Link View Representation Visibility To Folder

[Matthew_Policelli]

It would be a really cool feature if you could link view representations (and/or model states!) to model tree folders such that any parts within the folders are visible, with visibilities updating for parts if they are added or moved to selected folders even if the view representation is locked. Likewise, folders could be selected such that any parts inside them always have visibility off for the view representation. This way, you could set up view representations of different sections or aspects of an assembly, and even as parts change or are added, the view representation will always represent what it is intended to without having to unlock and redo visibilities every time things are changed in the assembly.

How I imagine it working is this:

1. User right clicks on a view representation. There is a new-to-this-feature option called "Link Visibility to Model Tree Folders". A popup would come up with a list of all folders from the model tree.
   1. Alternatively, user could have a view representation or model state enabled, and right click a folder and there would be an option to link folder/subfolder visibility.
2. The folder list would be displayed as a Tree View, so that folder hierarchy for subfolders/sub-subfolders/etc would be apparent to the user.
3. There would be 3 checkboxes next to each folder name (or perhaps it would be a dropdown button) - one for visibility linked to be on, one for visibility linked to be off, and one for visibility to not be linked. By default, these would all be set to Unlinked, and there would be a button to reset visibility links for all folders.
4. I'm not sure whether it would be better to have all subfolders turn to linked/unlinked if the parent folder is linked/unlinked. Perhaps this could be determined by the beta testing group should this idea be implemented.
5. Important: The feature should allow for any folder to be linked to a view representation, even if it's already linked to another one, as users might need some folders with parts to be visible on multiple view representations. Additionally, when copying a view representation/creating a new one off of an existing one, it wouldn't hurt to have both an option to copy preserving links and an option to copy resetting links.

Why this Idea Would Improve Inventor:

• I can only speak for my experience and how my company uses Inventor, but a majority of our drawings and models use view representations. The most basic use of them is that we have vendor parts/appliances that we want to show in our models to check fit, but that we don't want in the Parts List or on the drawing at all. So we put them a folder called "Components", and create a view representation for use on the drawing, and in that view representation turn off visibility on the folder. But if we don't lock these views, and add additional components, we have to go to the view representation and turn off visibility on the newly added parts. Even if we lock the view rep, we'd have to unlock it and turn on visibility of parts that are added later otherwise they won't show up in the drawing or parts list. Other uses include showing parts lists for different stages of assembly (laminated parts have a styrofoam page, a fiberglass/skin page, and a other assembly parts page, all with their own view representation). The common theme is that as revisions are done to the drawing, we have to take the steps of either selectively locking/unlocking view representations as we add parts so that they go to the right parts list, or re-configuring the visibilities in the view representations before going to update the drawing.
• Being able to link folders to view representations would take a lot of the tediousness out of the above. Using the laminated part example, if you add 3 pieces of styrofoam, an extra laminated panel, and some interior backers, you could keep the view representations locked and just move the parts into their respective folders, and everything would be on the correct parts list without ever having to go in and maintain the view representations.
• It also wouldn't force anyone to use the feature, because by default all folders would be unlinked. And for those that don't use Model Tree folders, they have even less to worry about, as perhaps the feature could be set up such that if the assembly doesn't have any folders the option to link folders to a view is grayed out

One last thing: I suppose this could also be developed into an Add-In. However, I think it really deserves to be implemented in Inventor, as it makes View Representations and Model States even more powerful.

[swalton]

We are starting to use View Reps to show assembly steps in 2d drawings.  It would be nice to create Step 1, Step 2, etc. folders in the model browser and link them to view reps.  Once all the folders for all the steps were defined, dragging a component from one folder to another could update all the drawing views/filtered Parts Lists.

My goal is to get similar functionality to PTC Creo Process Assemblies.