Drawing View, Hidden Line Calculation, Margin DEFAULT Value

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have looked through the application options and the Styles & Standards for this.

Since there is not user-configurable value I'd like to suggest a way to add one.

The attached image below is a screen-capture of the drawing view creation dialog box, showing the Model State tab.

I have highlighted the MARGIN field for clarity.  Currently, the value in this field is automatically generated based on unknown parameters.  It seems there is no user control over this value.  Fixing it on every view placement wastes time.

I have 100 drawings to create every month, with 100's of view to insert and most of them needs a margin of about 100 units, not 0.21 as shown.

To create these drawings and views, we are forced to re-type a number in this box.  Every time.  Furthermore, when a view is created without the reference lines shown, it can't be placed in the right spot.  Adjusting the margin after the view is created then requires moving the views around again.  To do it once takes 30 seconds.  To do it 100 times wastes an hour.

To remove this tedious exercise, a default value could be made available to users that is saved either with the drawing template (preferred) or with the application styles.  I can suggest a few places if this doesn't seem obvious.

Thanks.

Steven

 

[PaulMunford]

Until this idea is accepted - How about a workaround?

You could use phantom instead of reference to prevent items showing up in the BOM.

To show items with a dotted outline, set your selection filter to parts only, select the part in the drawing view, right click and choose select as edges, then move the edges onto your reference layer...

Would that help?

[Anonymous]

Hi Paul,


I'm not sure how that relates to what I'm trying to do.

Creating a new drawing view in a new drawing is pretty much an unavoidable first step. Setting parameters to make the view fit the sheet and show correct orientation are also necessary, but impossible for the Autodesk software programmers to anticipate, so the users have to do it themselves. I'm talking about small steps in this process that waste time and could possibly be automated.


The process you suggest, if I read & understand what you mean, would be a change to the workflow of every designer on the project, and Phantom is a property only accessible through the BOM, hence our designers would be inserting the BOM, then opening it, then changing the properties of numerous items... clock is ticking... and where are you going with this?


The goal is to see several inches worth of reference lines surrounding the actual assembly, not 1/4" when the view is created. Imagine a relay installed in a cabinet, and the drawing is titled "relay installation". The model being used has a cabinet and a relay inside. The cabinet is reference, the relay is normal on the BOM and this is correct on the BOM. When creating the drawing, isn't it logical that I see the relay and the cabinet? The drawing must show the worker the cabinet that the relay goes into. Unfortunately, the defaults of Inventor generate a reference line perimeter 1/4" around the relay, which COMPLETELY conceals the cabinet in the default settings of the view. If I'm going to show the installer a view of the cabinet with the relay in it, then I have to edit the view, expand the region of visible reference lines, until the cabinet can be seen. I have to type "12" or some appropriate value into Margin. That maybe didn't take long, but it is an annoying waste of time, every time I create a view in a drawing.


Secondly, whatever I guess is the margin I need, I have no way to guess what that will show at the drawing view scale without accepting the view update, and by trial-and-error, getting the value right. Often it doesn't matter much, often it's very touchy. A preview of the reference lines to be shown, or at least a perimeter box would be nice.


Thanks!


Steven Fahey

www.sparweb.ca

[Anonymous]

Inventor needs to change how it handles "Reference" components in drawing views.  Some visual examples follow to explain.

The "Reference" functionality in BOMs (and Parts Lists) is very handy and works well until Inventor automatically crops the drawing view to include only the "Normal" components.

Autodesk: PLEASE FIX THIS

[PaulMunford]

You can adjust the cropping of a reference component so that its not cropped - but I don't know how to set this as the default?

[Anonymous]

Hi @Anonymous, I'm not sure if this what you're looking for, but if you navigate to your Drawing View options and go to Model State, set your Reference Data Margin to some ridiculously big number, you'll be able to see all of your Reference parts and they won't get cropped.

[Anonymous]

This margin lacks flexibility though, because your crop margin always extends that amount in both the X and Y direction... It'd be nice to pick your X direction margin and your Y direction margin.

