Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ by Owen Ransen

(C) 2021 Owen F Ransen

Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ byOwen Ransen

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Printed: maggio 2022 in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy.

Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ byOwen Ransen(C) 2021 Owen F Ransen

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3Contents


Table of Contents

Foreword 0

Part I Autodesk Inventor Programmingin C++ 15

Part II 0) Installing the SDK 15

Part III 1) How to use this help file (READTHIS FIRST) 17

Part IV 2) Introduction 18

Part V 3) Connecting to Inventor from aWindows MFC app. 18

Part VI 4) Pointers to Inventor and usefulInventor API objects. 20

Part VII 5) Running Inventorprogramatically 22

Part VIII 6) Creating a part document and asketch 22

Part IX 7) Some tips for Autodesk InventorC++ programmers 25

Part X Right hand coordinate system 27

Part XI iLogic and VBA 27

................................................................................................................................... 271 iLogic editing

................................................................................................................................... 282 iLogic and suppression of parts in assemblies

................................................................................................................................... 293 Run an EXE from inside an iLogc rule

................................................................................................................................... 304 iLogic suppression of features in a part

................................................................................................................................... 305 iLogic and part parameters

................................................................................................................................... 316 iLogic to delete suppressed compoents

................................................................................................................................... 317 iLogic debugging statements, Trace

................................................................................................................................... 338 iLogic to change dimensions in sketches

................................................................................................................................... 339 iLogic to add parts to an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 3410 iLogic iProperties example

Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ by Owen Ransen4


................................................................................................................................... 3511 Local or global VBA?

................................................................................................................................... 3612 Listing documents open in Inventor with VBA

................................................................................................................................... 3713 VBA document type

................................................................................................................................... 3814 Inventor VBA and Excel

................................................................................................................................... 3815 Update custom iproperty with VBA and iLogic

................................................................................................................................... 3916 Shared global variables in iLogic

................................................................................................................................... 3917 Declaring variables in iLogic

................................................................................................................................... 4018 iLogic dialog form modification

................................................................................................................................... 4019 iLogic, adding a new form

................................................................................................................................... 4120 When do iLogic rules run?

................................................................................................................................... 4321 Inventor from inside Access

................................................................................................................................... 4422 Custom iProperties in component with VBA

Part XII Programming Inventor in C++ 44

................................................................................................................................... 451 Get the name of a part

................................................................................................................................... 462 Zoom

................................................................................................................................... 463 GetWorkPlaneName GetOccurrenceName

................................................................................................................................... 474 Investigating Asset Libraries Progamatically

................................................................................................................................... 495 Bounding box of a part occurrence in an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 496 Parallel planes programatically

................................................................................................................................... 517 Change size of a hole

................................................................................................................................... 528 Materials API

................................................................................................................................... 579 Model and User parameters programatically

................................................................................................................................... 5910 FlipNormal failure

................................................................................................................................... 6011 Adaptive geometry

................................................................................................................................... 6112 Add a sketch to an assembly or part

................................................................................................................................... 6313 How to get the value of a user parameter

................................................................................................................................... 6514 Getting the value of a custom iProperty

................................................................................................................................... 6615 Add a part to an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 6816 Open an assembly part programatically

................................................................................................................................... 7017 Landscape and Portrait orientation getting and setting

................................................................................................................................... 7118 Adding a sheet to a drawing

................................................................................................................................... 7319 Compile/Link Errors and how to correct them

......................................................................................................................................................... 73_WIN32_WINNT error

......................................................................................................................................................... 74error MSB3075: The command regsvr32 /s /c...

......................................................................................................................................................... 74Error MK_E_UNAVAILABLE 0x800401e3

......................................................................................................................................................... 75Include file paths

......................................................................................................................................................... 76CLSIDFromProgID error resolution

......................................................................................................................................................... 77C2064: term does not evaluate to a function taking 0 arguments

......................................................................................................................................................... 77C2774 compile error

......................................................................................................................................................... 78Failed to register

......................................................................................................................................................... 78Four API methods warning when compiling for MFC

5Contents


................................................................................................................................... 7920 Open an Inventor part programatically

................................................................................................................................... 8021 PutFullFileName exception

................................................................................................................................... 8022 MessageBox vs MsgBox

................................................................................................................................... 8123 InternalName vs DisplayName

................................................................................................................................... 8124 Add a circle to a sketch function

................................................................................................................................... 8225 Standard WorkPlane getting

................................................................................................................................... 8326 Creating folders in the browser programatically

................................................................................................................................... 8427 Getting the names of browser folders

................................................................................................................................... 8528 How to set the BOM Reference property in a part occurrence

................................................................................................................................... 8529 Listing the contents of a model view BOM

................................................................................................................................... 8730 Static quantity in a BOM

................................................................................................................................... 8831 Documents referenced by a 2d view in an IDW

................................................................................................................................... 8932 Add a DrawingSketch to a DrawingDocument

................................................................................................................................... 9033 Adding lines text and circles to a DrawingSketch

................................................................................................................................... 9234 Constrain a sketch point to a coordinate

................................................................................................................................... 9535 Get a Document from a Definition

................................................................................................................................... 9636 CreateSafeStringArray and CreateSafeDoubleArray

................................................................................................................................... 9737 Listing 2d points in a sketch

................................................................................................................................... 9738 gkVarEmpty

................................................................................................................................... 9739 Add an iMate (based on a point) into an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 9940 Part Lists programatically

................................................................................................................................... 10141 Add an assembly into another assembly programatically

................................................................................................................................... 10242 Hide a sketch in a part

................................................................................................................................... 10343 Range BBox of a PartsList

................................................................................................................................... 10344 Add a unitless user parameter into an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 10445 Create an ObjectCollection of parts in an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 10646 Delete a feature in a part

................................................................................................................................... 10647 Loop over part occurences in an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 10848 Add a rectangle to a sketch

................................................................................................................................... 10949 Rectangular cut with extrusion

................................................................................................................................... 11150 WorkAxis constraints

................................................................................................................................... 11251 Getting hold of the standard workpoint called "Center Point"

................................................................................................................................... 11252 Add a WorkPoint into an assembly programatically

................................................................................................................................... 11353 Add a WorkPoint at the intersection of a line and a plane

................................................................................................................................... 11454 Add grounded WorkAxis in an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 11755 List iMates in an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 11856 Filename of referenced doc

................................................................................................................................... 11857 Referenced Document of a View

................................................................................................................................... 12058 put_Name, how to use it



................................................................................................................................... 12059 Retrievable Dimensions

................................................................................................................................... 12660 DrawingDimensions vs GeneralDimensions

................................................................................................................................... 12761 Negative Dimensions

................................................................................................................................... 12862 Show a dimension programatically

................................................................................................................................... 13163 Dimensions in a drawing sheet

................................................................................................................................... 13264 Plane object, getting its geometry

................................................................................................................................... 13365 Open a part from a view

................................................................................................................................... 13466 getType and ObjectTypeEnum

................................................................................................................................... 13767 Listing types of dimensions in a view

................................................................................................................................... 13868 Getting the version of Inventor programatically

................................................................................................................................... 13969 QueryInterface and Release Etc

................................................................................................................................... 14070 CComQIPtr is better than QueryInterface

................................................................................................................................... 14071 How to get iPart factory parent from child member

................................................................................................................................... 14172 Counting the number of documents open in Inventor

................................................................................................................................... 14373 CustomTables in Sheets and Drawings

................................................................................................................................... 14674 Positioning objects in a Sheet.

................................................................................................................................... 14675 New line within table cells

................................................................................................................................... 14776 CreateDoubleVariantArray

................................................................................................................................... 14877 Create a drawing file (IDW or DWG)

................................................................................................................................... 14978 How to add views to a drawing sheet (Inventor API)

................................................................................................................................... 15279 Names of views programatically

................................................................................................................................... 15380 Creating projected views from base views

................................................................................................................................... 15481 Drawing View Styles

................................................................................................................................... 15582 Close function for Parts and Assemblies

................................................................................................................................... 15583 GetInventorDocTypeDesc

................................................................................................................................... 15684 Getting the current document of Inventor

................................................................................................................................... 15885 HRESULT codes

................................................................................................................................... 16086 Add a mate constraint with two planes programatically

................................................................................................................................... 16287 GetGeometryProxy

................................................................................................................................... 16388 Proxies, why and what?

................................................................................................................................... 16689 ErrorManager, errors and warnings, ShowCOMError and ReturnAndShowCOMError

................................................................................................................................... 16890 Looping over views in sheets

................................................................................................................................... 16991 Listing and checking constraints

................................................................................................................................... 17092 Saving apparently disabled (SilentOperation)

................................................................................................................................... 17093 WorkAxes in Inventor programs

................................................................................................................................... 17294 Wrapping COM and C++

................................................................................................................................... 17395 Units when programming Inventor

................................................................................................................................... 17496 Exporting Paramenters

................................................................................................................................... 17497 Placing objects in space Vector and Matrix

7Contents


................................................................................................................................... 17698 ObjectCollections in the Inventor API (transient object collections)

................................................................................................................................... 17799 Creating a new Part Document

................................................................................................................................... 178100 How to extrude a sketch programatically

................................................................................................................................... 183101 Transient Geometry

................................................................................................................................... 185102 Changing the application visibility

................................................................................................................................... 185103 A matrix to rotate an object

................................................................................................................................... 187104 Proxies, WorkAxes, Vectors and Points

................................................................................................................................... 188105 WorkFeatures and iParts

................................................................................................................................... 190106 What are PatternElements?

................................................................................................................................... 191107 Listing the contents of Patterns

................................................................................................................................... 194108 Pattern counts

................................................................................................................................... 194109 What sort of WorkFeature is this?

................................................................................................................................... 195110 IDispatch

................................................................................................................................... 196111 AddByPlaneAndOffset example

................................................................................................................................... 197112 Interrogating rectangular patterns

................................................................................................................................... 198113 Name of part in a component occurrence

................................................................................................................................... 201114 Add an occurrence to an assembly does not work

................................................................................................................................... 201115 Listing constraints in an assembly programatically

................................................................................................................................... 203116 Listing members in an iPartFactory programatically

................................................................................................................................... 205117 PartComponentDefinition from an occurrence

................................................................................................................................... 206118 AddiPartMember

................................................................................................................................... 207119 Getting the workplanes of a part occurrence in an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 208120 SubOccurrences

................................................................................................................................... 208121 SaveAs function

................................................................................................................................... 209122 Save programatically

................................................................................................................................... 210123 FullDocumentName and GetLocationFoundIn

................................................................................................................................... 211124 Close function, Inventor API

................................................................................................................................... 211125 Making workfeatures of a part invisible in the assembly

................................................................................................................................... 213126 Visibility programatically in Inventor

................................................................................................................................... 213127 AddCustomiPartMember details and tips

................................................................................................................................... 214128 Add in the occurrence of a custom iPart into an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 216129 Occurrences and component definitions

................................................................................................................................... 218130 How to get the parameters of an assembly

................................................................................................................................... 220131 get_Item and Item, what sort of parameter?

................................................................................................................................... 221132 Suppression and Unsuppression of features

................................................................................................................................... 223133 Compute and Suppress from an iPart table programatically

................................................................................................................................... 223134 Skipping missing components programatically

................................................................................................................................... 224135 How to open a document programatically

................................................................................................................................... 224136 Function calls in Autodesk Inventor C++ programming



................................................................................................................................... 225137 Names of objects inside sketches

................................................................................................................................... 225138 COM pointers when programming AutoDesk Inventor

................................................................................................................................... 229139 VARIANT_BOOL

................................................................................................................................... 230140 ParameterPtr and get_XCount

................................................................................................................................... 231141 Gettings objects by name

................................................................................................................................... 233142 How to get the RectangularPatterns in a PartComponentDefinition

................................................................................................................................... 234143 ResultFeatures

................................................................................................................................... 235144 ObjectsEnumerator, a list of objects

................................................................................................................................... 235145 Parameter types

................................................................................................................................... 236146 Face Edge EdgeProxy

................................................................................................................................... 238147 Attributes

................................................................................................................................... 242148 CreateExtrudeDefinition

................................................................................................................................... 242149 Inserting an extrusion in a Part

................................................................................................................................... 244150 Optional parameters and empty COM values

................................................................................................................................... 245151 Points and CenterPoints

................................................................................................................................... 246152 GetTemplateFile

................................................................................................................................... 247153 Add a (planar) sketch to a workplane programatically

................................................................................................................................... 249154 Component Definition

................................................................................................................................... 251155 Adding a workplane to a Part programatically

................................................................................................................................... 253156 Set the visibility of all workplanes in a part

................................................................................................................................... 254157 Listing the names of axes in a part

................................................................................................................................... 255158 get_ActiveDocument

................................................................................................................................... 255159 Get and Set the name of an Inventor document

................................................................................................................................... 257160 The .AddIn file

................................................................................................................................... 258161 Adding a flush constraint programatically

................................................................................................................................... 260162 Adding a flush constraint using workplanes

................................................................................................................................... 262163 Constraints and parts from a programmer's point of view

................................................................................................................................... 263164 Loading your DLL

................................................................................................................................... 264165 Sketches in an Inventor Part

................................................................................................................................... 265166 Default workplanes and default sketches programatically

................................................................................................................................... 268167 Add a work point at a sketch point

................................................................................................................................... 271168 Getting and setting the sketch name (as well as other objects)

................................................................................................................................... 271169 PatternSpacingTypeEnum

................................................................................................................................... 271170 PatternOrientationEnum

................................................................................................................................... 272171 Occurences as Xrefs

................................................................................................................................... 272172 VT_I4

................................................................................................................................... 272173 rgs file for Inventor AddIns, what is it?

................................................................................................................................... 272174 BSTR OLECHAR wchar_t

................................................................................................................................... 274175 AddForSolid

9Contents


................................................................................................................................... 275176 VBA, VB.NET, C# or C++

................................................................................................................................... 275177 Profiles in sketches programatically

................................................................................................................................... 275178 Creating an Assembly

................................................................................................................................... 278179 Getting the project file location and other options programatically

................................................................................................................................... 281180 regsvr32

................................................................................................................................... 281181 What and where is the AddIn manager?

................................................................................................................................... 282182 RxInventor.tlb

................................................................................................................................... 284183 Adding a rectangle to a sketch programatically

................................................................................................................................... 286184 get_ and Get ?

................................................................................................................................... 286185 UserInterfaceVersion

................................................................................................................................... 287186 Difference between CComPtr and CComQIPtr?

................................................................................................................................... 287187 VARIANT and CComVariant

................................................................................................................................... 288188 Getting items from collections

................................................................................................................................... 289189 Assembly.Document Assembly

................................................................................................................................... 290190 64bit vs 32bit

................................................................................................................................... 290191 Client Graphics

................................................................................................................................... 290192 Hierarchy of objects

................................................................................................................................... 291193 Getting or running an Inventor Instance

................................................................................................................................... 291194 Add a part to an assembly programatically

................................................................................................................................... 294195 Coordinates of a WorkAxis

................................................................................................................................... 295196 Invisibilize components in a collection

................................................................................................................................... 295197 Delete a WorkAxis

................................................................................................................................... 295198 Add a plane by offset from another plane

................................................................................................................................... 300199 Getting hold of the surfaces and faces of a solid object

................................................................................................................................... 302200 Adding an AngleConstraint

................................................................................................................................... 302201 Creating a 64 bit plugin using the Wizard

................................................................................................................................... 303202 Purging Material Assets

................................................................................................................................... 304203 View orientations

................................................................................................................................... 307204 Functions for project files .IPT

................................................................................................................................... 309205 Listing RevolveFeatures of a part programatically

................................................................................................................................... 309206 Create a rectangular pattern of parts programatically

................................................................................................................................... 310207 Suppression and Unsuppression of elements in a pattern

................................................................................................................................... 311208 Accessing mass properties

................................................................................................................................... 312209 Is Excel installed on your computer?

................................................................................................................................... 312210 ConnectToInventor

................................................................................................................................... 313211 gLogger

................................................................................................................................... 314212 iProperties programatically

......................................................................................................................................................... 314iProperties overview

......................................................................................................................................................... 316Listing iProperties of an Inventor document

......................................................................................................................................................... 318iProperties, add a custom value programatically



......................................................................................................................................................... 320iProperties, create a new property set

......................................................................................................................................................... 321iProperties, read the value of a custom property

Part XIII Programming Inventor in C# 322

................................................................................................................................... 3221 Starting Inventor in C#

................................................................................................................................... 3262 MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions

................................................................................................................................... 3283 C# plugin making

................................................................................................................................... 3324 C# plugins, adding a button and a command

................................................................................................................................... 3385 Button Definition

................................................................................................................................... 3416 C# plugin removal

................................................................................................................................... 3427 C# message box

................................................................................................................................... 3438 Custom iProperties using C#

................................................................................................................................... 3449 Open an Inventor file using C#

................................................................................................................................... 34410 ItemByName for Document

................................................................................................................................... 34411 Get user parameters using C#

................................................................................................................................... 34512 Looping over components inside an assembly in C#

................................................................................................................................... 34713 GetActiveObject does not exist in Marshal

................................................................................................................................... 34714 Calling iLogic from C#

................................................................................................................................... 35115 Listing iLogic rules using C#

................................................................................................................................... 35216 Save programatically in C#

................................................................................................................................... 35317 "Member not found" error in C# add-in

................................................................................................................................... 35518 Browser panes in C#

................................................................................................................................... 35519 Assembly document or part document?

................................................................................................................................... 35620 Listing parameters in an assembly, C#

................................................................................................................................... 35721 Getting the value of a parameter in a part

................................................................................................................................... 35722 Value of a Param

................................................................................................................................... 35823 Getting the GUI language of Inventor

................................................................................................................................... 35824 Changing parameters with C#

................................................................................................................................... 36125 get_Units crashes

................................................................................................................................... 36326 Listing holes in a face of folded metal

................................................................................................................................... 36527 Listing holes in a face of folded metal VB

................................................................................................................................... 37328 Direction of a workaxis

................................................................................................................................... 37429 HoleFeature HoleFeatureProxy C#

................................................................................................................................... 37630 Items in lists by string

................................................................................................................................... 37731 Constrain work axes C#

................................................................................................................................... 37932 Constrain work things of a part to the work things of the containing assembly

................................................................................................................................... 38033 Bounding box of a part

................................................................................................................................... 38034 Matrix Vector and SetTranslation, C#

................................................................................................................................... 38135 WorkPlane orientation in C#

................................................................................................................................... 38536 Standard WorkAxes in C#

11Contents


................................................................................................................................... 38537 Constrain a part to an assembly level work axis

................................................................................................................................... 38938 Create an assembly document C#

................................................................................................................................... 39239 Listing the profiles of a face in C#

................................................................................................................................... 39540 List all planes in a part, C#

................................................................................................................................... 39741 Get a WorkPlane by name

................................................................................................................................... 39742 kReferenceFeatureObject is a derived part

................................................................................................................................... 39843 Reading values from an iPart table in C#

Part XIV Using Inventor manually 400

................................................................................................................................... 4001 Parallel constraint, not coplanar

................................................................................................................................... 4012 BOMs and Part Lists

......................................................................................................................................................... 401BOM vs Parts List

......................................................................................................................................................... 402Adding a flat parts list in a drawing

......................................................................................................................................................... 402BOM Bill of materials

......................................................................................................................................................... 404Remove something from a Parts List

......................................................................................................................................................... 404Parts list modification

......................................................................................................................................................... 405Parts Only (disabled) problem

......................................................................................................................................................... 406Virtual components

......................................................................................................................................................... 410Parts List Style (Default)

......................................................................................................................................................... 413Alternative to a virtual component in a BOM

................................................................................................................................... 4163 iParts

......................................................................................................................................................... 416iParts general info

......................................................................................................................................................... 417iPart - standard vs custom

......................................................................................................................................................... 417iPart author

......................................................................................................................................................... 417iPart Member and PartNumber

......................................................................................................................................................... 419Custom iParts

......................................................................................................................................................... 422Changing Custom Ipart Parameters

......................................................................................................................................................... 424Suppression of features parametrically using the iPart Author

......................................................................................................................................................... 424Changing from iPart back to normal part

......................................................................................................................................................... 425Custom column in an iPart table

......................................................................................................................................................... 426Create iPart icon is grey

................................................................................................................................... 4264 Suppress and Level Of Detail

................................................................................................................................... 4265 Offset of a point

................................................................................................................................... 4276 Pack And Go

................................................................................................................................... 4297 WorkAxes at assembly level

................................................................................................................................... 4308 Insert constraint

................................................................................................................................... 4339 Faces as objects

................................................................................................................................... 43410 Show hidden lines in a drawing manually

................................................................................................................................... 43511 Axis directions

................................................................................................................................... 43612 Creating folders in the browser manually

................................................................................................................................... 43713 Construction lines in sketches

................................................................................................................................... 43814 Formulas inside parameter settings

................................................................................................................................... 43915 Explode a pattern

................................................................................................................................... 44016 Assembly WorkPoints and Part WorkPoints

................................................................................................................................... 44117 Erase pattern elements



................................................................................................................................... 44218 Axis perpendicular to sketch point, how to

................................................................................................................................... 44519 Delete a dimension manually

................................................................................................................................... 44520 Mass Volume Calculation

................................................................................................................................... 44521 Add a WorkPlane in an Assembly

................................................................................................................................... 44922 Add a feature to an existing pattern

................................................................................................................................... 45023 Add a point to the surface of a tube manually

................................................................................................................................... 45024 General Note and text

................................................................................................................................... 45125 Add an angular dimension

................................................................................................................................... 45226 Adding a Dimension in a sketch

................................................................................................................................... 45227 Application Options Settings

................................................................................................................................... 45228 Backup options for Inventor files

................................................................................................................................... 45329 Add-In automatic load suppression

................................................................................................................................... 45430 Strange material problem

................................................................................................................................... 45531 Browser is missing! Get it back!

................................................................................................................................... 45532 Change material / color of a solid

................................................................................................................................... 45633 Change the offset elevation of a plane

................................................................................................................................... 45734 Changing home view setting

................................................................................................................................... 45835 Changing manipulator snap

................................................................................................................................... 45836 Changing the default units

................................................................................................................................... 45937 Completely and adequately constrained sketches

................................................................................................................................... 46138 Constrain 2 pairs of axes

................................................................................................................................... 46339 Constrain vertically and horizontally

................................................................................................................................... 46540 Contact set

................................................................................................................................... 46541 Contraints between 3D part objects

................................................................................................................................... 46642 Crash when creating a new drawing

................................................................................................................................... 46743 Create a sketch by default on creating a new part

................................................................................................................................... 46744 Creating a big tube with holes in it

................................................................................................................................... 47445 Creating a drawing of an assembly or part

................................................................................................................................... 47546 Creating a workplane offset from another plane

................................................................................................................................... 47647 Customizing the menu

................................................................................................................................... 47748 Delete a parameter

................................................................................................................................... 47749 Deleting, removing a constraint

................................................................................................................................... 47750 Driven Dimensions and their Removal/Change

................................................................................................................................... 47751 Editing a sketch flatly

................................................................................................................................... 47752 Editing Model Parameters and how they are displayed

................................................................................................................................... 47853 Enable and Disable parts and assemblies

................................................................................................................................... 47854 Example of dimensions and parameters in a sketch

................................................................................................................................... 48255 Extruding sketches with multiple concentric circles

................................................................................................................................... 48356 Extruding with widening angles

13Contents


................................................................................................................................... 48457 File types

................................................................................................................................... 48558 FlipNormal and WorkPlane constraints

................................................................................................................................... 48659 Flush Mate And Axis Constraint Example

................................................................................................................................... 48760 Free Move and Free Rotate

................................................................................................................................... 48761 fx: and parameters and formulas

................................................................................................................................... 48862 Get the browser pane back

................................................................................................................................... 48863 Getting into and out of sketches

................................................................................................................................... 48964 Getting to the constrain icon in Inventor

................................................................................................................................... 48965 Grounded Parts

................................................................................................................................... 49066 Holes in tubes

................................................................................................................................... 49267 How to change the background of the Inventor screen

................................................................................................................................... 49268 How to make a hollow tube

................................................................................................................................... 49369 How to move a 3D object

................................................................................................................................... 49470 Inches problem

................................................................................................................................... 49471 Insert constraint

................................................................................................................................... 49472 Inserting an inclined workplane

................................................................................................................................... 49673 Inventor Apprentice

................................................................................................................................... 49774 Mate vs Flush constraints

................................................................................................................................... 49875 Mini tool bar autofade

................................................................................................................................... 49876 No visible unadaptive sketches

................................................................................................................................... 49877 Pattern inside a sketch

................................................................................................................................... 49978 Patterns (arrays) of features

................................................................................................................................... 50179 Plane on the surface of a tube at an angle

................................................................................................................................... 50280 Problem when inserting iParts into Assemblies

................................................................................................................................... 50381 Problems encountered while executing this command.

................................................................................................................................... 50382 Problems with sketch extrusion and revsurf

................................................................................................................................... 50383 Project files

................................................................................................................................... 50584 Putting 2d dxf files in 3D assemblies, manually

................................................................................................................................... 50585 Removing material with the cut extrusion command

................................................................................................................................... 50686 HealthStatusEnum

................................................................................................................................... 50787 Showing dimensions temporarily

................................................................................................................................... 50788 Showing expressions in a sketch

................................................................................................................................... 50789 Sketch plane

................................................................................................................................... 50790 Sketches and Features

................................................................................................................................... 50991 Suppression and mirrored features

................................................................................................................................... 50992 Templates and Template files

................................................................................................................................... 51193 The Marking Menu

................................................................................................................................... 51294 Trim and Fillet

................................................................................................................................... 51395 ul as a dimension



................................................................................................................................... 51396 Units, Inches, Mm

................................................................................................................................... 51397 Vault

................................................................................................................................... 51398 View face command

................................................................................................................................... 51399 Viewing Multiple Documents in Inventor

................................................................................................................................... 514100 Work Axis Thru Circular Hole

................................................................................................................................... 515101 Work Point in center of a hole (COPY)

................................................................................................................................... 515102 Workplanes and Sketches, Creating a sketch on an arbitrary plane

................................................................................................................................... 517103 WorkPoint in center of a hole

................................................................................................................................... 518104 Yellow Dot Green Dot Constraints

Part XV Acknowledgements 518

Index 520

15Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++


1 Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++

Inventor Programming in C++

Contact Owen Ransen at [email protected] for more details.

2 0) Installing the SDK

After you have installed Inventor you'll have a directory like this:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\SDK

or something very similar.

mailto:[email protected]

16 Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ by Owen Ransen


Click on the DeveloperTools.msi . UserTools.msi has real toolstogether with source code, so maybe good for looking at samples.

Once you have installed the SDK you'll find another .msi file for theWizards which create application skeletons for you. It will besomewhere like this:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\SDK\DeveloperTools\Tools\Wizards\InventorWizards.msi

Visually:

170) Installing the SDK


Note also the trickeries of RxInventor.

3 1) How to use this help file (READ THIS FIRST)

Please read this first.

You should read in sequence the numbered parts 1) to 7), startingwith this one. These will give you a brief rough overview of theInventor API.

Then you should use the index (at the top of the contents page) tofind answers to specific questions as they pop up when you createyour own Autodesk Inventor C++ programs.

Apart from this brief introduction, this help file is a set of codefragments, nothing more.

You can contact me, Owen Ransen, at [email protected].

I've also included tips on Using Inventor Manually. You may be aprogrammer, but you do need how to use Inventor as a normal userbefore you can hope to program it! There are a ton of tutorials outthere about using Inventor. If neccessary please do at least some ofthem before attempting the rest of this book.

The code fragments are designed to help you understand how to dothings. Some of them are identical to functions in my Inventor helperlibrary. The library is updated more often than this text, ask me if youwant the sources of the library.

Compilation error codes are included in the index. If you get C2064then there may be an explanation in this help file. Use the index forC2064.

You need to be a decent C++ programmer and have a good workingknowledge of Windows MFC .

Now, go to 2) Introduction.

mailto:[email protected]



4 2) Introduction

If you've decided to program Inventor in C++ you can do it in manydifferent ways, but basically either you create an AddIn (not coveredhere) or you create an external exe file. See the diagrams below:

Both systems use the COM interface, and this book is useful for bothtypes. However this book covers the external EXE solution usingC++. Since both methods use the COM interface most of this book isapplicable to both types of application.

If you are not familiar with the COM interface don't worry, I give lots ofexamples, explanations and tips on its use.

I use Visual Studio 2015, C++ with MFC, and so do the examplesources.

3) Connecting to Inventor from a Windows MFC app.

5 3) Connecting to Inventor from a Windows MFC app.

Here is what your init of you MFC Windows application could looklike:

BOOL CCollMakeApp::InitInstance(){

193) Connecting to Inventor from a Windows MFC app.


INITCOMMONCONTROLSEX InitCtrls;InitCtrls.dwSize = sizeof(InitCtrls);// Effettuare questa impostazione in modo da includere tutte le classi

di controlli comuni da utilizzare// nell'applicazione.InitCtrls.dwICC = ICC_WIN95_CLASSES;InitCommonControlsEx(&InitCtrls);

::CoInitialize (NULL) ;

if (!ExcelIsPresent()) { // Required if you use tabular iParts gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"Is Excel installed for Inventor?") ; }

const bool kbInventorOK = ConnectToInventor();

if (!kbInventorOK) { return FALSE ; }

CWinApp::InitInstance();

// Creare il gestore della shell se la finestra di dialogo contiene// controlli della visualizzazione elenco o struttura ad albero della

shell.CShellManager* pShellManager = new CShellManager;

// Initialization finished, run the main dialog of the application... {

CMainDlg dlg; m_pMainWnd = &dlg; (void)dlg.DoModal();

}

// Program finished, tidy up...

// Let the user see dialogs etc... GetInvAppPtr()->SilentOperation = VARIANT_FALSE ;

// Free up Inventor interface globals DestroyInventorGlobals () ;

::CoUninitialize();

// Eliminare il gestore della shell creato in precedenza.if (pShellManager != NULL){

delete pShellManager; }

return FALSE;}



CoInitialize and CoUninitialize are required to be able to use COMand its pointers. What I do is, in sequence:

1. CoInitialize starts up COM and COM pointer handling.2. CreateInventorGlobals, sets up things useful to me as my Inventor

program is running. It also starts Inventor running.3. dlg.DoModal would be a dialog with buttons which the user can use

to make objects with the Inventor API.4. DestroyInventorGlobals tidies up my pointers after the dialog has

finished (i.e. when I come out of DoModal).5. ::CoUninitialize for the final tidy up of the COM pointers and

interface

Step 3 above is the heart of the program, a dialog box which talks toInventor. You have to write that!

4) Inventor pointers and DestroyInventorGlobals

6 4) Pointers to Inventor and useful Inventor API objects.

In the library, file InventorSupp.cpp there are these pointers:

static CComPtr<Application> pInvApp = nullptr;static CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = nullptr;static CComPtr<TransientObjects> pTransientObjects = nullptr;static CComPtr<Matrix> pIdMatrix = nullptr;

pInvApp is initialised by a call to ConnectToInventor.

The last three are initialised as required, for example:

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> GetTransGeomPtr (){ if (pInvApp == nullptr) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"GetTransGeomPtr failed, no app") ;

214) Pointers to Inventor and useful Inventor API objects.


return nullptr ; }

if (pTransGeom == nullptr) { // Not yet initialised... pInvApp->get_TransientGeometry(&pTransGeom); }

if (pTransGeom == nullptr) { // Something went wrong gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"CCollMakeApp::GetTransGeomPtr failed, notransient geometry") ; return nullptr ; }

return pTransGeom ;}

The Inventor application pointer is the main method for getting datafrom Inventor and sending commands to it.

The transient geometry pointer lets you create matrices, vectors etc.Explained more here.

The transient objects pointer is used to make temporary collections ofobjects you need to operate on, for example a list of holes in a solidobject or some workplanes arranged somewhere in a part. TransientObjectCollections are explained more here.

And pIdMatrix is an often used object, so rather than creating it everytime its need I create it once and use it often.

DestroyInventorGlobals should be called at the end of your program:

void DestroyInventorGlobals() { // These are smart pointers and setting them to nullptr will release thememory too... pInvApp = nullptr ; pTransGeom = nullptr ; pTransientObjects = nullptr ; pIdMatrix = nullptr ;}

5) Running Inventor programatically.



7 5) Running Inventor programatically

Inventor has to be running before you can get at objects inside it. ConnectToInventor will try to run Inventor if it is not already running.

On some computers starting Inventor can take several seconds.

This is what actually starts Inventor:

hRes = CoCreateInstance (InvAppClsid, NULL, CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER, __uuidof(IUnknown), (void **) &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (hRes)){ pInvApp = nullptr ; ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ConnectToInventor,CoCreateInstance failed") ; return false; }

If you are not familiar with COM have a quick read of this explanationof the FAILED macro, and other HRESULT codes and macros.

The function ReturnAndShowCOMError is used to give you moreinformation about any failure, and to return the fail code. More here.

6) Creating a part document and a sketch

8 6) Creating a part document and a sketch

The first thing most users do with Inventor is to create a sketch insidea part document. Here is my function for creating a new Partdocument in Inventor:

HRESULT CreateNewPartDoc(CComPtr<Application> pInventorApp, CComPtr<PartDocument> &pPartDoc, const wchar_t* const pszPartName){ HRESULT hr = S_OK;

CComVariant pSubDocType; CComBSTR sTemplate;



hr = pInventorApp->GetTemplateFile (kPartDocumentObject, // We arecreating a PartDocument kMetricSystemOfMeasure, // mm kDefault_DraftingStandard, pSubDocType, &sTemplate);

if(hr != S_OK) { return hr; }

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Template file is <%s>\n", CString(sTemplate));

CComPtr<Document> pDoc; hr = pInventorApp->Documents->Add (kPartDocumentObject, sTemplate, VARIANT_TRUE, &pDoc);

if (hr != S_OK) { return hr; }

pPartDoc = CComQIPtr<PartDocument>(pDoc);

if ((pszPartName != nullptr) && (wcslen (pszPartName) > 0)) { BSTR bstrName ; pDoc->get_DisplayName (&bstrName) ; pPartDoc->DisplayName = pszPartName ; pDoc->get_DisplayName (&bstrName) ; ::SysFreeString (bstrName) ; }

return hr;}

I'm assuming that we will always use wide char, wchar_t, UNICODEor CStrings for our string data. In the function above the part name ispassed as a wchar_t pointer.

A "part" is usually a collection if solid objects with holes or cuts orextrusions. An assembly is usually a collection of parts, or moreformally a set of occurrences of parts. See here for the file types inInventor.

