Manufacturing DevBlog

What is the Best Way to Compute a Normal of a Face in Inventor API?

By Barbara Han

There can be many ways to compute a face's normal using the geometric information provided by the Inventor objects. However, the best way to compute a normal using the API is to use the Face.Evaluator object.

Here is a sample that iteratesthroughl faces of a SurfaceBody and output the normal vectors for the faces that are planar.

VBA sample:

Public Sub ComputePlanarFacesNormals()

 

    Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument

    Set oPartDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument

   

    Dim oFaces As Faces

    Set oFaces = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition.SurfaceBodies(1).Faces

   

    Dim Params(1 To 2) As Double

    Dim Normals(1 To 3) As Double

   

    'If Faces is planar, then the Normal wil be the same all over the face

    Params(1) = 0

    Params(2) = 0

   

    Dim index As Long

    index = 1

   

    Dim oFace As Face

    For Each oFace In oFaces

   

        'Ensures Face is planar

        If (TypeOf oFace.Geometry Is Plane) Then

   

            Call oFace.Evaluator.GetNormal(Params, Normals)

           

            Dim oUnitNormal As UnitVector

            Set oUnitNormal = ThisApplication.TransientGeometry.CreateUnitVector(Normals(1), Normals(2), Normals(3))

           

            Debug.Print "Planar Face[" & index & "] Normal: [" & oUnitNormal.X & ", " & oUnitNormal.Y & ", " & oUnitNormal.Z & "]"

           

            index = index + 1

           

        End If

   

    Next

 

End Sub

VB.NET sample:

Private SubComputePlanarFacesNormals()

    Try

 

        Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument = m_inventorApp.ActiveDocument

 

        Dim oFaces As Faces

        oFaces = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition.SurfaceBodies(1).Faces

 

        Dim Params(0 To 3) As Double

        Dim Normals(0 To 3) As Double

 

        'If Faces is planar, then the Normal wil be the same all over the face

        Params(1) = 0

        Params(2) = 0

 

        Dim index As Long = 1

 

        Dim oFace As Face

        For Each oFace In oFaces

 

            'Ensures Face is planar

            If (TypeOf oFace.Geometry Is Plane) Then

 

                Call oFace.Evaluator.GetNormal(Params, Normals)

 

                Dim oUnitNormal As UnitVector

                oUnitNormal = m_inventorApp.TransientGeometry.CreateUnitVector(Normals(1), Normals(2), Normals(3))

 

                System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("Planar Face[" & index & "] Normal: [" & oUnitNormal.X & ", " & oUnitNormal.Y & ", " & oUnitNormal.Z & "]" & vbCrLf)

 

                index = index + 1

 

            End If 

        Next

    Catch ex As Exception

        MsgBox(ex.ToString())

    End Try

End Sub

Offset a WorkPlane that is not Driven by an Offset Parameter

By Barbara Han

Issue

I need to offset a WorkPlane in a Part Document that is not driven by a model parameter. How can I do it so other work features based on it are offset as well?

Solution

The following example offsets a selected WorkPlane. After the WorkPlane has been offset it will be driven by a model parameter.

 VBA sample:
Public Function OffsetPartWorkPlane(oWorkPlane As WorkPlane, Offset As Double)
    Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument
    Set oPartDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
   
    Dim oWorkPlanes As WorkPlanes
    Set oWorkPlanes = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition.WorkPlanes
   
    Dim oConstrucWorkPoint As WorkPoint
    Set oConstrucWorkPoint = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition.WorkPoints.AddFixed(oWorkPlane.Plane.RootPoint)
   
    Dim oConstrucWorkAxis As WorkAxis
    Set oConstrucWorkAxis = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition.WorkAxes.AddFixed(oWorkPlane.Plane.RootPoint, oWorkPlane.Plane.Normal)
   
    Dim oConstrucWorkPlane As WorkPlane
    Set oConstrucWorkPlane = oWorkPlanes.AddByNormalToCurve(oConstrucWorkAxis, oConstrucWorkPoint)
   
    Call oWorkPlane.SetByPlaneAndOffset(oConstrucWorkPlane, Offset)
   
    oConstrucWorkPoint.Visible = False
    oConstrucWorkAxis.Visible = False
    oConstrucWorkPlane.Visible = False
End Function

