Product Composition Window

Product Composition window is used for managing the product composition.

To open this window use option:

BOM data, collected from fragments and other objects or inserted manually, is displayed in Product Composition window. Also there are additional tools for assigning data. When you fill in the title block, all its data is automatically included in the document product composition, because title block and product composition fields are associated by variables.

Product composition for assembly documents is automatically compiled on the base of product composition data of parts.

Data from various assembly sources can be added to the product composition. It can be fragments, bodies, 2D elements, etc. By default fields of the product composition records are set as automatically filled to use data from the source elements.

Icons indicate the field filling method. Automatic fields are indicated with icon.  Manually assigned fields have icon. The third field type appears for specific fields that are also assigned automatically – titles, zones, page format, etc.

By default the new product composition has General BOM type.

Any product can be presented as the hierarchical composition (tree) in the Product Composition window. The product itself is a root and its constituent components are presented as hierarchical records.

The product composition record is presented as a row in table with columns. It contains information about parts, quantities, materials, documents, etc. All data is inserted into data cells corresponding to the columns.

Product Composition window has control toolbar that is located in the upper part of the window. It is used for various operations with the product composition.

Rest of the options are located in drop-down menu.

A product composition record is a string that can contain data about parts, assemblies, selections, materials, documents, etc. Data is entered into special fields - data cells.

Under the toolbar you may see the main product composition window that contains list of records, which are included into the current product composition.

The following columns are displayed by default: Description, Part No, Quantity, Position and two columns for specifying inclusion of the records into reports and assemblies. If necessary, you can add/remove columns to be displayed in window manually.

Every product composition may have various “representations”. Representations allow to display the same product composition data according to the preset rules. For example, similar parts of assembly can be merged and their quantity can be displayed in the corresponding column. Or some data may be filtered out. To use representations press:

Necessary representation can be then selected from the drop-down list.

Each representation has its own properties set: displayed columns, sorting and grouping rules, filters, etc.

More information about representations can be found in Representations of Product Composition section.

Cells, whose values are summed in result of merging records, are highlighted in green color. This option works, if the Sum values when merging checkbox is enabled in column's properties.

If a product composition was not updated after creating or changing an array of fragments, so that the displayed number of records differs from actual number of fragments, then the missing number of fragments is added to a value in the Quantity column for one of the records. Such value is highlighted in light blue color. Upon updating the product composition, the number of records will be harmonized with the number of fragments, and the highlighting will disappear. This option works, if the Auto-correct number of records based on arrays checkbox is enabled in parameters of product composition.

On the right side of the Product Composition window you may open Parameters window via toolbar option:

All product composition columns and their content for the selected record are displayed here. Here you have access to all fields of the product composition record even those that are not displayed in the main window.

If necessary, you can set the parameters of several records at the same time. To do this, select the records using Ctrl or Shift and select the Parameters of Records option.

Toolbar

Product composition window toolbar provides options for:

•creating and deleting the product compositions;

•editing the product composition parameters;

•data adding, grouping and sorting;

•setting relations between product composition records and objects in the current document;

•reports generation and updating;

•callouts creation;

•export to Excel.

Product composition name is displayed in the field:

Every new document already contains the product composition called General BOM created on the base of General BOM product composition type.

If you want to create another product composition you need to select «New product composition...» item.

After that in New Product Composition dialog box you can specify Product Composition Name and other parameters of the product composition.

Product Composition Type. The drop-down list contains all available product composition types.

Copy document template records when creating a new product composition. Product composition records will be copied from the selected template to the new product composition. User can select any document as a prototype if he select User-defined item in the drop-down list.

Product composition type is a set of parameters for product compositions used as a template for new product composition creation. Parameters include columns composition, grouping rules, sorting and records filtering. Each product composition type is stored in the separate file.

New product composition types can be created with Product Composition Types command.

You can set the following parameters in New Product Composition dialog box:

Export product composition to T-FLEX DOCs. If the flag is set, the current product composition will be saved when the file is exported to T-FLEX DOCs application. If there are several product compositions, but no one was set for export, then the first one composition from the list is exported.

Get location zones from fragments. If the flag is set, zones values are defined by the fragment location. If the flag is not set, the zone is defined by the callout location.

Zones are used for simplifying search of parts in big assemblies. You need to open Paper > Zones tab in the Set Document Parameters command. Set the corresponding flags.

