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Option to display lbmass units as simply lbs

Option to display lbmass units as simply lbs

The issue: Inventor displays imperial weight units in lbmass rather than simply lbs.

 

Inventor allows you to choose which units you want to use for weight: lbmass, slugs, grams, and kilograms. But lbmass is displayed as lbmass rather than lbs.

Dropdown.PNG

 

lbmass - technically accurate, but more confusing than useful

lbmass.PNG

 

lbs - it simply makes sense in our everyday language

lbs.PNG

 

In the U.S., when we say something "weighs 491 lbs" people understand that. But when we start to define if we are talking about pounds-force vs pounds-mass, the average person gets very, very confused. In my case, that person is a client who needs to sign off an approval drawing and wants to know if special equipment will be required to lift whatever it is they're purchasing. Their concern shouldn't be "do I need to put this in a formula or something?" I know this sounds like a silly scenario, but it does happen and it makes a mess.

 

This issue has come up several times in the forums and suggestions for work arounds are listed, but the root of this issue still has not been addressed. Look through the forums, I know I'm not the only one looking for a permenant solution here.

 

My suggestion:

My suggestion is for an option to display "lbmass" as just "lbs". Recognizing that distinguishing something as lbmass may have importance for some users, I would not eliminate it entirely, but just add functionality to abbreviate it the exact same way that most people do in conversation, lbs.

 

Example:

DocSettings.PNG

 

Can we all agree that an option to simplify this unit to just "lbs" would make life a whole lot nicer?

23 Comments
kbear2AYYK
Contributor

@Anonymous I know right! Next time I have a simple question I'll do the obvious and stand on my face, use my left pinky to hold Ctrl, click the right mouse button using my nose, and chant, "lbmass, lbmass, fire and snow... change to lbs we all know."

@To_Efficiency_and_Beyond I would like to see your updated code! Can it be applied to the template?

See code below. This will be saved as an External Rule. Set Event Trigger for this to run in all drawings, before save.

In your title block, you will use the "TotalWT" custom user property.

This will come in without a unit string... so if you still want it to say lbs, you will need to add that text to the TB template or something.

 

'Weight

doc = ThisDoc.Document
customPropertySet = doc.PropertySets.Item("Inventor User Defined Properties")
 
'Make sure TotalWT property exists
Try
      prop = customPropertySet.Item("TotalWT")
Catch
      'Assume error means not found
      customPropertySet.Add("", "TotalWT")
End Try

'Find the filename of the model used in the drawing
If ThisDoc.ModelDocument Is Nothing Then
GoTo handleNoModel
Else
modeldocname = IO.Path.GetFileName(ThisDoc.ModelDocument.FullFileName) 
End If

'Find the mass of the model used in the drawing
mass = iProperties.Mass(modeldocname)

'Write the mass of the model to the TotalWT custom iProperty.
'The mass is converted from kg to lbs and rounded to the nearest integer
iProperties.Value("Custom", "TotalWT") = (Round(((mass*2.20462262)*2),1))/2

InventorVb.DocumentUpdate()

Exit Sub
handleNoModel:
'do nothing

 

 

t_fransman
Advocate

Thanks . i just added a Custom one that eliminated the lbmass thing on it's own. I bring it in and added the text

 

iProperties.Value("Custom", "Weight")=Round(iProperties.Mass)  

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