'Select a WorkPlane and offset it
Public Sub TestOffsetPlane()
    Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument
    Set oPartDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
    Dim oWorkPlane As WorkPlane
    Set oWorkPlane = oPartDoc.SelectSet.Item(1)
    Call OffsetPartWorkPlane(oWorkPlane, 5)
End Sub
VB.NET sample:
Public Sub OffsetPartWorkPlane()
  Dim m_inventorApp As Inventor.Application = Nothing
  Dim m_quitInventor As Boolean = False
  ' Try to get an active instance of Inventor
  Try
    m_inventorApp = System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application")
  Catch ex As Exception
  End Try
  ' If not active, create a new Inventor session
  If m_inventorApp Is Nothing Then
    Dim inventorAppType As Type = System.Type.GetTypeFromProgID("Inventor.Application")
    m_inventorApp = System.Activator.CreateInstance(inventorAppType)
    m_quitInventor = True
  End If
  Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument
  oPartDoc = m_inventorApp.ActiveDocument
  Dim oWorkPlane As WorkPlane
  oWorkPlane = oPartDoc.SelectSet.Item(1)
  Dim oWorkPlanes As WorkPlanes
  oWorkPlanes = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition.WorkPlanes
  Dim oConstrucWorkPoint As WorkPoint
  oConstrucWorkPoint = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition.WorkPoints.AddFixed(oWorkPlane.Plane.RootPoint)
  Dim oConstrucWorkAxis As WorkAxis
  oConstrucWorkAxis = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition.WorkAxes.AddFixed(oWorkPlane.Plane.RootPoint, oWorkPlane.Plane.Normal)
  Dim oConstrucWorkPlane As WorkPlane
  oConstrucWorkPlane = oWorkPlanes.AddByNormalToCurve(oConstrucWorkAxis, oConstrucWorkPoint)
  oWorkPlane.SetByPlaneAndOffset(oConstrucWorkPlane, 5)
  oConstrucWorkPoint.Visible = False
  oConstrucWorkAxis.Visible = False
  oConstrucWorkPlane.Visible = False
End Sub

Set a Spline Curvature at a Specific FitPoint in Inventor API

By Barbara Han

Issue
How to set the tangent vector (curvature) of a spline at a specific FitPoint through API?

Solution
The following code sample illustrates how to get and modify the tangent vector of a spline at a specific FitPoint.

In this sample:

1. User should firstly select a spline's FitPoint through UI

2. Use API to get the tangent vector at the selected point by SketchSplineHandle.

3. Change the vector. i.e. offset it by  (0.2, 0.2)

Note: The "SketchSplineHandle" object has been introduced in the 2008 API, so this code is only supported by Inventor versions from 2008 on.

Public Sub SetSplineCurvature()
    'First select the FitPoint of interest through the UI
    Dim oFitPoint As SketchPoint
    Set oFitPoint = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.SelectSet.item(1)
   
    'First constraint of the point is always the 'SplineFitPointConstraint'
    Dim oConstraint As SplineFitPointConstraint
    Set oConstraint = oFitPoint.Constraints.item(1)

    'Retrieves spline from the constraint
    Dim oSpline As SketchSpline
    Set oSpline = oConstraint.Spline
   
    'Creates handle
    Call oSpline.SetHandleStatus(oFitPoint, True)
   
    'Gets handle
    Dim oSplineHandle As SketchSplineHandle
    Set oSplineHandle = oSpline.GetHandle(oFitPoint)
   
    'Gets tangent vector
    Dim oTangent As UnitVector2d
    Set oTangent = oSplineHandle.Tangent
   
    'Sets tangent vector with new value
    oSplineHandle.Tangent = ThisApplication.TransientGeometry.CreateUnitVector2d(oTangent.x + 0.2, oTangent.y + 0.2)   
End Sub

VB .NET version:
public static void SetSplineCurvature()

{

    try

    {

        Inventor.Application app = (Inventor.Application)System.

    Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application");

 

        SketchPoint oFitPoint = app.ActiveDocument.SelectSet[1] as SketchPoint;

 

        SplineFitPointConstraint oConstraint = oFitPoint.Constraints[1] as SplineFitPointConstraint;

 

        //Retrieves spline from the constraint

        SketchSpline oSpline = oConstraint.Spline;

 

        //Creates handle

        oSpline.SetHandleStatus(oFitPoint, true);

 

           //Gets handle

        SketchSplineHandle oSplineHandle = oSpline.GetHandle(oFitPoint);

 

         //Gets tangent vector

        UnitVector2d oTangent = oSplineHandle.Tangent;

 

        //Sets tangent vector with new value

        oSplineHandle.Tangent = app.TransientGeometry.CreateUnitVector2d(oTangent.X + 0.2, oTangent.Y + 0.2);

    }

    catch

    {

    }

}

Enable/Disable Section Standard Part Setting in Inventor API

By Barbara Han

Issue
By default the standard parts are not sectioned  and the regular parts are sectioned in a section drawing view. How can I change this setting through UI and API? 

Solution
Through UI:

In Inventor 2013, "Tools" -> "Application Settings" –> "Drawing" –>  "Section Standard Part”, there are three options available in the drop down list:

1. Obey Brower Setting
2. Never
3. Always

Through API:

VBA sample code:

Public Sub SetPartSectioning()         Thisapplication.DrawingOptions.StandardPartsSectionBehavior=kAlwaysSectionStandardParts

End Sub

VB.NET version:

Public Sub SetPartSectioning()

  Dim m_inventorApp As Inventor.Application = Nothing

 

  ' Try to get an active instance of Inventor

  Try

    m_inventorApp = System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application")

  Catch ex As Exception

  End Try

 

  ' If not active, create a new Inventor session

  If m_inventorApp Is Nothing Then

 

    Dim inventorAppType As Type = System.Type.GetTypeFromProgID("Inventor.Application")

    m_inventorApp = System.Activator.CreateInstance(inventorAppType)

  End If

  m_inventorApp.DrawingOptions.StandardPartsSectionBehavior =

    StandardPartsSectionBehaviorEnum.kAlwaysSectionStandardParts

End Sub

Note: If the sectioned view of the Part/Assembly is already created in a drawing document, it is impossible to get the sectioned view updated. You will have to re-create every sectioned view in order to take in consideration the new settings.

Get Working Folder by Vault API

By Barbara Han

Issue
From Vault Explorer or Inventor, you can map local folder (e.g. C:\Cad\parts) to Vault folder (e.g. $\StandardParts) through using Map Folders command under Access panel in Vault ribbon tab in Inventor. Is it possible to get the mapped local folder path through API? I would need this to know where I have to store Files downloaded via the Vault method “downloadFile(...)” (Storing it under the wrong path results in Vault not working correctly).
Solution

You can call DesignProject.VirtualVaultPath from Inventor API to get the mapped Vault folder information, as shown in below picture:

Once the mapped Vault folder information is set up, call GetWorkingFolder from Vault API to get the local path for the mapped Vault folder (e.g. above displayed “$/ProjectName1”).

Tip

GetWorkingFolder() is provided by IExplorerUtil interface from Autodesk.Connectivity.Explorer.Extensibility.dll. IExplorerUtil interface can be achieved by ExplorerLoader.GetExplorerUtil or ExplorerLoader.LoadExplorerUtil. For more detailed information, please see Vault API help document. The following is the sample code snippet:   IExplorerUtil VaultExplorer = ExplorerLoader. GetExplorerUtil(application); string filePath = VaultExplorer.GetWorkingFolder (folders[0]) + latestFile.Name;   This function has a problem in Vault 2012 shipping release and there is a fix available for download on Doug Redmond’s blog:   “2 API-Related Hotfixes” http://justonesandzeros.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/2-api-related-hotfixes.html

Another thing that needs to be handled is, if the Vault cleint is set up with the enforced working folder, then the GetEnforceWorkingFolder API would return true, you then should Call GetRequiredWorkingFolderLocation to retrieve the real mapped folder path, instead of using the information from WorkingFolders.xml because the later doesn’t help in this case.