Unfortunately, the part document isn't really where all the "stuff" is. Allthe "stuff" is inside a PartComponentDefinition:



As you can see the PartComponentDefinition contains a lot of lists,and one of the lists contains sketches, and we'll create a new sketchin that list. But before we do that we have to get hold of thePartComponentDefinition. That is done like this:

// Get the component definition of the part, where all the"stuff" is... CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef = nullptr ; hRes = pPartDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pPartCompDef) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPartCompDef == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L" get_ComponentDefinition failed."); }

I'll go into some detail about the these four lines because theyillustrate how the Inventor API, C++ and COM talk to each other.

Many of the variables in C++ programs using COM are smartpointers. In the above example the smart pointer is pPartCompDef.Using smart pointers like this means that you don't need to allocateand deallocate them explicitly, it is all done by the smartness of the



pointer. So when we do this:

CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>pPartCompDef = nullptr ;

we don't need to delete or release pPartCompDef after use, it will allhappen automatically when the pointer goes out of scope.

Also note that I've initialised it to nullptr. This is my own personalstyle, it means it is initialised even if I forget to call a function toinitialise it.

In general many functions we call in the Inventor API take theaddress of a pointer and initialise it, as well as returning a status. Forexample:

hRes = pPartDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pPartCompDef) ;

pPartCompDef will be initialised to point at an object, and you'll get areturn value placed in hRes. Why two return values? Because insome circumstances the pointer returned can be validly nullptr. hResmight return S_OK, because the function did not fail, but the pointercould still be nullptr because the object you were looking for does notexist. It is for that reason that I always look at both return values:

if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPartCompDef == nullptr)) {

Click here for more about S_OK, HRESULT and FAILED.

7) Some tips...

9 7) Some tips for Autodesk Inventor C++ programmers

Here are some tips, in no particular order, I've found useful whenprogramming AutoDesk Inventor in C++

Tip1) Check your return values, hRes and COM pointers etc. I know itmakes your code look messy, but you are flying blind otherwise. Ifspeed is really a problem then take the out the checks only at thevery end of the development.



Tip 2) Make sure that you know how to do manually what you aretrying to do programatically. Else you may end up trying to debugsource code when you should be debugging the manual method.

Tip 3) Name objects sensibly. "Part1" and "Assemby3" are less usefulwhen debugging than "InnerTube" and "MainBikeAssembly".

Tip 4) Don't do programatically what may be easier to do by hand. Forexample you can make a parametric object by hand and simplychange the parameters with your program.

Tip 5) If you know VB or C# then when in difficulty test using thoselanguages. These are far more interactive than C++, even with theIDE.

27Right hand coordinate system


10 Right hand coordinate system

It seems like Inventor uses the right hand coordinate system:

(Not left hand)

11 iLogic and VBA

11.1 iLogic editing

You can create new iLogic rules or edit existing ones like this:



11.2 iLogic and suppression of parts in assemblies

This has some useful info...

http://inventbetter.blogspot.com/2012/01/setting-level-of-detail-with-ilogic.html

...but basically you need a custom level of detail to be present andactive if you want to suppress parts inside assemblies with iLogic.

Setting the Level of Detail with iLogic

iLogic requires a custom Level of Detail (LoD) before it can performan operation that suppresses a component. If a custom LoD is notactive or one does not exist you will get an error message. I get a lotof enquires about this dialog box and how one can avoid the hassle.



29iLogic and VBA


First create a rule called “LoD” and populate with the following code:

Dim doc as AssemblyDocument = ThisDoc.Document Dim oLOD As LevelOfDetailRepresentation Dim oAsmCompDef As ComponentDefinition oAsmCompDef = doc.ComponentDefinitionTry oLOD = oAsmCompDef.RepresentationsManager.LevelOfDetailRepresentations.Item("iLogic").Activate(True)Catch Dim nLOD As LevelOfDetailRepresentation nLOD = oAsmCompDef.RepresentationsManager.LevelOfDetailRepresentations.Add("iLogic") oLOD = nLODFinally oLOD = oAsmCompDef.RepresentationsManager.LevelOfDetailRepresentations.Item("iLogic").Activate(True)End Try

11.3 Run an EXE from inside an iLogc rule

Here is an example:

Sub Main()

Dim sProgramName As String Dim sArgument As String Dim Q As String Q=Chr(34) ' Quote character

sProgramName = "C:\PLMProgs\Simu.Exe"

' Note that "Latest Working" must have quotes around it in thisexample... sArguments = " Ransen.IAM " & Q & "Latest Working" & Q

Call Shell(sProgramName & " " & sArguments, vbNormalFocus)End Sub

Note that when you exit the iLogic editor Inventor will try to run theprogram



11.4 iLogic suppression of features in a part

Here's an example:

If Assecondo < 1000 Then Feature.IsActive ("Extrusion4") = FalseElse Feature.IsActive ("Extrusion4") = TrueEnd If

Assecondo is a parameter and "Extrusion4" is a feature in an iPart.But suppression is only for LOD (level of detail) stuff.

11.5 iLogic and part parameters

I think this is how you access them:

If Parameter("Bombato") Then ' do somethingElse ' do something elseEnd If

31iLogic and VBA


11.6 iLogic to delete suppressed compoents

Here's how to do it, ignoring occurrences in patterns.

Trace.WriteLine(" Starting....")

Dim oComp As ComponentOccurrenceDim oComps As ComponentOccurrences

oComps = ThisDoc.Document.ComponentDefinition.Occurrences

For Each oComp In oComps If oComp.Suppressed Then Trace.WriteLine(oComp.Name + " is suppressed")

If Not oComp.IsPatternElement Then oComp.Delete

End If Else

Trace.WriteLine(oComp.Name + " NOT suppressed")

End If Next

11.7 iLogic debugging statements, Trace

You need to download DebugView which is a Microsoft debugstatement monitor. Then, inside iLogic, and maybe VBA, you'll seethe Trace statements.



Here's an example Trace statement in an iLogic macro:

Trace.WriteLine(oComp.Name + " is suppressed")

33iLogic and VBA


11.8 iLogic to change dimensions in sketches

It is a bit tricky but you can add a new rule and inside that rule set thenamed dimensions and parameters.

Inside a part add a rule. Here is an example, Blue words areparameters/dimensions from the part or sketch, so this block uses thetwo objects (DiamColl and DiamAtt) to change a diameter called Dcoll .

Dim RagColl as DoubleDim RagAtt As DoubleRagColl = DiamColl/2.0RagAtt = DiamAtt/2.0If RagAtt < RagColl Then Dcoll = Sqrt((RagColl*RagColl) - (RagAtt*RagAtt))Else Dcoll = 0.0 End If

What is also a bit tricky is when things get triggered.

11.9 iLogic to add parts to an assembly

Here you go, follow the comments...

Dim sExcelFileName As String = "Pippo.xlsx"Dim oPath As StringDim Row2 As String '= RowDim Rowchange2 As String '= RowchangeDim text2 As String = x1Dim text3 As String = x1

'file path to useoPath = ThisDoc.Path & "\"'file to useoFile = "40050457.ipt"

' set a reference to the assembly component definintion.' This assumes an assembly document is open.Dim oAsmCompDef As AssemblyComponentDefinitionoAsmCompDef = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.ComponentDefinition

' These four lines create a matrix, which has default values scale 1 andpos 0,0,0Dim oTG As TransientGeometryoTG = ThisApplication.TransientGeometryDim oMatrix As MatrixoMatrix = oTG.CreateMatrix



'Iterate through all of the occurrencesDim oOccurrence As ComponentOccurrence

Dim i As Integer

For i = 2 To 6 ' Form the cell address text2="C" + String.Format(i,"#")

oFile = GoExcel.CellValue(sExcelFileName, "Sheet1",text2)

'place an instance of the component 'in this case at 0,0,0

oOccurrence = oAsmCompDef.Occurrences.Add(oPath & oFile, oMatrix) oOccurrence.Grounded = False

Next

11.10 iLogic iProperties example

Here you go:

Option Explicit

Public Sub Main()

' Get the Documents collection object. Dim invDocs As Documents invDocs = ThisApplication.Documents Dim sExt As String ' Iterate through the contents of the Documents collection. Dim invDocument As Document Dim SubDoc As Document Dim Asm As AssemblyDocument Dim DocsInAsm As DocumentsEnumerator Dim SubDocAsAsm As AssemblyDocument For Each invDocument In invDocs ' Display the full filename of the document in the Immediatewindow. If invDocument.DocumentType = kAssemblyDocumentObject Then Asm = invDocument DocsInAsm = Asm.AllReferencedDocuments MessageBox.Show ("Assembly " & invDocument.FullFileName & "has " & DocsInAsm.Count & " sub documents") ListUserParameters (Asm) End If Next

End Sub

35iLogic and VBA


Private Sub ListUserParameters(ByRef Asm As AssemblyDocument) Dim oDef As AssemblyComponentDefinition Dim AsmUserParams As UserParameters Dim AsmUserParam As UserParameter Dim doc As Document doc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument

' Get the custom property set. Dim customPropSet As PropertySet customPropSet = doc.PropertySets.Item("Inventor User DefinedProperties")

Dim customProp As Object

customProp = customPropSet.Item ("CIRCUITS")

oDef = Asm.ComponentDefinition AsmUserParams = oDef.Parameters.UserParameters For Each AsmUserParam In AsmUserParams ' Debug.Print ("param is <" & UserParam.Name & ">") If AsmUserParam.Name = "CIRCUITS" Then MessageBox.Show ("CIRCUITS = " & AsmUserParam.ModelValue)

customProp.Value = AsmUserParam.ModelValue End If Next End Sub

Enter topic text here.

11.11 Local or global VBA?

Whether the VBA functions you make are local or global depends onwhere they are written:




11.12 Listing documents open in Inventor with VBA

Here is some VBA code to do that to the VBA editor window. It alsolists the documents inside the top level documents:

Option Explicit

Public Sub ShowDocuments2()

' Get the Documents collection object. Dim invDocs As Documents Set invDocs = ThisApplication.Documents Dim sExt As String ' Iterate through the contents of the Documents collection. Dim invDocument As Document Dim SubDoc As Document Dim Asm As AssemblyDocument Dim DocsInAsm As DocumentsEnumerator For Each invDocument In invDocs ' Display the full filename of the document in the Immediate window. sExt = Right(invDocument.FullFileName, 3) If sExt = "IAM" Then Set Asm = invDocument

37iLogic and VBA


Set DocsInAsm = Asm.AllReferencedDocuments Debug.Print "Assembly " & invDocument.FullFileName & " has " & DocsInAsm.Count & " sub documents" For Each SubDoc In DocsInAsm Debug.Print " SubDoc " & SubDoc.FullFileName Next End If Next

End Sub

11.13 VBA document type

There is .Type and .DocumentType, you need to use the latter:

Public Sub ShowDocuments2()

' Get the Documents collection object. Dim invDocs As Documents Set invDocs = ThisApplication.Documents ' Iterate through the contents of the Documents collection. Dim invDocument As Document For Each invDocument In invDocs ' Display the full filename of the document in the Immediate window.

Select Case invDocument.DocumentType Case DocumentTypeEnum.kAssemblyDocumentObject Debug.Print "IAM " + invDocument.FullFileName

Case Else Debug.Print "OTHER " + invDocument.FullFileName

End Select Next

End Sub



11.14 Inventor VBA and Excel

To use Excel from a VBA Macro in Inventor you need to add areference:

...else you'll get a

user defined type not defined

...error message.

11.15 Update custom iproperty with VBA and iLogic

This function will do that, but note how it must be called (with aVariant, not with a string or integer):

' Note that the third parameter must be a Variant, not an integer or stringPublic Sub UpdateCustomiProperty(ByRef Doc As Document, ByRef PropertyName As String, ByRef PropertyValue As Variant) ' Get the custom property set. Dim customPropSet As PropertySet Set customPropSet = Doc.PropertySets.Item("Inventor User Defined Properties")

' Get the existing property, if it exists. Dim prop As Property On Error Resume Next ' How we know if the iProperty already exists

39iLogic and VBA


Set prop = customPropSet.Item(PropertyName)

' Check to see if the above call failed. If it failed ' then the property doesn't exist. If Err.Number <> 0 Then ' Failed to get the existing property so create a new one. Call customPropSet.Add(PropertyValue, PropertyName) Debug.Print ("Property does not exist so adding it") Else ' Change the value of the existing property. prop.Value = PropertyValue Debug.Print ("Property exists,just changing it to " & prop.Value) End If End Sub

11.16 Shared global variables in iLogic

When declaring variables in an iLogic rule, that variable is onlyaccessible within the context of that rule. If you need to create avariable and set its value to use within numerous rules, then SharedVariables are the answer.

' Declaring shared variablesSharedVariable("VariableName") = "This is the value" SharedVariable("cylinderHeight") = Parameter("CylinderHeight")

Once a Shared Variable has been declared and a value provided,then it can be consumed and updated as necessary.

' Using shared variables Dim cylinderHieght As Double = SharedVariable("cylinderHeight")

11.17 Declaring variables in iLogic

I've found this helpful:

https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/article/iLogic-Best-Practices-and-Fundamentals-for-Success

They recommend explicitly declaring variables, like this:





Dim cylinderHeight As Double = Parameter("CylinderHeight")Dim fileName As String = "This is a string value!"Dim holeCount As Integer = 2Dim occurrenceName As String = String.EmptyDim plateWidth As Double = Nothing

11.18 iLogic dialog form modification

Here's how to modify an existing iLogic form:

11.19 iLogic, adding a new form

Right click in the iLogic tab, but not on an existing button. ChooseAdd Form and you'll get this:

41iLogic and VBA


Drag a rule from the left of the into the list of controls to add a rule asa button.

11.20 When do iLogic rules run?

It seems that if an iLogic rule contains a parameter in its text then ifthat parameter is changed then the rule is run.

The rule called FinBlock will be run whenever the parameterFinBlockMaterial is changed:

43iLogic and VBA


11.21 Inventor from inside Access

Here is what I use:

Dim invApp As Inventor.Application

Public Function GetInventorApp() As Inventor.Application

' This is an essential part beause GetObject could throw an exceptionOn Error GoTo InvMissing

If Not invApp Is Nothing Then Debug.Print "InvApp already ok" Set GetInventorApp = invApp Exit Function End If

'try to get open instance of Excel Application Set invApp = GetObject(, "Inventor.Application") 'tries to retrieve running instance of Inventor Set GetInventorApp = invApp Debug.Print "InvApp found ok " Exit Function InvMissing: ' We hope that GetObject has thrown an exception only because Inventor is not already running Set invApp = CreateObject("Inventor.Application") If invApp Is Nothing Then Call MsgBox("Failed to Get or Create Inventor Application instance. Exiting.", , "") Else Debug.Print "InvApp created ok " End If End Function



11.22 Custom iProperties in component with VBA

Here is an example:

Dim Inv As Inventor.Application Set Inv = GetInventorApp() Dim invAsm As Inventor.AssemblyDocument Set invAsm = Inv.Documents.Open(sComponentFullFileName) ' from iProperties ' CC_FIN_GEOMETRY ' CC_NUM_RANGHI ' TC_NAME = T014_R006_N014_T55_E02R_U01R_V1_V02 Set PropSet = invAsm.PropertySets.Item("Inventor User Defined Properties") sGeom = PropSet.Count For p = 1 To PropSet.Count If PropSet.Item(p).Name = "CC_NUM_RANGHI" Then iNumRanghi = PropSet.Item(p).Value ElseIf PropSet.Item(p).Name = "CC_FIN_GEOMETRY" Then sGeom = PropSet.Item(p).Value ElseIf PropSet.Item(p).Name = "TC_NAME" Then sTcName = PropSet.Item(p).Value End If Next p Debug.Print "G= <" & sGeom & ">, numranghi = <" & iNumRanghi & ">"

12 Programming Inventor in C++

Click on the book icon to the left to open this section.

45Programming Inventor in C++


12.1 Get the name of a part

See also GetOccurenceName

First note the difference between DisplayName and PartName:

If you have the occurrence of a part you can get the display name of it(with its :count part), the filename, like this:

CComPtr<ReferencedFileDescriptor> pRefFileDescA = pOccA->ReferencedFileDescriptor ; CComBSTR bstrAName; HRESULT hRes = pRefFileDescA->get_DisplayName (&bstrAName) ; CString csAName ; if (SUCCEEDED(hRes)) { csAName = CString (bstrAName) ; }

If you have a part component definition:

CString GetPartName (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef){ CString csPartName; CComPtr<Document> pDocument; HRESULT hRes =pPartCompDef->get_Document((IDispatch**)&pDocument);

if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes, L"Could not get part name pDocument"); return csPartName; }



CComBSTR bstrPartName; hRes = pDocument->get_DisplayName(&bstrPartName);

if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes, L"Could not get part name displayname"); return csPartName; }

csPartName = CString (bstrPartName) ;

return csPartName;}

12.2 Zoom

// This will zoom all the current document...void ZoomAll(){ CComPtr<Application> pInvApp = GetInvAppPtr () ; if (pInvApp == nullptr) { return ; }

CComPtr<Document> pCurrentDoc ; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_ActiveDocument (&pCurrentDoc) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ; }

CameraPtr pCam = pInvApp->ActiveView->Camera ; pCam->Fit() ; pCam->Apply () ;}

12.3 GetWorkPlaneName GetOccurrenceName

These two functions are useful when your constraints do not work:

CString GetWorkPlaneName(CComPtr<WorkPlane>& pWorkPlaneA){ CString csWPName; if (pWorkPlaneA != nullptr) { csWPName = CString(pWorkPlaneA->Name.GetBSTR()); }



return csWPName;}

/**********************************************************************************************/

// This actually gets the name of the document being referencedby the occurrence// It could be something like "3312345.IPT" CString GetOccurrenceName(CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pOcc){ CString csOccName ;

if (pOcc != nullptr) { CComPtr<ReferencedFileDescriptor> pRefFileDesc = pOcc->ReferencedFileDescriptor ; CComBSTR bstrAName; pRefFileDesc->get_DisplayName (&bstrAName) ; csOccName = CString (bstrAName) ; }

return csOccName;}

/**********************************************************************************************/

12.4 Investigating Asset Libraries Progamatically

You can loop over all the asset libraries loaded into Inventor like this:

CComPtr<AssetLibraries> pAssLibs ; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_AssetLibraries (&pAssLibs) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pAssLibs == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"Could not get asset libraries"); return ; }

long iNumAssLibs ; pAssLibs->get_Count(&iNumAssLibs) ; WalertBoxA ("There are %d asset libraries",iNumAssLibs) ;

for (long iLib = 1 ; iLib <= iNumAssLibs ; iLib++) { CComPtr<AssetLibrary> pAssLib ; pAssLibs->get_Item (CComVariant(iLib),&pAssLib) ;



CComBSTRbstrDisplayName,bstrFullFileName,bstrInternalName ; pAssLib->get_DisplayName (&bstrDisplayName) ; pAssLib->get_FullFileName (&bstrFullFileName) ; pAssLib->get_InternalName (&bstrInternalName) ;

TRACE (L"Lib %d has <%s>, <%s>, <%s>.\n",iLib,bstrDisplayName,bstrFullFileName,bstrInternalName); }

And you'll get a result something like this:

Lib 1 has <Autodesk Material Library>, <C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\AutodeskShared\Materials\2015\PhysicalMaterial.adsklib>, <AD121259-C03E-4A1D-92D8-59A22B4807AD>.Lib 2 has <Autodesk Appearance Library>, <C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\AutodeskShared\Materials\2015\assetlibrary_base.adsklib>, <314DE259-5443-4621-BFBD-1730C6CC9AE9>.Lib 3 has <Favorites>, <C:\Users\Owen\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Inventor2015\FavoriteMaterials.adsklib>, <D07F930C-485A-4658-AD69-C91D17FEB99B>.Lib 4 has <Inventor Material Library>, <C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor2015\Design Data\Materials\InventorMaterialLibrary.adsklib>, <AFEFC330-5E61-4E24-814F-AE810148B79D>.

The internal name is a GUID it looks like.

Note that it seems that you need to have loaded at least one part,else the assets can be null pointers. It seems like loading a part loadsthe materials.

Once you have an asset lib you can loop over its contents like this:

CComPtr<AssetsEnumerator> pAssEnum ; pAssLib->get_MaterialAssets (&pAssEnum) ;

const long ikNumAssets = pAssEnum->Count ;

for (long iAss = 1 ; iAss <= ikNumAssets ; iAss++) { CComPtr<Asset> pAsset ; pAssEnum->get_Item (CComVariant(iAss),&pAsset) ;

CComBSTR bstrDispName,bstrName,bstrCatName ; pAsset->get_DisplayName (&bstrDispName) ; pAsset->get_Name (&bstrName) ; pAsset->get_CategoryName (&bstrCatName) ; TRACE (L" DisplayName=<%s> Name=<%s> CatName=<%s>\n", bstrDispName,bstrName,bstrCatName) ; }



And the results will look something like this:

DisplayName=<GFRC> Name=<Material-010> CatName=<Concrete> DisplayName=<Gold> Name=<Material-068> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Iron, Ductile> Name=<Material-071> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Lead> Name=<Material-072> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Silver> Name=<Material-076> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Steel> Name=<Material-077> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Steel, Galvanized> Name=<Material-079> CatName=<Metal>

I think the display name will change from language to language, but Ineed to investigate further. Categories are clearly Metal, Concrete,Wood etc.

12.5 Bounding box of a part occurrence in an assembly

This is probably what you are looking for:

BoxPtr pBox = pOcc->RangeBox ; PointPtr Min = pBox->GetMinPoint () ; PointPtr Max = pBox->GetMaxPoint () ;

12.6 Parallel planes programatically

The software way of doing this...



...is illustrated below:

/*Given two occurrences which contain workplanes to be flush constrained togetherthis function creates a flush constraint between them*/bool AddFlushConstraintOfTwoPlanes (CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef, CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pOccA, CComPtr<WorkPlane>& pWorkPlaneA, CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pOccB, CComPtr<WorkPlane>& pWorkPlaneB, const double kOffsetMm, /*=0.0*/ const wchar_t* const pszConstraintName /*=nullptr*/, const double kmmMax /*= 0.0*/){ CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxyA ; HRESULT hRes = pOccA->CreateGeometryProxy (pWorkPlaneA,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxyA) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AFCOTP could not get pWPProxyA.") ; return false ; }

CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxyB ; pOccB->CreateGeometryProxy (pWorkPlaneB,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxyB) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AFCOTP could not get pWPProxyB.") ; return false ; }

// Get the list of constraints of the assembly so you can add a new one CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pConstraintList ; hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Constraints(&pConstraintList) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AFCOTP could not get constraints.") ; return false ; }

CComVariant varOffset(kOffsetMm/10.0); // Convert to offset in cm CComPtr<FlushConstraint> pFlushConstraint ; hRes = pConstraintList->AddFlushConstraint(pWPProxyA, pWPProxyB, varOffset, gkvarEmpty, gkvarEmpty, &pFlushConstraint); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AFCOTP AddFlushConstraint failed") ; return false ; }

if (kmmMax > 0.0) {



// This allows planes to be parallel constrained, but distant from each other const double kcmMax = kmmMax/10.0 ; CComPtr<ConstraintLimits> pLimits = pFlushConstraint->GetConstraintLimits() ; pLimits->MaximumEnabled = VARIANT_TRUE ; CString csMax ; csMax.Format (L"%.3f",kcmMax) ; CComBSTR TempBstr (csMax) ; pLimits->Maximum->Expression = TempBstr.m_str ; //!!!OWEN!!! .Value in cm is also possible }

if ((pszConstraintName != nullptr) && (wcslen(pszConstraintName) > 0)) { const CString kcsConsName = GetFreeConstraintName(pszConstraintName,pAsmCompDef); CComBSTR bstrName(kcsConsName); pFlushConstraint->put_Name(bstrName); }

return true ;}


12.7 Change size of a hole

Here is an example:

void ChangeForoValvolinaDiam (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef, const double kmmNewDiam){ // Get the list of features... CComPtr<PartFeatures> pFeaturesList ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_Features(&pFeaturesList) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(ekLogMsg,hRes,L"CFVD get_Features failed"); return ; }

// Find the feature which is the hole I want to change... CComPtr<PartFeature> pFeature; hRes = pFeaturesList->get_Item (CComVariant(L"ForoValvolina"), &pFeature); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(ekLogMsg,hRes,L"CFVD get_Item failed"); return ; }



// The name is correct, see if it is actually a hole... if (pFeature->GetType() == kHoleFeatureObject) {

// Convert the general pFeature it into the specificpHoleFeature // This is an example of using a CComQIPtr CComQIPtr<HoleFeature> pHoleFeature (pFeature) ; if (pHoleFeature == nullptr) { gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"Cannot cast") ; return ; }

// Get the value of the parameter as a variant... CComVariant cmDiam (pHoleFeature->HoleDiameter->GetValue()) ; const double kmmDiam = cmDiam.dblVal*10.0 ; gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"hole diam = %6.3fmm",kmmDiam);

// Change into centimeters... cmDiam.dblVal = kmmNewDiam/10.0 ;

// Actually change the size of the hole... pHoleFeature->HoleDiameter->Value = cmDiam ; }}


12.8 Materials API

A part has "assets" which define the material of that part, assetsdescribe the material name, properties appearance etc.

You can use this code to examine the assets in a part document:

const long ikNumAssets = pPartDoc->Assets->GetCount(); for (long i = 0; i < ikNumAssets; i++) { CComPtr<Asset> pTempAsset = nullptr ; CComVariant iVar(i + 1); pPartDoc->Assets->get_Item(iVar,&pTempAsset); TRACE (L"%d material asset type %d has display name <%s> fixed name<%s> and category name <%s>", i+1, pTempAsset->AssetType, LPCWSTR(pTempAsset->DisplayName),



LPCWSTR(pTempAsset->Name), LPCWSTR(pTempAsset->GetCategoryName())); // e.g. "Copper" }

And the output will look something like this:

1 material asset type 99073 has display name <Copper - Satin>fixed name <Metal-022> and category name <Metal>2 material asset type 99073 has display name <Default> fixed name<InvGen-071> and category name <Miscellaneous>

The asset type will be one of these:

kAssetTypeAppearance99073

kAssetTypeMaterial99074

kAssetTypePhysicalProperties99075

kAssetTypeUnknown99076

If you look at the code at the start of this page you'll see that there isName and DisplayName. DisplayName will change with the languageversion of Inventor, but Name stays the same. Here are threeexamples:

Name: "Material-071" DisplayName(Italian): "Ferro, Duttile" DisplayName(English): "Iron, Ductile"Name: "Material-087" DisplayName(Italian): "Acciaio inox AISI 304" DisplayName(English): "Stainless Steel AISI 304"Name: "MaterialInv_024" DisplayName(Italian): "Acciaio inossidabile" DisplayName(English): "Stainless Steel"

In your program you'll generally have access to one DisplayName inthe language of the Inventor you are using, so you should considerusing Name. Name will not change from language to language.

I'm still investigating this, but it looks like the material is defined insidean Asset. Try this:

CComPtr<Asset> pAsset = nullptr ; pPartDoc->get_ActiveMaterial(&pAsset);



TRACE (L"Active material asset has name <%s>", LPCWSTR(pAsset->DisplayName)); // e.g. "Copper"

TRACE (L"Active material asset has category name <%s>", LPCWSTR(pAsset->GetCategoryName())); // e.g. "Metal"

You can also get hold of the asset type, which will be one of these:

kAssetTypeAppearance 99073

kAssetTypeMaterial 99074

kAssetTypePhysicalProperties 99075

kAssetTypeUnknown 99076

You can loop over all the asset libraries loaded into inventor like this:

CComPtr<AssetLibraries> pAssLibs ; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_AssetLibraries (&pAssLibs) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pAssLibs == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"Could not get asset libraries"); return ; }

long iNumAssLibs ; pAssLibs->get_Count(&iNumAssLibs) ; WalertBoxA ("There are %d asset libraries",iNumAssLibs) ;

for (long iLib = 1 ; iLib <= iNumAssLibs ; iLib++) { CComPtr<AssetLibrary> pAssLib ; pAssLibs->get_Item (CComVariant(iLib),&pAssLib) ;

CComBSTRbstrDisplayName,bstrFullFileName,bstrInternalName ; pAssLib->get_DisplayName (&bstrDisplayName) ; pAssLib->get_FullFileName (&bstrFullFileName) ; pAssLib->get_InternalName (&bstrInternalName) ;

TRACE (L"Lib %d has <%s>, <%s>, <%s>.\n",iLib,bstrDisplayName,bstrFullFileName,bstrInternalName); }

And you'll get a result something like this:

Lib 1 has <Autodesk Material Library>, <C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\AutodeskShared\Materials\2015\PhysicalMaterial.adsklib>, <AD121259-C03E-4A1D-92D8-59A22B4807AD>.



Lib 2 has <Autodesk Appearance Library>, <C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\AutodeskShared\Materials\2015\assetlibrary_base.adsklib>, <314DE259-5443-4621-BFBD-1730C6CC9AE9>.Lib 3 has <Favorites>, <C:\Users\Owen\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Inventor2015\FavoriteMaterials.adsklib>, <D07F930C-485A-4658-AD69-C91D17FEB99B>.Lib 4 has <Inventor Material Library>, <C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor2015\Design Data\Materials\InventorMaterialLibrary.adsklib>, <AFEFC330-5E61-4E24-814F-AE810148B79D>.

The internal name is a GUID it looks like.

Once you have an asset lib you can loop over its contents like this:

CComPtr<AssetsEnumerator> pAssEnum ; pAssLib->get_MaterialAssets (&pAssEnum) ;

const long ikNumAssets = pAssEnum->Count ;

for (long iAss = 1 ; iAss <= ikNumAssets ; iAss++) { CComPtr<Asset> pAsset ; pAssEnum->get_Item (CComVariant(iAss),&pAsset) ;

CComBSTR bstrDispName,bstrName,bstrCatName ; pAsset->get_DisplayName (&bstrDispName) ; pAsset->get_Name (&bstrName) ; pAsset->get_CategoryName (&bstrCatName) ; TRACE (L" DisplayName=<%s> Name=<%s> CatName=<%s>\n", bstrDispName,bstrName,bstrCatName) ; }

And the results will look something like this:

DisplayName=<GFRC> Name=<Material-010> CatName=<Concrete> DisplayName=<Gold> Name=<Material-068> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Iron, Ductile> Name=<Material-071> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Lead> Name=<Material-072> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Silver> Name=<Material-076> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Steel> Name=<Material-077> CatName=<Metal> DisplayName=<Steel, Galvanized> Name=<Material-079> CatName=<Metal>

Name does not change from language to language, display name will.Categories are clearly Metal, Concrete, Wood etc.



Material Assets serve to group a physical asset and appearancetogether. Conceptually a material can be described by its physicalproperties (density, Poisson’s ratio, yield strength, etc.) and how itlooks or its appearance. A material property has some basicinformation that identifies it, (name, description, type, etc.), and itreferences a physical properties asset.

Where do materials exist?

The number of asset libraries changes when you have nothing open(1 for examples) to when you have an assembly open (4 forexample).

The idea behind Consistent Materials is that all Autodesk programsuse the same library of materials.

There are three primary types of assets; materials, physicalproperties, and appearances



12.9 Model and User parameters programatically

Inside a PartComponentDefinition is a Parameters list which containstwo other lists, the model parameters and the user parameters:

Here is an example of listing the ModelParameters programatically:

void ListModelParameters (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef){ // Parameters contains two lists, Model and User... CComPtr<Parameters> pParameters ; pPartCompDef->get_Parameters (&pParameters) ;

// Get the model parameters list... CComPtr<ModelParameters> pModelParameters ;



pParameters->get_ModelParameters (&pModelParameters) ;

// Print them all out with their names... const UINT ikNumModelParams = pModelParameters->Count ; for (UINT i = 1 ; i <= ikNumModelParams ; i++) { CComPtr<ModelParameter> pModelParam ; pModelParameters->get_Item (CComVariant(i),&pModelParam);

CComBSTR bstrParamName; pModelParam->get_Name (&bstrParamName) ;

TRACE (L"The name of model parameter %d is %s\n",i,bstrParamName) ; }}

From the above example you can imagine how to list theUserParameters.

You can change the values of the parameters like this:

HRESULT ChangeDoubleModelParam (const double kNewVal, const wchar_t* constpszModelParamName, CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef)/*Change the value of a double (i.e. floating point) parameter of apart.Remember to understand internal units before calling this!*/{ // Parameters contains two lists, Model and User... CComPtr<Parameters> pParameters ; pPartCompDef->get_Parameters (&pParameters) ;

// Get the model parameters list... CComPtr<ModelParameters> pModelParameters ; pParameters->get_ModelParameters (&pModelParameters) ;

CComPtr<ModelParameter> pModelParam ; HRESULT hRes = pModelParameters->get_Item (CComVariant(pszModelParamName),&pModelParam) ;



if (FAILED(hRes) || (pModelParam == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"ChangeDoubleModelParam, get_Item failed") ; }

// Change the value of the parameter hRes = pModelParam->put_Value (CComVariant(kNewVal)) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pModelParam == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"CUnitshangeDoubleModelParam, put_Value failed") ; }

TRACE (L"New Value=%.3f\n",pModelParam->Get_Value()) ;

return (S_OK) ;}

You will probably not see an immediate change in your model whenyou call the above function, it needs a call to Update to do that:

ChangeDoubleModelParam (999.0,L"d0",pPartCompDef) ; ChangeDoubleModelParam (100.0,L"d5",pPartCompDef) ; ChangeDoubleModelParam ( 5.1,L"d9",pPartCompDef) ; pPartDocument->Update () ; // like regen in AutoCAD

Having a separate Update means you can change many parameterswithout having Inventor (wasting time) doing an Update after everychange.

See also parameter types and Units and reading model and userparameters programatically.

12.10 FlipNormal failure

Occasionally FlipNormal fails. According to AutoDesk...

I checked the implementation of FlipNormal. We block flippig the normal for

- Grounded- Origin- Fixed

workplanes.



Does this explain why you might see a failure there?

Thanks,

Gerald

Fixed workplanes may be a result of adaptive geometry.

