What would you like to see in Balloons?

The thing I would love and I see people asking for over and over again is the ability to easily reference a balloon item number in a note. Right now you need to have an extra view with balloons that have no border, then click on those while you are writing the note. Then when you are done hide the view. When you want to add more notes you need to find the view and unhide it and etc. It is way more work than it should be. Plus that method isn't seamless in the notes. It adds extra space before and after the number and changes the line spacing between that line and the row above and below.

I wish you could just select a balloon from your normal exploded view, even if it has a round border or whatever, and just add the item number into text as a single character.

Also it is not really balloons but related to my request above, I wish you could link text to the item number of a manually created row in a BOM. So if I make a row manually for epoxy or something, I wish I could link text to that item number so that if I reorder the row it will update the text.

Oh and along the same lines it would be nice to be able to add a balloon linked to a row in the BOM that was manually created. So like in my example above if I manually created a row for epoxy, and I want to attach it as a stacked balloon, it would be nice if I could tie it to that BOM row instead of manually typing the item number in the balloon.

I too would like to be able to "Add to Stack" from my BOM. Also, how about circular "Magnetic Lines" for detail views?

1) Make the add jog point easier. Not just for balloons but all leaders incl. weld symbols. The current scenario needs so many clicks.

a) point to leader with mouse

b)  RMC select "add jog point"

c) select new point with mouse and drag

modify to:

eliminate step c) and have the new jog point attached to the mouse so in can drag it. If i add a jog point i most likely wanna use it i.a.w drag it somewhere

2) Allow me to select sub-assemblies to balloon

a) Attach the balloon to a part of a sub-assembly (BOM: indented style) and link the balloon the parent sub-assembly instead.

Thanks

We don't use any SW functionallity for balloon numbers related to SW bills.  So, when I start adding balloons, I would like the first one I add to be numbered 1, then 2, 3, etc.

Thanks for opening the topic, Matt

What I've needed for a long time now, is the ability to create a balloon for an item that's hidden or occluded in the view.  There's that little panel in the balloon property manager that's supposed to list invisible components for you to link your annotation to, but there's no rhyme or reason to what's in the box and what's excluded and there's no topic for it in the online help.

In all seriousness, I would be happy if I could link a balloon directly to a BOM table item

Regaurding quantities, another long-standing request I've had is for the ability to specify a quantity by selecting a component pattern, or a common mating reference or if I type ina discrete value for quantity, I'd like to see the default count changed to the number of remaining instances in the drawing when you discount the user-specified quantity.

When it comes to linking balloons to notes, I'm going to echo Jamil's request, that it be possible to retrieve the text of the balloon only and preferably to be able to retrieve individual fields for ballons

Finally, and this is a monster, I want to be able to define my own baloon shape and fields.  More precisely, I want a components find number in a bom to be an attribute I can invoke to construct an annotation block with those crazy aerospace balloon notes that include sprues for flag notes, finish specifications and field notes.

I would like to be able to sort the stacked balloons.  The example above shows 3, 6, 7, 4, 5.  I want 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 but sometimes you just cannot pick them in the right order.

Another change to the magnetic line is to not have the balloons move when you lengthen the line. Seems like you get the balloons placed & need to add a few & have to lengthen the magnet line. Then you have to go back & reposition the balloons along the line because they've moved. This would be when the magnetic line is set to FREE DRAG

It would be nice to be able to add a fill color to the balloons, such as the one in yellow below, as opposed to the one underneath. Currently the only way I've been able to get the colored balloon is to make the box a block, then copy it where I need it, explode it, change the # to the appropriate Item #, and then add a leader pointing to it. Which is a bit cumbersome and time consuming.

I would like to see you be able to reorder the balloons, drag and put in the order you want.. And be able to attach a stacked balloon item to an item in the bill that may not be visible, or a virtual part, and then when the BOM updates, the balloon number follows.

When I add a balloon to an item which already has a balloon attached, it needs to be a "reference balloon".  Our last software program did this automatically, but I haven't been able to find out how to do it in SW.  Our work-around is adding a free-floating note, and then grouping the balloon and note together.  It works, but there are a lot of non-value-added steps involved...

I wish you could edit the balloon numbers and have the row in the BOM adjust accordingly. I like all my baloons in consequtive order, or at least close. It is much easier to locate a component on the assembly drawing when you don't have to search all over the drawing for the correct balloon. I did it like this before CAD.

It would be great if auto balloon could be set up for the magnetic lines to be a specific (modifiable) distance from the outermost visible component line on each side of the drawing view.

It would be great to have split balloons available in additional shapes, text doesn't fit very well in a circle.  We like to use split oval balloons.

+1 to the balloon moving when the magnetic line is stretched.

And +1 on Alice's suggestion of a setting to offset the magnetic lines.

