Opened a drawing that has several views that could be driving the BOM (Bill of Material), I don't know how to determine which view is the one that the BOM is linked to. I have right clicked all the places I can think of, check the different property pop ups that I can.
I realize I can delete the BOM and bring it in again, but it would be quite helpful right now to be able to see exactly which view is driving the BOM.
Hi Steve,
There are two ways to determine this.
First option:
1. Right Click on a view and select properties.
2. In the bottom left of the properties dialog box there is the option to link ballon text to table.
3. The pull down will allow the view to be manually linked to a BOM.
So for instance if you do this on one view and it is linked to BOM 1 and another view is linked to BOM 2, then there is your answer.
If there is only one BOM then all views should show the BOM balloons correctly. If the view isn't, then manually link it by using the steps above.
Second option: (More for properties on the sheet that are linked to properties in Part/Assembly
1. Right Click on Sheet to view sheet properties dialog box.
2. At the bottom of the dialog box there is the a pull down to use custom properties from model shown in ... view. This is normally set to default, which is the first view you create.
Other than that, you can select which configuration the BOM is referencing in the BOM manager (at left when you click on BOM).
Hope this helps,
Cody
Hello Cody, Yes, good advice on how to work with the situation as it is but I am writing a manual for users with less experience and was hoping to be able to give them an easy This View is Driving The BOM type of language. Just trying to find the simple, Ahh there it is.
To be honest, if you are writing a manual for users with less experience, don't include what you are trying to here. I feel it is completely irrelevant for beginner users. If anything tell them how to link a BOM to a view as per my first option above. That is something they will most likely have to use when they are wondering why the balloons in a view don't match a BOM. Just my opinion.. Hope this helps.
Actually you did answer my question, your point of "Link Balloon text to specified table" in the Drawing View Properties is defaulted to be checked off only on the view that was used to bring in the BOM. I didn't read thru it well enough, TGIF.
BOMs aren't really driven by a view but by a model. You can balloon any view of a given model and the BOM will register that part as ballooned.
If you have multiple models on a drawing sheet and you want to know which model the BOM references, either expand the BOM and click a part to see which model(s) it highlights, or like Cody said see if the view is linked to a table.
Hello Chris, Yes the BOM is driven from the model but you do have to choose a view to insert a BOM table.
All that does is tell the BOM which model to attach to. It is actually attached to all views of that model on that sheet.
What are you really trying to figure out? (i.e. why does it matter which view you selected initially?)
Is there a way to change the view (model) the BOM is linked to?
After insertion, the BOM isn't linked to a drawing view, it's linked to the assembly. After inserting it you can, and I often do, delete the drawing view. The BOM will stay and will still be parametric.
With that being said, you can change which configuration of an assembly a BOM is referencing. Click on the cross at the top left corner of the BOM to highlight the whole BOM and open the BOM's PropertyManager. Open the "Configuration" section and choose the desired configuration from the drop-down.
The reason I ask if you can change the model the BOM is linked to is due to the new "replace model" feature in drawings.
If I forget to have the drawing open when I do a "save as" for an assembly, I can just open and save the drawing as a copy and "replace model" in all views, but the BOM is still linked to the original model. I guess I'm looking for a "replace model" for the BOM.
If the new model is just a different configuration of the same assembly, then you can change it. If it's a completely different assembly, then I'm fairly certain you'll need to delete the BOM and insert a new one.
I guess I'm missing the point, if the information in the BOM will change because it's a new model then why not just insert a new BOM?
If I do a "save as" to the assy while the drawing is open, all the balloons update and stay attached with the newly created assy. Then I save the drawing as a copy (new name). I don't save the original drawing so it stays infracted (linked to the original assy).
Make any sense?
Steve, the BOM isn't driven by a view, rather its contents are determined by the configuration you choose in the BOM table properties.
The ability to select a view when generating a BOM is merely a convenience. There's no established link between the view and the table.
The table appears to be linked to the model by it's own internal mechanisms which are not accessible to the user directly. So if you copy a drawing and update the model references, you'll need to delete and recreate the BOM table.
Hi Steve,
There are two ways to determine this.
First option:
1. Right Click on a view and select properties.
2. In the bottom left of the properties dialog box there is the option to link ballon text to table.
3. The pull down will allow the view to be manually linked to a BOM.
So for instance if you do this on one view and it is linked to BOM 1 and another view is linked to BOM 2, then there is your answer.
If there is only one BOM then all views should show the BOM balloons correctly. If the view isn't, then manually link it by using the steps above.
Second option: (More for properties on the sheet that are linked to properties in Part/Assembly
1. Right Click on Sheet to view sheet properties dialog box.
2. At the bottom of the dialog box there is the a pull down to use custom properties from model shown in ... view. This is normally set to default, which is the first view you create.
Other than that, you can select which configuration the BOM is referencing in the BOM manager (at left when you click on BOM).
Hope this helps,
Cody