Note:

For versions older than Inventor 2011, there is no DesignProject.VirtualVaultPath API that returns the mapped Vault folder set in the Inventor project. Let’s look at a workaround descript as the following:
*****
The correct place to get the Vault mapped folder is to read the Inventor’s IPJ file for Inventor IPJ file contains the mapping between Vault path and local workspace path.? Inventor project file is XML format, so you can rename .ipj file to .xml file then read/edit the file. If the project is Vault project, then you will find VaultOptions node in the project file, if the mapping path exist, you will see , you will see VaultVirtualFolder such as the following:

localhost
Vault
$/ProjectName1

However the .ipj file format might be subject to any change in future releases without notice (so that we don’t officially publish its format). We don’t support direct access to the .ipj file. Please note that my above suggestion might be no longer able to work in future release.
*****
With Vault 2011 and older versions, there is no GetWorkingFolder API. The following describes a workaround that can get the mapped folder information by indirect way:
***** 
The Vault to local folder mapping can be found in a file called WorkingFolders.xml. Actually there can be several of these files. Different users/servers/vaults cause more of these files to pop up. Here is the path:

C:\Documents and Settings\[Windows user]\Application Data\Autodesk\VaultCommon\Servers\[ADMS Version]\[Server]\Vaults\[Vault Name]\Objects

For example:
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Autodesk\VaultCommon\Servers\Services_Security_01_17_2008\localhost\Vaults\Vault\Objects

• Administrator: The Windows user
• Services_Security_01_17_2008: The signature (version) of the security service. (1/17/2008 = ADMS 2009)
• Localhost: The vault server location
• Vault: The name of the Vault

Please only read this file. Don’t edit it. The customized application can read in this file and figure out where to copy the files so that they show up in the correct spot when the user fires up Vault Explorer.
***** 

Create a Flush Constraint between Two Faces Using C++

By Barbara Han

Issue
How to create a flush constraint between two faces using C++?

Solution
The following code creates a flush constraint for the first faces of the first two occurrences.
Please make sure that these faces are planar, not e.g. the side of a cylinder.

static HRESULT GetInventorInformation()
{
    HRESULT Result = NOERROR;

    TCHAR Str[_MAX_PATH];
   
    CLSID InvAppClsid;
    Result = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Inventor.Application", &InvAppClsid);
    if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

    // Either create a new instance of the application or latch on to the currently active one.
    _tprintf_s (_T("Would you like to create a new Inventor application? (y/n) _: "));
    _tscanf_s (_T("%ls"), Str, _MAX_PATH);

    CComPtr<IUnknown> pInvAppUnk;
    if (toupper (Str[0]) == _T('Y'))
    {
        Result = CoCreateInstance (InvAppClsid, NULL, CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER, __uuidof(IUnknown), (void **) &pInvAppUnk);
        if (FAILED (Result))
            _tprintf_s (_T("*** Failed to create a new Inventor application ***\n"));
    }
    else
    {
        Result = ::GetActiveObject (InvAppClsid, NULL, &pInvAppUnk);
        if (FAILED (Result))
            _tprintf_s (_T("*** Could not get hold of an active Inventor application ***\n"));
    }
    if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

    CComPtr<Application> pInvApp;
    Result = pInvAppUnk->QueryInterface (__uuidof(Application), (void **) &pInvApp);
    if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

    CComPtr<Document> pDoc;
    Result = pInvApp->get_ActiveDocument(&pDoc);
    if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

    CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAsmDoc(pDoc);
    CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pCD;
    Result = pAsmDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pCD);
    if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

    CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pACs(pCD->Constraints);

    CComPtr<Face> pFace1(pCD->Occurrences->Item[1]->SurfaceBodies->Item[1]->Faces->Item[1]);
    CComPtr<Face> pFace2(pCD->Occurrences->Item[2]->SurfaceBodies->Item[1]->Faces->Item[1]);

    CComVariant varEmpty, varReal(0.0);

    // add the constraint
    CComPtr<FlushConstraint> pFC;   
    Result = pACs->AddFlushConstraint(pFace1, pFace2, varReal, varEmpty, varEmpty,&pFC);
    if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;
    return true;
}

How to Determine Which Drawing Dimensions Belong to a Particular View

By Barbara Han

Issue

I want to be able to determine or sort out which drawing dimensions belongs to a view in a drawing. Is there an example that shows how this can be done?

Solution

A DrawingDimension object is not directly related to a particular view, they are just annotations on a Sheet. So there is not a direct way to determine which View a DrawingDimension belongs to.

However you can reach this information through the "Intent" property of the GeneralDimension, which is dependent of the View.