[Anonymous]

 Hello @Anonymous & @PaulMunford, much thanks for the great feedback. I had actually discovered this answer a couple of days after this post following help from my amazing South African designer buddy @Anonymous. It is good to add the info/screen shot above to help users get by until Autodesk fixes this.

My hope is that in the next Inventor release (or ServicePack) they change the default setting to have a drawing view reference margin high enough to include all components. I'm honestly not sure why you would not want to show them.  If you need the view cropped there is a separate (and better) way of doing that.

The other issue Autodesk should consider is making this type of information easier to find. For instance...What sense does it make that this functionality is found in "Model State" of Drawing View dialogue?  Does it not make more sense to be under "Display Options"?

It is also not immediately obvious that view cropping of reference components would be related to something called "Margin". Margin of what? Maybe Autodesk should consider "flyover" information for things like this.

I've been using Inventor daily now for 3 years (following 17 years with SolidWorks) and I still struggle with these types of things. Inventor is a powerful & capable 3D modeling & drawing program, but I feel a complete overhaul of the user interface would be extremely helpful to both newbies & veterans.

Tagging people who gave Kudos here so they are aware of the solution above... @Rory_M, @s.wile, @EricSchubert-Symetri, @klmarchant, @Anonymous, @philip.G, @shilkas, @ScottThompson1050, @Westy19201879, @Anonymous, @Anonymous, @VGonsalves, @thom-g, @Anonymous, @The_Test, @JBerns, @Anonymous, 

[Anonymous]

20 user tagging limit for one comment entry, so adding more here who gave Kudos here so they are aware of the solution .... @kacper.suchomski, @jbohn217, @cmcconnell, @C_Kastanek, @mgauthier, @Anonymous, @Anonymous

[Anonymous]

The reference margin was in the product long before the crop view tool. I guess they needed a way to crop the reference and originally did it with the margin. Then the Crop tool came along and made the reference margin redundant (somewhat).

But you are correct - adjusting the margin is buried, and is a somewhat strange workflow.

[karipates6709]

I just discovered this setting today since I'm trying to have beams of a building as reference for where a conveyor needs to go. I thought 'Great! I'll be able to see all of the beams.' I've only been able to get SOME of the reference beams to show up. Not ALL. I'm trying to get the centers of the beams for locating, but if changing the margin to a ridiculously large number still doesn't work? Then what? I'm also having trouble placing some center lines on the beams that ARE showing. This is really annoying.

[francis.korde]

It would be useful to have the option to set all the options in the "Reference Data" part by default. We always use "All Bodies" "As Parts" "Margin = 10" and it would be really handy to set them by default. And, if it's possible, not in the template because that doesn't change old drawing. 

[pauls]

I've just run into this problem.  Is it possible to set the "Reference Data" defaults using the registry?

[Skadborg.NTI]

Another problem with this setting is that it isn't exposed via the API. If this was the case, then the problem could have been solved with an iLogic-rule.

We need access to all settings in this tab via the API.

[maxim.teleguz]

did anyone ever find a way to expose this margin via API?

[arsalan.iqbalSCXFE]

How can I calculate margin for each unit in a shell construction project within Autodesk?

Ex:

Each unit in a multiplex project has different cost associated with it (Some has 2 room, 3 rooms, different windows, etc.). How can we track cost for each unit in Autodesk?

[maxim.teleguz]

@arsalan.iqbalSCXFE 

how is this related? just because we use the word margin doesn't mean it is about cost.... the margin everyone here is speaking about is the settings in the view in autodesk inventor. 

[arsalan.iqbalSCXFE]

@maxim.teleguz 
I am a new member (As you may have noticed on the tag line).
It is possible that there is a separate cost forum.

You are not required to answer if it is not applicable. I will reach out to the vendor directly.

[Tiffany_Hayden_]

Being able to modify margins through the API is needed. We have a standard margin per scale and we are unable to edit the margin through the API so as far as our drawing automation can go if we can't change the margin it won't be complete

[Tiffany_Hayden_]

@Anonymous When you said the Margin was buried does that mean it is available in the API and if so could you point me in the right direction?

[Yijiang.Cai]

Many thanks for posting the idea, and tracked as [INVGEN-67523]