Finding an original feature through a mirrored feature
Hi,
You need to find the parent feature, because it is derived
Sub MirroredFeature()
Dim oDoc As PartDocument
Set oDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
Dim oDocDef As PartComponentDefinition
Set oDocDef = oDoc.ComponentDefinition
Dim oPartFeature As PartFeature
Dim ExtParam As String
For Each oPartFeature In oDocDef.Features
If oPartFeature.Type = kExtrudeFeatureObject Then
ExtParam = oPartFeature.Extent.Distance.Expression
ElseIf oPartFeature.Type = kThickenFeatureObject Then
ExtParam = oPartFeature.FeatureDimensions.Item(1).Parameter.Expression
ElseIf oPartFeature.Type = kMirrorFeatureObject Then
ExtParam = oPartFeature.ParentFeatures.Item(1).Extent.Distance.Expression
End If
Debug.Print ExtParam
Next
End Sub
Please, please use the debugging functionality in vba to find the items, it will save you a lot of trial and error!
Thank you for the reply,
This code works fine when the mirror part is formed using features, and the ParentFeatures.Count = 1. Item(1) as expected.
If you change the mirror selection to solids and the Occurrences of the created mirror have items in it (see below) then the ParentFeatures.Count = 0.
Because we are using New Solids on the Mirrored parts I cannot reach the item.
The Part is now a Multibody and I haven't found a way to access the parameter required.
Hi @CGift. Here is an iLogic rule you can play around with for that task. I am not sure what your end goal was after you have found those parent bodies of a feature that mirrors some bodies, so I just put a simple message in the deepest part of the code, to show the name of each body it finds within the mirror feature's parent features.
Sub Main
If ThisDoc.Document.DocumentType <> DocumentTypeEnum.kPartDocumentObject Then
MsgBox("A Part Document must be active for this rule to work. Exiting.", vbCritical, "")
Exit Sub
End If
Dim oPDoc As PartDocument = ThisDoc.Document
Dim oPDef As PartComponentDefinition = oPDoc.ComponentDefinition
Dim oMirrFeats As MirrorFeatures = oPDef.Features.MirrorFeatures
If oMirrFeats.Count = 0 Then Exit Sub
For Each oMirrFeat As MirrorFeature In oMirrFeats
Dim oMirrFeatDef As MirrorFeatureDefinition = oMirrFeat.Definition
If oMirrFeatDef.MirrorOfBody Then
Dim oInputBodies As ObjectCollection = oMirrFeatDef.ParentFeatures
For Each oInputBody In oInputBodies
If TypeOf oInputBody Is SurfaceBody Then
Dim oBody As SurfaceBody = oInputBody
MsgBox("MirrorFeature.Name = " & oMirrFeat.Name & vbCrLf & _
"oBody.Name = " & oBody.Name, vbInformation, "Input Body Name")
End If
Next 'oInputBody
End If
Next 'oMirrFeat
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Wesley Crihfield
(Not an Autodesk Employee)
What version/year of Inventor are you using? When you created the Mirror feature, did you have the features or solids button active? Did you choose Join or New Solid as the wanted result? Did you have the checkbox for "Remove Original" checked when you created that feature? If you chose Join, then the original body may no longer be accessible because only a different combined body will remain. If you chose to mirror features instead of bodies, then my code would not work, because I am only looking for SurfaceBody objects. One process some folks use for determining which solid bodies were created by a specific feature, is by looping through each SurfaceBody in the part, and check its CreatedByFeature property, which should return a generic PartFeature type object, and if that is the same MirrorFeature you are interested in, you would then know that it was created by that mirror feature. But that would only work if a new body was generated by the feature that includes the original volume within its volume. Also, if something was done to those bodies later in the model browser tree below that feature, that might also effect how this works. If a feature was mirrored, instead of a body, then you would have to find the feature that was mirrored first, then find the bodies that it created. The MirrorFeatureDefinition is supposed to be what was used to create the MirrorFeature in the first place, so its ParentFeatures property should contain whatever was used to create the MirrorFeature. However, if something happened to those input features/bodies after the MirrorFeature was created, that would cause problems when trying to find the originals. It can definitely be complicated. Especially if following a derive trail back from some other document.
Wesley Crihfield
(Not an Autodesk Employee)