Here is a VBA example that you can run on a drawing document. It will iterate through the DrawingDimensions of the sheet and find out if the dimension belongs to a given View, based on the view's name:

VBA:

Public Function GetDrawingDimForView(oSheet As Sheet, ViewName As String) As ObjectCollection
    Dim oDrawDimsForView As ObjectCollection
    Set oDrawDimsForView = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateObjectCollection
   
    Dim oDrawDims As DrawingDimensions
    Set oDrawDims = oSheet.DrawingDimensions
   
    Dim oDrawDimIterator As DrawingDimension
    For Each oDrawDimIterator In oDrawDims
        Select Case oDrawDimIterator.Type
        Case kLinearGeneralDimensionObject
            Dim oLinearDim As LinearGeneralDimension
            Set oLinearDim = oDrawDimIterator
            If oLinearDim.IntentOne.Geometry.Parent.Name = ViewName Then
                oDrawDimsForView.Add oDrawDimIterator
            End If
        Case kRadiusGeneralDimensionObject
            Dim oRadiusDim As RadiusGeneralDimension
            Set oRadiusDim = oDrawDimIterator
            If oRadiusDim.Intent.Geometry.Parent.Name = ViewName Then
                oDrawDimsForView.Add oDrawDimIterator
            End If
        Case kDiameterGeneralDimensionObject
            Dim oDiameterDim As DiameterGeneralDimension
            Set oDiameterDim = oDrawDimIterator
            If oDiameterDim.Intent.Geometry.Parent.Name = ViewName Then
                oDrawDimsForView.Add oDrawDimIterator
            End If
        Case kAngularGeneralDimensionObject
            Dim oAngularDim As AngularGeneralDimension
            Set oAngularDim = oDrawDimIterator
            If oAngularDim.IntentOne.Geometry.Parent.Name = ViewName Then
                oDrawDimsForView.Add oDrawDimIterator
            End If
        Case Else
        'Case is not handled...
        End Select
    Next
    Set GetDrawingDimForView = oDrawDimsForView
End Function

'Test function GetDrawingDimForView
Public Sub TestGetDrawingDimensions()
    Dim oDoc As DrawingDocument
    Set oDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
    Dim oDrawingDimCollec1 As ObjectCollection
    Set oDrawingDimCollec1 = GetDrawingDimForView(oDoc.ActiveSheet, "VIEW1")
    Dim oDrawingDimCollec2 As ObjectCollection
    Set oDrawingDimCollec2 = GetDrawingDimForView(oDoc.ActiveSheet, "VIEW2")
End Sub

VB.NET:

Public Function GetDrawingDimForView(ByVal oSheet As Sheet, ByVal ViewName As String) As ObjectCollection

  Dim oDrawDimsForView As ObjectCollection

  oDrawDimsForView = _InvApplication.ActiveDocument.TransientObjects.CreateObjectCollection

  Dim oDrawDims As DrawingDimensions

  oDrawDims = oSheet.DrawingDimensions

  Dim oDrawDimIterator As DrawingDimension

  For Each oDrawDimIterator In oDrawDims

    Select Case oDrawDimIterator.Type

      Case kLinearGeneralDimensionObject

        Dim oLinearDim As LinearGeneralDimension

        oLinearDim = oDrawDimIterator

        If oLinearDim.IntentOne.Geometry.Parent.Name = ViewName Then

          oDrawDimsForView.Add(oDrawDimIterator)

        End If

 

      Case kRadiusGeneralDimensionObject

        Dim oRadiusDim As RadiusGeneralDimension

        oRadiusDim = oDrawDimIterator

        If oRadiusDim.Intent.Geometry.Parent.Name = ViewName Then

          oDrawDimsForView.Add(oDrawDimIterator)

        End If

 

      Case kDiameterGeneralDimensionObject

        Dim oDiameterDim As DiameterGeneralDimension

        oDiameterDim = oDrawDimIterator

        If oDiameterDim.Intent.Geometry.Parent.Name = ViewName Then

          oDrawDimsForView.Add(oDrawDimIterator)

        End If

 

      Case kAngularGeneralDimensionObject

        Dim oAngularDim As AngularGeneralDimension

 

        oAngularDim = oDrawDimIterator

 

        If oAngularDim.IntentOne.Geometry.Parent.Name = ViewName Then

 

          oDrawDimsForView.Add(oDrawDimIterator)

 

        End If

 

      Case Else

 

        'Case is not handled...