12.11 Adaptive geometry

I don't know what it is used for, but you can recognise it like this:



12.12 Add a sketch to an assembly or part

You can use these two functions:

// Adds a sketch to one of the three standard workplanes in a partbool AddSketchToStdPartWorkplane (CComPtr<PlanarSketch>& pNewSketch, CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef, const wchar_t* const pszNewSketchName, const UINT ikWorkPlaneNumber) // gikXIndex,gikYIndex, gikZIndex{



if ((pszNewSketchName == nullptr) || (wcslen(pszNewSketchName) == 0)) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"ASTSPW, workplane name incorrect") ; return false; }

CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane; bool bOk = GetStdWorkPlaneByIndex(pWorkPlane, ikWorkPlaneNumber,pPartCompDef); if (!bOk) { return false; }

// Get the list of sketches CComPtr<PlanarSketches> pSketchList ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_Sketches (&pSketchList); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTSPW, could not get planar sketches") ; return false; }

hRes = pSketchList->Add (_variant_t((IDispatch*)pWorkPlane),VARIANT_FALSE,&pNewSketch) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTSPW, could not get planar sketches") ; return false; }

pNewSketch->put_Name (CComBSTR (pszNewSketchName)) ;

return true;}

/*******************************************************************************************************/

bool AddSketchToStdAssemblyWorkplane(CComPtr<PlanarSketch>& pNewSketch, CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>&pAsmCompDef, const wchar_t* const pszNewSketchName, const UINT ikWorkPlaneNumber) //gikXIndex, gikYIndex, gikZIndex{ // Get the work plane from the list of work planes in the part... CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane; HRESULT hRes =pAsmCompDef->WorkPlanes->get_Item(CComVariant(ikWorkPlaneNumber),&pWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTSAW but 'get' %d failed\n",ikWorkPlaneNumber); return false ; }

// Get the list of sketches



CComPtr<PlanarSketches> pSketchList ; hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Sketches (&pSketchList); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTSAW, could not get planar sketches") ; return false; }

hRes = pSketchList->Add (_variant_t((IDispatch*)pWorkPlane),VARIANT_FALSE,&pNewSketch) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTSAW, could not get planar sketches") ; return false; }


return true;}

12.13 How to get the value of a user parameter

Here is some code to get the value of a user parameter in an Inventorpart:

double GetUserParameterValueByName (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef, const CString& kcsUserParamName){ // Parameters contains two lists, Model and User... CComPtr<Parameters> pParameters ; pPartCompDef->get_Parameters (&pParameters) ;

// Get the model parameters list... CComPtr<UserParameters> pUserParameters ; pParameters->get_UserParameters (&pUserParameters) ;

// Find the one we are looking for... const UINT ikNumUserParams = pUserParameters->Count ;

for (UINT i = 1 ; i <= ikNumUserParams ; i++) { CComPtr<UserParameter> pUserParam ; pUserParameters->get_Item (CComVariant(i),&pUserParam) ;

CComBSTR bstrParamName; pUserParam->get_Name (&bstrParamName) ;

if (kcsUserParamName.CompareNoCase(CString(bstrParamName)) == 0) { // Found it VARIANT ParamValue ;



pUserParam->get_Value (&ParamValue) ; return ParamValue.dblVal; } }

// This is an error

return 0.0;}

And here is the very similar code for getting a model parameter value:

double GetModelParameterValueByName (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef, const CString& kcsModelParamName){ // Parameters contains two lists, Model and User... CComPtr<Parameters> pParameters ; pPartCompDef->get_Parameters (&pParameters) ;

// Get the model parameters list... CComPtr<ModelParameters> pModelParameters ; pParameters->get_ModelParameters (&pModelParameters) ;

// Find the one we are looking for... const UINT ikNumModelParams = pModelParameters->Count ; for (UINT i = 1 ; i <= ikNumModelParams ; i++) { CComPtr<ModelParameter> pModelParam ; pModelParameters->get_Item (CComVariant(i),&pModelParam) ;

CComBSTR bstrParamName; pModelParam->get_Name (&bstrParamName) ;

if (kcsModelParamName.CompareNoCase(CString(bstrParamName)) == 0) { // Found it VARIANT ParamValue ; pModelParam->get_Value (&ParamValue) ; return ParamValue.dblVal; } }

// This is an error

return 0.0;}

See also Model and User parameters programatically.



12.14 Getting the value of a custom iProperty

Here is a function which gets a custom iProperty value, returningfalse if the value does not exist in the document.

So it can be used to test for existence as well as getting the actualvalue.

// Returns true if the custom iProperty exists, with the value incsRetValue Needs a DOC not a PART or ASSEMBLY// Always returns a string in csRetValueboolean DocHasCustomiProperty(CComPtr<Document>& pInventorDoc,const CString& kcsiPropName, CString& csRetValue) { csRetValue = CString ("") ;

CComPtr <PropertySets> pPropSets; pInventorDoc->get_PropertySets(&pPropSets);

const long ikNumSets = pPropSets->Count;

// There are several sets of properties, loop over thesets... for (long iSet = 1; iSet <= ikNumSets; iSet++) { CComPtr<PropertySet> pPropSet; pPropSets->get_Item(CComVariant(iSet), &pPropSet);

CComBSTR bstrPropSetName; pPropSet->get_Name(&bstrPropSetName); CString csPropSetName(bstrPropSetName);

if (csPropSetName.CompareNoCase(L"Inventor User DefinedProperties") == 0) { // Loop over the properties of this property set... const long ikNumProps = pPropSet->Count;

for (long iProp = 1; iProp <= ikNumProps; iProp++) { CComPtr<Property> pThisProp; pPropSet->get_Item(CComVariant(iProp), &pThisProp);

_bstr_t bstrPropName = pThisProp->GetDisplayName();

const CString



kcsThisPropName(bstrPropName.GetBSTR());

if (kcsThisPropName.CompareNoCase(kcsiPropName)== 0) { // We've found the property we are interestedin... // ...convert it into a string CComVariant varValue; pThisProp->get_Value(&varValue);

// Add more VT_... values for more detail... if (varValue.vt == VT_BSTR) { csRetValue = CString(varValue.bstrVal);

} else if (varValue.vt == VT_I4) { csRetValue.Format(L"%d",varValue.intVal);

} else if (varValue.vt == VT_R8) { csRetValue.Format(L"%.3f",varValue.dblVal);

} else { csRetValue.Format(L"(?vt=%d?)",varValue.vt); }

return true; } } } }

return false ;}

12.15 Add a part to an assembly

...or more properly how to add an occurrence of a part to anassembly. Here you go, and you specify the 3d position and optionallythe 3d angles too...

HRESULT AddPartToAssemblyAtPosition (CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef, const CString& kcsFullPathPartName, const double kxPos,



const double kyPos, const double kzPos, CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pPartOcc, CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef, const double kxRotDegs /*=0.0*/, const double kyRotDegs /*=0.0*/, const double kzRotDegs /*=0.0*/) /*The positions are in the natural units of Inventor, usually cmWe return the occurence and its part component definition*/{ pPartOcc = nullptr ;

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccurrencesList = nullptr; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Occurrences (&pOccurrencesList) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddPartToAssemblyAtPosition get_Occurrences failed") ; }

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = GetTransGeomPtr () ; CComPtr<Matrix> pPosMatrix; pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pPosMatrix);

CComPtr<Vector> pVector; // Create a Vector to modify the Matrix pTransGeom->CreateVector(kxPos,kyPos,kzPos,&pVector);

// Make the matrix a "move to point" matrix... pPosMatrix->SetTranslation (pVector,VARIANT_TRUE) ;

CComPtr<Matrix> pPosRotMatrix ; pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pPosRotMatrix);

CComPtr<Vector> pZAxis ; hRes = pTransGeom->CreateVector (0,0,1,&pZAxis); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"Could not create z axis vector") ; return false ; }

CComPtr<Point> pOrigin ; hRes = pTransGeom->CreatePoint (0,0,0,&pOrigin); const double kZRadsRot = RadsFromDegs(kzRotDegs); pPosRotMatrix->SetToRotation (kZRadsRot,pZAxis,pOrigin) ;

pPosRotMatrix->PreMultiplyBy(pPosMatrix);

hRes = pOccurrencesList->Add (CComBSTR(kcsFullPathPartName),pPosRotMatrix,&pPartOcc) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) {



return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddPartToAssemblyAtPosition Add failed") ; }

// Get the general component definition... CComQIPtr<ComponentDefinition> pCompDef ; hRes = pPartOcc->get_Definition (&pCompDef) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddPartToAssemblyAtPosition could not get definition.") ; }

// Cast from the general sort of component definition to the specific PART component definition pPartCompDef = CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition>(pCompDef); if (pPartCompDef == nullptr) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"AddPartToAssemblyAtPosition could not cast to pPartCompDef.") ; return E_FAIL ; }

return S_OK ;}

12.16 Open an assembly part programatically

Here's a function to do it:

bool OpenAssembly (CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef, //Output CComPtr<AssemblyDocument>& pAsmDoc, // Output const CString& kcsFullAsmFileName, // Input const bool kbOpenVisible/*=true*/) // Input{ CComBSTR strAssemblyFilename (kcsFullAsmFileName) ;

// Get the list of documents, we use this to oprn another CComPtr<Documents> pDocuments; HRESULT hRes = theApp.GetInvAppPtr()->get_Documents (&pDocuments) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes, L"get_Documents called from OpenAssembly"); return false; }

VARIANT_BOOL vbOpenVisible; if (kbOpenVisible) { vbOpenVisible = VARIANT_TRUE; } else { vbOpenVisible = VARIANT_FALSE; }

CComPtr<Document> pDoc = nullptr ;



hRes = pDocuments->Open (strAssemblyFilename, // what to open vbOpenVisible, &pDoc) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"OA, could not open assembly, pDocuments->Open(%s)",kcsFullAsmFileName); return false ; }

// Try to cast from a general doc to an assembly pAsmDoc = pDoc; if (pAsmDoc == nullptr) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"OA, failed to cast to AssemblyDocument"); return false ; }

hRes = pAsmDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAsmCompDef); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"OA, could not open assembly %s",kcsFullAsmFileName); return false ; }

return true;}

Note the kbOpenVisible. Another example of invisible opening:

CComPtr<Document> pDoc ;hRes = pDocuments->Open (strAssemblyFilename, // what to open VARIANT_FALSE, // open it invisible &pDoc) ; // result

Note that if you just want to interrogate the data of a part or assemblyopening it invisibly will be faster.

If you don't like that function...:

CComBSTR strAssemblyFilename ; strAssemblyFilename = L"C:\\George\\Best.iam" ;

CComPtr<Document> pDoc ; hRes = pDocuments->Open (strAssemblyFilename,VARIANT_TRUE,&pDoc) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDoc == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"OpenAssembly, Open failed "); return ; }



// Try to cast from a general doc to an assembly CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAsmDoc (pDoc); if (pAsmDoc == nullptr) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"Failed to cast to AssemblyDocument"); return ; }

// Now you can use pAsmDoc, the assembly document // ...

12.17 Landscape and Portrait orientation getting and setting

Programatically you can get and set the orientation of a drawingdocument like this:

CComPtr<Sheet> pSheet ; ... ... ...

PageOrientationTypeEnum Orientation; pSheet->get_Orientation(&Orientation);

pSheet->put_Orientation(kPortraitPageOrientation);

/* these are the other enum values: kDefaultPageOrientation kLandscapePageOrientation*/

The coordinate system within a sheet does not change, 0,0 bottomleft. See also adding a sheet to a drawing.



12.18 Adding a sheet to a drawing

Here is a graphical overview of Drawings Sheets and Views:

Note that when you first create a drawing you already have a singlesheet, so often there is no need to add another one.

Anyway, to add a Sheet to a drawing you must get hold of thedrawing object's Sheets list and call the Add method. Here is a



fragment, error checking removed:

CComQIPtr<DrawingDocument> pDrawingDoc ; pDrawingDoc = ...

CComPtr<Sheets> pSheets = nullptr ; pDrawingDoc->get_Sheets(&pSheets) ;

CComVariant varReal (0.0) ; CComPtr<Sheet> pSheet = nullptr ; pSheets->Add (kA3DrawingSheetSize, kDefaultPageOrientation, L"View77", varReal, // width (not used in this case) varReal, // height (not used in this case) &pSheet) ;

The DrawingSheetSizeEnum Enumerator (first parameter in theabove call to Add) has many options, here a just a few:

kA3DrawingSheetSize 9996 A3 size (typically for metric units). kA4DrawingSheetSize 9997 A4 size (typically for metric units).kADrawingSheetSize 9987 A size (typically for inch units). kBDrawingSheetSize 9988 B size (typically for inch units).kCDrawingSheetSize 9989 C size (typically for inch units).kCustomDrawingSheetSize 9986 Custom size. Does (may) not fit one of the standard sizes.

If you use kCustomDrawingSheetSize then Width and Height must bespecified.

The orientation of the sheet (second parameter in the above call toAdd) will be one of these:

kDefaultPageOrientation 10241 Specifies the default setting. kLandscapePageOrientation 10242 Page is oriented as a Landscape.kPortraitPageOrientation 10243 Page is oriented as a Portrait.

You'll see the two drawings in a single sheet in the browser like this:



See also Landscape and Portrait orientation.

12.19 Compile/Link Errors and how to correct them

12.19.1 _WIN32_WINNT error

If you get this error:

"This file requires _WIN32_WINNT to be #defined at least to 0x0403.Value 0x0501 or higher is recommended."

You need to add this to your preprocessor defines:

_WIN32_WINNT=0x0501

in the preprocessor compilation tab of your Inventor project.



12.19.2 error MSB3075: The command regsvr32 /s /c...

With registry free AddIns you probably don't need to know this anymore, but just in case:

regsvr32 needs admin rights to operate. It is called from within VisualStudio. So you must run Visual Studio "as the administrator" if youare creating old style plugins for Inventor.

It is not sufficient to be the administrator, you need to run as...

12.19.3 Error MK_E_UNAVAILABLE 0x800401e3

This has something to do with the ROT (Running Object Table) nothaving Inventor in it (yet).

Sometimes even though you have a running Inventor this code:

hRes = ::GetActiveObject (InvAppClsid, NULL, &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (hRes)) {

will fail with the error 0x800401e3

I've not been able to understand the underlying problem yet. But onething to check is that both processes are running at the same level,both non admin for example.

But see this as well.

This could be that you are running the compiler as administrator andInventor as normal user.



12.19.4 Include file paths

Here are two include paths you will have to add to get your projects compile:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2017\SDK\DeveloperTools\IncludeC:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2017\Bin\Bin32

Else you'll get a C1083 "cannot open include file" problem. Of courseyou may be using a different version of Inventor and the patha onyour computer may be slightly different.

InventorUtils.h is usually placed in the stdafx.h file for your project.You add the paths in the dialog shown below. (The string is very lngso the dialog does not show it, but basically you tack the twodirectories above onto the end of whatever is already there in theInclude Directories edit box, separated by semicolons.)

For 2015:



12.19.5 CLSIDFromProgID error resolution

You have this usually:

CLSID InvAppClsid; HRESULT hRes = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Inventor.Application",&InvAppClsid); if (FAILED(hRes)) { pInvApp = nullptr ; return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"ConnectToInventor,CLSIDFromProgID failed") ; }

Which may fail with this error:

ConnectToInventor, CLSIDFromProgID failedError = 800401f3WCode = 0000Meaning = Stringa dell'interfaccia non valida.

This could be that you are running the compiler as administrator andInventor as normal user.



12.19.6 C2064: term does not evaluate to a function taking 0 arguments

If you get this error:

1>c:\...\sources\book\testfunctions.cpp(51): error C2064: term does not evaluate to afunction taking 0 arguments

...it could well be that you are calling, for example, a member variableas if it is a function:

VARIANT_BOOL bIs = piPartCompDef->IsiPartFactory () ;

In other words you have used brackets () where they are not required.You should write this:

VARIANT_BOOL bIs = piPartCompDef->IsiPartFactory ;

Another example would be the oft used Count. The following is anerror because Count is not a function:

long iNumAssets = pAssEnum->Count() ;

Count is a member variable, this is the correct way of accessing it:

long iNumAssets = pAssEnum->Count ;

12.19.7 C2774 compile error

You'll get this if you try to modify a property which cannot be modified.For example:

pPartDoc->FullDocumentName = L"Whatever" ;

FullDocumentName of a Part cannot be changed.



12.19.8 Failed to register

When you installl the Inventor addin making wizard for Visual Studioyou may well get this message:

In fact it may well have worked, click on Continue then go into VisualStudio to see if the Inventor plugin AddIn project wizard is there.

12.19.9 Four API methods warning when compiling for MFC

Yes, those four API methods have the same name with the methodswhich are introduced by Windows library. The clients need to userename to remove the warning.

And about the question that the client asks whether could change themethods name in Inventor type library, I am afraid not, because wehave rules that once a library is released to customer, we don't allowto update the method names, unless there is a special requirement,such as the method parameters needs be updated based on designor the method is totally useless. And about the four methods"DeleteFile", "CopyFile", "MoveFile" and "SetEnvironmentVariable",they are all old methods which exist for many Inventor releases. So Ithink they will not be renamed unless PD's permission.

These have existed since almost the beginning of the Inventor API. Ideally we would not have the name conflict but this isn't a big issueand we do not see it hasn't caused any big problems for the pastmany years.



12.20 Open an Inventor part programatically

This function opens an Inventor part, and returns the PartDocumentand the PartComponentDefinition, both of which are usually useful tothe caller.

HRESULT OpenPart (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef, // output CComPtr<PartDocument>& pPartDoc, // output const CString& csFullPartFileName, // input CComPtr<Application>& pInvApp) // input/*Opens a part in a separate Inventor document*/{ // Read in the correct file. CComPtr<Documents> pDocs = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocs) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDocs == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"OpenPart,get_Documents failed "); }

CComPtr<Document> pDoc = nullptr ; hRes = pDocs->Open (CComBSTR(csFullPartFileName),VARIANT_TRUE,&pDoc) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDoc == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"OpenPart, Openfailed "); }

pPartDoc = pDoc ; if (pPartDoc == nullptr) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"OpenPart, failed tocast to PartDocument"); }

// Get assembly component definition



pPartCompDef = nullptr ; hRes = pPartDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pPartCompDef) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPartCompDef == nullptr)){ return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"OpenPartget_ComponentDefinition failed "); }

return (S_OK) ;}

12.21 PutFullFileName exception

It seems to me that if you do a PutFullFileName on an assembly thathas already been saved you'll get an exception.

This is because once set FullFileName cannot be altered after asave.

"The FullFileName property can only be set on a file if the file hasnever been saved. If a file has been saved, the FullFileName propertybecomes read-only. In order to perform the copy operation that youare talking about, you will need to do a file copy (using FileManager.CopyFile or Document.SaveAs), followed by FileDescriptor.ReplaceReference in order to fix up the references on the copiedfile.."

12.22 MessageBox vs MsgBox

MessageBox is an object used in iLogic:

MessageBox.Show ("Assembly " & invDocument.FullFileName & " has " & DocsInAsm.Count & " sub documents")

MsgBox is a function used in VBA.

MsgBox ("Questa funziona solo con disegni IDW")



12.23 InternalName vs DisplayName

Here's an example of an internal name and an external name of apart:

InternalName: {28494CA8-42AD-0898-8E49-DA9EB61E9E3F}DisplayName: 1234IRON.ipt

The InternalName is probably never any use to you, an add onprogrammer.

12.24 Add a circle to a sketch function

Here's a function for adding a circle to a sketch:

HRESULT AddCircleToSketch (CComPtr<PlanarSketch>& pSketch, const double xCenter, const double yCenter, const double kDiam, CComPtr<Application>& pInvApp) { CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom ; GetTransGeomPtr (pTransGeom,pInvApp) ;

CComPtr<Point2d> pCenter; pTransGeom->CreatePoint2d(xCenter,yCenter,&pCenter);

HRESULT hRes =pSketch->SketchCircles->AddByCenterRadius(pCenter,kDiam/2.0); if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddCircleToSketchbut could not add by radius (Outer)\n"); }

return (S_OK) ;}

Note that this function uses the transient geometry object.

If you don't need that circle itself you can just ignore that lastparameter, like this:



hRes =pSketch->SketchCircles->AddByCenterRadius(pCenter,kDiam/2.0);

...because it defaults to 0.

12.25 Standard WorkPlane getting

In this function gikXIndex means the plane at X=0, which is of coursethe YZ Plane. And so on.

HRESULT GetStdWorkPlaneByIndex (CComPtr<WorkPlane>& pWorkPlane, const UINT ikIndex, // gikXIndex, gikYIndex, gikZIndex CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef) { if ((ikIndex < gikXIndex) || (ikIndex > gikZIndex)) { TRACE (L"GWPBI index out of range: %d\n",gikXIndex) ; return E_FAIL ; }

// Get the work plane from the list of work planes in the part... HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->WorkPlanes->get_Item(CComVariant(ikIndex), &pWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlane == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"GWPBI but 'get' %d failed\n",ikIndex); return E_FAIL ; }

return S_OK ;}

Here is how to use the function:

hRes = GetStdWorkPlaneByIndex (pFlangiaPlane, gikYIndex, // the plane at Y=0, XZ pFlangiaCompDef) ;



12.26 Creating folders in the browser programatically

Sometimes it is useful to have browser pane folders to hide detail.Here is how to create a folder programatically. You will need thename of the folder and an object collection of the occurrences to putinside the folder:

// Create a new folder so grouping together the object occurrences inpObjCollectionbool CreateNewPaneFolder (const CString& kcsFolderName, CComPtr<ObjectCollection>& pObjCollection){ CComPtr<Document> pActiveDoc; HRESULT hRes = theApp.GetInvAppPtr()->get_ActiveDocument(&pActiveDoc); if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE L"CNFP get_ActiveDocument failed"); return false; }

CComPtr<BrowserPanes> pPanes = nullptr; hRes = pActiveDoc->get_BrowserPanes (&pPanes) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"CNFP get_BrowserPanes failed"); return false; }

BrowserPaneObjectPtr pCctPane; hRes = pPanes->get_ActivePane (&pCctPane) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"CNPF get_ActivePane failed"); return false; }

// Do this so you can create object collection... CComPtr<TransientObjects> pTransObjs = GetTransientObjectsPtr() ;

CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pNodeCollection = nullptr ; hRes = pTransObjs->CreateObjectCollection (gkvarEmpty,&pNodeCollection) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"CNPF CreateObjectCollection for workaxes failed.") ; return false ; }

for (long i = 1; i <= pObjCollection->Count; i++) { CComPtr<BrowserNode> pThisBrowserNode; pCctPane->GetBrowserNodeFromObject(pObjCollection->GetItem(i),&pThisBrowserNode); pNodeCollection->Add(pThisBrowserNode); }

CComVariant cvNodeColl(pNodeCollection); CComBSTR bstrFolderName(kcsFolderName);



hRes = pCctPane->AddBrowserFolder(bstrFolderName, cvNodeColl); if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"CNPF AddBrowserFolder failed"); return false ; }

return true;}

Note that AddBrowserFolder will create a new folder, even if a folderof the same name already exists.

12.27 Getting the names of browser folders

Here is how to loop over browser folders and print out the name ofeach folder:

// Get the root of the pane of browser folders CComPtr<BrowserNode> pTopNode; pCctPane->get_TopNode(&pTopNode);

// Get the enumerator to loop over the browser folders... BrowserFoldersEnumeratorPtr SubFolders = pTopNode->GetBrowserFolders();

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Create new pane folder, %d already exist\n",SubFolders->Count);

// Loop over the browser folders... for (int f = 1; f <= SubFolders->Count; f++) {

// Get the folder... BrowserFolderPtr BrowserPtr = SubFolders->GetItem(f);

// Get its name and print it... CComBSTR cStr; BrowserPtr->get_Name(&cStr); CString csName(cStr); gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Folder %03d is <%s>", f, csName); }




12.28 How to set the BOM Reference property in a part occurrence

The reference property prevents the part occurring in a BOM or partslist.

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pCctNodesOcc; CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pCctNodesDef ; hRes = AddPartToAssemblyAtPosition (pAssemblyCompDef, kcsNodesPartFullName, 0.0,0.0,0.0, // x y z position pCctNodesOcc, // return value pCctNodesDef) ; // return value if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,"Bulb7 failed") ; return ; }

// This makes the occurrence a Reference which means it does not appear inthe Parts Only parts list pCctNodesOcc->put_Reference(VARIANT_TRUE);

12.29 Listing the contents of a model view BOM

Once you have an assembly comp def you need to get hold of theBOM and then the BOM views. There are usually three, you need tolook for the model view. Then you can list the contents:

// Find the BOM of this assembly CComPtr<BOM> pBOM; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_BOM(&pBOM); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pBOM == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"ALUICBOM, Could not get BOM"); return ; }

// There are usually three types of view CComPtr<BOMViews> pBOMViews; hRes = pBOM->get_BOMViews(&pBOMViews); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pBOMViews == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"ALUICBOM, Could not get BOMViews"); return ; }

long iNumBomViews; pBOMViews->get_Count(&iNumBomViews);

for (long bv = 1; bv <= iNumBomViews; bv++) { CComVariant varNum(bv); CComPtr<BOMView> pBomView; pBOMViews->get_Item(varNum, &pBomView);



BOMViewTypeEnum eBVTYpe; pBomView->get_ViewType(&eBVTYpe);

if (eBVTYpe != kModelDataBOMViewType) { continue; // I'm only interested in the first tab, the model BOM }

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"BOM Type %d == kModelDataBOMViewType",eBVTYpe);

CComPtr<BOMRowsEnumerator> BomRows; pBomView->get_BOMRows(&BomRows);

// Look at each row in the bom for (long iRow = 1; iRow <= BomRows->Count; iRow++) { CComPtr<BOMRow> ThisBomRow; BomRows->get_Item(iRow, &ThisBomRow);

// Of this row, what is the component? Usually there is onlyone... CComPtr<ComponentDefinitionsEnumerator> pDefinitionsEnum; ThisBomRow->get_ComponentDefinitions(&pDefinitionsEnum);

// ...assuming there is only one I get the first CComPtr<ComponentDefinition> pCompDef; pDefinitionsEnum->get_Item(1, &pCompDef) ;

// Get the definition of the part listed in this BOM row CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef; pPartCompDef = pCompDef; if (pPartCompDef == nullptr) { continue; }

CString csPartName = GetPartName(pPartCompDef);

... etc etc... } }

You may find this function useful:

// Returns the BOM view in pBomView and true if all went wellbool GetModelDataBOMView(CComPtr<BOMView>& pBomView, // return value CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef){ // Find the BOM of this assembly CComPtr<BOM> pBOM; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_BOM(&pBOM); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pBOM == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"GMDBOMV, Could not get BOM"); return false ; }



// There are usually three types of view CComPtr<BOMViews> pBOMViews; hRes = pBOM->get_BOMViews(&pBOMViews); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pBOMViews == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"GMDBOMV, Could not get BOMViews"); return false ; }

long iNumBomViews; pBOMViews->get_Count(&iNumBomViews);

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, "There are %d BOM views", iNumBomViews);

for (long bv = 1; bv <= iNumBomViews; bv++) { CComVariant varNum(bv); pBOMViews->get_Item(varNum, &pBomView);

BOMViewTypeEnum eBVTYpe; pBomView->get_ViewType(&eBVTYpe);

if (eBVTYpe == kModelDataBOMViewType) { return true ; // Done! Finished! Found! } }

return false;

}/**********************************************************************************************/

12.30 Static quantity in a BOM

Sometimes you want to force the number in a static quantity in aBOM. Here's an example of how you can do this, as long as the partyou have inserted as the appropriate BOM unit.

void PutStaticQuantity(CComPtr<BOMRow>& pBomRow, const int ikUse){ CString csQuantity;

csQuantity.Format(L"%d",ikUse);

CComBSTR bstrNewTotalQuantity = csQuantity ;

// Do this *before* you do put_TotalQuantityOverridden HRESULT hRes = pBomRow->put_TotalQuantity(bstrNewTotalQuantity);



// Do this after *put_TotalQuantity* is called hRes = pBomRow->put_TotalQuantityOverridden(VARIANT_TRUE);}

12.31 Documents referenced by a 2d view in an IDW

A (2D) drawing view obviously referenced documents (3D assembliesand 3D parts), how do you get hold of the referenced documents.Here a code fragment to help you do it:

CComPtr<DrawingView> pThisView = nullptr ; ... // What main document does this view look at? (Here I assume it is anassembly) CComPtr<DocumentDescriptor> pDocDesc = nullptr; pThisView->get_ReferencedDocumentDescriptor(&pDocDesc); CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument>pDoc = pDocDesc->ReferencedDocument;

// Get the definition of the referenced assembly.... CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAsmCompDef = nullptr; pDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAsmCompDef);

// Get the list of components (usually parts) in the assemly... CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccList = nullptr; pAsmCompDef->get_Occurrences(&pOccList);

CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartDef = nullptr; CComPtr<PartDocument> pOccDoc = nullptr;

// Loop over all the parts writing out the name of the part... for (long o = 1; o <= pOccList->Count; o++) { CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pOcc = nullptr; pOccList->get_Item(o, &pOcc);

CComPtr<ComponentDefinition> pDef = nullptr ; pOcc->get_Definition(&pDef); pPartDef = pDef ; pPartDef->get_Document((IDispatch**)&pOccDoc);

const CString kcsOccFullFileName(BSTR(pOccDoc->FullFileName));

pOccDoc = nullptr;

TRACE L"Found part doc <%s>", kcsOccFullFileName); }



12.32 Add a DrawingSketch to a DrawingDocument

Here's a function for doing that:

// Add a sketch with the given name to the DrawingDocumentbool AddSketchToIDW(CComPtr<DrawingSketch>& pDrawingSketch, // return value CComQIPtr<DrawingDocument>& pDrawingDoc, // In which docto add the sketch const CString& kcsNewSketch) // Name of the new sketch{ // Find the sheets of the drawing document... CComPtr<Sheets> pSheets = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pDrawingDoc->get_Sheets(&pSheets) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, could not get sheets of drawing document."); return false ; }

// Get the (assumed) single sheet inside the IDW. Remember the firstobject // in a COM list has index 1... CComPtr<Sheet> pSheet = nullptr ; hRes = pSheets->get_Item (CComVariant(1),&pSheet) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, could not get 1st sheet of drawing."); return false ; }

// Get hold of the list of drawing sketches of this sheet... CComPtr<DrawingSketches> pSketches = nullptr ; hRes = pSheet->get_Sketches(&pSketches); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, could not get drawing sketches."); return false ; }

// Add a new drawing sketch // CComPtr<DrawingSketch> pDrawingSketch ; hRes = pSketches->Add(&pDrawingSketch); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, could not aad sketch."); return false ; }

pDrawingSketch->put_Name(CComBSTR(kcsNewSketch));

return true ;}



Here's an example of adding lines and text to a drawing sketch..

12.33 Adding lines text and circles to a DrawingSketch

A DrawingSketch is a 2D sketch created on an Inventor drawing, anIDW. Here is an example which creates a DrawingSketch and thenadds some radial lines and some text to it:

// Find the sheets of the drawing document... CComPtr<Sheets> pSheets = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pDrawingDoc->get_Sheets(&pSheets) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, could not get sheets of drawing document."); return ; }

// Get the (assumed) single sheet inside the IDW. Remember the firstobject // in a COM list had index 1... CComPtr<Sheet> pSheet = nullptr ; hRes = pSheets->get_Item (CComVariant(1),&pSheet) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, could not get 1st sheet of drawing."); return ; }

CComPtr<DrawingSketches> pSketches ; hRes = pSheet->get_Sketches(&pSketches); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, could not get drawing sketches."); return ; }

CComPtr<DrawingSketch> pDrawingSketch ; hRes = pSketches->Add(&pDrawingSketch); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, could not aad sketch."); return ; }

pDrawingSketch->Edit();

CComPtr<SketchLines> pSketchLines; pDrawingSketch->get_SketchLines(&pSketchLines); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, could not get sketch lines."); return ; }

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTrGeom = GetTransGeomPtr() ;



for (int iDegs = 0; iDegs < 360; iDegs+=15) { CComPtr<Point2d> pStartPoint; pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(0.0,0.0,&pStartPoint);

const double x = 100 * cos(RadsFromDegs(iDegs)); const double y = 100 * sin(RadsFromDegs(iDegs));

CComPtr<Point2d> pEndPoint; pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(x,y,&pEndPoint);

pSketchLines->AddByTwoPoints((IDispatch*)pStartPoint,(IDispatch*)pEndPoint); }

CComPtr<Point2d> pTextPos,pDimPos1,pDimPos2; hRes = pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(1.0,3.0,&pTextPos);

CComBSTR TestText(L"Hello"); CComVariant StyleName(L"Note Text (ISO)");

hRes = pDrawingSketch->TextBoxes->AddFitted(pTextPos, TestText,StyleName); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ASTI, AddFitted failed."); return ; }

pDrawingSketch->ExitEdit(); // Close the sketch editing

You'll get this, note the origin and that it is not clipped.



The first part of the above code can be encapsulated as shown here.

12.34 Constrain a sketch point to a coordinate

This function can be used to add sketch points in defined xy positionsin a 2d sketch:



Note that AddTwoPointDistance uses the "initial" positions of the points towork out the distance and thus fix them with a dimension constraint.

// Given a sketch and a horizontal and vertical position this function addstwo // points, one at the origin of the sketch and the other constrained to theposition// in the parametersvoid AddConstrainedPointWRTOrigin(CComPtr<PlanarSketch>& pNewSketch,



const double kxmmPos, const double kymmPos){ CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTrGeom = GetTransGeomPtr();

// This will be a point fixed (grounded) at the origin... CComPtr<Point2d> pOrigin2d; pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(0.0,0.0,&pOrigin2d); CComPtr<SketchPoint> pSketchOrigin; HRESULT hr = pNewSketch->SketchPoints->Add(pOrigin2d, VARIANT_FALSE,&pSketchOrigin);

CComPtr<GeometricConstraints> pGeoCons; hr = pNewSketch->get_GeometricConstraints(&pGeoCons);

// Fix the sketch point... CComQIPtr<SketchEntity> pSkEnt(pSketchOrigin); hr = pGeoCons->AddGround (pSkEnt); // !!!IMPORTANT!!! to make the originfixed

// Sketches work in cm so convert to cm from mm.... const double kcmxPos = kxmmPos / 10.0; const double kcmyPos = kymmPos / 10.0;

// The new point will be added to the sketch and constrained... CComPtr<Point2d> pNewPoint2d; pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(kcmxPos,kcmyPos,&pNewPoint2d); CComPtr<SketchPoint> pNewSketchPointA ; hr = pNewSketch->SketchPoints->Add(pNewPoint2d, VARIANT_FALSE,&pNewSketchPointA); if (FAILED(hr)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, L"Could not add sketch point"); return; }

// Work out a good point for the text of the dimension double xText = kcmxPos * 0.9; double yText = kcmyPos / 2.0; CComPtr<Point2d> pVTextPoint; pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(xText,yText,&pVTextPoint);

hr = pNewSketch->DimensionConstraints->AddTwoPointDistance(pSketchOrigin, pNewSketchPointA, DimensionOrientationEnum::kVerticalDim, pVTextPoint, VARIANT_FALSE); if (FAILED(hr)) { ShowCOMError(hr, L"Could not add constraint AddTwoPointDistancevertical"); return; }



xText = kcmxPos / 2.0 ; yText = kcmxPos * 0.9 ; CComPtr<Point2d> pHTextPoint; hr = pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(xText,yText,&pHTextPoint); if (FAILED(hr)) { ShowCOMError(hr, L"Could not add CreatePoint2d"); return; }

hr = pNewSketch->DimensionConstraints->AddTwoPointDistance(pSketchOrigin, pNewSketchPointA, DimensionOrientationEnum::kHorizontalDim, pHTextPoint, VARIANT_FALSE); if (FAILED(hr)) { ShowCOMError(hr, L"Could not add constraint AddTwoPointDistancehorizontal"); return; }}

text here.

