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Linking custom properties and cut list fixed in 2018 fixed!

Question asked by Kyle Ferris on Feb 27, 2018
Latest reply on Feb 27, 2018 by Igor Fomenko

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Hello everyone. A major issue in the past has been linking custom properties and cut list properties but it seems SW 2018 has fixed this issue. In my sheet metal parts I can now simply copy and paste expressions from the cut list to the custom property tabs and the correct values are returned, so this is fantastic.

What I would like to be able to do now is create a part template for a sheet metal part that contains the thickness and the amount of bends within sheet <1> (I don't use multibody parts so I'm only interested in displaying sheet <1> properties.

I can achieve this if I have a part template with a base flange already extruded and cut list properties pasted over, but I would like to have a part template that doesn't contain any feature/sketch yet, so I can create a brand new base flange and they are automatically linked without me having to manually copy and paste over what I want. However the methods I've tried don't seem to work if you have them in place BEFORE the sheet metal flange is created, even if the expression is exactly the same (well it does actually work for sheet metal thickness, not the other values).

I could see this being achieved by having a macro that copies these values across AFTER a sheet metal feature has been created. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Elmar Klammer Feb 27, 2018 5:13 AM

Hi Kyle,

Your title and your description contradict each other. Wouldn't a fix mean you don't need a macro. The macro option has been around for a while. In fact SW cannot link cut list properties to c/cfg properties. Not easily that is. You can do workarounds, api etc. or model differently.

The whole limitation could be addressed easily in my opinion but so far I have only seen patch work over patch work over patch work.

No coherent working solution can be seen so far that would once and for all tie custom properties, configuration properties, cut list properties & BOM display seamlessly together.

Why SW can't figure this out even though the individual codes seem to be already existing beats me. Can't see the forest for the trees.

For over a decade (no bull 10+ years) we have been working around this issue with unfold-insert sketch with dimensions-fold workaround.

For decades SW has not been able to make this a feature. Instead they give us boundary dimensions for formed sheetmetal instead of flat layout dimensions in the formed state.

Unfortunately again another release without a fix

Elmar

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Kyle Ferris @ Elmar Klammer on Feb 27, 2018 8:24 AM

Hi Elmar,

Yes it still involves copy and pasting the values from the cut list to custom properties.

Are you talking about applying bounding box width and length? Could you not have a template set up with 'width', 'length' etc custom properties set up with values of x. And when you create your base flange have a macro that is triggered automatically to copy the values from the cut list and paste them in to these boxes?

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Elmar Klammer @ Kyle Ferris on Feb 27, 2018 9:52 AM

Hi Kyle,

Automation is one thing. I can do it that way for quite some time. That's nothing new.

We talk about accessing it easily within SW without coding requirements.

Sample: Sheetmetal for instance.

Cutlist option:

Like you said you can't have the equation in the custom properties as it won't resolve unless you add it after the sheetmetal has been created. You still need to know the cutlist folder name.

"SW-Bounding Box Length@@@Cut-List-Item1@Part.SLDPRT" X "SW-Bounding Box Width@@@Cut-List-Item1@Part.SLDPRT"

I cannot individually set the format for length & width unless I set the format for all dimensions.

I cannot callout a gauge name for thin sheet metal. Say your sheetmetal is 0.076" thick. Here my document units are 1/16" fractions. Very common in structural design.

I had a 20ga sheet that is called up rounded to 1/16" thick. Which is wrong!!! I would have to set my document settings to decimal 3 places for all dimensions. That is insane.

Using indented BOM'S will show me a single body part as two line items. First the part properties then the cut list properties. That screws up every bom with duplicate redundant line items.

Custom property option:

I also use an equation. All I need to add is a sketch with name SIZE and two dimensions W & L and the equation will solve!!!!

Added bonus. I can set a format to those dimensions and they will populate into the properties and the BOM.

"W@SIZE@@01@Part.SLDPRT" X "L@SIZE@@01@Part.SLDPRT"

I use design table to format the callout for gauge sheet metal and keeps the format clean for the BOM

I get single line items in indented BOM's.

That doesn't include drawings for flat layouts and formed sheets using linked property notes.

If I want that with cutlist method then I need to use macro to automate it.

That's just the beginning. Try to link title blocks to cutlist information. You can't convert regular weldment profiles to sheetmetal (looses cutlist size info in this case) and on and on. Add the steady stream of cutlist info bugs with each release, or the part in part head aches.

All you want is the size information. SW had to reinvent the wheel and make it a jagged lump while they could have simply automated the flat layout sketch method with driven dimensions. Enabling everyone to work faster and maintaining usability. Instead we get years of cutlist folder mess.

The funny thing is that Samu automated the insert flat layout sketch for me for most part. A custom programmer can do what all SW big shots seem inept to do. Or maybe we didn't get enough votes for the "SW start using common sense" enhancement request that was filed some decade ago.