 

    End Select

 

  Next

 

  GetDrawingDimForView = oDrawDimsForView

 

End Function

 

'Test function GetDrawingDimForViewPublic

Sub TestGetDrawingDimensions()

  Dim oDoc As DrawingDocument

  oDoc = _InvApplication.ActiveDocument.ActiveDocument

  Dim oDrawingDimCollec1 As ObjectCollection

  oDrawingDimCollec1 = GetDrawingDimForView(oDoc.ActiveSheet, "VIEW1")

  Dim oDrawingDimCollec2 As ObjectCollection

  oDrawingDimCollec2 = GetDrawingDimForView(oDoc.ActiveSheet, "VIEW2")

End Sub

In the case where you have to deal with dimensions that are not GeneralDimensions, the function above is no longer valid and you have no means to sort out these dimensions through that way. However you can still check the "Annotations Visibility->Drawing Dimensions" setting by right-clicking on a view to activate the dimensions on this particular view, and uncheck the same setting on other views. Then if you run this code:

Dim oDoc As DrawingDocumentSet
oDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
Dim oDrawDims As DrawingDimensionsSet
oDrawDims = oDoc.ActiveSheet.DrawingDimensions
You will get the complete set of DrawingDimensions that are in the specified view.

How can I Tell If a ComponentOccurrence is Excluded or Not in IAssembly

By Barbara Han

Issue

I'm trying to find out if a ComponentOccurrence is excluded or not in iAssembly, but did not find any property I could use. Is it possible?

Solution

You can use the iAssemblyTableRow.IsExcluded() function for this purpose. The code below assumes that the ActiveDocument is an iAssembly.

VBA code sample:

Sub testExclude()
Dim invAD As AssemblyDocument
Set invAD = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
If invAD.ComponentDefinition.IsiAssemblyFactory Then
Dim invCO As ComponentOccurrence
For Each invCO In invAD.ComponentDefinition.Occurrences
Debug.Print invCO.Name & " is excluded = " & _
invAD.ComponentDefinition.iAssemblyFactory.DefaultRow.IsExcluded(invCO)
Next
End If
End Sub

VB.NET code sample:

Sub testExclude()

  Dim m_inventorApp As Inventor.Application = Nothing

  Dim m_quitInventor As Boolean = False

  ' Try to get an active instance of Inventor

  Try

    m_inventorApp = System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application")

  Catch ex As Exception

  End Try

  ' If not active, create a new Inventor session

  If m_inventorApp Is Nothing Then

    Dim inventorAppType As Type = System.Type.GetTypeFromProgID("Inventor.Application")

    m_inventorApp = System.Activator.CreateInstance(inventorAppType)

    m_quitInventor = True

  End If

  Dim invAD As AssemblyDocument

  invAD = m_inventorApp.ActiveDocument

  If invAD.ComponentDefinition.IsiAssemblyFactory Then

    Dim invCO As ComponentOccurrence

    For Each invCO In invAD.ComponentDefinition.Occurrences

      System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write(invCO.Name & " is excluded = " & _      invAD.ComponentDefinition.iAssemblyFactory.DefaultRow.IsExcluded(invCO) & vbCr)

    Next

  End If

  If Not m_inventorApp Is Nothing AndAlso m_quitInventor = True Then

    m_inventorApp.Quit()

  End If

  m_inventorApp = Nothing

End Sub

 

Replace a ComponentOccurrence in a Sub Assembly

By Barbara Han

Issue

I have the following structure: "assembly->subassembly->part" and I'm trying to replace part with another part. The part occurrence is in Edit mode when I run the ComponentOccurrence.Replace() function, but instead of replacing the part, my code adds the new part to subassembly. What is wrong?