12.35 Get a Document from a Definition

If you have a Part or Assembly definition, but not, for some reason,its Document you can use get_Document:

// Here is the definition obtained from somwhere... pDef = CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition>(pCompOcc->Definition); // Here is where you put the document you are after... CComPtr<PartDocument> pDoc ; pDef->get_Document((IDispatch**)&pDoc);

All the above is without checking for nullptr or HRESULT, you maywant to do it. And it uses Part. You can use Assembly in the sameway. Note also the (IDispatch**) cast.



12.36 CreateSafeStringArray and CreateSafeDoubleArray

This is useful in various parts of COM programming:

// Call SafeArrayDestroy after you've finished with the arraySAFEARRAY* CreateSafeStringArray(long nElements, TCHAR *elements[]){ SAFEARRAYBOUND saBound[1];

saBound[0].cElements = nElements; saBound[0].lLbound = 0;

SAFEARRAY *pSA = SafeArrayCreate(VT_BSTR, 1, saBound);

if (pSA == NULL) { return NULL; }

for (int ix = 0; ix < nElements; ix++) { BSTR pData = SysAllocString(elements[ix]);

long rgIndicies[1];

rgIndicies[0] = saBound[0].lLbound + ix;

HRESULT hr = SafeArrayPutElement(pSA, rgIndicies, pData); }

return pSA;}

For example in adding tables into sheets.

For doubles use:

// After use call SafeArrayDestroySAFEARRAY* CreateSafeDoubleArray(long nElements, double* pElements){ SAFEARRAYBOUND rgsabound[1]; rgsabound[0].lLbound = 0; // index starts at 0 rgsabound[0].cElements = nElements; // number of elements

SAFEARRAY FAR* psa = SafeArrayCreate(VT_R8, 1, rgsabound); if (psa == NULL) { return 0; }

HRESULT hr = SafeArrayLock(psa);

for (int i = 0 ; i < nElements ; i++) { LONG rgIndex = i ;



double d = pElements[i]; hr = SafeArrayPutElement(psa, &rgIndex, &d); }

hr = SafeArrayUnlock(psa);

return psa;}

Here's an example.

12.37 Listing 2d points in a sketch

To get hold of the coordinates of 2d points in a 2d sketch look at thisexample:

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"There are %d points in the sketch", pNewSketch->SketchPoints->Count); for (long p = 1; p <= pNewSketch->SketchPoints->Count; p++) { CComPtr<SketchPoint> pTempSketchPoint; pNewSketch->SketchPoints->get_Item(p,&pTempSketchPoint); CComPtr<Point2d> pCoords; pTempSketchPoint->get_Geometry(&pCoords); gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Point %3d is %.2f %.2f",p, pCoords->GetX(),pCoords->GetY()); }

12.38 gkVarEmpty

This is used in various calls where you want an empty parameter:

const CComVariant gkvarEmpty ; // Used in various COM calls here

12.39 Add an iMate (based on a point) into an assembly

Here is a function to do it:

bool AddMateiMateAtAsmWorkPoint(const CString& kcsiMateName, CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>pAsmCompDef, const CString& kcsWorkPointName)



{ CComPtr<iMateDefinitions> piMateDefinitions = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_iMateDefinitions(&piMateDefinitions); if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE ("AMMAAWP: Failed to get iMate definitions"); return false ; }

CComPtr<WorkPoint> pWorkPoint; const bool kbWpOk = GetWorkPointByName(pWorkPoint, kcsWorkPointName,pAsmCompDef); if (!kbWpOk) { TRACE ("AMMAAWP: Failed to get work point called <%s>",kcsWorkPointName); return false; }

// Zero offset CComVariant varOffset = CComVariant(0.0);

CComPtr<MateiMateDefinition> pMateiMateDef; hRes = piMateDefinitions->AddMateiMateDefinition(pWorkPoint, varOffset, kNoInference, gkvarEmpty, CComBSTR(kcsiMateName), gkvarEmpty, &pMateiMateDef); if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"AMMAAWP:Failed to add iMate definition at work point.",kcsWorkPointName); return false; }

return true;}

Here is some example code which also opens the assembly...

CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAsmCompDef; CComPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAsmDoc; const CString kcsFullAsmFileName(L"C:\\TEST.IAM") ;

const bool kbOpenedOk = OpenAssembly(pAsmCompDef,pAsmDoc,kcsFullAsmFileName) ; if (!kbOpenedOk) { TRACE("Failed to open"); return; }

CComPtr<iMateDefinitions> piMateDefinitions = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_iMateDefinitions(&piMateDefinitions); if (FAILED(hRes)) {



TRACE("Failed to get imate definitions"); return; }

CComPtr<WorkPoint> pWorkPoint; const bool kbWpOk = GetWorkPointByName(pWorkPoint, L"ZeroPoint",pAsmCompDef); if (!kbWpOk) { TRACE("Could not find work point"); return; }

CComVariant varOffset = CComVariant(0.0);

CComPtr<MateiMateDefinition> pMateiMateDef; hRes = piMateDefinitions->AddMateiMateDefinition(pWorkPoint, varOffset, kNoInference, gkvarEmpty, CComBSTR("Pippo"), gkvarEmpty, &pMateiMateDef); if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE("Failed to add imate definition."); }

pAsmDoc->Close(VARIANT_FALSE);

See what I mean?

12.40 Part Lists programatically

Here you get an existing Part List and add a row to it:

// There can be many part lists in a single sheet, get hold of thelist of lists... CComPtr<PartsLists> pPartsLists; hRes = pSheet->get_PartsLists(&pPartsLists);

// Make a 2d point to specify the top left corner of the partslist... CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = GetTransGeomPtr () ; CComPtr<Point2d> pListPos; // Create a 2d point

// Place top left of part list in the center of the sheet... pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(SheetWidth/2.0,SheetWidth/2.0,&pListPos);

// To create a part list you add it to the list of part lists.... CComPtr<PartsList> MyPartList; CComVariant varNumNum(kNumericNumbering); hRes = pPartsLists->Add(pBaseView1, pListPos, kFirstLevelComponents,varNumNum, 1, VARIANT_FALSE, &MyPartList);



// A part list is in essence a set of rows... PartsListRowsPtr pRows = MyPartList->GetPartsListRows(); long iNumRows = pRows->Count;

// Add a new row. // This new row will have the same number of columns as existing rows CComPtr<PartsListRow> pNewRow; hRes = pRows->Add(iNumRows, // Relative to which existing row weinsert the new one? VARIANT_FALSE, // FALSE means insert after theexsiting roe &pNewRow); // Returned new row long iNumCols; pNewRow->get_Count(&iNumCols); if (iNumCols >= 4) { // Test adding text into col 3 // Col1 is id, 2 is quantity, they have default values 3 and 4 youfill out CComPtr<PartsListCell> pCell; CComVariant ColNum(3); pNewRow->get_Item(ColNum, &pCell); CComBSTR Hello(L"Hello you"); pCell->put_Value(Hello); }

So you have to get hold of the cell and then modify it.



12.41 Add an assembly into another assembly programatically

Here is the code to do that:

HRESULT AddAssemblyToAssemblyAtPosition (CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pParentAsmDef, const CString& kcsFullPathAsmName, const double kxPos, const double kyPos, const double kzPos, CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pChildAsmOcc, CComQIPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pChildAsmDef, const double kxRotDegs /*=0.0*/, const double kyRotDegs /*=0.0*/, const double kzRotDegs /*=0.0*/) /*The positions are in the natural units of Inventor, usually cmWe return the occurence and its part component definition*/{ pChildAsmOcc = nullptr ;

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccurrencesList = nullptr; HRESULT hRes = pParentAsmDef->get_Occurrences (&pOccurrencesList) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddAssemblyToAssemblyAtPosition get_Occurrences failed") ; }

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = GetTransGeomPtr () ; CComPtr<Matrix> pPosMatrix; pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pPosMatrix);

CComPtr<Vector> pVector; // Create a Vector to modify the Matrix pTransGeom->CreateVector(kxPos,kyPos,kzPos,&pVector);

// Make the matrix a "move to point" matrix... pPosMatrix->SetTranslation (pVector,VARIANT_TRUE) ;

CComPtr<Matrix> pPosRotMatrix ; pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pPosRotMatrix);

CComPtr<Vector> pZAxis ; hRes = pTransGeom->CreateVector (0,0,1,&pZAxis); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"Could not create z axis vector") ; return false ; }

CComPtr<Point> pOrigin ; hRes = pTransGeom->CreatePoint (0,0,0,&pOrigin);



const double kZRadsRot = RadsFromDegs(kzRotDegs); pPosRotMatrix->SetToRotation (kZRadsRot,pZAxis,pOrigin) ;

pPosRotMatrix->PreMultiplyBy(pPosMatrix);

hRes = pOccurrencesList->Add (CComBSTR(kcsFullPathAsmName),pPosRotMatrix,&pChildAsmOcc) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddAssemblyToAssemblyAtPosition Add failed") ; }

// Get the general component definition... CComQIPtr<ComponentDefinition> pCompDef ; hRes = pChildAsmOcc->get_Definition (&pCompDef) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddAssemblyToAssemblyAtPosition could not get child definition.") ; }

// Cast from the general sort of component definition to the specific assembly component definition pChildAsmDef = CComQIPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>(pCompDef); if (pChildAsmDef == nullptr) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"AddAssemblyToAssemblyAtPosition(%s) could not cast to pChildAsmDef.") ; return E_FAIL ; }

return S_OK ;}


12.42 Hide a sketch in a part

You can yse this function:

void HidePartSketchByName (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef,const wchar_t* const pszName){ // Get the list of sketches... CComPtr<PlanarSketches> pSketchesList ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_Sketches(&pSketchesList) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"HPSBN (%s) get_Features failed",pszName); return ; }

CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pSketch ; hRes = pSketchesList->get_Item (CComVariant(pszName),&pSketch) ;



if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"HPSBN (%s) get_Item failed, sketch hasalready been deleted maybe", pszName); return ; }

pSketch->put_Visible (VARIANT_FALSE) ;}

12.43 Range BBox of a PartsList

Notice that you declare the Box2d but don't must not make it withpTrGeom->CreateBox2d(&BBoxOfLists);. In other words get_RangeBox expectsa null input and he hands you back the created box.

// Find out the size of the bounding box CComPtr<Box2d> BBoxOfLists; // Inits to nullptr MyPartsList->get_RangeBox(&BBoxOfLists);

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Bbox = %.2f %.2f %.2f %.2f ", BBoxOfLists->GetMinPoint()->GetX(), BBoxOfLists->GetMinPoint()->GetY(), BBoxOfLists->GetMaxPoint()->GetX(), BBoxOfLists->GetMaxPoint()->GetY());

12.44 Add a unitless user parameter into an assembly

Here's a function to do that:

// Adds a unitless user parameter and its value into an assembly... void AddUserUlParamToAssembly(CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>&pAssemblyCompDef, const CString& kcsParamName, const double kParamValue){ // Parameters contains two lists, Model and User... CComPtr<Parameters> pParameters ; pAssemblyCompDef->get_Parameters (&pParameters) ;

// Get the model parameters list... CComPtr<UserParameters> pUserParameters ; pParameters->get_UserParameters (&pUserParameters) ;

CComVariant varValue(kParamValue); CComVariant varUnits(L"ul");



CComBSTR bstrVarName(kcsParamName);

HRESULT hRes = pUserParameters->AddByValue(bstrVarName, varValue,varUnits); if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"Could not add user parameter <%s> to assembly", kcsParamName); }}

It seems like you cannot specify int or double, all parameters aredoubles.

12.45 Create an ObjectCollection of parts in an assembly

You won't have all the functions here, you'll have to adapt it, but youget the idea:

CComPtr<ObjectCollection> CreateCollectionOfCctObjects(CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef, const CctTypeFlags_t ikObjectsToCollect){ // Make an ObjectCollection of all object typesspecified... CComPtr<TransientObjects> pTransObjs =GetTransientObjectsPtr() ;

CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pObjCollection = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pTransObjs->CreateObjectCollection(gkvarEmpty,&pObjCollection) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"CCOCO,CreateObjectCollection failed.") ; return nullptr ; }

// Get ALL the occurrences in the assembly... CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccurrences = nullptr; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences (&



pOccurrences) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"CCOCO,get_Occurrences failed.") ; return nullptr ; }

// Collect together only the occurrences we areinterested in... for (int i = 1; i <= pOccurrences->Count; i++) { CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pThisCompOcc =nullptr ; hRes = pOccurrences->get_Item(i, &pThisCompOcc);

_bstr_t DisplayName = pThisCompOcc->Get_DisplayName(); CString kcsDisplayName = CString(DisplayName.GetBSTR());

const CString kcsSapCode = kcsDisplayName.Left(NUM_SAP_CHARS);

const bool kbObjToActOn = SapCodeIsA(kcsSapCode, ikObjectsToCollect) ; if (kbObjToActOn) { pObjCollection->Add(pThisCompOcc); } }

return pObjCollection;}

Can be used to create an ObjectCollection of ParticipatingOccurrences.



12.46 Delete a feature in a part

It is a bit delicate if other features depend on the feature you aretrying to delete.

void DeletePartFeatureByName(CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef,const wchar_t* const pszName){ // Get the list of features... CComPtr<PartFeatures> pFeaturesList = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_Features(&pFeaturesList) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"DPFBN get_Features failed"); return ; }

CComPtr<PartFeature> pFeature = nullptr ; hRes = pFeaturesList->get_Item (CComVariant(pszName),&pFeature) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"DPFBN get_Item(%s) failed",pszName); return ; }

hRes = pFeature->Delete(VARIANT_FALSE,VARIANT_FALSE,VARIANT_FALSE); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"DPFBN Delete(%s) failed",pszName); }}

12.47 Loop over part occurences in an assembly

Here's an example, which also shows the use of _b_str_t andDisplayName and the filename of the part:

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccurrences; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences (&pOccurrences) ;

// Note the i starts at 1, NET counting for (int i = 1; i <= pOccurrences->Count; i++) { CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pThisCompOcc ; hRes = pOccurrences->get_Item(i, &pThisCompOcc);

_bstr_t DisplayName = pThisCompOcc->Get_DisplayName(); CString csDisplayName = CString (DisplayName.GetBSTR());

CComPtr<DocumentDescriptor> pDocDesc ; pThisCompOcc->get_ReferencedDocumentDescriptor(&pDocDesc) ; CComBSTR bstrFullDocName ;



pDocDesc->get_FullDocumentName (&bstrFullDocName) ; gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Occ <%s> Disp=<%s>",CString(bstrFullDocName), csDisplayName); }

The DisplayName is what appears in the tree list of the assembly, bythe way. The output in the display name also includes the number ofthe part inserted, after the ":"

Occurrence <C:\Owen\DirA\Curve_Rame_12\30091328.ipt> Display=<30091328:17>Occurrence <C:\Owen\DirA\Forcelle_Rame_12_Rigato\30093874.ipt>Display=<30093874:22>Occurrence <C:\Owen\DirA\Curve_Rame_12\30091327.ipt> Display=<30091327:18>Occurrence <C:\Owen\DirA\Forcelle_Rame_12_Rigato\30093882.ipt>Display=<30093882:23>



12.48 Add a rectangle to a sketch

Here's a function to add a rectangle to a sketch:

bool AddRectToSketch (CComPtr<PlanarSketch>& pSketch, const double kxMin, const double kyMin, const double kxMax, const double kyMax) { // Get the transient geometry object. We'll use this to create pure geometric points CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTrGeom = GetTransGeomPtr() ; CComPtr<Point2d> pMinPt; // Pure geometric point HRESULT hRes = pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(kxMin,kyMin,&pMinPt); CComPtr<Point2d> pMaxPt; // Pure geometric point hRes = pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(kxMax,kyMax,&pMaxPt);

// Create sketch points from above points // Get list of SketchPoints, points existing in a sketch CComPtr<SketchPoints> pSkPoints;

hRes = pSketch->get_SketchPoints(&pSkPoints);

// Create a SketchPoint from a geometric point CComPtr<SketchPoint> pSpt1; hRes = pSkPoints->Add(pMinPt, // geometrical point VARIANT_FALSE, // not a hole center &pSpt1); // resulting SketchPoint

CComPtr<SketchPoint> pSpt2; hRes = pSkPoints->Add(pMaxPt,VARIANT_FALSE,&pSpt2); CComPtr<SketchEntitiesEnumerator> pRectangleLines;

// Get SketchLines CComPtr<SketchLines> pSkLines; hRes = pSketch->get_SketchLines(&pSkLines);

// Creat a rectangle from two points hRes = pSkLines->AddAsTwoPointRectangle(_variant_t((IDispatch *)pSpt1), _variant_t((IDispatch *)pSpt2), &pRectangleLines);

return SUCCEEDED(hRes) ;}



12.49 Rectangular cut with extrusion

Here is what I use, complete with optional participating occurrencesObjectCollection:

bool ExtrudeSketchInAsm (const wchar_t* const pszExtrusionName, // name ofcreated feature const double kHeight, const wchar_t* const pszSketchName, // whichsketch to extrude const PartFeatureOperationEnum eOperation, // how toextrude const PartFeatureExtentDirectionEnum eDirection, CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef, CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pParticipatingObjects /* =nullptr*/)/*Given a height and a sketch name the sketch is extruded to the given height.The resultant feature is placed inside pAsmCompDef, and is calledpszExtrusionNameeOperation tells us whether to cut a hole or create a solid object etc.eDirection tells us which direction to make the extrusion.If pParticipatingObjects is nullptr all occurrences in the assembly areaffected.If pParticipatingObjects is a list of occurrences ony thos occurrences areaffected.*/{ gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"ESIA extrusion called %s, height %.2fmm,sketch=%s\n", pszExtrusionName,kHeight,pszSketchName) ;

// Get the sketch in the part by name... CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pSketch; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->Sketches->get_Item(CComVariant(pszSketchName),&pSketch); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ESIA, but could not get sketch by name: <%s>\n",pszSketchName); return false ; } CComPtr<Profile> pProfile ; // This is the return value of the call toAddForSolid // and will be used when we extrude. CComVariant pSegs; // not used CComVariant pReserve; // not used hRes = pSketch->Profiles->AddForSolid(VARIANT_TRUE,pSegs,pReserve,&pProfile); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ESIA, but could not AddForSolid for pProfile\n");



return false ; }

// Features are 3D objects. Get the list of them so we can add to thatlist... CComPtr<Features> pListOfFeatures=nullptr; hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Features(&pListOfFeatures); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ESIA, but could not get_Features\n"); return false ; }

// Get the list of *extruded* features... CComPtr<ExtrudeFeatures> pListOfExtrusions; hRes = pListOfFeatures->get_ExtrudeFeatures(&pListOfExtrusions); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ESIA, but could not get_ExtrudeFeatures\n"); return false ; }

// Now at last we can use the pProfile to create a new extrusion, addingit to the list // of extruded features. This is where we use the eOperation parameter CComPtr<ExtrudeDefinition> pExtrudeDef; hRes = pListOfExtrusions->CreateExtrudeDefinition(pProfile,eOperation,&pExtrudeDef); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ESIA, but could not CreateExtrudeDefinition\n"); return false ; }

// Specify the distance and direction of the extrustion... pExtrudeDef->SetDistanceExtent(_variant_t(kHeight),eDirection);

if (pParticipatingObjects != nullptr) { hRes = pExtrudeDef->put_AffectedOccurrences(pParticipatingObjects); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ESIA, but could not put_AffectedOccurrencesfor <%s>\n",pszExtrusionName); return false ; } }

// Add the extrusion. CComPtr<ExtrudeFeature> pExtrude = nullptr ; hRes = pListOfExtrusions->Add (pExtrudeDef,&pExtrude); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ESIA, but could not Add ExtrudeDefinition for<%s>\n" L"***LISTEN*** This can happen if the extrusion does notchange the model.",pszExtrusionName); return false ; }



pExtrude->put_Name (CComBSTR (pszExtrusionName)) ;

return true ;}

12.50 WorkAxis constraints

To constrain two axes together programatically you can use thisfunction:

bool AddMateConstraintOfTwoWorkAxisProxies (CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef, CComPtr<WorkAxisProxy>& pWAProxyA, CComPtr<WorkAxisProxy>& pWAProxyB, const double kRadiusMm /*=0.0*/) { // Get the list of constraints of the assembly so you can add a new one CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pConstraintList = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Constraints(&pConstraintList) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pConstraintList == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddMateConstraintOfTwoWorkAxisProxies could notget constraints.") ; return false ; }

// The offset in a axis constraint is a radius about which the axes // can rotate. Having a non zero one means a bit more flexiblity. CComVariant varOffset(kRadiusMm/10.0); // in cm

CComPtr<MateConstraint> pMateConstraint = nullptr ; hRes = pConstraintList->AddMateConstraint(pWAProxyA, pWAProxyB, varOffset, kNoInference, kNoInference, gkvarEmpty, gkvarEmpty, &pMateConstraint); if ((FAILED(hRes) || (pMateConstraint == nullptr))) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddMateConstraintOfTwoWorkAxisProxies failed") ; return false ; }

return true ;}

Explanation of kRadiusMm here.



12.51 Getting hold of the standard workpoint called "Center Point"

Here's an example of getting it and using it:

// Get the point in the manicotto CComPtr<WorkPoint> pWorkPointInMani ; hRes = GetWorkPointByName (pWorkPointInMani,L"Center Point",pManicottoCompDef) ;

AddMateConstraintOfTwoPoints (pAssemblyCompDef, pTuboOcc, pWorkPointInColl, pManicottoOcc, pWorkPointInMani) ;

I also call it an origin point or a zero point.

12.52 Add a WorkPoint into an assembly programatically

Here's how to do it, but note that the point added is totallyunconstrained:

CComPtr<WorkPoints> pWorkPointsList ; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_WorkPoints (&pWorkPointsList) ;

CComPtr<Point> pPt; // Create a 3d point hRes = GetTransGeomPtr()->CreatePoint(kStart[XI],kStart[YI],kStart[ZI],&pPt);

hRes = pWorkPointsList->AddFixed (pPt,FALSE) ;

There's no error checking in the above code.

To do it manually you need to create a point which is the intersectionof 3 planes (x y z). The planes can be offset of course so you are ableto put the plane anywhere in 3D space.

Here is code which illustrates putting it at the start of an axis andsetting its name:

// Get the geometry of the axis.. LinePtr pLine = pNodeWAZProxy->GetLine() ; PointPtr pProxyOrigin = pLine->RootPoint ; UnitVectorPtr pDir = pLine->Direction ;

// You can get hold of the double values like this... TRACE("pos = %.3f, %.3f, %.3f, dir = %.3f, %.3f, %.3f,\n", pProxyOrigin->GetX(),pProxyOrigin->GetY(),pProxyOrigin->GetZ(), pDir->GetX(), pDir->GetY(), pDir->GetZ());



CComPtr<WorkPoints> pWorkPointsList ; hRes = pCctsAssemblyCompDef->get_WorkPoints (&pWorkPointsList) ; CComPtr<Point> pPt; // Create a 3d point hRes = GetTransGeomPtr()->CreatePoint(pProxyOrigin->GetX(), pProxyOrigin->GetY(), pProxyOrigin->GetZ(),&pPt); CComPtr <WorkPoint> pWorkPoint; hRes = pWorkPointsList->AddFixed (pPt,FALSE,&pWorkPoint) ;

const CTime kNow = CTime::GetCurrentTime (); CString csPointName; csPointName.Format(L"TUBO_%d_%d", kNow.GetSecond(), rand());

CComBSTR bstrName(csPointName);

pWorkPoint->put_Name(bstrName);

12.53 Add a WorkPoint at the intersection of a line and a plane

Here's a fragment (no error checking) which explains how to do it...

// Get the proxy of the axis CComPtr<WorkAxisProxy> pNodeWAZProxy ; ZAxisArray[1]->get_Item(2,(IDispatch**)&pNodeWAZProxy);

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = GetTransGeomPtr () ;

LinePtr pLine = pNodeWAZProxy->GetLine(); PointPtr pLineRoot = pLine->GetRootPoint(); UnitVectorPtr pLineDir = pLine->GetDirection(); CComPtr <Vector> pvecDir ; hRes = pLineDir->AsVector(&pvecDir);

CComPtr <Line> pZAxis; hRes = pTransGeom->CreateLine (pLineRoot,pvecDir,&pZAxis);

CComPtr<Point> pOrigin; CComPtr<Point> p1; CComPtr<Point> p2;

// Create 3 points in the XY plane... pTransGeom->CreatePoint(0, 0, 0, &pOrigin); pTransGeom->CreatePoint(1, 0, 0, &p1); pTransGeom->CreatePoint(0, 1, 0, &p2);

// Create the plane with 3 points... CComPtr<Plane> pGeomXYPlane; hRes = pTransGeom->CreatePlaneByThreePoints(pOrigin, p1, p2, &pGeomXYPlane);

// In general there could me many intersections of a line and a



surfaces, // With a plane we expeect pObjEnum to contain a single object CComPtr <ObjectsEnumerator> pObjEnum; hRes = pTransGeom->CurveSurfaceIntersection(pZAxis, pGeomXYPlane,0.1, &pObjEnum);

TRACE ("There are %d intersections...\n",pObjEnum->Count);

if (pObjEnum->Count < 1) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, "No intersections found..."); return; }

CComPtr <Point> pIntersectionPoint; hRes = pObjEnum->get_Item(1,(IDispatch**)&pIntersectionPoint);

TRACE("Intersection at %.2f %.2f %.2f \n", pIntersectionPoint->GetX(), pIntersectionPoint->GetY(), pIntersectionPoint->GetZ());

CComPtr<WorkPoints> pWorkPoints; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_WorkPoints(&pWorkPoints);

CComPtr <WorkPoint> pInterWorkPoint; pWorkPoints->AddFixed (pIntersectionPoint,FALSE,&pInterWorkPoint);

CComBSTR bstrPointName("ZeroPoint"); hRes = pInterWorkPoint->put_Name(bstrPointName);

12.54 Add grounded WorkAxis in an assembly

There are limits to how you can add work axes in assemblies (andpresumably also work points and work planes). In general they haveto be done using AddFixed.

Here's an example:

CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssemblyDoc; CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef;

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = GetTransGeomPtr();

CComPtr<Application>pApp = theApp.GetInvAppPtr();

CreateNewAssembly(pAssemblyDoc, pAssemblyCompDef,strTemplateFile);



CComPtr<WorkAxes> pAsmWorkAxes; pAssemblyCompDef->get_WorkAxes(&pAsmWorkAxes);

for (int ix = 0; ix < 3; ix++) { double x = ix * 3; for (int iy = 0; iy < 3; iy++) { double y = iy * 3; CComPtr<UnitVector> pUnitVec; pTransGeom->CreateUnitVector(0, 0, 1.0, &pUnitVec);

CComPtr<Point> pPoint; pTransGeom->CreatePoint(x, y, 0.0, &pPoint);

CComPtr<WorkAxis> pNewAxis; pAsmWorkAxes->AddFixed(pPoint, pUnitVec,VARIANT_FALSE,&pNewAxis); pNewAxis->put_Grounded(VARIANT_TRUE); } }

Here is an example which starts off with a WorkAxisProxy and adds aWorkAxis in that position.

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = GetTransGeomPtr () ;

LinePtr pLine = pNodeWAZProxy->GetLine(); PointPtr pLineRoot = pLine->GetRootPoint(); UnitVectorPtr pLineDir = pLine->GetDirection(); CComPtr <Vector> pvecDir ; HRESULT hRes = pLineDir->AsVector(&pvecDir); if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, "AWAART: Could not get AsVector"); return false ; }

CComPtr<WorkAxes> pWorkAxes; hRes =pCctsAsmCompDef->get_WorkAxes(&pWorkAxes); if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, "AWAATR: Could not get workaxes"); return false ; }



CComPtr<WorkAxis> pNewWorkAxis; pWorkAxes->AddFixed (pLineRoot,pLineDir,VARIANT_FALSE,&pNewWorkAxis) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AWAATR: AddFixed (%s) failed",kcsAxisName.GetString ()); return false ; }

CComBSTR bstrAxisName(kcsAxisName); hRes = pNewWorkAxis->put_Name(bstrAxisName); if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg,L"AWAATR: put_Name (%s) failed",LPWSTR(bstrAxisName)); return false ; }

Here is an example in VB:

Public Sub AssemblyWorkAxis() Dim asmDoc As AssemblyDocument Set asmDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument Dim asmDef As AssemblyComponentDefinition Set asmDef = asmDoc.ComponentDefinition Dim tg As TransientGeometry Set tg = ThisApplication.TransientGeometry Dim wa As WorkAxis Set wa = asmDef.WorkAxes.AddFixed(tg.CreatePoint(0, 0, 0), _ tg.CreateUnitVector(1, 1,1)) wa.Grounded = TrueEnd Sub



12.55 List iMates in an assembly

Here's something which will list iMates in an assembly:

CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAsmCompDef; CComPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAsmDoc; const CString kcsFullAsmFileName(L"C:\\docs\TestAssembly.Iam") ;

const bool kbOpenedOk = OpenAssembly(pAsmCompDef,pAsmDoc,kcsFullAsmFileName) ; if (!kbOpenedOk) { TRACE("Failed to open"); return; }

CComPtr<iMateDefinitions> piMateDefinitions = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_iMateDefinitions(&piMateDefinitions); if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE("Failed to get imate definitions"); return; }

TRACE ("There are %d imate definitions\n",piMateDefinitions->GetCount());

for (int i = 1; i <= piMateDefinitions->GetCount(); i++) { CComPtr<iMateDefinition> piMateDef; piMateDefinitions->get_Item(i, &piMateDef);

_bstr_t bstrName = piMateDef->GetName(); CString csName1((wchar_t*)bstrName);

CComPtr<iMateDefinition> piMateDef2; piMateDef->get_ReferencedEntity(&piMateDef2);

TRACE(L"%d %s\n", i, csName1);

if (piMateDef2 != nullptr) { bstrName = piMateDef2->GetName(); CString csName2((wchar_t*)bstrName); TRACE(L" Referenced entity name = %s\n",csName2); }

CComPtr<ReferenceComponent> pRefComp; piMateDef->get_ReferenceComponent(&pRefComp); if (pRefComp != nullptr) { TRACE (L" Refernced component = %s\n",pRefComp->Name) ; }

const ObjectTypeEnum eObjType = piMateDef->GetType();

TRACE(L" Obj type is %d <%s>\n", eObjType, GetObjTypeDesc(eObjType)); }

pAsmDoc->Close(VARIANT_TRUE);



12.56 Filename of referenced doc

The FullDocumentName seems to be the filename. Here's anexample

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pThisCompOcc ;hRes = pOccurrencesList->get_Item(1, &pThisCompOcc);

if (FAILED(hRes) || (pThisCompOcc == nullptr)){ ShowCOMError(hRes,L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName, get_Item failed "); return ; }

// Now find out the part which this is a view of... CComPtr<DocumentDescriptor> pDocDesc ; pThisCompOcc->get_ReferencedDocumentDescriptor (&pDocDesc) ;

CComBSTR bstrFullDocName ; pDocDesc->get_FullDocumentName (&bstrFullDocName) ;

WalertBoxW (L"Referenced doc = %s",bstrFullDocName) ;

12.57 Referenced Document of a View

When you have a view you can get hold of the object the view islooking at. The object is called the referenced document, for exampleif it is a part:



Getting the referenced document can be useful for getting retrieveable dimensions.

Here is an example code fragment (with no error checking):



// Now find out the part which this is a view of... CComPtr<DocumentDescriptor> pDocDesc ; pThisView->get_ReferencedDocumentDescriptor (&pDocDesc) ;

// Still finding out the part which this is a view of... CComPtr<Document> pReffedDoc ; pDocDesc->get_ReferencedDocument ((IDispatch**)&pReffedDoc) ;

if (kPartDocumentObject != pReffedDoc->DocumentType) { WalertBoxW (L"The referenced document is not a part") ; return ; }

// Convert the general referenced doc into a part doc... CComQIPtr<PartDocument> pPartDoc = pReffedDoc ;

So pPartDoc is the document which the view refers to.

12.58 put_Name, how to use it

If you have the name a wchar_t it seems that you must convert ot toa CComBSTR like this

CComBSTR bstrName = CString (pszSketchName) ; pNewSketch->put_Name (bstrName) ;

If you just use the wchar_t it does not seem to work.

12.59 Retrievable Dimensions

Retrievable dimensions are dimensions in the part (and maybe theassembly) which can be placed in the view. In the GUI you open anIDW, go into the Annotate ribbon and click on the Retrieve icon:



If you have two visible versions of the same dimension in differentviews (on the same sheet) only one view will get the dimension.

Programatically you use the functions GetRetrievableDimensions andRetrieveDimensions.



