Currently, the Vault API provides the DocumentService.GetBOMByFileId() method to retrieve a Autodesk.Connectivity.WebServices.BOM object. From my perspective, this object contains only the raw data of a Bill of Materials (BOM). If the goal is to accurately reflect an Inventor BOM, these raw data need to be extensively processed and transformed into a custom BOM model. This involves a number of complex tasks, such as:
Calculating Quantity and ItemQuantity
Handling phantom and reference assemblies
Considering model states
Accounting for instance properties
...
This processing and interpretation of the Autodesk.Connectivity.WebServices.BOM is both time-consuming and error-prone.
In addition to the BOM object, the API also provides the Autodesk.Connectivity.WebServices.ItemBOM object. This representation is already processed based on various configurable Vault options and can serve as a 1:1 representation of an Inventor BOM. The drawback of this model, however, is that it requires the use of Vault Items. Often, the creation and maintenance of Vault Items is only necessary to generate a reliable and accurate BOM from Vault for integration into systems such as ERP or PLM.
It would be highly beneficial if such a processed BOM could also be generated directly from a file, without the need for Vault Items.
