Keybind to rotate assembly part 90° around Y-axis

[ericwhite2C2NN]

Hi,

I often need to mess with layouts (think skidded system for factory layout) and 80% of the time I simply need to rotate a component 90° around the Y-axis. I typically keep components constrained to the "floor" and free drag them in the XZ plane until a layout is decided.  The Grid Snap tool works for rotating them, but is honestly annoying to use and too many clicks. Same with constraints. In a perfect world, I'd like to simply click on a component and press (for example) ctrl+R and have the component/part rotate 90° clockwise about the Y-axis.

I'm sure this is "easily" doable in iLogic, but before I sink time to create it I just want to make sure there isn't already a solution baked-in to Inventor I'm not aware of? 

I'd mostly likely keep it barebones/simple as the functionality I described above would cover basically all of my use cases. That being said, as a brainstorming exercise, possible "features" could be:

- ability to change which axis is being rotated about (without editing rule)

- easy way to change key binding (without editing rule)

- choose from clockwise or counterclockwise (separate key bindings probably)

- pick between rotating around assembly axis or component axis (separate key bindings probably)

Anyways, main point is I want to check that there isn't a similar feature already in Inventor before I spend time making one.

Thanks!

[WCrihfield]

Hi @ericwhite2C2NN.  I do not think a command like that already exists.  There are some very similar commands though.  Like the ones that are available when you use the Place command in an assembly and have selected a model file, and are back at your main assembly screen with the component at your cursor, but have not yet clicked to place it yet.  In that situation, if you right-click, you have several options to preemptively rotate the component before you place it.  But I believe those commands are only for that situation (while originally placing a component), because "PlaceComp" is right in the middle of those command names (example:  "AssemblyPlaceCompRotateY90Cmd").  Then there is the regular rotate component command ("AssemblyRotateComponentCmd"), which can be initiated from the Assemble > Position panel > Free Rotate tool, but that requires manual mouse interaction with the graphical stuff on the screen.  What you would likely have to do, if you need this to be mapped to a keyboard key is create a VBA macro for it.  Then you can assign a keyboard shortcut for running that macro.  It could be set up to require pre-selection, or use the Pick function after the macro has begun, or both, but I think the macro will have to be a Sub (not Function) routine with no input parameters, otherwise it will likely not work that way.

[ericwhite2C2NN]

I appreciate the info. Good points all around; will give me a good starting point. Now just need to find time to create it...

Cheers.

[2020mme013]

Hi @ericwhite2C2NN, 

have you worked on it? and did you get the solution?