Here's a function you can use when a part drawing (not an assemblydrawing) has been opened... though note that at the time of writing(July 2015) there seems to be a bug in the API when you try to getmore than one dimension singly.



void GetRetDimsOfPart (){ CComPtr<Application> pInvApp = theApp.GetInvAppPtr () ;

// Get all the documents which are open in Inventor... CComPtr<Documents> pDocuments; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocuments) ;

if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDocuments == nullptr)) { TRACE (L"GetRetDimsOfPart, could not get docs") ; return ; }

// Find the first IDW document... const UINT ikNumDocs = pDocuments->Count ; if (ikNumDocs == 0) { TRACE (L"There should be at least one IDW documentopen\n" L"There are no documents open."); return ; }

// This will be non null after the for loop if an IDW drawingdocument is found CComQIPtr<DrawingDocument> pIDWDoc ; // Is null at the moment

for (UINT iDoc = 1 ; iDoc <= ikNumDocs ; iDoc) { CComPtr<Document> pDoc ; hRes = pDocuments->get_Item (1,&pDoc) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDoc == nullptr)) { TRACE (L"GetRetDimsOfPart, could not get doc%d",iDoc) ; return ; }

// Try to convert from general doc to IDW drawing doc pIDWDoc = pDoc ; if (pIDWDoc != nullptr) { // The conversion worked so this is an IDW document,our first... TRACE (L"Doc %d is an IDW",iDoc) ; break ; } }

if (pIDWDoc == nullptr) { TRACE (L"Could not find an IDW") ; return ; }

// Find the sheets of the drawing document...



CComPtr<Sheets> pSheets ; hRes = pIDWDoc->get_Sheets(&pSheets) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pSheets == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetRetDimsOfPart, could not getsheets of drawing document."); return ; }

// Get the (assumed) single sheet inside the IDW. Rememberthe first object // in a COM list had index 1... CComPtr<Sheet> pSheet ; hRes = pSheets->get_Item (CComVariant(1),&pSheet) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pSheet == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetRetDimsOfPart, could not get 1stsheet of drawing."); return ; }

// Get all the views of the sheet... CComPtr<DrawingViews> pViews ; hRes = pSheet->get_DrawingViews (&pViews) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pViews == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetRetDimsOfPart, get_DrawingViewsfailed."); return ; }

// Get the first view, you're assuming that there is one... CComPtr<DrawingView> pThisView ; hRes = pViews->get_Item(1,&pThisView) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pThisView == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetRetDimsOfPart, get_Item(1) forview failed."); return ; }

CComPtr<DrawingDimensions> pDwgDimensions ; pSheet->get_DrawingDimensions (&pDwgDimensions) ;

CComPtr<GeneralDimensions> pGenDims ; pDwgDimensions->get_GeneralDimensions (&pGenDims) ;

CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pAllRetCollection ; hRes = pGenDims->GetRetrievableDimensions(pThisView,gkvarEmpty,&pAllRetCollection) ; if (FAILED (hRes)) { TRACE"Could not get ret dims") ; return ;

} else { WalertBoxA ("Got RetrievableDims ok, there are%d.",pAllRetCollection->Count) ;



}

const long ikNumRetDims = pAllRetCollection->Count ;

// Change this to 0 or 1#define ALL_DIMENSIONS 0

#if ALL_DIMENSIONS /* * Make the dimensions actually appear in the IDW drawingdocument */ CComPtr<GeneralDimensionsEnumerator> pGenDimsEnum1; hRes = pGenDims->Retrieve(pThisView, CComVariant(pAllRetCollection),//This tells it to get all dimensions gkvarEmpty, &pGenDimsEnum1);#else

// Do this so you can create object collections... CComPtr<TransientObjects> pTransObjs =GetTransientObjectsPtr() ;

// Create an initially empty object collection... CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pJustOneDim ; hRes = pTransObjs->CreateObjectCollection(gkvarEmpty,&pJustOneDim) ;

// Get only the first dimension from the retrievabledimensions... IDispatchPtr pFirstDim; hRes = pAllRetCollection->get_Item(_variant_t(1),&pFirstDim);

// Add it into the collection of "just one dimension"... pJustOneDim->Add (pFirstDim) ;

// Add the single dimension into the drawing... CComPtr<GeneralDimensionsEnumerator> pGenDimsEnum1; hRes = pGenDims->Retrieve(pThisView, CComVariant(pJustOneDim), // Thistell it to get just the first dimension &pGenDimsEnum1);

#endif}

Listing the DimensionConstraints...



12.60 DrawingDimensions vs GeneralDimensions

The lists they give are often the same. DrawingDimensions is at ahigher level than GeneralDimensions, and GeneralDimensions letsyou get hold of the RetrievableDimensions.

// This will get all the dimensions currently visible in the sheet as wellas giving // you a way of getting the general dimensions and hence the retrievabledimensions... CComPtr<DrawingDimensions> pDimensions = nullptr ; hRes = pSheet->get_DrawingDimensions (&pDimensions) ;

// The general dimensions gives you a way of getting at the retrievabledimensions.... CComPtr<GeneralDimensions> pGenDimensions = nullptr ; hRes = pDimensions->get_GeneralDimensions (&pGenDimensions) ;

// NOW you can get the retrievable dimensions CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pObjColl; hRes = pGenDimensions->GetRetrievableDimensions(pThisView, CComVariant(),&pObjColl);

Both GeneralDimensions and DrawingDimensions will also list thedimension objects in the sheet:

for (long i = 1; i <= pGenDimensions->Count; i++) { CComPtr<GeneralDimension> pGenDim; pGenDimensions->get_Item(i, &pGenDim);

CComPtr <DimensionText> pDimText; pGenDim->get_Text(&pDimText);

CComBSTR DimText; pDimText->get_Text(&DimText);

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"GeneralDimension Type is <%d> <%s> Text is<%s>", pGenDim->Type, GetObjTypeDesc(pGenDim->Type), CString(DimText));



}

for (long i = 1; i <= pDimensions->Count; i++) { CComPtr<DrawingDimension> pDwgDim; pDimensions->get_Item(i, &pDwgDim);

double ModelValue; pDwgDim->get_ModelValue(&ModelValue);

CComPtr <DimensionText> pDimText; pDwgDim->get_Text(&pDimText);


gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"DrawingDim Type is <%d> <%s> Text is <%s>ModelValue=%.2f", pDwgDim->Type, GetObjTypeDesc(pDwgDim->Type), CString(DimText),ModelValue); }

Model value is the actual number of the value, whereas the Text iswhat appears in the drawing.

12.61 Negative Dimensions

Dimensions can only be positive, so if you want a negative dimension(as a way of positioning a hole to the left or right of another feature forexample) you need to put a point at one extreme and then use a UserParameter. This example should make it clear:



When R1Scosta is 0 the circle is on the Z axis.

12.62 Show a dimension programatically

This function will try to show a list of dimensions, when eachdimension is based on a parameter.

And the definition is this (no error checking):

void ShowNamedRetDimsInView (const CString& kcsViewName, const CStringList& kcsParamNames, CComQIPtr<DrawingDocument>& pIDWDoc){ // Find the sheets of the drawing document... CComPtr<Sheets> pSheets = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pIDWDoc->get_Sheets(&pSheets) ;

// Get the (assumed) single sheet inside the IDW. Remember the firstobject // in a COM list had index 1...



CComPtr<Sheet> pSheet = nullptr ; hRes = pSheets->get_Item (CComVariant(1),&pSheet) ;

CComPtr<DrawingView> pThisView = nullptr ; const bool kbViewOk = FindDrawingViewInSheetByName (pThisView,pSheet,kcsViewName) ; if (!kbViewOk) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg, L"SNRDIV2, could not find view <%s>.", kcsViewName); return ; }

CComPtr<DrawingDimensions> pDimensions = nullptr ; hRes = pSheet->get_DrawingDimensions (&pDimensions) ;

// The general dimensions gives you a way of getting at the retrievabledimensions.... CComPtr<GeneralDimensions> pGenDimensions = nullptr ; hRes = pDimensions->get_GeneralDimensions (&pGenDimensions) ;

// The Arrange function requires an object collection of dimensions toarrange... CComPtr<TransientObjects> pTransientObjects = GetTransientObjectsPtr() ; CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pObjCollection = nullptr ; hRes = pTransientObjects->CreateObjectCollection (gkvarEmpty,&pObjCollection) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateObjectCollection failed "); return; }

// Retrieve *all* retrievable dimensions. This will make all thedimensions appear in the drawing... CComPtr<GeneralDimensionsEnumerator> pGenDimsEnum; hRes = pGenDimensions->Retrieve(pThisView, CComVariant(), &pGenDimsEnum);

long nTotalDims=0; hRes = pGenDimsEnum->get_Count(&nTotalDims);

// Go over all the dimensions, erasing those not in my list... for(int nDim = 1; nDim <= nTotalDims; nDim++) { CComPtr<GeneralDimension> pGenDim; hRes = pGenDimsEnum->get_Item(_variant_t(nDim), &pGenDim);

CComPtr <DimensionText> pDimText; pGenDim->get_Text(&pDimText);


CComBSTR paramName; IDispatchPtr pGenDimIDisp;



hRes = pGenDim->get_RetrievedFrom(&pGenDimIDisp);

CComQIPtr<FeatureDimension> pFeatureDim = CComQIPtr<FeatureDimension>(pGenDimIDisp); if(pFeatureDim != NULL) { CComPtr<Parameter> pParam; hRes = pFeatureDim->get_Parameter(&pParam); hRes = pParam->get_Name(&paramName); }

CComQIPtr<DimensionConstraint> pDimConstraint = CComQIPtr<DimensionConstraint>(pGenDimIDisp); if(pDimConstraint != NULL) { CComPtr<Parameter> pParam; hRes = pDimConstraint->get_Parameter(&pParam); hRes = pParam->get_Name(&paramName); }

CComQIPtr<FeatureDimensionProxy> pFeatureDimProxy = CComQIPtr<FeatureDimensionProxy>(pGenDimIDisp); if(pFeatureDimProxy != NULL) { CComPtr<Parameter> pParam; hRes = pFeatureDimProxy->get_Parameter(&pParam); hRes = pParam->get_Name(&paramName); }

/* * We will delete this dimension if it is NOT in the list * of dimensions we want. */ bool bDelete = true ; for (INT_PTR iParam = 0 ; iParam < kcsParamNames.GetCount ();iParam++) { const POSITION Pos = kcsParamNames.FindIndex (iParam) ; const CString kcsListed = kcsParamNames.GetAt (Pos) ; if (wcscmp (kcsListed.GetString(),paramName) == 0) { // This parameter, paramName, is in the list, so I don'tdelete it bDelete = false ; break ; } }

if (bDelete) { // This parameter is not one we want to retain... pGenDim->Delete();

} else { // Add to the collection of dimensions to be arranged later... pObjCollection->Add(pGenDim); }



}

if (pObjCollection->Count > 0) { pDimensions->Arrange(pObjCollection); }}

You can call the function in this way:

CStringList csNames; csNames.AddHead(L"d147"); // This corresponds to the length of thecollettore csNames.AddHead(L"Extra"); csNames.AddHead(L"Diameter7"); ShowNamedRetDimsInView (L"Front",csNames,pDrawingDoc) ;

12.63 Dimensions in a drawing sheet

Here's how to count the number of dimensions in a drawings sheet:

CComPtr<DrawingViews> pViews = nullptr ; hRes = pSheet->get_DrawingViews (&pViews) ;

{ CComPtr<DrawingDimensions> pDimensions = nullptr ; hRes = pSheet->get_DrawingDimensions (&pDimensions) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"pSheet->get_DrawingDimensionsfailed "); }

long lNumDims; hRes = pDimensions->get_Count(&lNumDims); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"pDimensions->get_Count failed "); }

WalertBoxA ("This has %d dimensions",lNumDims) ; }

See also retrievable dimensions.



12.64 Plane object, getting its geometry

Here is how to get it from a proxy inside an assembly, but you canuse a similar function for a real WorkPlane.

// This will get you the point and the normal which define the workplanevoid GetWorkPlaneProxyData(CVec& vecRoot, CVec& vecNormal, CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy>& pWorkPlaneProxy){ double RootCoords[3]; SAFEARRAY* pRootArray = CreateSafeDoubleArray(3, RootCoords) ;

double NormalCoords[3]; SAFEARRAY* pNormArray = CreateSafeDoubleArray(3, NormalCoords) ;

pWorkPlaneProxy->Plane->GetPlaneData(&pRootArray,&pNormArray);

for (LONG i = XI ; i <= ZI; i++) { LONG rgIndex = i; double Root = 0; SafeArrayGetElement(pRootArray, &rgIndex, &Root); vecRoot.SetVal(i, Root);

double Norm = 0; SafeArrayGetElement(pNormArray, &rgIndex, &Norm); vecNormal.SetVal(i, Norm); }

SafeArrayDestroy(pRootArray); SafeArrayDestroy(pNormArray);}



12.65 Open a part from a view

Here is a fragment to show you how:

CComPtr<DocumentDescriptor> pDocDesc ; pView->get_ReferencedDocumentDescriptor (&pDocDesc) ;

// Still finding out the part which this is a view of... CComPtr<Document> pReffedDoc ; pDocDesc->get_ReferencedDocument ((IDispatch**)&pReffedDoc) ;

if (kAssemblyDocumentObject != pReffedDoc->DocumentType) { WalertBoxW (L"The referenced document is not an assemblu part") ; return ; }

// Convert the general referenced doc into a part doc... CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAsmDoc = pReffedDoc ;

// Get assembly component definition CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef ; hRes = pAsmDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pAssemblyCompDef == nullptr)){ ShowCOMError(hRes,L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName, get_ComponentDefinition failed "); return ; }

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccurrencesList=nullptr; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences (&pOccurrencesList) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pOccurrencesList==nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"get_Occurrences failed") ; return ; }

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pThisCompOcc ;hRes = pOccurrencesList->get_Item(1, &pThisCompOcc);

if (FAILED(hRes) || (pThisCompOcc == nullptr)){ ShowCOMError(hRes,L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName, get_Item failed "); return ; }

// Now find out the part which this is a view of... CComPtr<DocumentDescriptor> pDocDesc2 ; pThisCompOcc->get_ReferencedDocumentDescriptor (&pDocDesc2) ;

CComBSTR bstrFullDocName ; pDocDesc2->get_FullDocumentName (&bstrFullDocName) ;



WalertBoxW (L"Referenced doc = %s",bstrFullDocName) ;

CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef ; CComPtr<PartDocument> pPartDoc ; CComPtr<Application> pInvApp = theApp.GetInvAppPtr () ;

hRes = OpenPart (pPartCompDef, pPartDoc, CString(bstrFullDocName), pInvApp) ;

.

12.66 getType and ObjectTypeEnum

You can use GetType (or get_Type()) to see what sort of object youhave.

For example:

CComPtr<ModelParameter> pModelParam ; ... other stuff

// Two ways of getting the object type... TRACE (L"pModelParam->GetType()=%d\n",pModelParam->GetType());

ObjectTypeEnum ObjType ; pModelParam->get_Type (&ObjType) ;

TRACE (L"pModelParam->get_Type()=%d\n",ObjType) ;

If you have initialised pModelParam properly it will return 50348544 (kModelParameterObject).

Other common values are:

kComponentOccurrenceObject = 67113776, kAssemblyDocumentObject = 12291 kPartComponentDefinitionObject = 83886592, kFeaturePatternElementObject = 83923968, kObjectCollectionObject = 2130706443, kWorkPlaneObject = 83887616, kWorkPointObject = 83893504, kWorkPointProxyObject = 83893664,



kTwoPointDistanceDimConstraintProxyObject = 83905904 kDiameterDimConstraintProxyObject = 83906672

This example shows that get_Type will give you a high leveldescription, it does not tell you which sort of model parameter it is(double, count, etc). For that you need the ParameterTypeEnum.

The full set of values can be found in rxinventor.tlh, which will besomewhere like:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2017\SDK\DeveloperTools\Samples\VC++\AddIns\SimpleAddIn\x64\Debug\rxinventor.tlh

or in the API help file.

You may find this function useful, adding more cases as youneed/find them:

CString GetObjTypeDesc (const ObjectTypeEnum eObjType)/*Returns a string version of the object type.*/{ switch (eObjType) { case kWorkAxisObject: return CString ("kWorkAxisObject") ;

case kWorkPointObject: return CString ("kWorkPointObject") ;

case kWorkPlaneObject: return CString ("kWorkPlaneObject") ;

case kTwoPointDistanceDimConstraintProxyObject: return CString ("kTwoPointDistanceDimConstraintProxyObject") ;

case kDiameterDimConstraintProxyObject: return CString ("kDiameterDimConstraintProxyObject") ;

case kTwoLineAngleDimConstraintProxyObject: return CString ("kTwoLineAngleDimConstraintProxyObject") ;

case kTangentDistanceDimConstraintProxyObject: return CString ("kTangentDistanceDimConstraintProxyObject") ;

case kOffsetDimConstraintProxyObject: return CString ("kOffsetDimConstraintProxyObject") ;

case kRadiusDimConstraintProxyObject: return CString ("kRadiusDimConstraintProxyObject") ;



case kDrawingViewObject: return CString ("kDrawingViewObject") ;

case kMateiMateDefinitionObject: return CString ("kMateiMateDefinitionObject") ;

case kiMateDefinitionObject : return CString("kiMateDefinitionObject");

case kAngleiMateDefinitionObject: return CString("");

case kFlushiMateDefinitionObject: return CString("kFlushiMateDefinitionObject");

case kInsertiMateDefinitionObject: return CString("kInsertiMateDefinitionObject");

case kTangentiMateDefinitionObject: return CString("kTangentiMateDefinitionObject");

case kCompositeiMateDefinitionObject: return CString("kCompositeiMateDefinitionObject");

case kRotateRotateiMateDefinitionObject: return CString("kRotateRotateiMateDefinitionObject");

case kRotateTranslateiMateDefinitionObject: return CString("kRotateTranslateiMateDefinitionObject");

case kiMateResultsObject: return CString("kiMateResultsObject");

case kiMateResultObject: return CString("kiMateResultObject");

case kLinearGeneralDimensionObject: return CString("kLinearGeneralDimensionObject"); case kDiameterGeneralDimensionObject: return CString("kDiameterGeneralDimensionObject");

default: { CString csUnknown ; csUnknown.Format (L"Unknown ObjTypeEnum %d",eObjType) ; return csUnknown ; } }}



12.67 Listing types of dimensions in a view

This code fragment shows you how to get hold of theDimensionConstraints:

CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pAllRetCollection ; hRes = pGenDims->GetRetrievableDimensions(pThisView,gkvarEmpty,&pAllRetCollection) ; if (FAILED (hRes)) { TRACE"Could not get ret dims") ; return ;

} else { WalertBoxA ("Got RetrievableDims ok, there are%d.",pAllRetCollection->Count) ; }

const long ikNumRetDims = pAllRetCollection->Count ;

for (long iDim = 1 ; iDim <= ikNumRetDims ; iDim++) { IDispatchPtr pNthDim; hRes = pAllRetCollection->get_Item(_variant_t(iDim),&pNthDim);

CComPtr<DimensionConstraint> pDimConstraint ; hRes = pNthDim->QueryInterface(__uuidof(DimensionConstraint), (void **)&pDimConstraint);

if (FAILED (hRes)) { TRACE (L"Could not query interface of dim %d of%d\n",iDim,ikNumRetDims) ;

} else { ObjectTypeEnum eType = pDimConstraint->GetType() ; TRACE (L" dim %d is a %d %s\n",iDim,eType,GetObjTypeDesc(eType)) ; CComPtr<Parameter> pThisParam ; hRes = pDimConstraint->get_Parameter (&pThisParam) ; if (FAILED (hRes)) { TRACE (L"Could not get parameter of dim %d of%d\n",iDim,ikNumRetDims) ;

} else { CComBSTR bstrParamName ; pThisParam->get_Name (&bstrParamName) ; TRACE (L"Param of dim %d is%s\n",iDim,bstrParamName) ; }



}

pNthDim = nullptr ; // free the IDispatch pointer }

It also shows you how to get an item as an IDispatchPtr and turn itinto a DimensionConstraint (for example), and how to get the name ofthe parameter which controls the dimension.

12.68 Getting the version of Inventor programatically

Here is the code to do it:

CComPtr<Application> pInvApp = ...

CComBSTR bstrVersion ; pInvApp->SoftwareVersion->get_DisplayName (&bstrVersion) ; TRACE (L"Software version DisplayName is <%s>\n",bstrVersion) ;

pInvApp->SoftwareVersion->get_DisplayVersion (&bstrVersion) ; TRACE (L"Software version DisplayVersion is <%s>\n",bstrVersion) ;

And the output in your debug window will look something like this:

Software version DisplayName is <2013 (Build 170138000, 138)>Software version DisplayVersion is <2013>

Apart from DisplayName and DisplayVersion there are other functionslike get_Major and get_Minor. For example:

long iMajorVer ; pInvApp->SoftwareVersion->get_Major (&iMajorVer) ;

long iMinorVer ; pInvApp->SoftwareVersion->get_Minor (&iMinorVer) ;

TRACE (L"Software version Major=%d, Minor=%d\n",iMajorVer,iMinorVer) ;

with this result:

Software version Major=17, Minor=0



But I don't find numbers as helpful as the display strings.

12.69 QueryInterface and Release Etc

If possible use CComQIPtr. If you insist you can read the following...

There is some confusion in this question's answers about whatQueryInterface actually does. It simply retrieves pointers to thesupported interfaces on an object and increments the reference counton that object. It doesn't create a new object for each interface that itimplements.

For example if you have an object which implements 2 interfaces,then the call would simply cast that object as each of the interfaceand increment a variable which is used as the reference count.

QueryInterface allows the caller to retrieve references to differentinterfaces the component implements. It is similar to dynamic_cast<>in C++. Specifically, it is used to obtain a pointer to another interface,given a GUID that uniquely identifies that interface (commonly knownas an interface ID, or IID). If the COM object does not implement thatinterface, an E_NOINTERFACE error is returned instead.

COM object gives you some pointers to certain functions that you cancall to manipulate the object.

COM object is basically a C++ class. A C++ class is just a struct thatalways starts with a pointer to its VTable (an array of functionpointers). And the first three pointers in the VTable will always benamed QueryInterface, AddRef, and Release. What additionalfunctions may be in its VTable, and what the name of their pointersare, depends upon what type of object it is.

This is another important rule of COM. If you get hold of a COMobject created by someone else, you must call its Release functionwhen you're done with it.

CComQIPtr is a CComPtr with a QueryInterface inside it, apparently.



12.70 CComQIPtr is better than QueryInterface

Instead of doing a QueryInterface where you have to worry aboutRelease etc., you can sometimes use a CComQIPtr, like this:

CComQIPtr<DimensionConstraint> pDimConstraint ; // It is null now (cannot be initialised to NULL) for (long iDim = 1 ; iDim <= ikNumRetDims ; iDim++) {

TRACE (L"Looking at dim %d of %d\n",iDim,ikNumRetDims) ;

// Look at the nth dimension in the collection... IDispatchPtr pNthDim; hRes = pAllRetCollection->get_Item(_variant_t(iDim), &pNthDim); if (FAILED (hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ShowNamedRetDimInView Could not get_Item %d",iDim) ; return ; }

pDimConstraint = pNthDim ; // This can be tested for NULL

if (pDimConstraint != NULL) { // We have a DimensionConstraint, what is the name of the model parameter?

CComPtr/CComQIPtr perform automatic reference counting for you (forexample, they call Release on the interface attached to them, whenthe smart-pointer variable goes out of scope).

And CComQIPtr is null when you first create it. See comment on firstline of the code above.

12.71 How to get iPart factory parent from child member

In C++ follow this example:

// This will give you"C:\Users\Owen\Documents\Inventor\Tubi_Rame_12-7_Liscio_Sp0,75.IPT" wchar_t* pszFullName = LPWSTR (pTroncCompDef->iPartMember->ReferencedDocumentDescriptor->FullDocumentName); if (pszFullName == nullptr) { return false; }

// Now get "Tubi_Rame_12-7_Liscio_Sp0,75.IPT"



CString csIPartFileName(pszFullName); StripPath(csIPartFileName);

// Now load with "Tubi_Rame_12-7_Liscio_Sp0,75.IPT" LoadTronchettiFile(csIPartFileName);

if (csIPartFileName.GetLength() < NUM_SAP_CHARS) { return false; }

// Get the member name "30089191.IPT" const CString kcsPartName = GetPartName(pTroncCompDef);

// Remove the IPT to get "30089191" const CString kcsTroncSapCode = kcsPartName.Mid(0, NUM_SAP_CHARS);

// Use "30089191" to find the details return GetTroncDetailsByCode(Details,kcsTroncSapCode);

In VB it would be like this:

Public Sub main()

Dim a As Application Set a = ThisApplication

Dim b As PartDocument Set b = a.ActiveDocument

a.Documents.Open (b.ComponentDefinition.iPartMember.ReferencedDocumentDescriptor.FullDocumentName)

End Sub

I need to translate this into C++.

12.72 Counting the number of documents open in Inventor

Get a pointer to the Inventor application, then use this code:

// Get the list of Documents CComPtr<Documents> pDocs; HRESULT hr = pInvApp->get_Documents(&pDocs); if (FAILED(hr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L"CreateNewPartDoc, get document list failed\n") ; } const long ikNumDocs = pDocs->GetCount() ; TRACE (L"There are %d documents open in Inventor\n",ikNumDocs) ;



Here is a function which encloses the above code:

size_t GetNumDocummentsOpenInInventor(){ CComPtr<Application> pInvApp = theApp.GetInvAppPtr() ; if (pInvApp == nullptr) { return 0 ; }

// Get the list of documents... CComPtr<Documents> pDocs ; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocs) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDocs == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"GNDOII,get_Documents failed "); return 0 ; }

return pDocs->Count ;}

You can loop over the open dopcuments in Inventor like this:

// Get the pointer to the Inventor application... CComPtr<Application> pInvApp = ...

CComPtr<Documents> pDocs ; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocs) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDocs == nullptr)) { TRACE (L"RunTest,get_Documents failed "); return ; }

const long ikNumDocs = pDocs->GetCount() ;

TRACE ("There are %d documents open\n",ikNumDocs) ;

for (int iDoc = 1 ; iDoc <= ikNumDocs ; iDoc++) { CComPtr<Document> pDocument; hRes = pDocs->get_Item(iDoc,&pDocument) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDocument == nullptr)) { TRACE (L"Could not get document number %d",iDoc); return ; } TRACE ("Got document %d of type %d %s\n", iDoc,



pDocument->DocumentType, GetInventorDocTypeDesc(pDocument->DocumentType)); }

You'll get a listing in the debug window something like this:

Got document 1 of type 12291 Assembly DocumentGot document 2 of type 12290 Part DocumentGot document 3 of type 12290 Part DocumentGot document 4 of type 12290 Part DocumentGot document 5 of type 12290 Part DocumentGot document 6 of type 12290 Part DocumentGot document 7 of type 12290 Part DocumentGot document 8 of type 12290 Part DocumentGot document 9 of type 12292 Drawing DocumentGot document 10 of type 12290 Part Document

12.73 CustomTables in Sheets and Drawings

This example C++ code shows how to create a custom table in anIDW Inventor drawing:

void CreateExampleTable (CComPtr<Sheet>& pSheet){ wchar_t* ColNames[128] = {L"Column One",L"Column Two",L"Column Three"};

// These contents are after the title row and the header row const int ikNumCols = 3 ; const int ikNumRows = 5 ; // 7 with header and column titles

SAFEARRAY* pstrColumns = CreateSafeStringArray(ikNumCols, ColNames);

CComPtr<CustomTables> pCustomTables ; pSheet->get_CustomTables (&pCustomTables) ;

// This is top left of the table. Sheet origin is bottom left. // In Europe this coordinate system is usually cm in a sheet CComPtr<Point2d> ptTable; // Create a 2d point GetTransGeomPtr()->CreatePoint2d(10.0,10.0,&ptTable);

CComVariant varEmpty ; CComPtr<CustomTable> pCustomTable ; pCustomTables->Add (CComBSTR(L"HOLES"),ptTable,ikNumCols,ikNumRows,&pstrColumns, varEmpty, // the contents will be added later



varEmpty, // use the default widths varEmpty, // use the default heights varEmpty, // no more info &pCustomTable) ; // table returned

/* * Here we add contents by using put_Value in every cell */ for (UINT iRow = 1 ; iRow <= ikNumRows ; iRow++) { // Get the row where we want to add data... CComPtr<Row> pRow ; pCustomTable->Rows->get_Item (long(iRow),&pRow) ; for (UINT iCol = 1 ; iCol <= ikNumCols ; iCol++) { // Get the column of the row where we want to add data... CComPtr<Cell> pCell ; pRow->get_Item (CComVariant(iCol),&pCell) ;

// Demo example text... wchar_t szCellContents[_MAX_PATH] ; swprintf_s (szCellContents,L"R%d C%d",iRow,iCol) ;

// Put the data in the cell... pCell->put_Value (CComBSTR (szCellContents)) ; } }

SafeArrayDestroy (pstrColumns) ;}

The resulting table looks like this:



The code does not include error checking, which you should add inyour own versions.

If you want to specify column widths you need to pass in a VARIANTwhich is an array of doubles, see WidthsVariant below:

VARIANT WidthsVariant ; double ColWidths[5] = {2.5,3.5,4.5,6.5,2.5} ; CreateDoubleVariantArray (WidthsVariant,ColWidths,5) ;

CComVariant varEmpty ; CComPtr<CustomTable> pCustomTable ; HRESULT hRes = pCustomTables->Add (CComBSTR(L"Special Data"), ptTable, ikNumCols,ikNumRows,&pstrColumns, varEmpty, // the contents will be added later WidthsVariant, // widths of columns varEmpty, // use the default heights varEmpty, // no more info &pCustomTable) ; // table returned

Positioning objects in a Sheet.



12.74 Positioning objects in a Sheet.

When you position text and tables in a sheet the origin of the sheet isbottom left. Tables are positioned by their top left corner, presumablyto let the rows grow downwards without having to redefine theposition.

As far as I can tell when metric, centimeters are used. Orientation ofthe sheet.

12.75 New line within table cells

To add a new line within a cell of a custom table you should use \r\n.

for (UINT i = 0 ; i <= iSoFar ; i++) {



CString csPasso ; csPasso.Format (L"%dx%d\r\n",Counts[i], int(RoundNumber(Passi[i],0))) ;

if (i != iSoFar) { // Separator needed.... csPasso += CString ("-") ; }

csPassi += csPasso ; }

12.76 CreateDoubleVariantArray

This function is useful for creating VARIANTs which specify thewidths of the columns in a CustomTable...

void CreateDoubleVariantArray (VARIANT& v, const double* constpValues, const UINT ikNumValues)/*Some functions, like adding a custom table into a sheet, requireVARIANTs which arearrays of doubles. This function, given an array of doublesinitialises the variant v.*/{ v.vt = VT_ARRAY | VT_R8; SAFEARRAYBOUND sab[1]; sab[0].lLbound = 0; sab[0].cElements = ikNumValues ; v.parray = SafeArrayCreate(VT_R8, 1, sab);

// Fill with some values... for(int i=0; i<ikNumValues; i++) { long indices[] = {i}; SafeArrayPutElement(v.parray, indices, (void*)&(pValues[i])); }}



12.77 Create a drawing file (IDW or DWG)

This code (with error checking omitted) creates a new empty drawingfile:

// Get the pointer to the Inventor application... CComPtr<Application> pInvApp = ...

// Get IDW drawing template file CComBSTR strTemplateFilename; CComPtr<FileManager> pFileManager ; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_FileManager(&pFileManager); hRes = pFileManager->GetTemplateFile(kDrawingDocumentObject, // i.e. an IDW or DWG kDefaultSystemOfMeasure, kDefault_DraftingStandard, CComVariant(), // Empty and unused &strTemplateFilename);

CComPtr<Documents> pDocuments; pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocuments) ;

// create a new drawing from the standard template CComPtr<Document> pDocument ; hRes = pDocuments->Add (kDrawingDocumentObject, strTemplateFilename, VARIANT_TRUE, // Create Visible &pDocument);

// Convert from the "general document" type into the "drawing document" type... CComQIPtr<DrawingDocument> pDrawingDoc ; pDrawingDoc = pDocument ;

When you do copy/paste of this code for other document types,remember to change the enumerator of the types in both calls.

Also note that the document you create will already have one sheet init, you normally do not need to add any more. It is more likely that youwant to add views to the sheet.

See also creating an assembly.



12.78 How to add views to a drawing sheet (Inventor API)

If you have a new or exisiting drawing it is likely that you want to addviews of the 3D object into the sheet. Here is a commentedcode fragment which shows you to do it (error checking removed).Note also that we open the assembly invisibly so the user does nothave to wait for the display of the assembly.

// Choose the IDW drawing template file CComBSTR strTemplateFilename; strTemplateFilename = L"C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\Autodesk\\Inventor 2014\\Templates\\Ransen.idw" ;

// Get the list of documents so we can add a new one to it (an IDW) CComPtr<Documents> pDocuments; pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocuments) ;

// create a new IDW drawing from the selected template CComPtr<Document> pDocument ; HRESULT hRes = pDocuments->Add(kDrawingDocumentObject, strTemplateFilename, VARIANT_TRUE, // true = create the document visible &pDocument);

// Convert from the "general document" type into the "drawing document" type... CComQIPtr<DrawingDocument> pDrawingDoc ; pDrawingDoc = pDocument ;

// Get the sheets in the drawing document. Since this IDW has only just been // created there will be a single sheet CComPtr<Sheets> pSheets ; hRes = pDrawingDoc->get_Sheets(&pSheets) ;

// Get the single sheet inside the IDW. Remember the first object // in a COM list had index 1... CComPtr<Sheet> pSheet ; hRes = pSheets->get_Item (CComVariant(1),&pSheet) ;

// Just for fun, get some data about the sheet... double SheetHeight,SheetWidth ; CComBSTR bstrSheetName ; pSheet->get_Name (&bstrSheetName) ; pSheet->get_Width(&SheetWidth) ; pSheet->get_Height(&SheetHeight) ;

TRACE (L"The first sheet is called <%s> and is %.1f %.1f\n", bstrSheetName,SheetWidth,SheetHeight) ;

// Now, we are going to add 2 views to the sheet, so get the list of views



// Since this is a new drawing there will be no views yet, but we need // the list to add a view... CComPtr<DrawingViews> pViews ; hRes = pSheet->get_DrawingViews (&pViews) ;

// Create two points (using the transient geometry machine) which will // position the views in the sheet... CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTrGeom = GetTransGeomPtr(); CComPtr<Point2d> pPt1; CComPtr<Point2d> pPt2; pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(10.0,10.0,&pPt1); pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(10.0,30.0,&pPt2);

// Set the view scales that we need. const double kViewScale1 = 0.25 ; const double kViewScale2 = 0.125 ;

// Now get hold of the assembly which we want to show in the view // (We'll open it invisibly) CComBSTR strAssemblyFilename ; strAssemblyFilename = L"C:\\CollMakeV2\\Coll_IPT_IAM\\new test.iam" ;

CComPtr<Document> pDoc ; hRes = pDocuments->Open (strAssemblyFilename, // what to open VARIANT_FALSE, // open it invisible &pDoc) ; // result

// The 6th parameter of AddBaseView requires a proper BSTR type object // else you'll get out of memory errors CComBSTR bstrModelViewName1 = CString (L"PLUTO") ; CComBSTR bstrModelViewName2 = CString (L"NEPTUNE") ;

// Now create our two views, first the base view on which all the others are based... CComVariant varEmpty ; CComPtr<DrawingView> pBaseView1 ; pViews->AddBaseView (pDoc, // what to show pPt1, // center of view kViewScale1, // size, scale, of view kBottomViewOrientation, // from where to view the doc kHiddenLineDrawingViewStyle, // DrawingViewStyleEnum bstrModel, // must be a BSTR varEmpty,varEmpty, // unused in this case &pBaseView1) ; // the created view

CComPtr<DrawingView> pBaseView2 ; pViews->AddBaseView (pDoc, pPt2, kViewScale2, kRightViewOrientation,



kShadedDrawingViewStyle, // DrawingViewStyleEnum bstrModelViewName2, varEmpty,varEmpty, &pBaseView2) ;

pDoc->Close (VARIANT_TRUE) ; // VARIANT_TRUE = close skipping save, obviously

See here for projected views.