I am using SW2013 SP3 and currently the magnetic lines snap to horizontal and vertical. I would also like to see them snap to ISO view angles - 30° and 150°. Perhaps they would snap to these additional angles only when placed on an ISO view.

Also, the lines always default to "Equal Spacing". I would like this default editable - perhaps have SW retain the last used type.

Daen

Attach points for notes on balloons!

Currently I am doing this by creating blocks and aligning them as best as I can to the balloon. One thing that is annoying is that If I need to move the balloon, I cannot group anything else besides balloons together so I have to re-position them every time the balloon moves. So this and group with entities.

Have balloon (flag) dynamically link to Note #

If a new note is inserted, the balloon # would update.

Currently when a subassembly is listed in a BOM you can have it list the components that make up the subassembly.  When one goes to attach the balloons to the entire assembly, Solidworks will give the subassembly and all of it components the same item number.  So you end up with the subassembly and all of it components displaying the same item number, let's say item #3.  This subassembly consists of several different parts, all with unique part numbers.  If somebody is trying to identify a specific part in a subassembly using the BOM, it cannot be done because all the components will have a #3 balloon attached to them.  Could it be possible to have components in a subassembly be listed with a unique item number and corresponding balloon number?  For instance, subassembly (item #3) would list its subcomponents in the BOM as 3a, 3b, 3c, etc. and could have corresponding balloons attached in the assembly.  If this ability is currently possible in SolidWorks, somebody please let me know, maybe I have missed the boat on this one.

I agree with Jamil. I would like a method of linking a balloon to a specific note number. For example, if I have a note that says "3) assemble washer as shown", sometimes we'll place a blank balloon shape over the #3 of the note, and create a new balloon w/ text "3" and have the leader point to what we're talking about.

I would like to see an option to change font size/type of the Qty text attached to the balloon. Right now it's default is the same size/type as the balloon text.

How about:

1. The ability to add balloons by clicking on a row in the BOM table?  For example, if the balloon isn't attached to anything, then the 1st click places the balloon where the user wants it, then a second click in the BOM table selects the item number to show in the balloon.
2. Balloons linked in notes don't hide when the balloons are hidden in views.  This way, users don't have to create a separate view just for hidden balloons linked by notes, then hide the view.

Hello,

Get the BOM to filter  & show only the parts that are ballooned. That would be great. Being able to filter, sort the BOM in general would indeed be a great feature.

When trying to put a balloon on the spiral/helix of a part, balloon magically moves to a different part of the helix.

Attaching a balloon to a round edge with the intent to callout the item #, is a nightmare, red question marks all day every day.

I would like to see the option to resize the QTY font with the balloon, and not stuck with the same size of the balloon font.

Hi,

I don't know if it is possible, but I think an improvement could be link a balloon in a model view for a sub-assembly with the number of the BOM it has in the main assembly.

I am not capable of doing so, and maybe only I need it, but I would like to work with this sub-assembly like it will be any other part in the drawing.

I know that a multi-body part can help me with that, but I would like it works with sub-assemblies.

Regards,

I want to be able to size the text under the balloon. Currently it larger than our normal text and it looks dumb.  Also, I want one of the options to be REQD for qty reqd.  

Matt

If it were possible, I'd like to see SW keep track of item quantities that are ballooned throughout the drawing and report on balloon quantities in the BOM properties.

For instance, where I have 16X M5x12 socket head cap screws in the BOM as item 23, and 6X on a balloon in the front view, and 8X on a balloon in a section on sheet 2, then I see an yellow indicator in the BOM properties that item 23 has 2X not yet flagged. If I place a new balloon on item 23 in yet another view, a 2X quantity will be shown on that new balloon. Now the BOM properties show a green light for item 23. Now I edit the item 23 balloon quantity in the front view from 6X to 2X, an the green indicator turns back to yellow and shows 4X missing. Then I edit the section view from 8X to 14X (don't stop me from doing it) and now a red light comes on in the BOM properties saying item 23 is over by 2X. Now I add yet another item 23 balloon somewhere else and it shows as reference.

Nice that drawing checker can report that the drawing has balloons that show the correct quantity totals, or reports a problem.

Thanks for asking. I am not thinking we'll really get this, but you might as well hear what we'd like.

Dwight

I would like to see if you select an  item in the BOM on the drawing sheet, all the balloons with that item number would highlight. I manually change the quantity for each balloon on different sheets (instead of having example one balloon with 6X) I will have on sheet 1 a balloon with 2X, sheet 2 may show a balloon with 4X typically for screws and washer etc.(or depending on the complexity of the drawing may even show 1 for 1. (total of 6 balloons with the same number)  If the balloons were highlighted it sure would make it easier to review the drawing.