked back.
Also it still updates Part Number.

Of course create / edit custom CC is some idea but it will require time to make this changes. As You see I’m already seeing some solutions but of course I’m searching for the easiest and fastest one.

[jtylerbc]

That shouldn't be the case. At my company, the standard method is to uncheck "Get part number from Content Center" (my described method from the previous post is similar to what we do as normal practice).  However, since there is no way to assign a default setting for that checkbox, it always defaults to being on, and sometimes unchecking it is missed. 

I use "Change Member" all the time to fix it when this mistake is made (often fixing a mistake I made myself while in a hurry).  Coincidentally, the project I am working on at the moment includes a frame that was built by another engineer before I was brought into the project, and it turns out that every single tube in the frame was placed with the setting incorrect.  I used this frame as a test to make sure it was still working that way, and it does.  I'm still on 2018, so I can't speak for versions later than that.  But in my version, I can use Change, uncheck the box, click OK, then go back into the Change dialog box and the setting stays.

One thing I noticed is that there is often a delay of a couple of seconds between selecting the member and the dialog box updating.  During that delay the box is displayed as being checked, but then changes to being unchecked.  This behavior is the same regardless of whether you select individual members one at a time, or use Multi-Select.  If you see the box and immediately hit Escape thinking it didn't work, you may be seeing incorrect information.

By the way, thanks for causing me to look at my frame in more detail - I'd much rather have found that error now than after I've started working on the drawings.  Now I have to go check the other frame in that project to see if it has the same problem (which it probably does) .