As far as the "where are we looking from" option, these are the mostcommon:

kBottomViewOrientationkBackViewOrientationkCurrentViewOrientationkFrontViewOrientationkLeftViewOrientationkRightViewOrientationkTopViewOrientation



These correspond in the user interface, to the view cube:

12.79 Names of views programatically

Although AddBaseView has a name parameter, it is not clear to mewhat it means. In fact it never changes the name of the view, to dothat you need to follow this code fragment:

{ CComPtr<DrawingView> pBaseView1 ...

... CComBSTR bstrViewName ; pBaseView1->get_Name (&bstrViewName) ; TRACE (L"Base view name was = <%s>\n",bstrViewName) ;

bstrViewName = L"SideView" ; pBaseView1->put_Name (bstrViewName) ;

pBaseView1->get_Name (&bstrViewName) ; TRACE (L"Base view name now = <%s>\n",bstrViewName) ; }

So just use put_Name to change the name of the view.



12.80 Creating projected views from base views

This page shows how to put in two base views. If you want to create aprojected view from the first base view, the last part of the codebecomes:

// Now create our two views, a base and a projected view CComVariant varEmpty ; CComPtr<Point2d> pPt1; pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(10.0,10.0,&pPt1);

// The base view... CComPtr<DrawingView> pBaseView1 ; pViews->AddBaseView (pDoc, // what to show pPt1, // corner of view kViewScale1, // size, scale, of view kBottomViewOrientation, // from where to view the doc kHiddenLineDrawingViewStyle, // DrawingViewStyleEnum L"10-10", // name of created view varEmpty,varEmpty, // unused in this case &pBaseView1) ; // the created view

// In this case we create a projected view which has the base view as // the parent and which is to the right of the parent. Inventor itself will // sort out the projection. (compare pPt1 and pPt2) CComPtr<Point2d> pPt2; pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(15.0,10.0,&pPt2); CComPtr<DrawingView> pProjectedView ; pViews->AddProjectedView (pBaseView1, // parent view pPt2, // center of projected view kHiddenLineDrawingViewStyle, varEmpty, // empty, so same scale as parent &pProjectedView) ; // resulting projected view

Here is a BaseView and a ProjectedView:



12.81 Drawing View Styles

With AddProjectedView and AddBaseView you can use theseenumerators (DrawingViewStyleEnum):

kFromBaseDrawingViewStyle = use the base view settingskHiddenLineRemovedDrawingViewStyle = hide hidden lineskHiddenLineDrawingViewStyle = show hiddenl lineskShadedDrawingViewStyle = shaded, no hidden lines visiblekShadedHiddenLineDrawingViewStyle = shaded, show hidden lines



12.82 Close function for Parts and Assemblies

When you have created a Part or Assembly you may want to close itwith or without saving it. You will Close the assembly or partdocument, for example:

pAssemblyDoc->Close(VARIANT_TRUE) ;

The boolean (and remember to use VARIANT_TRUE orVARIANT_FALSE) tells Inventor whether the part should be savedbefore closing. For example:

pPartDoc->Close(VARIANT_TRUE) ; // "SkipSave" , no saving ,just close the document

pPartDoc->Close(VARIANT_FALSE) ; // Don't "SkipSave", save, andmaybe prompt // the user before closing thedocument

Also note that you can avoid any file saving dialogs by using the"silent" operation. For example:

pInvApp->SilentOperation = VARIANT_TRUE ; // don't show anydialogs, save with default names

// Not you can only do this if the file has not already beensaved pAssemblyDoc->put_FullFileName(CComBSTR(m_csAssemblyFullFileName)) ; // set the name

pAssemblyDoc->Save () ; // do the actual save

pAssemblyDoc->Close(VARIANT_TRUE) ; // close without saving(again)

Remember to switch off SilentOperation at the end of your functions.

12.83 GetInventorDocTypeDesc

Here is a function which will show you a description of the documenttype using the document type enumerator:

typedef struct {



DocumentTypeEnum eEnum ; const char* const pszDesc ;} DocDesc_t;

const DocDesc_t kDocDescs [] = { {kAssemblyDocumentObject, "Assembly Document"}, {kDesignElementDocumentObject, "Design Element Document"}, {kDrawingDocumentObject, "Drawing Document"}, {kForeignModelDocumentObject, "Foreign Model Document"}, {kNoDocument, "No Document"}, {kPartDocumentObject, "Part Document"}, {kPresentationDocumentObject, "Presentation Document"}, {kSATFileDocumentObject, "SAT File Document"}, {kUnknownDocumentObject, "Unknown Document"}} ;

static const UINT ikNumDocTypeDescs = sizeof (kDocDescs)/sizeof(kDocDescs[0]) ;

const char* const GetInventorDocTypeDesc(const DocumentTypeEnum eDocTypeEnum) { for (UINT i = 0 ; i < ikNumDocTypeDescs ; i++) { if (kDocDescs[i].eEnum == eDocTypeEnum) { return kDocDescs[i].pszDesc ; } }

// This is an error, I handle it recursively... return GetInventorDocTypeDesc(kUnknownDocumentObject) ;}

12.84 Getting the current document of Inventor

It can be done like this:

CComPtr<Application> pApplication;hr = pInvAppUnk->QueryInterface (__uuidof(Application), (void **) &m_pApplication);if (FAILED(hr)) return hr;

CComPtr<Document> pDoc;

hr=pApplication->get_ActiveDocument(&pDoc);

get_ActiveDocument will put NULL in pDoc if there is no documentopen. You have to check that.

You can find out what sort of document it is by looking at the type, forexample:



if (pDoc->DocumentType==kDrawingDocumentObject)...

by looking at DocumentType. You can use this function to get adescription of the document type

Valid enumerators are:

kAssemblyDocumentObject 12291 Assembly Document. kDesignElementDocumentObject 12294 Design Element Document. kDrawingDocumentObject 12292 Drawing Document. kForeignModelDocumentObject 12295 Foreign Model Document. kNoDocument 12297 No Document. kPartDocumentObject 12290 Part Document. kPresentationDocumentObject 12293 Presentation Document. kSATFileDocumentObject 12296 SAT File Document. kUnknownDocumentObject 12289 Unknown Document.

Apart from looking at the pDoc->DocumentType you can also try to castthe doc into the doc type you are looking for:

// Get the component definition for the document if its a part or assembly.// Return an error for all other document types.CComQIPtr<ComponentDefinition> pCompDef;if (CComQIPtr<PartDocument> pPartDoc = pDoc) // try to cast{ TRACE("This is a part\n"); CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef; Result = pPartDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pPartCompDef); ...and so on...

} else if (CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssemblyDoc = pDoc) { // try to cast TRACE("This is an assembly\n"); CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef; Result = pAssemblyDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef); ...and so on...

}

There is another way of getting the part document:

// convert generic document to partdocumentCComPtr<PartDocument> pPartDocument;hr = pDocument->QueryInterface(DIID_PartDocument,(void**)&pPartDocument);if (FAILED(hr))



return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L" get part document failed ") ;

// Now you can use pPartDocument...

12.85 HRESULT codes

Return codes from Inventor COM function calls are the normal COMcodes.

· Codes greater than or equal to 0 indicate success. · Codes less than 0 indicate failure.· You can use S_OK (defined as 0) to return you own HRESULT

success code.· S_FALSE is also a success return code (S_ = success). It could be

a simple question you asked COM, and does not fail.· You can use E_FAIL to return failure from your functions (E_=error)· You can also use E_INVALIDARG to return failure from your

function (again E_=error)

These four macros are defined for you in WinError.h:

#define SUCCEEDED(hr) (((HRESULT)(hr)) >= 0)#define FAILED(hr) (((HRESULT)(hr)) < 0)

#define S_OK ((HRESULT)0L)#define S_FALSE ((HRESULT)1L)

You can sometimes get the text interpretation of the error by using _com_error in something like this:

HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_ActiveDocument(&pDoc); if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE("Get Active Document Failed"); TRACE(_com_error(hRes).ErrorMessage(),MB_ICONSTOP);



return ; }

You can also use ShowCOMError

Or you can use:

TRACE("SetupDiGetDeviceInstanceId(): %s), _com_error(GetLastError()).ErrorMessage());

Some example codes (from one of the many Windows headers):

// Catastrophic failure//#define E_UNEXPECTED _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x8000FFFFL)#if defined(_WIN32) && !defined(_MAC)

// Not implemented#define E_NOTIMPL _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x80004001L)

// Ran out of memory#define E_OUTOFMEMORY _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x8007000EL)

// One or more arguments are invalid#define E_INVALIDARG _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x80070057L)

// No such interface supported#define E_NOINTERFACE _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x80004002L)

// Invalid pointer#define E_POINTER _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x80004003L)

// Invalid handle#define E_HANDLE _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x80070006L)

// Operation aborted#define E_ABORT _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x80004004L)



// Unspecified error#define E_FAIL _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x80004005L)

// General access denied error#define E_ACCESSDENIED _HRESULT_TYPEDEF_(0x80070005L)

See also this page for the error manager.

12.86 Add a mate constraint with two planes programatically

Here is a function which constrains two occurrences by mating twoWorkPlanes in the occurrences. It maybe has more error checkingthan normal, but it helps debug stuff sometimes. Note also that ithandles the proxies, so the caller of the function does not need toworry about those:

// Given two occurrences which contain workplanes to be mated together// this function creates a Mate constraint between thembool AddMateConstraintOfTwoPlanes (CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>&pAsmCompDef, CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pOccA, CComPtr<WorkPlane>& pWorkPlaneA, CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pOccB, CComPtr<WorkPlane>& pWorkPlaneB, const double kOffsetMm/*=0.0*/){ if ((pWorkPlaneA == nullptr) || (pWorkPlaneB == nullptr)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, L"Errore: (pWorkPlaneA == nullptr) ||(pWorkPlaneB == nullptr)"); return false;

} else if ((pOccA == nullptr) || (pOccB == nullptr)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, L"Errore: (pOccA == nullptr) || (pOccB ==nullptr)"); return false; }

CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxyA ; HRESULT hRes = pOccA->CreateGeometryProxy (pWorkPlaneA,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxyA) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { const CString kcsWorkPlaneName = GetWorkPlaneName(pWorkPlaneA); const CString kcsOccName = GetOccurrenceName(pOccA);



ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AMCOTP could not get pWPProxyA, plane=<%s>occurrence=<%s>.",kcsWorkPlaneName,kcsOccName) ; return false ; }

CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxyB ; pOccB->CreateGeometryProxy (pWorkPlaneB,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxyB) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AMCOTP could not get pWPProxyB.") ; return false ; }

// Get the list of constraints of the assembly so you can add a new one CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pConstraintList ; hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Constraints(&pConstraintList) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AMCOTP could not get constraints.") ; return false ; }

CComVariant varOffset(kOffsetMm/10.0); // Inventor wants cm CComPtr<MateConstraint> pMateConstraint = nullptr ; hRes = pConstraintList->AddMateConstraint(pWPProxyA, pWPProxyB, varOffset, kNoInference, kNoInference, gkvarEmpty, gkvarEmpty, &pMateConstraint); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddMateConstraint failed") ; return false ; }

return true ;}

Note that we use proxies, which give the position of the planes in thecoordinate system of the assembly. I assume here that the twooccurrences have been taken from theAssemblyComponentDefinition.

Another thing to note (and maybe change with FlipNormal) whenmating WorkPlanes is the normal. Depending on the part this couldflip or rotate your part by 180 degrees.



12.87 GetGeometryProxy

Here you go:

CComPtr<WorkPoint> pTuboOrig ; GetPartWorkPointByIndex(pTuboOrig,1,pTubeCompDef) ;

gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"TuboOrig è a %6.3f %6.3f %6.3f",pTuboOrig->Point->X,pTuboOrig->Point->Y,pTuboOrig->Point->Z) ;

CComPtr<WorkPointProxy> pTuboOrigInIam ; hRes = pTuboOcc->CreateGeometryProxy(pTuboOrig, (IDispatch**)&pTuboOrigInIam) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"CCollettore::AIT origine tubo") ; return false ; }

gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"Tubo è a %6.3f %6.3f %6.3f",pTuboOrigInIam->Point->X,pTuboOrigInIam->Point->Y,pTuboOrigInIam->Point->Z) ;

You get the first workpoint in the part, which is always 0,0,0 in thepart, and convert it to a proxy in the assembly workspace.

You will crash your program if you invert the order of the parameters,



idiot.

Here is a function do do that:

// Returns the position (in cm) of a part occurence within an assemblyCVec GetPartPositionInIamCm(CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pOcc, CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pCompDef){ CComPtr<WorkPoint> pOrigin ; GetPartWorkPointByIndex (pOrigin,1,pCompDef) ; CComPtr<WorkPointProxy> pOriginInAsm ; HRESULT hRes = pOcc->CreateGeometryProxy(pOrigin, (IDispatch**)&pOriginInAsm ) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"GPPIICproxy creation failed") ; return gkZeroVec ; }

CVec kvecOrigin (pOriginInAsm->Point->X,pOriginInAsm->Point->Y,pOriginInAsm->Point->Z) ;

return kvecOrigin ;}

CreateGeometryProxy may fail if the two inputs are not sensible. Forexample...

CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxyA ; HRESULT hRes = pOccB->CreateGeometryProxy (pWorkPlaneA,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxyA) ;

...if pWorkPlaneA is in one part and pOccB references a different partyou'll get a 80004005 error in hRes.

See also this page.

12.88 Proxies, why and what?

When you have an part or workplane, for example, you can get thecoordinates of its points in the coordinate system of that part orworkplane. But what about when the part is an occurrence in anassembly. How can you get the coordinates of that part in theassembly? You use proxies. The same goes for other objects, here isan example with workplanes.

In a constraint for example there are two proxies called EntityOne and



EntityTwo, which allow you to get to their respective occurrences:

Getting the proxy to the face (or workplane or point...) will allow you toget the occurrence from where the proxy was made (using).

Here is an example where (for example) 4 tubes have beenconstrained on another tube. When you get the proxies from theconstraint (for example the constraint between the third small tubeand the large



Here is another example, with workplane proxies inside an assembly:



12.89 ErrorManager, errors and warnings, ShowCOMError andReturnAndShowCOMError

In InvSuppLib the file InvErrorHandling.cpp contains the errorhandling functions I use.

An example of an error message would be if you tried to create acircle in a sketch with negative diameter. You'll not get a nice "badradius" message from COM, just an "invalid parameter" message.

Have a look at the code for ShowCOMError. Not only does it give youdialog with the the text of the error code, but sometimes it gives youan extra hint about what caused the error. I add those hints as, dayby day, I understand them. You can do the same.



void ShowCOMError (HRESULT hRes, const wchar_t* constpszExtraMsg, ...) ;HRESULT ReturnAndShowCOMError (HRESULT hRes, const wchar_t* constpszExtraMsg=nullptr) ;void ShowInventorErrors () ;

Note also that the first function has trailing parameters ("..."), whichmeans it can be used just like printf. Note the %d and %s in thefollowing call:

ShowComError (hRes, L"The doodah called %d with diameter %.1fmm failed", pszDooDahName,kDooDahDiameter) ;

Extra tip: When using a COM get_ function you often pass theaddress of a pointer, which becomes set by the get_ function, andthe get_ function also returns a result code (an HRESULT) rememberto check both of them. For example the HRESULT may be S_OK (thefunction went well) but the pointer comes back nullptr (the object youwere looking for does not exist).

CComPtr<FeaturePatternElements> pPatternElements ; HRESULT hRes = pRecPattern->get_PatternElements (&pPatternElements) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPatternElements == nullptr)) { // TWO CHECKS ShowCOMError (hRes,L"get_PatternElements failed") ; return false ; }

With some get_ functions you don't need to check the returnedpointer, but because I have a bad memory I often simply alwayscheck the pointer as well as the hRes.

See also HRESULT codes.



12.90 Looping over views in sheets

This function will find a named view in a sheet of an IDW:

bool FindDrawingViewInSheetByName (CComPtr<DrawingView>& pView, CComPtr<Sheet>& pSheet, const wchar_t* const pszName) { if ((pSheet == nullptr) || (pszName == nullptr) || (wcslen(pszName) == 0)) { TRACE (L"FindDrawingViewInSheetByName, Bad inputparameters") ; return false ; }

CComPtr<DrawingViews> pViews ; HRESULT hRes = pSheet->get_DrawingViews (&pViews) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pViews == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"FindDrawingViewInSheetByName,get_DrawingViews failed."); return false ; } const long ikNumViews = pViews->GetCount() ; for (long iView = 1 ; iView <= ikNumViews ; iView++) { CComPtr<DrawingView> pThisView ; hRes = pViews->get_Item (iView,&pThisView) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pThisView == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"FindDrawingViewInSheetByName,get_Item(%d) failed.",iView); return false ; }

CComBSTR bstrViewName ; pThisView->get_Name (&bstrViewName) ;

TRACE ("Found a view called %s\n",bstrViewName) ;

if (wcscmp(CString(bstrViewName),pszName) == 0) { pView = pThisView ; return true ; } }

return false ;}

So you can find a named view inside a sheet..



12.91 Listing and checking constraints

This function goes over the constraints in an assembly checking thata given named constraint does not already exist:

bool ConstraintNameAlreadyExists (const CString& csNameToCheck, CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef){ // Get the list of constraints of the assembly CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pConstraintList = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Constraints(&pConstraintList); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pConstraintList == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ConstraintNameAlreadyExists couldnot get constraints.") ; return true ; // pretend it exists hopefully to stopfurther processing }

const long ikNumConstraints = pConstraintList->GetCount() ; for (int iConstraint = 1 ; iConstraint <= ikNumConstraints ;iConstraint++) { CComPtr<AssemblyConstraint> pConstraint = nullptr ; hRes =pConstraintList->get_Item(CComVariant(iConstraint),&pConstraint); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pConstraint == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ConstraintNameAlreadyExistscould not get constraint %d.",iConstraint) ; return true ; // pretend it exists hopefully to stopfurther processing }

CComBSTR bstrConstraintName ; pConstraint->get_Name(&bstrConstraintName) ; TRACE (L"Checking constraint <%s>\n",bstrConstraintName); if(CString(bstrConstraintName).CompareNoCase(csNameToCheck) == 0) { // A constraint with the given name already exists return true ; } }



// If we get here then there are no constraints with the samename as csNameToCheck return false ;}

By the way, when your assemblies get even a bit complex it willprobably help you to name the constraints you add, using put_Name.

12.92 Saving apparently disabled (SilentOperation)

If you ever enable SilentOperation in your program remember to re-enable it just before your program exits. i.e:

m_pInvApp->SilentOperation = VARIANT_FALSE ;

12.93 WorkAxes in Inventor programs

In a Part there are always three standard WorkAxes, the X Y and Zaxes. Here is the "Z Axis":



When you search for axes by name, use "X Axis", "Y Axis",and "ZAxis" to get the standard ones. However remember that your use maynot be in an English speaking country, and in that case you can usethis function:

HRESULT GetStdWorkAxisByIndex (CComPtr<WorkAxis>& pWorkAxis, const UINT ikIndex, // 1 2 3 = X YZ CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef) { if ((ikIndex < gikXIndex) || (ikIndex > gikZIndex)) { TRACE (L"GetWorkAxisByIndex index out of range: %d\n",gikXIndex) ; return (E_FAIL) ; }



// Get the axis in the part by name... HRESULT hRes =pPartCompDef->WorkAxes->get_Item(CComVariant(ikIndex),&pWorkAxis); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkAxis == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetWorkAxisByIndex but 'get'failed\n"); return (E_FAIL) ; }

return (S_OK) ;}

Like many things WorkAxes are inside PartComponentDefinition, andyou can get hold of them like this:

CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef ; ... pPartCompDef->WorkAxes->get_Item(CComVariant(pszWorkAxisName), &pWorkAxis);

Note that the plural of Axis is Axes, not Axiss!

12.94 Wrapping COM and C++

If you write a console EXE in C++ you should follow this high levelstructure:

int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[]){

HRESULT Result = CoInitialize (NULL); // Start COM...

if (SUCCEEDED(Result))Result = YourInventorProgram();

CoUninitialize(); // ...end COM

return 0;}



In this way the smart pointers and COM objects will be constructedand destroyed properly, as long as you keep them on the stack (i.e.local to some function).

If you had a global variable like the error manager outside ofYourInventorProgram you would need to be able to handle it explictly,and you'd probably get errors when you program closes down(because the global pointer will be handled after CoUnitialize hasbeen called, and COM is no longer active).

12.95 Units when programming Inventor

Whatever units the user chooses to use (Inches or mm or feet or cmetc) internally Inventor only uses one of each type.

For example, even if the user sets inches as the linear unit, intenallyInventor uses Centimeters anyway. And you, as a programmer shoulduse Centimeters too.

This has implications for parameters, for example.

If you change an angular parameter, for example, remember to use



radians, even though the user will see degrees.

12.96 Exporting Paramenters

To make model and user parameters visibile at a higher level than thepart in which they are contained use the iPart author to place them inthe pane on the left:

.

12.97 Placing objects in space Vector and Matrix

When you add an occurrence of a part you can specify the placementusing Vector and Matrix. The example below places the part at20,2,2:

// Need some transient geometry to add in a part... CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom;



hr = pInvApp->get_TransientGeometry(&pTransGeom);

CComPtr<Matrix> pMatrix; // Defaults to 0,0,0 position hr = pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pMatrix);

CComPtr<Vector> pVector; // Create a Vector to modify the Matrix hr = pTransGeom->CreateVector(20,2,2,&pVector); pMatrix->SetTranslation (pVector,VARIANT_TRUE) ; CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pOcc2; hr = pOccs->Add(csFileName,pMatrix,&pOcc2) ;

The TransientGeometry pTransGeom object is an object whichcreates Vector and Matrix etc. It is a machine for making theseabstract objects.

Also note that the second parameter of SetTranslation is set toVARIANT_TRUE. That means "Yes, reset any rotation components inthe matrix". If you've only just created the matrix as in the aboveexample, there will be no rotation components inside the matrix, but Igenerally do the call with VARIANT_TRUE.

You can rotate and move an occurrence of a part like this:

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pGeom = GetTransGeomPtr () ; pGeom->CreateMatrix(&pFinalMatrix); // First rotate ... CComPtr<Vector> pZAxis = nullptr; pGeom->CreateVector(0, 0, 1, &pZAxis);

CComPtr<Point> pOrigin = nullptr; pGeom->CreatePoint(0, 0, 0, &pOrigin); pFinalMatrix->SetToRotation(kRadians, pZAxis, pOrigin);

// Then shift .... CComPtr<Matrix> pTransMatrix; pGeom->CreateMatrix(&pTransMatrix); CComPtr<Vector> pTransVector; // Create a Vector to modify the Matrix pGeom->CreateVector(50.0,0.0,0.0,&pTransVector); pTransMatrix->SetTranslation (pTransVector,VARIANT_TRUE) ;

pFinalMatrix->PostMultiplyBy(pTransMatrix);



12.98 ObjectCollections in the Inventor API (transient objectcollections)

Object collections can be used to make a list of already existingobjects. This list can then be used by your program to do repeatedoperations on those objects. Although the objects already exist theymay be in hard to get places, or in the wrong order to what you want.Or maybe the objects you want are a sub set of the all the objects inyour part or assembly.

Anyway, you need to get hold of the transient objects pointer from theInventor application:

CComPtr<Application> pInvApp ... ; CComPtr<TransientObjects> pTransientObjects ; pInvApp->get_TransientObjects (&pTransientObjects) ;

Or, if basing your programs on the book sources, you can use GetTransGeomPtr().

The TransientObjects pointor is the thing which allows you to createobject collections. Here is how to create an initially empty one:

CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pObjCollection = nullptr ; pTransientObjects->CreateObjectCollection(varEmpty,&pObjCollection) ;

Simply use the Add function to add objects to the collection. Here isan example of adding a WorkPlaneProxy to an object collection:

CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxy = nullptr ; pTuboOcc->CreateGeometryProxy (pWP,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxy) ; pObjCollection->Add (pWPProxy) ;

Once you have created the list of objects you can get hold of them bypassing the index to the get_Item function:



CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pHoleWPProxy = nullptr ; int iTroncNum = ..something starting a 1, 1 is the firstobject.... pObjCollection->get_Item(iTroncNum,(IDispatch**)&pHoleWPProxy) ;

I've removed all error checking from the fragments above.

12.99 Creating a new Part Document

Here's a function for doing it:

HRESULT CreateNewPartDoc(CComPtr<PartDocument>& pPartDoc, const wchar_t* const pszPartName)/*Given a name a new part document is created in Inventor with thatname.*/{ CComPtr<Application> pInventorApp = theApp.GetInvAppPtr() ;

CComVariant pSubDocType;CComBSTR sTemplate;HRESULT hr = pInventorApp->GetTemplateFile

(kPartDocumentObject, // We are creating a PartDocument kMetricSystemOfMeasure, // mm kDefault_DraftingStandard, pSubDocType, &sTemplate);

if (hr != S_OK) {return hr;

}

CComPtr<Document> pDoc; hr = pInventorApp->Documents->Add (kPartDocumentObject, sTemplate, VARIANT_TRUE, &pDoc); if (hr != S_OK) { return hr; }




if ((pszPartName != nullptr) && (wcslen (pszPartName) > 0)) { BSTR bstrName ; pDoc->get_DisplayName (&bstrName) ; TRACE (L"\nFull document name was %s\n",bstrName) ;

pPartDoc->DisplayName = pszPartName ;

pDoc->get_DisplayName (&bstrName) ; TRACE (L"\nFull document name now is %s\n",bstrName) ;

::SysFreeString (bstrName) ; }

return hr;}

Which can be called like this:

CComPtr<PartDocument> pPartDocument ; HRESULT hRes = CreateNewPartDoc (pPartDocument,L"MAIN_TUBE"); if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateMainTube,CreateNewPart failed") ; }

12.100How to extrude a sketch programatically

Here is a function which takes five parameters and creates a 3Dextruded feature in the part. The feature could be a hole, as well asnormal solid objects....



HRESULT ExtrudeSketch (const wchar_t* const pszExtrusionName, // name of created feature const double kHeightMm, const wchar_t* const pszSketchName, // which sketch to extrude const PartFeatureOperationEnumeOperation, // how to extrude const PartFeatureExtentDirectionEnumeDirection, CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef)/*Given a height and a sketch name the sketch is extruded to thegiven height.



The resultant feaure is placed inside pPartCompDef, and is calledpszExtrusionNameeOperation tells us whether to cut a hole or create a solidobject etc.eDirection tells us which direction to make the extrusion.*/{ // Get the sketch in the part by name... CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pSketch; HRESULT hRes =pPartCompDef->Sketches->get_Item(CComVariant(pszSketchName),&pSketch); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pSketch == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"ExtrudeSketch butcould not get sketch by name\n"); } CComPtr<Profile> pProfile ; // This is the return value ofthe call to AddForSolid // and will be used when weextrude. CComVariant pSegs; // not used CComVariant pReserve; // not used hRes =pSketch->Profiles->AddForSolid(VARIANT_TRUE,pSegs,pReserve,&pProfile); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pProfile == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"ExtrudeSketch butcould not AddForSolid for pProfile\n"); }

// Features are 3D objects. Get the list of them so we canadd to that list... CComPtr<PartFeatures> pListOfFeatures; hRes = pPartCompDef->get_Features(&pListOfFeatures); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pListOfFeatures == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"ExtrudeSketch butcould not get_Features\n"); }

// Get the list of *extruded* features... CComPtr<ExtrudeFeatures> pListOfExtrusions; hRes =pListOfFeatures->get_ExtrudeFeatures(&pListOfExtrusions); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pListOfExtrusions == nullptr)) {



return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"ExtrudeSketch butcould not get_ExtrudeFeatures\n"); }

// Now at last we can use the pProfile to create a newextrusion, adding it to the list // of extruded features. This is where we use the eOperationparameter CComPtr<ExtrudeDefinition> pExtrudeDef; hRes =pListOfExtrusions->CreateExtrudeDefinition(pProfile,eOperation,&pExtrudeDef); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pExtrudeDef == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"ExtrudeSketch butcould not CreateExtrudeDefinition\n"); }

// Specify the distance and direction of the extrustion... // This function needs it in cm, so convert from mm to cm pExtrudeDef->SetDistanceExtent(_variant_t(kHeightMm/10.0),eDirection);

// Add the extrusion. CComPtr<ExtrudeFeature> pExtrude; hRes = pListOfExtrusions->Add (pExtrudeDef,&pExtrude); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pExtrude == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"ExtrudeSketch butcould Add ExtrudeDefinition\n"); }

pExtrude->put_Name (CComBSTR (pszExtrusionName)) ;

return (hRes) ;}

Here are the possible values for the two enumerators used above:



PartFeatureExtentDirectionEnumEnumerator ValueDescriptionkNegativeExtentDirection

20994

Extension in the negativedirection.

kPositiveExtentDirection

20993

Extension in the positivedirection

kSymmetricExtentDirection

20995

Extension in positive ANDnegative direction.

PartFeatureOperationEnumEnumerator Value DescriptionkCutOperation 2048

2Cut operation. (i.e. make ahole)

kIntersectOperation 20483

Intersect operation.

kJoinOperation 20481

Join operation.

kNewBodyOperation

20485

New Body operation.

kSurfaceOperation20484

Surface operation.

This image has used kCutOperation and kSymmetricExtentDirectionaround a center plane of a cylinder, the sketch contained a singlecircle:



12.101Transient Geometry

The transient geometry object is a "motor" which lets you create COMpoints, matrices, vectors, and so on. Think of it like this:



// Set a reference to the transient geometry object. CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTrGeom = GetTransGeomPtr();

// Draw a 4cm x 3cm rectangle with the corner at (0,0) CComPtr<Point2d> pPt1; // Create a 2d point hr = pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(0.0,0.0,&pPt1); if (FAILED(hr)) return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L" create 2d point failed") ;

CComPtr<Point> pPt; // Create a 3d point hr = pTrGeom->CreatePoint(0.5,0.5,0.0,&pPt); if (FAILED(hr)) return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L" CreatePoint failed") ;

Note that above you've created a 2D point (CComPtr<Point2d>) and a3D point (CComPtr<Point>) using the TransientGeometry object. Here'show to create a matrix:

CComPtr<Matrix> pMatrix; hr = pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pMatrix);

And to create a Vector:



CComPtr<Vector> pVector; hr = pTransGeom->CreateVector(20,2,2,&pVector);

Note that these are "abstract geometrical" objects, not "concrete"CAD objects.

Note also that CComPtr will be initialised to nullptr automatically.

12.102Changing the application visibility

To set and get the visibility of Inventor:

// Obtain the 'Visible' property of the active application VARIANT_BOOL bVisible; Result = pInvApp->get_Visible(&bVisible); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

if (bVisible != VARIANT_TRUE){

pInvApp->Visible = VARIANT_TRUE ; }

...though you may well still see a tiny icon of Inventor at the top left ofyour screen.

12.103A matrix to rotate an object

When you insert a part in an assembly you can specify the initialposition and rotation. You do this by providing a matrix to the AddiPartMember call. Here is an example of how to create a matrixwhich will rotate the part around the Z axis by 180 degrees:

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = GetTransGeomPtr () ; CComPtr<Matrix> pPosMatrix; pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pPosMatrix); // Defaults to origin

CComPtr<Vector> pZAxis = nullptr ; pTransGeom->CreateVector (0,0,1,&pZAxis);



CComPtr<Point> pOrigin = nullptr ; pTransGeom->CreatePoint (0,0,0,&pOrigin);

pPosMatrix->SetToRotation (TwoPi,pZAxis,pOrigin) ;

...and when you call AddiPartMember you use the matrix like this:

pOccurrencesList->AddiPartMember (bstrFileName,pPosMatrix,_variant_t(bstrMemberName),&pOccurrence) ;

Note that SetToRotation requires radians, not degrees.

These two diagrams show the result of using a X-Axis rotation matrixwhen calling AddiPartMember:



Here is a code fragment which creates the matrix which does that:

CComPtr<Matrix> pRotXMatrix; pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pRotXMatrix); CComPtr<Vector> pXAxis = nullptr ; pTransGeom->CreateVector (0,1,0,&pXAxis); pRotXMatrix->SetToRotation (gkPi,pXAxis,pOrigin) ;

If you are using two planes in a constraint you can also sometimesuse FlipNormal to rotate the inserted object 180°

12.104Proxies, WorkAxes, Vectors and Points

Here is an example of getting the data about a work axis in part whichhas been inserted into an assembly:

CComPtr<Line> pAxisLine = nullptr ; p1stHoleWorkAxisProxy->get_Line (&pAxisLine) ;



CComPtr<Point> pRootPoint ; pAxisLine->get_RootPoint (&pRootPoint) ; CComPtr<UnitVector> pAxisDir ; pAxisLine->get_Direction (&pAxisDir) ;

Now you can use that axis to form a rotation matrix:

CComPtr<Vector> pAxisVector = nullptr ; pTransGeom->CreateVector(pAxisDir->X,pAxisDir->Y,pAxisDir->Y,&pAxisVector) ;

pRotMatrix->SetToRotation (gkPi,pAxisVector,pRootPoint) ;

12.105WorkFeatures and iParts

If you have a workplane in a table based iPart (or even custom iPart)for that workplane to be visible in when inserted in an assembly (i.e.when it is an occurrence in an assembly) then you need to include itusing the iPart author.

