I have an assembly with multiple configurations and one "master" configuration that has every part of every configuration in it. I use this master config to create one big exploded view that shows all the parts and different options instead of multiple exploded views. I now need to create cross-sectional views of each configuration and BOM/Balloon those views. Instead of creating a separate BOM for each config, I wanted to use the master config to create one BOM, then have each configuration reference that BOM, then auto-balloon the configuration cross-sectional views.

This half works - I drag in the master explode onto the screen but off the sheet, create the BOM based on that view, and then can go into the properties window for each drawing view and specify that each one use the master BOM. but when I ask SolidWorks to auto-balloon any configuration, nothing happens, no balloons appear. If, however, I manually create balloons, the item numbers populate as expected. So the reference is working, auto-balloon just isn't.

Any ideas? Is there a better approach to this? I always felt like using off-sheet but on-screen drawing views was clunky.