Assembly in a Drawing

[jwlynn64]

I have an exploded assembly in a drawing that I am having a little bit of a problem with. I am trying to attach parts ballons to the parts and I can do this with all of the parts except one.

First off, I want to say that I inherited this assembly so I don't know much about how it was created. Having said this, can anyone think of a reason that I cannot select only one component from an exploded assembly?

Thanks,

John

 

[jwlynn64]

Another hint maybe. I just opened the offending part and I can't select the part there either. As I scroll over each feature, it doen't highlight anything on the part.

This part has a Cut List(8) if that mean anything to you.

It appears to be a sheet metal part that also has weld beads on it.

Doesn't seem like a very good way to make the part but I'm stuck with it so I need some help.

Thanks again.

John

 

[Nella95]

Which version of SW?

 

[jwlynn64]

2006
SP0.0

 

[Nella95]

OK, 2006 - you're cool. It's not what I originally thought. I don't think the 'cut list' should hinder it, perhaps someone else can tackle this - I'll do my homework and get back to you if not.

 

[jwlynn64]

I was able to attach a ballon by using the autoballon function but I cannot move the attachment point for the ballon. If I try, the ballon becomes unattached and it will not attach anywhere else.

Has anyone else seen this behavior?

John

 

[MElam]

With the offending part open, try a CTRL-Q. This will force a hard rebuild.

 

[jwlynn64]

Still no luck. I'm guessing that the person that drew this component created it in such a way that all of the component properties are tied to some features that has been deleted.

I've done this myself in the past but I've done this by deleting bodies which doesn't seem to create any problems. I'm thinking that all my problems stem from the Cut list. I don't have any experience with this but I'm able to highlight features on the part when I have the part open by hovering over the parts in the cut list.

John

 

[CADGemini]

I have run into this numerous times. One way I get around this is to collapse the view, attach the balloon to where you want it on the part, and then show the view exploded again.

I'm not sure why this happens on certain assemblies and not others but at least this is one way to get around the problem.

Best Regards,
Jon

Challenges are what makes life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

Solidworks 2006 SP0.0

 

[CADGemini]

Another thing I may need to mention. If you cannot see the part you are trying to balloon when the assembly is collapsed you may need to hide some parts from the view until you can see the part you want the balloon attached to.

Best Regards,
Jon

Challenges are what makes life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

Solidworks 2006 SP0.0

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

You mention that the part has a Cut List, so the part must be a weldment. Weldments are made from a "library" of profiles. SW does not have a standard sheet metal part in it's Weldment Profiles (that I know of), so it is probably a custom part which has been added. You may need the originators Weldment Profiles to be able to get SW to recognise the part as a valid part. SW is probably just showing you the last known view of the part when the dcument was saved.


Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091

 

[SolidAir]

jwlynn64,

The problem you describe is a very common one. It has been around since at least SW2004. It makes no difference if the part has a cutlist. Some of the things you can try (besides auto balloon). Is to open the assembly and set it to the configuration you are trying to balloon. Switch back to the drawing and try to balloon the part. If that does not work then go back to the assembly and set it to its exploded state. Repeat trying to balloon. If that still does not work then open the part and set it to the configuration being used in the assembly. If you still cannot balloon the part then try jksolid's suggestion or as you have already discovered, auto ballooning may be your last hope.

SA

 

[jwlynn64]

Thanks for all the great answers. I did try jksolid's suggestion and I was able to add the balloon where I wanted it.

I figured out last night what the cut list was so I no longer considered it my problem. I'm glad to know that it is a problem that other people have seen.

Thanks again.

John