If you don't do that you'll get a com error 80070057.

Here is the sequence:



In this way "TopWP" will be accessable with your program from theassembly.

Here's another graphical explanation:



12.106What are PatternElements?

The FeaturePatternElements are the actual "copies" within a pattern,apart from the first one which is considered special.

Here's how you can list them

for (int i = 1; i <= pPatternElements->Count; i++) { CComPtr <FeaturePatternElement> pEle = nullptr ; hRes = pPatternElements->get_Item (i,&pEle) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"EWTPFP, get_Item (%d) failed",ikNumber) ; return false ; }

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg,L"Element %d is a <%s>",i,GetObjTypeDesc(pEle->GetType())); }



12.107Listing the contents of Patterns

The parent objects of a Pattern are the objects selected to berepeated in the pattern. They could also be called source objects...

Here are a couple of functions illustrating how to get details frompatterns:

// Write out details of any rectangular patterns in this assemblyvoid ListRectPatterns(CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef){ gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"LRP starting..."); CComPtr<OccurrencePatterns> pOccPatterns; pOccPatterns = pAsmCompDef->GetOccurrencePatterns(); if (pOccPatterns == nullptr) { gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"LRP no patterns..."); return ; }

for (int p = 1; p <= pOccPatterns->Count; p++) { gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"LRP pattern %d...",p); CComPtr<OccurrencePattern> pPattern; CComVariant varp(p); HRESULT hRes = pOccPatterns->get_Item(varp, &pPattern); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPattern == nullptr)) { gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"LRP could not get %d...",p);



continue; }

CComQIPtr<RectangularOccurrencePattern> pRectPattern; pRectPattern = pPattern; if (pRectPattern == nullptr) { continue; }

// Getting hold of the row and column counts is a bit tricky... CComVariant varRowCount (pRectPattern->RowCount->GetValue()); CComVariant varColCount (pRectPattern->ColumnCount->GetValue());

// Name of the pattern const CString kcsPatternName (pRectPattern->Name.GetBSTR()); const UINT ikNumSubItems = int(varRowCount.dblVal *varColCount.dblVal);

gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"Rect Pattern <%s> has %.1f rows and %.1fcolumns, numsub items=%d", kcsPatternName,varRowCount.dblVal,varColCount.dblVal,ikNumSubItems);

// Parent components are the objects which are the source objects ofthe array. CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pParentComponents; hRes = pRectPattern->get_ParentComponents(&pParentComponents); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pParentComponents == nullptr)) { gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Could not get parent objects"); continue; }

// Now list the parent objects gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"LRP pattern %d has %d parent objects...",p,pParentComponents->Count);

for (int o = 1; o <= pParentComponents->Count ; o++) { CComQIPtr <ComponentOccurrence> pOcc; hRes = pParentComponents->get_Item (o,(IDispatch**)&pOcc); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pOcc == nullptr)) { gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Skipping sources object %d %d", p,o); continue; }

_bstr_t DisplayName = pOcc->Get_DisplayName(); CString kcsDisplayName = CString (DisplayName.GetBSTR());

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Pattern %03d parent occurrence %03d is<%s>", p, o, kcsDisplayName); } }}



/*****************************************************************************************/

// List the features of any rectangular patterns in this partvoid ListRectPatternFeatures (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef){ HRESULT hRes ;

// Get the list of features... CComPtr<PartFeatures> pFeaturesList ; pPartCompDef->get_Features(&pFeaturesList) ;

// Get the list of rectangular features, we will add to this list.... CComPtr<RectangularPatternFeatures> pRectPatList ; pFeaturesList->get_RectangularPatternFeatures (&pRectPatList) ;

const long ikNumRecFeats = pRectPatList->GetCount() ;

for (int iRect = 1 ; iRect <= ikNumRecFeats ; iRect++) {

CComPtr <RectangularPatternFeature> pRectPatFeat ; hRes = pRectPatList->get_Item (CComVariant(iRect),&pRectPatFeat) ;

if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ListRectangularPatternComponents, could notget rectangular pattern") ; return ; }

BSTR bstrName = pRectPatFeat->GetName () ;

CComPtr<Parameter> XCountParam ; pRectPatFeat->get_XCount (&XCountParam) ; /*const int ikXCount = XCountParam->GetValue () ;

TRACE (L"Component %d is called %s, and the x count is %d",iRect,bstrName,ikXCount) ;*/

CComPtr<FeaturePatternElements> pFeaturePatternElements ; pRectPatFeat->get_PatternElements (&pFeaturePatternElements) ;

const int ikNumElements = pFeaturePatternElements->GetCount() ; TRACE (L", this has %d FeaturePatternElements\n",ikNumElements) ;

for (int iElem = 1 ; iElem < ikNumElements ; iElem++) { CComPtr<FeaturePatternElement> pFeaturePatternElement ; pFeaturePatternElements->get_Item (iElem,&pFeaturePatternElement); }

::SysFreeString(bstrName); }}



12.108Pattern counts

Once you get hold of a rectangular pattern you can count rows andcolumns as follows...

// Getting hold of the row and column counts is a bit tricky... CComVariant varRowCount (pRectPattern->RowCount->GetValue()); CComVariant varColCount (pRectPattern->ColumnCount->GetValue());

// Getting hold of the pattern name... const CString kcsPatternName (pRectPattern->Name.GetBSTR()); const UINT ikNumSubItems = int(varRowCount.dblVal *varColCount.dblVal);

gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"Rect Pattern <%s> has %.1f rows and %.1fcolumns, numsub items=%d", kcsPatternName,varRowCount.dblVal,varColCount.dblVal,ikNumSubItems);

Oddly enough the counts are double values, which is why we use .dblVal in the above code.

The code also illustrates getting hold of the pattern's name.

Patterns can have a count of 1.

12.109What sort of WorkFeature is this?

Unfortunately WorkPoint WorkAxis and WorkPlane objects do nothave a common parent. If you get a pointer to one of these thingsfrom an ObjectsCollection you have to work a bit harder than normalto get their type. Here is an example, assuming you already have anObjectsEnumerator and want to get hold of the iObj th item:

CComPtr<ObjectsEnumerator> pObjs = ... ; int iObj = ... ... CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWPlane = nullptr ; CComPtr<WorkPoint> pWPoint = nullptr ; CComPtr<WorkAxis> pWAxis = nullptr ; pObjs->get_Item (iObj,(IDispatch**)&pWPlane) ; pObjs->get_Item (iObj,(IDispatch**)&pWPoint) ;



pObjs->get_Item (iObj,(IDispatch**)&pWAxis) ; if ((pWPlane != nullptr) && (pWPlane->GetType() ==kWorkPlaneObject)) { // pWPlane is a valid workplane } else if ((pWPoint != nullptr) && (pWPoint->GetType() ==kWorkPointObject)) { // pWPoint is a valid workpoint

} else if ((pWAxis != nullptr) && (pWAxis->GetType() ==kWorkAxisObject)) { // pWAxis is a valid axis

} else { // This is probably an error }

.

12.110IDispatch

You often need to cast pointers to objects into IDispatch* orIDispatch** when calling functions in the Inventor C++ COM API.Here are some examples, showing how to cast from various Inventorpointers to an IDispatch* :

Add a sketch based on a workplane:

CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane ; hRes = pSketches->Add (_variant_t((IDispatch*)pWorkPlane), VARIANT_FALSE, &pNewSketch);

Add a workplane based on an existing workplane:

CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane... ; CComPtr<WorkPlane> pOffsetWorkPlane ; hRes = pWorkPlanesList->AddByPlaneAndOffset (_variant_t((IDispatch*)pWorkPlane),// "starting" plane CComVariant(kTubeDiam/2.0), // how much to offset VARIANT_FALSE, // Construction?



&pOffsetWorkPlane) ; // Return value of this call

Add a workpoint based on a sketchpoint:

CComPtr<SketchPoint> pSketchPoint... ; CComPtr<WorkPoint> pWorkPoint ; hRes = pWorkPointsList->AddByPoint (_variant_t((IDispatch*)pSketchPoint),VARIANT_FALSE,&pWorkPoint) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPoint == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddWorkPointAtSketchPoint, Add workpoint failed") ; }

Create a proxy geometry from an occurrence and a workplane:

CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxyA ; pOccurrence->CreateGeometryProxy (pWorkPlaneA,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxyA) ;

12.111AddByPlaneAndOffset example

Here is an example of creating an offset workplane from a standardworkplane, then setting it's name and making it visible in theassembly in which it exists:

CComPtr<WorkPlanes> pWorkPlanesList; hRes = pPartCompDef->get_WorkPlanes(&pWorkPlanesList);

CComPtr<WorkPlane> pCorpoCollXYWorkPlane; GetStdWorkPlaneByIndex(pCorpoCollXYWorkPlane, gikXYPlaneIndex,pPartCompDef);

CComPtr<WorkPlane> pOffsetWorkPlane;

const double kcmOffsetIn = 5.50; // 55mm

hRes = pWorkPlanesList->AddByPlaneAndOffset(pCorpoCollXYWorkPlane, //"starting" plane CComVariant (55.0), //how much to offset VARIANT_FALSE, //



Construction? &pOffsetWorkPlane); //Return value of this call if (SUCCEEDED(hRes)) { // Set the name so it is easily found by other parts of theprogram... pOffsetWorkPlane->Name = L"TuboIntBase";

// Export the feature so it is accessible in assemblies... pOffsetWorkPlane->Exported = VARIANT_TRUE; }

12.112Interrogating rectangular patterns

Here is a rectangular pattern inside an assembly:

If you have a PartComponentDefinition which contains a



RectangularPatternFeature use this fragment of code to find out basicdata:

CComPtr<PartFeatures> pFeatures ; hRes = pBlockCompDef->get_Features (&pFeatures) ;

CComPtr<RectangularPatternFeatures> pRectPatList ; hRes = pFeatures->get_RectangularPatternFeatures (&pRectPatList) ;

// Pretend we know that we want the first rectangular pattern... CComPtr <RectangularPatternFeature> pRectPatFeat ; hRes = pRectPatList->get_Item (CComVariant(1),&pRectPatFeat) ;

CComPtr<Parameter> pXCountParam ; pRectPatFeat->get_XCount (&pXCountParam) ; int iXCount = 1 ; // note this initialization! if (pXCountParam != nullptr) { iXCount = pXCountParam->GetValue () ; // only if not nullptr! }

CComPtr<Parameter> pYCountParam ; pRectPatFeat->get_YCount (&pYCountParam) ; int iYCount = 1 ; // note this initialization! if (pYCountParam !=nullptr) { iYCount = pYCountParam->GetValue () ; // only if not nullptr! }

TRACE (L"The rectangular feature has %d by %d items\n",iXCount,iYCount) ;

Note the strangeness of the fact that there is no Y count if the patternis a linear array with , for example, 5 X items. That is why I set iYCount to 1 and change it only if pYCountParam is not nullptr.

Note also that you should check hRes, I've not done it for clarity here.

12.113Name of part in a component occurrence

Here is a function which will return the component occurrence (withinan assembly) of a given name.

HRESULT GetComponentOccurrenceByName (CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pCompOccRet,



const wchar_t* constpszOccName, CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument>pAssemblyDoc){ // Init for safety pCompOccRet = nullptr ;

// Get assembly component definition CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef = nullptr; HRESULT hRes =pAssemblyDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pAssemblyCompDef == nullptr)){ return ReturnAndShowCOMError(hRes,L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName, get_ComponentDefinition failed "); }

// Get the ComponentOccurrences collection for the assemblydocument CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccs; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences(&pOccs); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pOccs == nullptr)){ return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName, get_Occurrences failed "); }

long lNoOccs; hRes = pOccs->get_Count(&lNoOccs); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName, get_Count failed "); }

TRACE (L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName, there are %doccurrences\n",lNoOccs);

//iterate through the current level of occurrencesfor (long lOccCount=1; lOccCount <= lNoOccs; ++lOccCount) {

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pThisCompOcc = nullptr ; hRes = pOccs->get_Item(lOccCount, &pThisCompOcc); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pThisCompOcc == nullptr)){ ShowCOMError(hRes,L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName,



get_Item failed "); return hRes ; }

CComPtr<ReferencedFileDescriptor> pRefFileDesc = nullptr; pThisCompOcc->get_ReferencedFileDescriptor(&pRefFileDesc) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pThisCompOcc == nullptr)){ ShowCOMError(hRes,L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName,get_ReferencedFileDescriptor failed "); return hRes ; } CComBSTR bstrDisplayName; // ::SysFreeString not requiredbecause CComBSTR, not BSTR hRes = pRefFileDesc->get_DisplayName (&bstrDisplayName) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pThisCompOcc == nullptr)){ ShowCOMError(hRes,L"GetComponentOccurrenceByName,get_DisplayName failed "); return hRes ;

} else {TRACE (L"Component occurrence %02d <%s>\n"

,lOccCount,bstrDisplayName); if (_wcsicmp(bstrDisplayName,pszOccName)==0) { pCompOccRet = pThisCompOcc ; } }

if (pCompOccRet != nullptr) { // We can get out return (S_OK) ; } }

TRACE (L"Could not find an occurrence called <%s>\n",pszOccName) ;

return (E_FAIL) ;}

Basically you get the name of the occurrence's part using theoccurrences ReferencedFileDescriptor .



12.114Add an occurrence to an assembly does not work

When you add an .ipt part to an .iam assembly you need to pass thecorrect sort of parameter to the Add function. For example this will notwork:

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pCyl2Occ = nullptr;hRes = pOccurrencesList->Add (L"C:\\TEST\\Cyl2.ipt",pPosMatrix,&pCyl2Occ) ;

...but this will...

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pCyl2Occ = nullptr;hRes = pOccurrencesList->Add (CComBSTR(L"C:\\TEST\\Cyl2.ipt"),pPosMatrix,&pCyl2Occ) ;

The difference is that the first call does not cast to CComBSTR, thesecond, working version, does.

12.115Listing constraints in an assembly programatically

Here is a code fragment showing how to list constraints and castEntityOne and EntityTwo into appropriate proxies. Graphically theconstraint and two proxies look like this:



// Get the list of constraints of the assembly so you can adda new one CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pConstraintList = nullptr ; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Constraints(&pConstraintList) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pConstraintList == nullptr)) { TRACE (L"Could not get constraints.") ; return ; }

// List the two entities of each MateConstraint... for (int i = 1 ; i <= pConstraintList->Count ; i++) { CComPtr<AssemblyConstraint> pConstraint = nullptr ; pConstraintList->get_Item (CComVariant(i),&pConstraint) ; CComQIPtr<MateConstraint> pMate (pConstraint) ; if (nullptr != pMate) { // This is a mate constraing, show more data aboutit... IDispatchPtr pEnt1 = pMate->EntityOne ; IDispatchPtr pEnt2 = pMate->EntityTwo ; TRACE (L" Two parts are %p %p\n",pEnt1,pEnt2) ; CComQIPtr<FaceProxy> pFace1 =



CComQIPtr<FaceProxy>(pEnt1); CComQIPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWP1 =CComQIPtr<WorkPlaneProxy>(pEnt1); if (pFace1 != nullptr) { TRACE (L" Ent1 is a face proxy...\n") ; } else if (pWP1 != nullptr) { TRACE (L" Ent1 is a workplane proxy...\n") ; CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pContOcc =pWP1->ContainingOccurrence ; if (pContOcc != nullptr) { CComPtr<ReferencedFileDescriptor> pFileDesc= nullptr ; pContOcc->get_ReferencedFileDescriptor(&pFileDesc) ; if (pFileDesc != nullptr) { CComBSTR bstrFullFileName ; pFileDesc->get_FullFileName(&bstrFullFileName) ; TRACE (L" Ent1 full file name is %s\n",bstrFullFileName) ; } }

} else { TRACE (L" Ent1 This is neither a face orworkplane proxy\n") ; } } }

12.116Listing members in an iPartFactory programatically

Here is how to list members of an iPartFactory, starting with thePartDocument:

// Open the standard part... CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pTroncPartCompDef = nullptr; CComPtr<PartDocument> pTroncPartDoc = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = OpenPart(pTroncPartCompDef,pTroncPartDoc,gkcsTroncFactory,pInvApp) ;

// Check that it is an iPartFactory...



if (pTroncPartCompDef->IsiPartFactory == VARIANT_FALSE) { gLogger.Printf (ekImmediateErrorMsg,L"%s non e' uniPartFactory",gkcsTroncFactory) ; // This is NOT an iPartFactory return ; }

/* * Get the iPartFactory from the component definition... */ CComPtr<iPartFactory> piPartFactory = nullptr ; hRes =pTroncPartCompDef->get_iPartFactory (&piPartFactory) ;

/* * Get the rows of the factory, each row corresponds to a"member"... */ CComPtr<iPartTableRows> piPartTableRows = nullptr ; piPartFactory->get_TableRows (&piPartTableRows) ;

/* * Loop over the members in the table, printing Member... */ for (int iRow = 1 ; iRow <= piPartTableRows->Count ; iRow++){ CComPtr<iPartTableRow> piPartRow ; piPartTableRows->get_Item (iRow,&piPartRow) ; const int ikNumColumns = piPartRow->GetCount() ; BSTR bstrMember = nullptr ; piPartRow->get_MemberName (&bstrMember) ; TRACE (L" Row %03d:%s has %d things\n",iRow,LPCSTR(bstrMember),ikNumColumns) ; for (int iCol = 1 ; iCol <= ikNumColumns ; iCol++) { CComPtr<iPartTableCell> piPartTableCell = nullptr ; piPartRow->get_Item(CComVariant(iCol),&piPartTableCell) ;

CComBSTR bstrCellString ; piPartTableCell->get_Value (&bstrCellString) ; TRACE (L" iRow %d iCol %d has value %s\n",iRow,iCol,LPWSTR(bstrCellString)) ; }



::SysFreeString (bstrMember) ; }

As usual there's not as much error checking in the source above asthere should be. That last inner loop could use a function like this:

wchar_t* GetStringFromiPartTableRowCell (wchar_t* const szCellContents, size_t ikBufferSize, const UINT ikCol, CComPtr<iPartTableRow> piPartRow) { if (int(ikCol) > piPartRow->GetCount()) { szCellContents[0] = char(0) ; return szCellContents ; }

CComPtr<iPartTableCell> piPartTableCell ; piPartRow->get_Item (CComVariant(ikCol),&piPartTableCell) ;

CComBSTR bstrCellString ; piPartTableCell->get_Value (&bstrCellString) ; wcscpy_s (szCellContents,ikBufferSize,LPWSTR(bstrCellString)) ; return szCellContents ;}

See also iPartMember. and

12.117PartComponentDefinition from an occurrence

If you have an occurrence of a part, you can get thePartComponentDefinition of that part by using the Definition memberand a cast as shown below:

CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pCompDef =CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition>(pTuboOcc->Definition);

You are casting from a ComponentDefinition to aPartComponentDefinition, note the use of CComQIPtr.

CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pCompDef =pTuboOcc->Definition;



It may be that you do not need the cast. Check the result though

12.118AddiPartMember

You can add an iPart member (i.e. an instance of an iPart from theiPart's table) to an assembly by using the function AddiPartMember.The easiest type of call is when you know the index of the row of thetable, for example row 3 in the example below:

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pPartOcc = nullptr;pOccurrencesList->AddiPartMember (CComBSTR("My_Factory.ipt"), //iPart factory file pPosMatrix, CComVariant(3), // Row of theiPart Factory Table, the "member" &pPartOcc) ;

You can also specify directly the member to insert using the Memberstring:

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = ...CComPtr<Matrix> pPosMatrix;pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pPosMatrix); // Defaults to 0 0 0

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pTroncOcc ;CComBSTR bstrTronchettiFile (L"C:\\TEST\\TEST_IPART.ipt") ;CComBSTR bstrMember (L"30086486") ; // the Member valuepOccurrencesList->AddiPartMember (bstrTronchettiFile,pPosMatrix,_variant_t(bstrMember),&pTroncOcc) ;

As a reminder, the Member column is the first in the iPart table:



See also iPartFactory, listing members, and rotating parts inassemblies.

12.119Getting the workplanes of a part occurrence in an assembly

What you need to do here is get the occurrence and then get the partcomponent definition of it. This requires a cast...

CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef =CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition>(pOcc->Definition);



You need to be sure that the occurrence point to a part, get itsDefinition, then cast it from ComponentDefinition toPartComponentDefinition, as shown above. Now you can get theworkplanes from the pPartCompDef, for example:

CComPtr<WorkPlanes> pWorkPlaneList ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_WorkPlanes(&pWorkPlaneList);

12.120SubOccurrences

SubOccurrences of an assembly can be parts or assemblies. Givenan assembly this code fragment lists their names:

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrencesEnumerator> pCompOccsEnum = nullptr ; pAttOcc->get_SubOccurrences (&pCompOccsEnum) ; UINT iNumSubOccurrences = pCompOccsEnum->Count ; for (UINT i = 1 ; i <= iNumSubOccurrences ; i++) { TRACE (L"Occ%d = %s\n",pCompOccsEnum->Item [1]->Name ) ; }

12.121SaveAs function

Be careful with this function. It will accept a wchar_t but will not workunless the wchar_t is wrapped inside a CComBSTR type:

hRes = pPartDoc->SaveAs (CComBSTR(L"C:\\CHS_LHS_COLL\\This.ipt"),VARIANT_TRUE) ; if (FAILED(hRes)){ ShowCOMError(hRes,L"CCollettore::CreateCollectorMainTubePart, save failed."); return (false) ; }

That last parameter is:



· VARIANT_TRUE - any existing file will be overwritten· VARIANT_FALSE - an existing file will not be overwritten and the

function will fail.

Here is another example with an assembly document:

CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssemblyDoc ; ...init pAssemblyDoc ... CString csFullAssemblyName (L"C:\\YOUR_TEST\\Test_Assembly.iam") ; pAssemblyDoc->SaveAs(CComBSTR(csFullAssemblyName),VARIANT_TRUE) ;

Gotcha: SaveAs will save to a copy and not change the name of thedocument. So inside your program you'll still have the original. If youwant operate on the copy you'll have to read it in again.

If you want to save the current in memory document with a differentname you can do something like this:

// In this case we just change the name and save it without closing... CComBSTR bstrFullFileName(m_csAssemblyFullFileName); // Convert fromCString to BSTR pAssemblyDoc->PutFullFileName(bstrFullFileName.m_str); // Set the name(full file name ofthe document) pAssemblyDoc->Save(); // Save it with the new name

See also Save. After the first save FullFileName is read only.

12.122Save programatically

The Save function can be used like this:

CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssemblyDoc ; ...init pAssemblyDoc ... CString csFullAssemblyName(L"C:\\TEST_DIR\\Test_Assembly.iam") ;



pAssemblyDoc->put_FullFileName (CComBSTR(csFullAssemblyName)); pAssemblyDoc->Save () ;

Note that in this example I've changed the full filename of theassembly, and then called Save.

If the file already exists then a Save dialog will pop up, otherwise thesave will run silently. Save will not silently overwrite an existing file,check the return value if you find your changes are not being saved.

Note also that if the doc is new, and so does not have a name, theSave will fail with error 80004005. This is because of the emptyfilename. Here is an example of avoiding that error:

/* * This is a new drawing and so had no name. Without a name * the Save function will not work. So set the name... */ CString csFullIDWName (kcsFullAssemblyName) ; ChangeExtension (csFullIDWName,L"IDW") ; pDrawingDoc->put_FullFileName (CComBSTR(csFullIDWName)) ;

/* * Now you can save, since the doc has a name */ hRes = pDrawingDoc->Save () ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { // Check anyway... CComBSTR bstrFullFileName ; pDrawingDoc->get_FullFileName (&bstrFullFileName) ; ShowCOMError (hRes,L"Saving drawing document<%s>",bstrFullFileName) ; }

See also SaveAs, which allows you to specify overwrite and saves acopy.

12.123FullDocumentName and GetLocationFoundIn

These two functions tell you about the "location" of the part.

{ // Show in what current project the part is... CComBSTR bstrLocationName; LocationTypeEnum eType; pPartDoc->GetLocationFoundIn(&bstrLocationName, &eType);



TRACE (L"GetLocationFoundIn Location = <%s>, enum = %d",bstrLocationName, eType); // For example: <WorkSpace>, enum = 45057, read from the project file,I think }

{ // Show the simple full file path of the part... _bstr_t fdn = pPartDoc->GetFullDocumentName (); TRACE (L"FullDocumentName = <%s>",LPCWSTR (fdn));"C:\\WillyWonker\\Chocolate.ipt" }

12.124Close function, Inventor API

Here's an example of using the Close function on a PartDocument.Imagine we have opened and modified and existing file. Next we SaveAs to create a copy of our original part, then we Close theoriginal without saving:

// VARIANT_TRUE = Overwrite hRes = pPartDoc->SaveAs (CComBSTR(csPartFullFileName),VARIANT_TRUE) ;

// VARIANT_TRUE means skip save and don't show any dialogs hRes = pPartDoc->Close(VARIANT_TRUE) ;

Notice the comment just before the call to Close. We've alreadysaved the part with SaveAs, and we just want to close the document,and we don't want any further saving (or dialogs) to come up. HenceVARIANT_TRUE (which means SkipSave) is used.

12.125Making workfeatures of a part invisible in the assembly

Work features which are exported are in a table based iPart are oftenvisible in the assembly into which the part is placed. It seems to bethe default action.

To make these work features invisible in the assembly you need touse a function like this:

// pOcc is the occurrence of a part in an assembly. This function which switchon or off// the visibility of a workplane of the part in the assembly. It does notaffect the// visibility in the part file.void SetWorkPlaneVisibility(CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence>& pOcc, const CString&



kcsWorkPlaneName, const bool kbVisible){ CComPtr<ComponentDefinition> pDef = nullptr; HRESULT hRes = pOcc->get_Definition(&pDef); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes, L"SWPV could not get definition %s",kcsWorkPlaneName); return; }

CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef = pDef;

CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane=nullptr ; hRes = pPartCompDef->WorkPlanes->get_Item(CComVariant (kcsWorkPlaneName),&pWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes, L"SWPV, could not get workplane called %s",kcsWorkPlaneName); return; }

// Get the proxy which is how the part is instantiated in the assembly CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxy ; hRes = pOcc->CreateGeometryProxy (pWorkPlane,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxy) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes, L"Could not get proxy of %s",kcsWorkPlaneName); return; }

if (kbVisible) { hRes = pWPProxy->put_Visible(VARIANT_TRUE);

} else { hRes = pWPProxy->put_Visible(VARIANT_FALSE); }

if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(hRes, L"Could not get set proxy visibility of %s",kcsWorkPlaneName); }}

/********************************************************************************************************/



12.126Visibility programatically in Inventor

Here is an example of how to set the visibility of a workpoint

CComPtr<WorkPoint> pWorkPoint = nullptr ; GetWorkPointByName (pWorkPoint,csPointName,pPartCompDef); if (bMakeVisible)) { pWorkPoint->put_Visible (VARIANT_TRUE) ;

} else { pWorkPoint->put_Visible (VARIANT_FALSE) ; }

12.127AddCustomiPartMember details and tips

Look at this call:

pOccs->AddCustomiPartMember(strFactoryFile, // This is thesource file of the object to create pMatrix, // This is where toplace the created custom iPart strFullFileName, // This is theresulting file of the created object varEmpty, // Usually unusedwith custom iParts, hence varEmpty. oleSafeArray, // Parameters, incolumn order &pCyl1Occ) ;

varEmpty will be something like this:

CComVariant varEmpty ;

The creation of oleSafeArray is explained here. However rememberthat the values must be in column order, for example:

BSTR strParams[] =



{ CString("35 mm").AllocSysString(), // Diameter CString("1.5 mm").AllocSysString(), // Thickness CString("350 mm").AllocSysString(), // Length CString("10").AllocSysString(), // R1Angle CString("20").AllocSysString(), // R2Angle }; const int ikNumParams = sizeof(strParams)/sizeof(strParams[0]) ;

COleSafeArray oleSafeArray; oleSafeArray.CreateOneDim(VT_BSTR, ikNumParams, strParams);

The call may fail for one of these reasons:1. The columns you have specified don't make solid sense, an outer

diameter smaller than an inner diameter for example.2. The factory file (first parameter) does not exist.

The two filenames can be created like this:

CComBSTR strFactoryFile(L"C:\\CHS_LHS_COLL\\Tube-Custom.ipt"); CComBSTR strFullFileName(L"C:\\CHS_LHS_COLL\\Tube_999.ipt") ;

12.128Add in the occurrence of a custom iPart into an assembly

The most difficult part of adding a custom iPart into an assembly isunderstanding how to specify the parameters.

The first step is to get hold of the list of occurrences so you can add anew occurrence to the list.

Then you create a matrix and a vector to specify the position (and anyrotations etc.) of the object.

Then you create a list of parameters in column order of the iPart.When you use the iPart Author you'll see the custom parameters inpurple. Use that order. These parameters have to be created in aCOleSafeArray.



Now you are ready to call AddCustomiPartMember with the objects youcreated in the previous steps.

Here is a fragment which assumes you already have anAssemblyComponentDefinition:

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccs; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences(&pOccs);

// This is the name of the iPart factory, from which customiParts will be created... CComBSTR strFactoryFile(L"C:\\TEST\\CustomCylinder.ipt") ; // Get hold of the transient geometry pointer to create thematrix which says // where to place the custom iPart... CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = GetTransGeomPtr() ; CComPtr<Matrix> pMatrix; // Defaults to 0,0,0 position pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pMatrix); CComPtr<Vector> pVector; // Create a Vector to modify theMatrix pTransGeom->CreateVector(2,2,0,&pVector); hRes = pMatrix->SetTranslation (pVector,VARIANT_TRUE) ;

// This is the name of the output file, the iPart createdfrom the factory file... CComBSTR strFullFileName(L"C:\\CHS_LHS_COLL\\CUSTOMCYL2.ipt"); CComVariant varEmpty ; // Nothing because we are notselecting a row

// We are not selecting a row but we are changing parameters.Here is how // we specify those parameters...#define NUM_PARAMS 2 BSTR strBSTR[NUM_PARAMS] = { CString("20 cm").AllocSysString(), CString("10 cm").AllocSysString(), };

COleSafeArray oleSafeArray; oleSafeArray.CreateOneDim(VT_BSTR, NUM_PARAMS, strBSTR);



CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pCyl1Occ; pOccs->AddCustomiPartMember(strFactoryFile,pMatrix,strFullFileName,varEmpty,oleSafeArray,&pCyl1Occ) ;

I've not yet found out how to create the parameter list when not usingMFC. COleSafeArray is an MFC object.

See also AddCustomiPartMember details and tips.

12.129Occurrences and component definitions

An occurrence is like an XREF insert in AutoCAD. Occurrences exist,for example, inside assemblies. It is an instance of a part. Thediagram below shows that an assembly has inside it anAssemblyComponentDefinition, and inside that is a list of occurrences(among ther things):



Here is some code to list the occurrences in an assembly:

// Get assembly component definitionCComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef;HRESULT Result = pAssemblyDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef);

// Get the ComponentOccurrences collection for the assembly documentCComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccs;Result = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences(&pOccs);

long lNoOccs; Result = pOccs->get_Count(&lNoOccs);

TRACE("There are %d occurrences\n",lNoOccs);

//iterate through the current level of occurrenceslong lOccCount;



for (lOccCount=1; lOccCount <= lNoOccs; ++lOccCount) {

// Get the nth occurrence... CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pCompOcc; Result = pOccs->get_Item(lOccCount, & pCompOcc);

//get the display name from the component occurrence CComBSTR bstrDisplayName; Result = pCompOcc->get_Name(&bstrDisplayName); TRACE("Component occurrence %02d <%s>\n",lOccCount,bstrDisplayName); // See if there are any other occurrences below the current one... CComPtr<ComponentOccurrencesEnumerator> pEnumOccurrences; Result = pCompOcc->get_SubOccurrences(&pEnumOccurrences); if (SUCCEEDED(Result) && (pEnumOccurrences->Count > 0)) { TRACE(" has %d sub occurrences\n",pEnumOccurrences->Count) ; }}

I've not placed any error checking in the previous code.

How to get the name of an occurrence.

12.130How to get the parameters of an assembly

If you have an assembly with parameters you can get hold of theparameters programatically like this:

CComPtr <AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssCompDef ; pAssemblyDoc->get_ComponentDefinition (&pAssCompDef) ;

CComPtr <Parameters> pParams ; pAssCompDef->get_Parameters (&pParams) ;

const long ikNumParams = pParams->Count ;

TRACE (L"There are %d params in %s\n",ikNumParams,pszOccName);

for (int i = 1 ; i <= ikNumParams ; i++) { CComPtr <Parameter> pParam ;



pParams->get_Item (CComVariant(i),&pParam) ;

VARIANT VarValue ; pParam->get_Value (&VarValue) ; VarValue.dblVal ;

CComBSTR bstrParamName ; pParam->get_Name (&bstrParamName) ; TRACE (L" param %d is called %s and has a value of %.3f=\n",i,bstrParamName,VarValue.dblVal ) ; }

Notice how the parameter data is picked up inside the for loop.

If you have a part occurrence inside an assembly and want to get theparameters of that part a occurrence you can use this:

CComPtr<ComponentDefinition> pCompDef = nullptr ; hRes = pCompOcc->get_Definition (&pCompDef) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pCompDef == nullptr)){ return ReturnAndShowCOMError(hRes,L"ShowComponentOccurrenceParameters, get_Definition failed."); }

TRACE (L"The type of this occurrence is %d, def is %d\n",pCompOcc->GetType(),pCompDef->GetType()) ;

CComPtr<Parameters> pParams; CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef =pCompOcc->Definition; if (!pPartCompDef) { return (E_FAIL) ; }

if (pPartCompDef->IsiPartFactory) { TRACE (L"Is an ipart factory\n") ; }

// It is a part component definition, so we can get the // parameters of the part definition pParams = pPartCompDef->Parameters;

const long ikNumParams = pParams->Count ;



TRACE (L"There are %d params in %s\n",ikNumParams,pszOccName);

for (int i = 1 ; i <= ikNumParams ; i++) { CComPtr <Parameter> pParam ; pParams->get_Item (CComVariant(i),&pParam) ;

VARIANT VarValue ; pParam->get_Value (&VarValue) ; CComBSTR bstrParamName ; pParam->get_Name (&bstrParamName) ; TRACE (L" param %d is called %s and has a value of %.3f=\n",i,bstrParamName,VarValue.dblVal ) ; }

12.131get_Item and Item, what sort of parameter?

