Part 'Configurations'

[Julian1k]

I have recently made the transition from Solidworks to Inventor and am stuck on the following problem…

In Solidworks there is an ability to create different views or ‘configurations’ as they are known, of a part and save these as one part number.

For example if modelling a spring, could have 2 configurations, one in an extended state and one compressed that you could switch between in any assemblies that it might be inserted in as the same part might be used differently in different places.

Is there any way of doing this in Inventor other than modelling the part twice and saving as separate files?

Many Thanks.

 

[BOPman]

Design Representations is what its referred to in Inventor. It allows you to give the same model as many different configurations you can create. That goes for assemblies as well.

 

[Julian1k]

OK, thanks but could you roughly outline the process or let me know where to start looking, as the Help menu seems to refer to assemblies only. Sorry to be a pain.

Cheers!

 

[BOPman]

I'm sorry. I mispoke earlier. The spring example you gave above is a bad one to use. Inventor alone doesn't have capability to expand and contract a spring. I'm kind of shocked to hear SW has that function. At the assembly level, you could create a cylindrical shape in place of the spring and contrain the sketch to the parts that would make the spring flex. Then when you moved those parts, the cylindrical shape would get taller or shorter.

Effectively, what you are talking about is adaptivity. In the instance of a hydraulic cylinder, you could create one assembly of the cylinder. When you put it in another assembly and constrain it, as you would in the real world, you could now make it adaptive and drive the constraint within the cylinder that defines the stroke length.

Flexibility is where you would use that same cylinder multiple times within the same assembly and allow each of the instances to stroke independently.

 

[Julian1k]

Hi BOPman, I think you misunderstand the example of the spring I gave, there is no real time movement involved in Solidworks you can simply created 2 (or more) 'still' models which are called configurations within one model and you have the option to choose which one you insert into an assembly.

Let me try a real example of the problem I have. I use an LED in several different assemblies, this is the same LED,same part number etc... but on some assemblies I have it soldered onto a board with the legs straight, in others the legs are bent at 90 degrees. What I want is to create different 'views' within one model and be able to choose which view is shown when I insert it into an assembly.
In Solidworks this is done simply by right clicking on the part going to proprerties where you are given a list of all of the configurations you have created in that part and you select which display state you require.

It is also useful for say hydraulic hoses etc where you would create different routing patterns for the same length hose used in different assemblies.

 

[BOPman]

Ahhhh...Gotcha. Sorry.

I would create one model with all of the different legs available. Then, I would "create iPart" with it. In the table, under the suppression tab I would suppress the sweep used to make the bent legs and let that be the straight leg model. And suppress the straight leg extrusions and let that one be the bent leg model.

Does that help?

 

[Julian1k]

If i can then switch between the different models in assemblies then thats absolutely spot on, The same as what I'm used to doing ie creating all the options then suppressing different ones to create the different views. Cheers!

 

[BOPman]

Yeah, you sure can. Just edit the table in the tree and 'change components.'