Exclude hidden objects. When the flag is set, only visible objects will be included in the product composition. Object no visible on the drawing/model, for example, hidden using levels mechanism or suppressed, will not be included.

Create hierarchy by tree of fragments. When the flag is set, the hierarchy, that exists in the fragment file, will be added to the assembly product composition. When the flag is not set, all items from the fragment file will be added to the same level in the assembly product composition.

When you create a new product composition based on the selected type, all parameters will be copied and saved in the current file.

Option creates a new empty record (item) in the Product Composition window.

 

All new records are added to the zero hierarchical level. By default only records from first and upper levels are displayed in Apply product composition representation mode. That is why the new records will not be displayed in this mode.

If there are several sections in the product composition, the new record will be created in the section that has input focus. Data is entered manually. Each data cell can be associated with a variable by setting the flag in the field.

After setting the flag, the Expression Constructor window for setting the link will open.

To manage all existing data cells of the current record use Show record parameters window option.

List of columns (cells) can be sorted using Categorized and Alphabetical options in the top of the window.

This option is used to form the hierarchical composition of a product. It creates an embedded record relative to the current. The new record is indicated with icon.

This option is used to add a new record to the section.

If there are any records existing in the required section, you can point the cursor on one of them and add a new record with option.

Also you can specify the record section in the parameters window , by pressing on the corresponding field in the drop-down list.

This option deletes the current record from the product composition.

These options allow to move selected records in the product composition. Moving is allowed only inside one section and with inactive sorting.

This option allows to set links between product composition records and document objects (3D operations, 3D construction elements, 2D drawing elements).

The option is available only for manually created records. Such link cannot be set for records from fragments or any other data sources.

To set the link, perform the following actions:

1.Select record in the Product Composition window. The string will be marked.

2.Select object in the scene with mouse click (it will be highlighted).

3.Press icon.

When the record is selected in the Product Composition window, the linked 3D objects are highlighted in the 3D scene and in 3D Model window, the linked 2D objects are highlighted in drawing window.

It is possible to link one record with several objects.

You can delete the link using option:

Use Create BOM Callout command to create callouts:

More information about the command can be found in section Creation of Callouts on the Drawing.

When option is active, the variables names are showed in cells that have link with those variables. When the option is inactive, the variables values are shown.

The command works in the same way, as in other tool windows. If a tool window is scrolled so, that the selected element is beyond the visible area, then calling the command from such window scrolls it to the selected element. If the selected element is within the visible area of a tool window, then calling the command from such window re-frames the camera on this element in 2D or 3D view window, depending on whether 2D or 3D element is selected.

Use Include in product composition command to manage parameters of the fragments inclusion into the product composition.

More information about fragments inclusion can be found in section Include in Product Composition.

Update. The command updates current product composition after changes in the assembly document or fragments.

Update all. The command is updating all existing product compositions. First, existing positions are updated, then – linked records.

This option opens parameters dialog of the current product composition.

Option Save product composition to T-FLEX DOCs... appears only after connection to the T-FLEX DOCs.

See the Export of Product Composition section.

See the Save Product Composition to DOCs section.

 

To show all reports and BOMs created in the current document use Report/Bill of Material command.

Option Delete product composition allows to delete the current product composition.

The search bar is located in the right part of the toolbar. It simplifies data search inside the product composition.

Input search string or a substring in the field or select from one of the previously used search strings.

The corresponding record will be selected after pressing <Enter> or button. Repeated pressing on <Enter> or button gives next search result.

The data will be searched in both visible and invisible columns. When found, the corresponding record will be marked.

Reports

To create a report use option:

More information about report creation can be found in the Create Report/BOM section. More information about report generator properties can be found in the Reports on Product Composition section.

Use option to update the already existing reports:

Columns

The button located at the right edge of the toolbar invokes the drop-down list of columns of the current product composition. You may enable/disable checkboxes of columns in the list by clicking them with , which enables/disables their display in the Product Composition window.

Visibility of columns may also be customized using the contextual menu of their headers.

Fragment Copy modes

The modes Associative copy of a fragment and Array of fragments have the ability to disable associative connection with the source fragment. Multiple fragments or a group of fragments controlled by a single set of variables are positioned independently, or by an array.

Topics in this section:

•Contextual Menu of Product Composition Record

•Contextual Menu of Product Composition Column's Header

•Export of Product Composition