Instead we got a steady stream of low level enhancements, barely any sheetmetal development, poor user interface in tables, boms, equation editor, drawing environment. Still no gauge table description links. Many of those issues were reported long ago but have seen literally no improvements.

Elmar

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Igor Fomenko Feb 27, 2018 11:35 AM

You can use only system cut-list properties (with @@@) as custom properties, so up to now it`s impossible to get custom cut-list properties (like profile name or profile standard) in custom file properties dialog. So you can`t use properties from profile file in custom properties.

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4 Replies

Elmar Klammer Feb 27, 2018 5:13 AM
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Hi Kyle,

Your title and your description contradict each other. Wouldn't a fix mean you don't need a macro. The macro option has been around for a while. In fact SW cannot link cut list properties to c/cfg properties. Not easily that is. You can do workarounds, api etc. or model differently.

The whole limitation could be addressed easily in my opinion but so far I have only seen patch work over patch work over patch work.
No coherent working solution can be seen so far that would once and for all tie custom properties, configuration properties, cut list properties & BOM display seamlessly together.

Why SW can't figure this out even though the individual codes seem to be already existing beats me. Can't see the forest for the trees.

For over a decade (no bull 10+ years) we have been working around this issue with unfold-insert sketch with dimensions-fold workaround.
For decades SW has not been able to make this a feature. Instead they give us boundary dimensions for formed sheetmetal instead of flat layout dimensions in the formed state.

Unfortunately again another release without a fix

Elmar
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- Kyle Ferris @ Elmar Klammer on Feb 27, 2018 8:24 AM
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  Hi Elmar,
  
  Yes it still involves copy and pasting the values from the cut list to custom properties.
  
  Are you talking about applying bounding box width and length? Could you not have a template set up with 'width', 'length' etc custom properties set up with values of x. And when you create your base flange have a macro that is triggered automatically to copy the values from the cut list and paste them in to these boxes?
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  - Elmar Klammer @ Kyle Ferris on Feb 27, 2018 9:52 AM
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    Correct Answer
    Hi Kyle,
    
    Automation is one thing. I can do it that way for quite some time. That's nothing new.
    We talk about accessing it easily within SW without coding requirements.
    
    Sample: Sheetmetal for instance.
    
    Cutlist option:
    Like you said you can't have the equation in the custom properties as it won't resolve unless you add it after the sheetmetal has been created. You still need to know the cutlist folder name.
    "SW-Bounding Box Length@@@Cut-List-Item1@Part.SLDPRT" X "SW-Bounding Box Width@@@Cut-List-Item1@Part.SLDPRT"
    I cannot individually set the format for length & width unless I set the format for all dimensions.
    I cannot callout a gauge name for thin sheet metal. Say your sheetmetal is 0.076" thick. Here my document units are 1/16" fractions. Very common in structural design.
    I had a 20ga sheet that is called up rounded to 1/16" thick. Which is wrong!!! I would have to set my document settings to decimal 3 places for all dimensions. That is insane.
    Using indented BOM'S will show me a single body part as two line items. First the part properties then the cut list properties. That screws up every bom with duplicate redundant line items.
    Custom property option:
    I also use an equation. All I need to add is a sketch with name SIZE and two dimensions W & L and the equation will solve!!!!
    Added bonus. I can set a format to those dimensions and they will populate into the properties and the BOM.
    "W@SIZE@@01@Part.SLDPRT" X "L@SIZE@@01@Part.SLDPRT"
    I use design table to format the callout for gauge sheet metal and keeps the format clean for the BOM
    I get single line items in indented BOM's.
    
    That doesn't include drawings for flat layouts and formed sheets using linked property notes.
    If I want that with cutlist method then I need to use macro to automate it.
    
    That's just the beginning. Try to link title blocks to cutlist information. You can't convert regular weldment profiles to sheetmetal (looses cutlist size info in this case) and on and on. Add the steady stream of cutlist info bugs with each release, or the part in part head aches.
    
    All you want is the size information. SW had to reinvent the wheel and make it a jagged lump while they could have simply automated the flat layout sketch method with driven dimensions. Enabling everyone to work faster and maintaining usability. Instead we get years of cutlist folder mess.
    
    The funny thing is that Samu automated the insert flat layout sketch for me for most part. A custom programmer can do what all SW big shots seem inept to do. Or maybe we didn't get enough votes for the "SW start using common sense" enhancement request that was filed some decade ago.
    
    Instead we got a steady stream of low level enhancements, barely any sheetmetal development, poor user interface in tables, boms, equation editor, drawing environment. Still no gauge table description links. Many of those issues were reported long ago but have seen literally no improvements.
    
    Elmar
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Igor Fomenko Feb 27, 2018 11:35 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
You can use only system cut-list properties (with @@@) as custom properties, so up to now it`s impossible to get custom cut-list properties (like profile name or profile standard) in custom file properties dialog. So you can`t use properties from profile file in custom properties.
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Linking custom properties and cut list fixed in 2018 fixed!

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