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It may mean that you have multiple models in you drawing and current BOM which you are trying to show the balloons and theview that you are trying to show the balloons are not the same.
So is this to say, you must use simplified reps? I did not create
a simp. rep. I created a table, set my main asm to be the active
model, then created a repeat region. It filles in the table
perfectly. I just get the error when I try to attach a baloon to
the view.
Is there a special process for creatign views linked to repeat regions?
I am new to using repeat regions and baloons, so please be patient.
There's no special process for creating RRs and BOM baloons. The only thing you have to take care off is that when creating the drawing and setting up first view or replacing the repeat region with another one and when placing BOM ballons the active models have to be the same. E.g. as charleskim and dell_boy already mentioned you can only place ballons to the views created from the same models/simp reps as repeat region. Active model is shown on the bottom of the screen (ACTIVE ASM: or ACTIVE PRT.
But if you definea view with the wrong model you can change it easily. Select view Properties and change simp rep, or select repeat region and change default model.
I have a main asm that pulls in a different sub asm, depending on user
prompts. I set the main asm to the repeat region, but I filter
out the main asm from the repeat region, as I don't want to see it in
the table. Actually, I filter out all asms, as I am creating a
shear list and forming sketches for sheet metal parts and only need the
part files. Could this be causing the problems?
From what everyone has said above, if I want to create a view to have
BOM balloons, I need to add the part that is in the table, set it
active, create the view and attach the balloons. As long as the
part file is in the repeat region, it should work, right? I would
keep doing this, adding each part file from the repeat region, adding
the view for that part, then attach the balloons. I thought I had
done this. I will fool with it a little more, as I am obviously
doing something wrong.
"if I want to create a view to have
BOM balloons, I need to add the part that is in the table, set it
active, create the view and attach the balloons"
No, that is not the way to do it. The active model should be the top level assembly from which the bom is created.
If you have a multi-model drawing with part models you CANNOT attach
assembly balloons to part model views.The balloons can only be attached
to the assembly views.
Well, that clears things up. I do have the top level assembly set
to active for the repeat region. But I was creating part views
and trying to get the BOM balloon to attach to the parts. This
would've allowed me to create a forming sketch of each part for our
shop, with a BOM Ballon back to the table.
I take it there is no way of doing this. No problem though.
I created a parameter in each of my parts with the forming sketch
name. Then, I set up a note in the table to display this
parameter. I then created a note for each sketch, and placed the
parameter in the note as the sketch name. At least this way I am
sure the names on the sketches coincide with the names in the table.
It would be nice to be able to add the BOM balloons to parts views, as
long as the part was in the table. I don't really understand why
you are forced to use assemblies only, but I guess these balloons are
for showing the different parts in reference to each other in the asm,
rather than for labeling and cross-referencing parts to the table.
Anyway, thank you for clearing this up. And thanks for your time.
"It would be nice to be able to add the BOM balloons to parts views"
That's not logic of the production process. Why do you need BOM balloons then. Your parts on the drawing have nothing in common, so they don't need to be related with BOM. Meaning of the BOM itself is bill of material. That means the list of material with sizes that the purchasing department should order.
If you want to use the drawing for parts, that are not related with each other (e.g. through assembly), this drawing is multiple-drawings-in-one. With that you simplify the process of creating documentation, but create confusion in the production/planning/purchasing process. Latter really depends on the type of production you are running, but big organisations have to be organized like that.
I don't want to lecture you about production processes, but I've seen a lot of people starting with 3D modellers like Pro/E, who did not know anything about production process and were modeling things like in 2D (everything on one drawing, no hierarchy between parts/assemblies, etc.).
"I don't want to lecture you about production processes, but I've seen a
lot of people starting with 3D modellers like Pro/E, who did not know
anything about production process and were modeling things like in 2D
(everything on one drawing, no hierarchy between parts/assemblies,
etc.)."
Well, actually I have 9 years in the sheet metal manufacturing
production process. Although I agree that the repeat regions are
great for purchasing BOMs, they have potential for so many other
uses. See, although we purchase things, we also make 90% of all
of our materials. We buy raw sheet steel, run it through a punch
press, form it on a brake, and weld it into a product.
The main reason for my post was I thought the BOM balloons would ease
the programming and drawing creation by ensuring that each part view
correlated to the part referenced in the table. Who really cares
if the part is in an asm view or not. It is still part of the
larger asm referenced in the repeat region.
I appreciate your "lecture" on production processes, but we use Pro/E
in far more ways than to simply generate a BOM of purchased
parts. We use it to generate shop drawing submittals, production
floor details, CNC punch press tapes, packing lists, and yes, bills of
materials to be sent to purchasing.
When you are creating models for users to dynamically regenerating an
assembly with upwards of 200 user parameters, to generate one-off
versions where you never quite know what parts will be in the asm, and
have the product to the customer in 4 weeks, you look for ANY way to
facilitate getting those details to your shop accurately.
To me it seems you are taking an unnecessary risk in trying to label
parts by B.o.M. item number. That job is BEST done by the part
number/revision and it should appear on the B.o.M. and in an obvious
place on every sheet of the relevant manufacturing documentation even
if it is a custom part that will never be made again. Ideally it should
also be present on the finished article as well.
It is very easy to change the order of the B.o.M. by accident or on
purpose. Fixing the index is a P.I.T.A. If someone gets a new copy of
the assembly drawing and an old copy of the part drawing you have a
disaster.
Yes, I think you have all made it clear that BOM balloons are not the
way to do this. I apologize for not being up on my BOM Balloon
usage. As I stated in a previous post, "I am new to using repeat regions and baloons, so please be patient.".
Below is sort of a better explanation of what I am trying to do.
Maybe it will make more sense why I tried to it this way.
I have the part number in my table. The way these drawing have
been laid out for years (even prior to Pro/E and which is the way our
shop likes them) is there is a shear list at the upper left corner of
the drawing. To the right, there are sections of each part,
showing the forming dimensions for each part. Each view is tagged
to correlate with the row of the table on the left. They like
them all on one page, and you know how it is when a shop guy doesn't
get what he wants.
I thought, well Hell, if I can automatically get the row number to show
up on each view, that is one less thing I need to do by hand. I
am trying to automate as much of this drawing creation, as we have many
other users who simply regenerate models to new dimensions and print
the details. Since I never know which parts will be in the table,
I was hoping this would be a way of controlling that.
No problem though. I will find a better way to do this. And thanks again for all of your assistance.
Maybe solution to your problem would be extracting characters/numbers from model names (to automatize the parameter creation) and then to show that parameter (with extracted model name) in a repeat region and in the drawing note (i.e. drawing tag of the part). Extracting characters from the model name can be done with relation funkction "extract". Parameter could be shown in the drawing note as "¶meter". This way you could set the part tag at the part creation and automatize the drawing notes (i.e. when you change the model name, the drawing note gets updated when you update the drawing).
That is what I ended up doing. I added a parameter in my part,
then set a note to each view referencing the parameter. Seems to
work okay. The shop will no longer get a row number, but they
will get a reference to the view. This will need to be a give and
take relationship.
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