Solution

It's always worth having a look at the behaviour of the user interface.
In this particular case, when the SubPart is in Edit mode, then in the user interface the "Component->Replace" command is not available in the context menu of the Model Browser.
So, if you want to replace the subcomponent then edit its parent instead. Here is the sample code:

VBA code:

Sub replaceComponent()
Dim invAD As AssemblyDocument
Set invAD = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
Dim invCO As ComponentOccurrence
Set invCO = invAD.ComponentDefinition.ActiveOccurrence
If Not invCO.ParentOccurrence Is Nothing Then invCO.ParentOccurrence.Edit
Call invCO.Replace("C:\Part1.ipt", True)
End Sub

Equivalent C# code:

public static void replaceComponent()

{

    try

    {

        Inventor.Application app = (Inventor.Application)System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application");

        AssemblyDocument invAD = app.ActiveDocument as AssemblyDocument;

        ComponentOccurrence invCO = invAD.ComponentDefinition.ActiveOccurrence;

        if (invCO.ParentOccurrence != null)

        {

            invCO.ParentOccurrence.Edit();

            invCO.Replace("c:\\Part1.ipt", true);

        }

    }

    catch

    {

    }

}

Delete Association Properties from ItemBOM

By Barbara Han

Some days back, I wrote this blog introducing how to add association properties to an Item BOM, but it seems that deleting association properties from an Item BOM is not that straight forward, some people got 109 error. So I’m posting the code sample here showing how to implement the deleting. Hope it’s helpful.
C# code snippet from a console application:

static void DeleteAssociationProperties_Test()

{

  UserPasswordCredentials login =

      new UserPasswordCredentials(

      "localhost", "Vault", "Administrator", "");

 

  using (WebServiceManager mgr =

      new WebServiceManager(login))

  {

    // Get the Associatin Property Definitions

    PropertyService propSvc = mgr.PropertyService;

 

    AssocPropDef[] definitions =

        propSvc.GetAssociationPropertyDefinitionsByType(

        AssociationPropClass.ItemBOMLink);

 

    try

    {

      AssocPropDef definition = definitions.FirstOrDefault(

          p => p.DispName.Equals("Test"));

 

      PropDef[] props = propSvc.FindPropertyDefinitionsBySystemNames

      ("ITEM", new string[] { "Number" });

 

      //Find items that you are interested in.

      if (props != null)

      {

        SrchCond srchConds = new SrchCond();

 

        srchConds.PropDefId =

                Convert.ToInt64(props[0].Id);

        srchConds.PropTyp =

                PropertySearchType.SingleProperty;

        srchConds.SrchRule = SearchRuleType.Must;

 

        // (CONTAINS)

        srchConds.SrchOper = Convert.ToInt32(1);

 

        // (DOES_NOT_CONTAIN)

        //srchConds.SrchOper =Convert.ToInt32(2);  

        // Number of the Item

        srchConds.SrchTxt = "100001";

 

        string bookmark = String.Empty;

        SrchStatus searchStatus = null;

 

        SrchSort ss = new SrchSort()

        {

          PropDefId = srchConds.PropDefId,

          SortAsc = true

        };

        //Find the item

        ItemService itemSvc = mgr.ItemService;

 

        Item[] myItems = itemSvc.FindItemRevisionsBySearchConditions

            (new SrchCond[] { srchConds },

            new SrchSort[] { ss },

            true,

            ref bookmark,

            out searchStatus);

 

        //Get the first item

        Item parItem = myItems[0];

 

        // Obtain the item BOM association properties

        ItemBOM itemBOM = itemSvc.GetItemBOMByItemIdAndDate(

                                        parItem.Id,

                                        parItem.EffEnd,

                                        BOMTyp.Tip,

                                        BOMViewEditOptions.Defaults);

 

        long childMasterId = 0;

 

        foreach (Item singleItem in itemBOM.ItemRevArray)

        {

          if (singleItem.ItemNum == "100002")

          {

            childMasterId = singleItem.MasterId;

            break;

          }

        }

        AssocPropItem[] items = itemSvc.GetItemBOMAssociationProperties(

            new long[] { parItem.Id },

            new long[] { definition.Id },

            new long[] { childMasterId });

 

        List<long> propItems = new List<long>();

        foreach (AssocPropItem item in items)

        {

          propItems.Add(item.Id);

        }

        if (propItems.Count > 0)

          itemSvc.UpdateItemBOMAssociationProperties(null, propItems.ToArray());

      }

 

      // delete AssocPropDef

      if (definition != null)

      {

        propSvc.DeleteAssociationPropertyDefinitions(new long[] { definition.Id });

      }

    }

    catch (Exception ex)

    {

      Console.WriteLine(ex.ToString());

    } 

  }

}