When I need to get an item from a list, I generally use get_Item,because it crashes less, Item will throw an exception.

Here, the last two lines of code do the same thing:

CComPtr<UserParameter> pUserParam ; pUserParameters->get_Item (CComVariant(i),&pUserParam) ; pUserParam = pUserParameters->Item [i] ;

And what about the parameters? Generally it is an index, andgenerally that index starts at 1 (not 0) as the first item.

for (UINT i = 1 ; i <= ikNumModelParams ; i++) { CComPtr<ModelParameter> pModelParam ; pModelParameters->get_Item (CComVariant(i),&pModelParam);

Sometimes, if the item in the list has a text name, you can use thename in the call to get_Item. For example:

const wchar_t* const pszUserParamName = ... ... CComPtr<UserParameter> pUserParam = nullptr ; pUserParameters->get_Item(CComVariant(pszUserParamName),&pUserParam) ;



Horses for courses.

12.132Suppression and Unsuppression of features

To suppress and unsuppress features in a part simply use thefeature's suppression boolean:

pFeature->put_Suppressed(true) ;

(Suppression of parts in an assembly has a different use).

Here is a function which will suppress a named part in aPartComponentDefinition:

void SetSuppressPartFeatureByName(CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef, const wchar_t* const pszName, const bool bSuppress) { TRACE (L"SetSuppressPartFeatureByName %s, %d\n",pszName,bSuppress) ;

// Get the list of features... CComPtr<PartFeatures> pFeaturesList ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_Features(&pFeaturesList) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pFeaturesList == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"SetSuppressPartFeatureByNameget_Features failed"); return ; }

const long ikNumFeats = pFeaturesList->GetCount() ;

TRACE (L" There are %d pattern features\n",ikNumFeats) ;

bool bDone = false ;

for (long iFeat = 1 ; iFeat <= ikNumFeats ; iFeat++) { CComPtr<PartFeature> pFeature ; hRes = pFeaturesList->get_Item(CComVariant(iFeat),&pFeature) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pFeature == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"SetSuppressPartFeatureByNameget_Item failed");



return ; }

BSTR bstrName ; pFeature->get_Name (&bstrName) ;

if (_wcsicmp (bstrName,pszName) == 0) { if (bSuppress) { pFeature->put_Suppressed (VARIANT_TRUE) ; TRACE (L"Found Feature %d called %s to besuppressed\n",iFeat,bstrName) ;

} else { pFeature->put_Suppressed (VARIANT_FALSE) ; TRACE (L"Found Feature %d called %s to beunsuppressed\n",iFeat,bstrName) ; } bDone = true ; }

::SysFreeString (bstrName) ;

if (bDone) { break ; } }

if (!bDone) { TRACE (L"Could not suppress feature by name with name =<%s>\n",pszName) ; }}

Within a single RectangularPattern (or any other pattern) you canuse this fragment as a starting point.

In some circumstances Suppressed=VARIANT_FALSE will crashwhile put_Suppressed (VARIANT_FALSE) will not. A mysterywrapped inside an enigma. I always use put_Suppressed.

Note that you'll need to call Update to refresh the display:

pPartDocument->Update () ; // Like an AutoCAD regen



You cannot suppress all types of objects. You cannot, for example,suppress workpoints.

12.133Compute and Suppress from an iPart table programatically

Here's how I read a Compute/Suppress setting from an iPart table:

// Get the "Suppress" or "Compute" value from the table// returns true if Suppressedbool GetSuppressedFromiPartTableRowCell (const UINT ikCol, CComPtr<iPartTableRow> piPartRow) { wchar_t szValue[_MAX_PATH] ; GetStringFromiPartTableRowCell (szValue,_countof(szValue),ikCol,piPartRow) ;

// Since Suppress = Sopprimi and Compute = Calcola this // compare will work in both English and Italian return (szValue[0] == L'S') ;}

12.134Skipping missing components programatically

When looping over occurrences you must skip any missingcomponents, and you do it like this:

for (lOccCount=1; lOccCount <= lNoOccs; ++lOccCount){ // Get the nth occurrence... CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pCompOcc; hRes = pOccs->get_Item(lOccCount, &pCompOcc); if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, L"Could not get acomponent in the attacco"); return false; }

if (VARIANT_TRUE == pCompOcc->ReferencedDocumentDescriptor->ReferenceMissing) {



// Maybe a missing and skipped component... continue ; }

.

12.135How to open a document programatically

Here is some example code illustrating how to open a document file:

CComPtr<Documents> pDocs = nullptr ; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocs) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDocs == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"RunTest,get_Documents failed "); return ; }

CComPtr<Document> pDoc; hRes = pDocs->Open (CComBSTR(L"C:\\PARTS\\MyPart.Ipt"),VARIANT_TRUE,&pDoc) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDocs == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"RunTest, Open failed "); return ; }

...

12.136Function calls in Autodesk Inventor C++ programming

Every COM C++ Inventor API method comes in 2 "flavors": 1. low level methods: that take output param as input and return

HRESULT, for example hRes = get_Item (Index,&Pointer).2. high level methods: that return the result directly and throw

exceptions, for example Pointer = GetItem (Index)

A concrete example of the difference is the visibility of workaxes:

// This "low level" version will not crash and you can lookat the success or not via hRes hRes = pWorkAxis->put_Visible (vbVisib) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { // Show some error message if you want



}

// This "high level" version will throw and exception andcrash if something is wrong pWorkAxis->Visible = vbVisib ;

There are other functions which are high and low distinguished bywhether or not they have Method... in front of the name, high levelmethods are usually prefixed "Method".

Some examples :

HRESULT hRes = pWorkPlanesList->get_Item(CComVariant(1),&pWorkPlane) ; // low level version WorkPlanePtr pWorkPlane = pWorkPlanesList->GetItem(CComVariant(1)) ; // high level version

...and...

HRESULT hRes = pConstraintList->AddAngleConstraint(...etc...,&pAngConstraint) ; // low level version AngleConstraintPtr pAngConstraint =pConstraintList->MethodAddAngleConstraint(...etc...) ; // highlevel version

Note that with "low level" versions you often pass the address of apointer which is the "return value" of the function.

12.137Names of objects inside sketches

You cannot name objects inside sketches (sketch points and linesetc) though you can give them IDs and Attributes.

12.138COM pointers when programming AutoDesk Inventor

Here I'm paraphrasing Adam Nagy who helped me understand thisstuff.

When using COM objects like the ones provided by the Inventor COMAPI, then you have to take care of releasing the references to theobjects you retrieved. This is what CComPtr is helping you with,



which is a smart-pointer and provides auto release of objects: when aCComPtr object variable goes out of scope then its destructor will becalled and there it will release the COM object it is referencing, i.e. itwill decrease the reference counter on that COM object.

Here are a couple of examples to help explain when you have toexplicitly release the object or how to reorganize your code to releasethe COM objects in time: all objects need to be released beforeCoUninitialize() is called.

If your CComPtr is declared inside a function (local variable) then itwill only be destructed - just like any other local variables - when thefunction returns, and that's when it will release the reference to theCOM object. In case of this sample function the pointer is releasedtoo late because of that:

int _tmain(int argc, TCHAR* argv[], TCHAR* envp[]){ HRESULT Result = NOERROR;

::CoInitialize(NULL);

// Access Inventor CLSID InvAppClsid; Result = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Inventor.Application", &InvAppClsid); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

CComPtr<IUnknown> pInvAppUnk; Result = ::GetActiveObject (InvAppClsid, NULL, &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (Result)) TRACE("Could not get the active Inventor instance\n");

if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

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

::CoUninitialize();

return 0;

} // << pInvApp is only destructed now, i.e. it's only releasing the // Inventor Application object reference now, which is too late, // since CoUninitialize has already been called



One easy solution to this would be to place the code part that isinteracting with the COM objects into a separate function, so that thelocal variables will be release by the time we get to CoUninitialize():

int accessInventor(){ HRESULT Result = NOERROR;

// Access Inventor CLSID InvAppClsid; Result = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Inventor.Application", &InvAppClsid); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

CComPtr<IUnknown> pInvAppUnk; Result = ::GetActiveObject (InvAppClsid, NULL, &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (Result)) TRACE("Could not get the active Inventor instance\n"); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

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

return Result;}



// Access Inventor accessInventor();

// Once this function returned all its local objects have

// been destructed, and so the COM objects have also been released

::CoUninitialize();

return 0;}

Another simple solution is to create a local scope around the localvariables that ends before CoUninitialize():





// Access Inventor inside a local scope created by the curly braces { CLSID InvAppClsid; Result = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Inventor.Application", &InvAppClsid); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

CComPtr<IUnknown> pInvAppUnk; Result = ::GetActiveObject (InvAppClsid, NULL, &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (Result)) TRACE(_"Could not get the active Inventor instance\n"); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

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


} // << Now all the local variables have been destructed, // and so the COM objects have been released

::CoUninitialize();

return 0;}

When CComPtr is declared as a global variable then it will only bedestructed at the very end, even after the main function of theapplication has returned:

// This will only be destructed after _tmain() returned// which is too late, because by that time CoUninitialize()// has been called. So we'll have to release the COM object// it is referencing by setting it to NULL before calling// CoUninitialize()

CComPtr<Application> pInvApp;





// Access Inventor { CLSID InvAppClsid; Result = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Inventor.Application", &InvAppClsid); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

CComPtr<IUnknown> pInvAppUnk; Result = ::GetActiveObject (InvAppClsid, NULL, &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (Result)) TRACE("Could not get the active Inventor instance\n");


// In this case pInvApp is a global variable // declared outside the function Result = pInvAppUnk->QueryInterface(__uuidof(Application), (void **) &pInvApp); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result; }

// Release the referenced COM object by setting the CComPtr // object to NULL pInvApp = NULL;

::CoUninitialize();

return 0;}

See what I mean?

12.139VARIANT_BOOL

VARIANT_BOOL is a type currently defined as a short:

/* 0 == FALSE, -1 == TRUE */typedef short VARIANT_BOOL;

#define VARIANT_TRUE ((VARIANT_BOOL)-1)#define VARIANT_FALSE ((VARIANT_BOOL)0)

Here is an example



if (VARIANT_TRUE == pCompOcc->ReferencedDocumentDescriptor->ReferenceMissing) { // Maybe a missing and skipped component... continue ; }

Here is an example:

VARIANT_BOOL bSuppressed =pFeaturePatternElement->GetSuppressed () ;

TRACE (L"Element %d suppressed = %d\n",iElem,bSuppressed) ;

In this case bSuppressed will show either -1 (true) or 0 (false).

You can use the predefined macros VARIANT_TRUE andVARIANT_FALSE as values.

Since VARIANT_FALSE is 0 you can use them in ifs like this:

if (p->InventorFunction()) { ...do something...}

12.140ParameterPtr and get_XCount

Some Inventor API COM functions take a ParameterPtr, even to getsimple integers, like the count in a RectangularPattern. Here is how todeclare and use the parameter pointer in those cases:

//CComPtr<Parameter> iXCount ; // this works too ParameterPtr iXCount ; pRectPattern->get_XCount (&iXCount) ;

So you can use CComPtr<Parameter> or ParameterPtr. Here is anexample of getting an integer value:

CComPtr<Parameter> XCountParam ;



pRectPatFeat->get_XCount (&XCountParam) ; const int ikXCount = XCountParam->GetValue () ;

TRACE (L"Component %d is called %s, and the x count is%d\n",iRect,bstrName,ikXCount) ;

So you need to use GetValue().

Note that you have to look at the pointers because if there is no ycount it is assumed to be 1. I assume. The following code will printout the x and y counts of a rectangular array.

CComPtr<Parameter> pXCountParam ; pRangoPattern->get_XCount (&pXCountParam) ; int iXCount = 1 ; // Init to 1 is important if (pXCountParam != nullptr) { iXCount = pXCountParam->GetValue () ; } CComPtr<Parameter> pYCountParam ; pRangoPattern->get_YCount (&pYCountParam) ; int iYCount = 1 ; // Init to 1 is important if (pYCountParam != nullptr) { iYCount = pYCountParam->GetValue () ; }

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Rect X count = %d Y count = %d",iXCount,iYCount);

12.141Gettings objects by name

When you create complex parts and assemblies it is best to namethem with other than the default names. That way you can get hold ofthem in your program without having to remember indices into a get_Item array, or having to remember that WorkPoint1 is the point atthe end of the tube or that WorkPlane3 is in the center of the cube.

(Note that for international programs you may prefer to use indices,because the standard objects created by Inventor change the names.For example "X Axis" in English is "Asse X" in Italian.)



Here are some functions for getting hold of named objects:

bool GetSketchInPartByName (CComPtr<PlanarSketch>& pSketch, // return value ifsketch found const wchar_t* const pszSketchName, CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef, const bool kbShowErr /*=true*/) { // Get the sketch in the part by name... HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->Sketches->get_Item(CComVariant(pszSketchName), &pSketch); if (FAILED(hRes)) { if (kbShowErr) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetSketchByName(%s) but could not 'get'sketch\n",pszSketchName); } return false ;

} else { return true ; }}

HRESULT GetWorkPlaneByName (CComPtr<WorkPlane>& pWorkPlane, const wchar_t* constpszWorkPlaneName, CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef) { // Get the sketch in the part by name... HRESULT hRes =pPartCompDef->WorkPlanes->get_Item(CComVariant(pszWorkPlaneName),&pWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlane == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetWorkPlaneByName but 'get'failed\n"); return (E_FAIL) ; }

return (S_OK) ;}

HRESULT GetWorkAxisByName (CComPtr<WorkAxis>& pWorkAxis, const wchar_t* const pszWorkAxisName, CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef) {



// Get the sketch in the part by name... HRESULT hRes =pPartCompDef->WorkAxes->get_Item(CComVariant(pszWorkAxisName),&pWorkAxis); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkAxis == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"GetWorkAxisByName but 'get'failed\n"); return (E_FAIL) ; }

return (S_OK) ;}

You can imagine what GetWorkPointByName will look like.

Since these functions report errors you could ignore their returnvalues if you want, if there is an error you'll see it.

12.142How to get the RectangularPatterns in aPartComponentDefinition

What you need to remember is that a RectangularPattern is a feature,so you need to get the features of a part in order to get anyrectanguar patterns inside that part.

Here is a function which lists the names of rectangular patterns insidethe part parameter passed to it:

void ListRectangularPatternFeatures(CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef){ // Get the list of features... CComPtr<PartFeatures> pFeaturesList ; pPartCompDef->get_Features(&pFeaturesList) ;

// Get the list of rectangular features, we will add to thislist.... CComPtr<RectangularPatternFeatures> pRectPatList ; pFeaturesList->get_RectangularPatternFeatures (&pRectPatList);

const long ikNumRecFeats = pRectPatList->GetCount() ;



TRACE (L"There are %d rectangular pattern features\n",ikNumRecFeats) ;

for (int iRect = 1 ; iRect <= ikNumRecFeats ; iRect++) {

CComPtr <RectangularPatternFeature> pRectPatFeat ; pRectPatList->get_Item (CComVariant(iRect),&pRectPatFeat);

BSTR bstrName = pRectPatFeat->GetName () ;

TRACE (L"Component %d is called %s\n",iRect,bstrName) ;

::SysFreeString(bstrName); }}

Error checking has been removed for brevity and clarity, but, asalways, you should check the return values of the various InventorAPI functions.

How to add a RectangularPattern to a PartComponentDefinition.

12.143ResultFeatures

ResultFeatures, when got from Patterns, are workplanes, workpoints,worksurfaces which are created when the Pattern is created.

CComPtr <ObjectsEnumerator> pObjectsEnumerator ; pFeaturePatternElement->get_ResultFeatures (&pObjectsEnumerator) ; const int ikNumObj = pObjectsEnumerator->GetCount () ;

ResultFeatures are the result of creating a pattern with somefeatures. You often use them for getting proxies of the features.Result Features are of the type ObjectsEnumerator, a list of objects.



Graphically:

Here is a fragment which gets

12.144ObjectsEnumerator, a list of objects

The ObjectsEnumerator can be thought of a list of objects, from aselection set for example, or from resulting features in a pattern.

12.145Parameter types

Apart from Model parameters and User parameters each parameteralso has a type ParameterTypeEnum which specifies who and why aparameter was created.

Here is how to get the information:

ParameterTypeEnum eParamType ; pModelParam->get_ParameterType (&eParamType) ; TRACE (L"The ParameterTypeEnum is %d\n",eParamType) ;



and the values can be:

kDerivedParameter : Parameters automatically created from derivedcomponent. kModelParameter : Parameter created automatically by Inventorwhen a command requires it. kReferenceParameter : Parameter created automatically by Inventorwhile creating a driven dimension, for example. kTableParameter : Parameters created from a table; like aspreadsheet. kUserParameter : Parameters explicitly created by the user.

The user units of the parameters are stored as a string and can beaccessed like this:

CComBSTR bstrUnits ; pModelParam->get_Units (&bstrUnits) ; TRACE (L"Units = <%s> \n",(wchar_t*)(bstrUnits)) ;

You'll get strings like "mm" or "in" etc. Note that internal units may bedifferent.

12.146Face Edge EdgeProxy

As far as I can tell the EdgeProxy will give you details of where theedge is in the Assembly into which the Part has been inserted.

// Get the surface bodies from the occurrence... CComPtr<SurfaceBodies> pSurfaceBodies; hRes = pThisCompOcc->get_SurfaceBodies(&pSurfaceBodies);

WalertBoxW (L"Occurrence 1 has %d surface bodies\n",pSurfaceBodies->Count);

// Get the first surface body from the component definition. // (There should only ever be one surface body.) CComPtr<SurfaceBody> pBody; hRes = pSurfaceBodies->get_Item(1, &pBody);

// Get the shells from the body. CComPtr<FaceShells> pShells; hRes = pBody->get_FaceShells(&pShells);



WalertBoxW (L"The surface body has has %d shells\n",pShells->Count) ;

// Enumerate through the shells. long shellCount = 1; CComPtr<FaceShell> pShell; for (;(hRes = pShells->get_Item(shellCount, &pShell)) == S_OK; pShell.Release()) { TRACE (L" Shell %d\n", shellCount);

// Increment the counter and print the current value. ++shellCount;

// Get the faces from the shell. CComPtr<Faces> pFaces; hRes = pShell->get_Faces(&pFaces);

// Enumerate through the faces of the current shell. long faceCount = 1; CComPtr<Face> pFace; for (;(hRes = pFaces->get_Item(faceCount, &pFace)) == S_OK;pFace.Release()) { // Increment the counter and print the current value. ++faceCount; TRACE (L" Face %d ", faceCount);

CComPtr <Edges> pEdges ; pFace->get_Edges (&pEdges) ; TRACE (" has %d edges\n",pEdges->Count) ; for (long e = 1 ; e <= pEdges->Count ; e++) { CComPtr <Edge> pEdge ; pEdges->get_Item (e,&pEdge) ;

CComQIPtr<EdgeProxy> pEdgeProxy ; pThisCompOcc->CreateGeometryProxy (pEdge,(IDispatch**)&pEdgeProxy) ;

CComPtr<Vertex> pStartVertex ; pEdgeProxy->get_StartVertex (&pStartVertex) ;

CComPtr<Point> pStartPoint ; pStartVertex->get_Point (&pStartPoint) ;

TRACE (" %.1f %.1f %.1f\n",pStartPoint->GetX(),pStartPoint->GetY(),pStartPoint->GetZ()) ; }

// Get the geometry from the face. SurfaceTypeEnum surfaceType; hRes = pFace->get_SurfaceType(&surfaceType);

switch (surfaceType) {



default : TRACE (L" Unrecognised surface type:%d\n",surfaceType); break ;

case kCylinderSurface : TRACE (L" Cylindrical surface\n"); break ;

case kTorusSurface : TRACE (L" Cylindrical surface\n"); break ;

case kPlaneSurface : TRACE (L" Plane surface\n"); break ; } } }

12.147Attributes

An "Attribute" is extra data added to an Inventor object. You, theprogrammer, can store non graphical data in an object's attributes.

If you have ever programmed AutoCAD you could compare attributesin Inventor with Xdata in AutoCAD.

AutoDesk supplies a program called Attribute Helper which you canuse to add attributes into objects. For example into the faces of apart.



Imagine the cylindrical surface of the part above has some attributesets. This is how to list them programatically:

CComQIPtr<PartDocument> pPartDoc ; // will remain nullptr ifno part found

// Find the documents which are currently open... CComPtr<Documents> pDocs ; HRESULT hRes = theApp.GetInvAppPtr()->get_Documents (&pDocs); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDocs == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"CCollettore::CreateCollectorMainTubePart,get_Documents failed "); return ; }

const int ikNumDocs = pDocs->Count ;

// Get hold of the first Part doc which you find... for (int iDoc = 1 ; iDoc <= ikNumDocs ; iDoc++) {



CComPtr<Document> pDocument ;

hRes = pDocs->get_Item(iDoc,&pDocument) ;

if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDocument == nullptr)) { TRACE (L"Could not get document number %d",iDoc); return ; }

TRACE (L"Got document %d of type %d%s\n",iDoc,pDocument->DocumentType, GetInventorDocTypeDesc(pDocument->DocumentType)); if (pDocument->DocumentType == kPartDocumentObject) { // Convert from the "general document" type into the"drawing document" type... pPartDoc = pDocument ; break ; // Assume there is only one } }

if (pPartDoc == nullptr) { WalertBoxA ("No part found") ; return ; }

// Get hold of the component defintion so you can look at thefaces.. CComPtr<PartComponentDefinitions> pPartCompDefs ; pPartDoc->get_ComponentDefinitions (&pPartCompDefs) ;

TRACE (" there are %d component defs\n",pPartCompDefs->Count);

CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef ; pPartCompDefs->get_Item (1,&pPartCompDef) ;

CComPtr<SurfaceBodies> pSurfaceBodies; hRes = pPartCompDef->get_SurfaceBodies(&pSurfaceBodies);

// Get the first surface body from the component definition. // (There should only ever be one surface body.) CComPtr<SurfaceBody> pBody; hRes = pSurfaceBodies->get_Item(1, &pBody);

// Get the shells from the body. CComPtr<FaceShells> pShells; hRes = pBody->get_FaceShells(&pShells);

// Enumerate through the shells. const long ikNumShells = pShells->Count;



for (long iShell = 1 ; iShell <= ikNumShells ; iShell++) { CComPtr<FaceShell> pShell; hRes = pShells->get_Item(iShell, &pShell);

TRACE (L" Shell %d\n", iShell); // Get the faces from the shell. CComPtr<Faces> pFaces; hRes = pShell->get_Faces(&pFaces);

// Enumerate through the faces of the current shell. const long ikNumFaces = pFaces->Count; for (long iFace = 1 ; iFace <= ikNumFaces ; iFace++) { CComPtr<Face> pFace; hRes = pFaces->get_Item(iFace, &pFace) ;

CComPtr <Edges> pEdges ; pFace->get_Edges (&pEdges) ;

CComPtr<AttributeSets> pFaceAttSets ; pFace->get_AttributeSets (&pFaceAttSets) ; TRACE ("Face %d has %d attributesets\n",iFace,pFaceAttSets->Count) ; // This face has at least one attribute set... if (pFaceAttSets->Count > 0) {

// Get the first attribute set... CComPtr<AttributeSet> pFaceAttSet ; pFaceAttSets->get_Item(CComVariant(1),&pFaceAttSet) ;

if (pFaceAttSet != nullptr) {

// Get the first attribute... CComPtr<Attribute> pFaceAtt ; pFaceAttSet->get_Item(CComVariant(1),&pFaceAtt) ;

// Show the user what is inside theattribute... if (pFaceAtt != nullptr) { CComBSTR cbstrName ; pFaceAtt->get_Name (&cbstrName) ;

// Get the value. Use a CComVariantbecause there are strings // and number variants... CComVariant varValue ; pFaceAtt->get_Value (&varValue) ;

// Here we assume it is a string... WalertBoxW (L"Name = <%s> Value =



<%s>",cbstrName,varValue.bstrVal) ; } } } } }

12.148CreateExtrudeDefinition

This function does not actually create an extrusion, it should bepaired with Add to do that. Here is an example (error checkingremoved):

// Now at last we can use the pProfile to create a newextrusion, adding it to the list // of extruded features CComPtr<ExtrudeDefinition> pExtrudeDef; hRes = pListOfExtrusions->CreateExtrudeDefinition(pProfile,kJoinOperation,&pExtrudeDef);

pExtrudeDef->SetDistanceExtent(_variant_t(kHeight),kPositiveExtentDirection );

CComPtr<ExtrudeFeature> pExtrude; hRes = pListOfExtrusions->Add (pExtrudeDef);

What you need to remember is that an ExtrudeDefinition is not anextrusion feature.

12.149Inserting an extrusion in a Part

You need to have a part .ipt document open for the following functionto work, and that .ipt must have a sketch called Sketch1 alreadyexisting inside it. I've tested it with an empty Sketch1.



I've removed much of the hRes checking, but you should do thatchecking:

static HRESULT AddSolid(CComPtr<Application> pInvApp){ CComPtr<Document> piDoc; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_ActiveDocument(&piDoc);

CComQIPtr<PartDocument> pPartDoc(piDoc); // you should checkthat pPartDoc does not result in nullptr

CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> piPartCompDef; hRes = pPartDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&piPartCompDef); CComPtr<TransientGeometry> oTG; hRes = pInvApp->get_TransientGeometry(&oTG);

CComPtr<Point2d> oCenterP; hRes = oTG->CreatePoint2d(0, 0, &oCenterP);

CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pSketch = NULL; hRes = piPartCompDef->Sketches->get_Item(CComVariant(_T("Sketch1")), &pSketch);

CComPtr<SketchCircle> pSketchCircle = NULL; hRes = pSketch->SketchCircles->AddByCenterRadius(oCenterP,2);

CComPtr<Profile> pProfile = NULL; CComVariant pSegs; CComVariant preserve; hRes =pSketch->Profiles->AddForSolid(VARIANT_TRUE,pSegs,preserve,&pProfile);

CComPtr<PartFeatures> pPartFs; hRes = piPartCompDef->get_Features(&pPartFs);

CComPtr<ExtrudeFeatures> pExtrudeFs; hRes = pPartFs->get_ExtrudeFeatures(&pExtrudeFs);

CComPtr<ExtrudeDefinition> pExtrudeDef; hRes = pExtrudeFs->CreateExtrudeDefinition(pProfile,kJoinOperation,&pExtrudeDef);

pExtrudeDef->SetDistanceExtent(_variant_t(2.0),



kPositiveExtentDirection);

CComPtr<ExtrudeFeature> pExtrude; hRes = pExtrudeFs->Add (pExtrudeDef); if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE ("AddSolid but could Add ExtrudeDefinition\n"); return hRes ; }

TRACE ("AddSolid finished, extrusion added ok.\n");

return hRes;}

Good luck young man.

12.150Optional parameters and empty COM values

In VB and VBA there are sometimes optional parameters. And oftenthe only help available for functions in Inventor is the VB version, youhave to guess the parameters of the C++ version from the VBversion.

When there are optional parameters in C++ which you don't want touse you will probably have to pass an empty COM type value. A goodexample is GetTemplateFile:

hr = pFileManager->GetTemplateFile (kAssemblyDocumentObject, //type of file kDefaultSystemOfMeasure, kDefault_DraftingStandard, CComVariant(), // Optional inVB, GUID for Weld and SheetMetal &strTemplateFilename); //return value

That fourth parameter is an empty variant because we do not use it inthis instance. In the VB description of the same function it is anoptional parameter.

See also function call methods.



12.151Points and CenterPoints

The difference between these two sorts of points is that CenterPointsare displayed as center points:

Programatically the difference is here:

CComPtr<SketchPoint> pInventorPt; pSketch->SketchPoints->Add(pThePoint,VARIANT_TRUE,&pInventorPt);

That VARIANT_TRUE says "show as center point". Otherwise youshould use VARIANT_FALSE.

You can get the setting for this in two ways:

VARIANT_BOOL bHoleCenter ; pInventorPt->get_HoleCenter (&bHoleCenter) ; // first method

bHoleCenter = pInventorPt->HoleCenter ; // second method



12.152GetTemplateFile

The template file is how an new empty file of a new object will looklike. It is what is used when you create a new file, and contains thingslike units etc. When you do a new part or a new assembly Inventoruses a template file to create your empty file.

You can get hold of template files for various types of documents likethis:

CComBSTR strTemplateFilename; CComPtr<FileManager> pFileManager;HRESULT hr = pInvApp->get_FileManager(&pFileManager);

hr = pFileManager->GetTemplateFile (kAssemblyDocumentObject, //type of file DocumentTypeEnum kDefaultSystemOfMeasure, kDefault_DraftingStandard, CComVariant(), // GUID forWeldment and SheetMetal &strTemplateFilename); //return value

In the above call the strTemplateFilename would come backcontaining something like this:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2013\Templates\Standard.iam

Some common values in the first parameter (a DocumentTypeEnum) of GetTemplateFile are:

kPartDocumentObject kAssemblyDocumentObject kDrawingDocumentObject

The second parameter sets the measurement units (mm or inches). Itcan be



Enumerator Value

Description

kDefaultSystemOfMeasure

8961

Installed, default system inuse for this user.

kEnglishSystemOfMeasure

8963

English system of measure(inches etc.)

kMetricSystemOfMeasure

8962

Metric system of measure(mm etc.).

Note that GetTemplateFile can have an empty 4th parameter in thiscase because we are not dealing with Weldment or SheetMetal. Inthose two cases the fourth parameter will be a GUID which furtheridentifies the sort of standard to be used.

Of course if you know and want to use a specific template file you cansimply do this:

strTemplateFilename = L"C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\Autodesk\\Inventor 2017\\Templates\\LuVe\\RanStd.idw" ;

without calling GetTemplateFile, and use the string in a call like this:

// create a new assembly document using an existing template file CComPtr<Document> pDocument=nullptr; hRes = pDocuments->Add(kAssemblyDocumentObject, strTemplateFilename,VARIANT_TRUE, &pDocument); if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"Could not make new assemblydocument"); }

12.153Add a (planar) sketch to a workplane programatically

Here is a function which will add a new sketch to a named workplanein a PartComponentDefinition:

HRESULT AddSketchToWorkplane (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>&pPartCompDef, const wchar_t* constpszNewSketchName, const wchar_t* const



pszOldWorkPlaneName) { // Get the workplanes list CComPtr<WorkPlanes> pWorkPlaneList ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_WorkPlanes(&pWorkPlaneList); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlaneList == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddSketchToWorkplane, could not get workplane list") ; }

// Get the workplane to which we will add the sketch... CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane ; hRes = pWorkPlaneList->get_Item(CComVariant(pszOldWorkPlaneName), &pWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlaneList == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddSketchToWorkplane, could find specific workplane") ; }

// Get the list of sketches CComPtr<PlanarSketches> pSketchList ; hRes = pPartCompDef->get_Sketches (&pSketchList); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pSketchList == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddSketchToWorkplane, could not get planar sketches") ; } // Create a new sketch inside the list of sketches CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pNewSketch ; // return value offollowing call... hRes = pSketchList->Add (_variant_t((IDispatch *)pWorkPlane), VARIANT_FALSE, // Ignored when basedon a workplane &pNewSketch) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pNewSketch == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddSketchToWorkplane, could not get planar sketches") ; }


return (S_OK) ;}

See also this page.



12.154Component Definition

A part component definition is contained inside a part document. Thecomponent definition contains the nitty gritty of the actual objects youwant to manipulate and add to. Often there are lists of components,like sketches, features, workplanes etc:

To get the PartComponentDefiniton from a PartDocument use this:

CComPtr<PartDocument> pPartDocument ; ... init pPartDocument in some way...

// Get the component definition inside the PartDoc... CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef; hRes = pPartDocument->get_ComponentDefinition(&pPartCompDef); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPartCompDef == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"get_ComponentDefinition failed") ;



}

An AssemblyDocument and an AssemblyDocumentDefinition has thesame sort of structure. Here you can see just two of the many listsinside an AssemblyDocument:

There are other lists inside an AssemblyComponentDefinition. Here isan example of getting the AssemblyComponentDefinition and theconstraints list inside it:

// Init this in some way...... CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssemblyDoc = pDoc ;

// Get assembly component definition



CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef; hRes =pAssemblyDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef);

CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pConstraintList; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Constraints(&pConstraintList) ;

12.155Adding a workplane to a Part programatically

You need to get the list of workplanes and add to that. Here are thestandard workplanes which are contained in all parts:

As an example here I add a workplane which is offset from the YZPlane by 2.3. Here is what we will do graphicaly:



// Get the list of workplanes in the part... CComPtr<WorkPlanes> pWorkPlanesList ; pPartCompDef->get_WorkPlanes (&pWorkPlanesList) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlanesList == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateMainTube,could not get work planes list") ; } TRACE (L"There are %d workplanes\n",pWorkPlanesList->Count) ;

// Get the YZ Plane work plane (Index 1)... CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane ; hRes = pWorkPlanesList->get_Item (CComVariant(1),&pWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlane == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateMainTube,could not get standard workplane") ; }

// Just for fun print the name of the 1st standardworkplane... CComBSTR bstrWrkplaneName ; pWorkPlane->get_Name(&bstrWrkplaneName) ; TRACE (L"pWorkPlane(1) is called <%s>\n",bstrWrkplaneName) ; // Create a workplane parallel to the standard YZ Plane... CComPtr<WorkPlane> pOffsetWorkPlane ; hRes = pWorkPlanesList->AddByPlaneAndOffset



(_variant_t((IDispatch *)pWorkPlane), // "starting" plane CComVariant(2.3), // how much to offset VARIANT_FALSE, // See note below &pOffsetWorkPlane) ; // Return value if (FAILED(hRes) || (pOffsetWorkPlane == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateMainTube,could not add workplane with offset") ; } // For fun, again, get the name of the new workplane... hRes = pOffsetWorkPlane->get_Name (&bstrWrkplaneName) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateMainTube,could not get name of offset workplane") ; } TRACE (L"Offset WorkPlane was called <%s>\n",bstrWrkplaneName) ;

// Change the name of the workplane... pOffsetWorkPlane->put_Name (CComBSTR (L"Parallel_Smith")) ;

Note: This line in the call to AddByPlaneAndOffset...

VARIANT_FALSE, // See note below

...basically sets whether the plane is visible to the user. Theparameter is called Construction and if true then is just for theprogram to construct things and will not be visible to the user.

12.156Set the visibility of all workplanes in a part

Here is how to set all the WorkPlanes in a part to be visible orinvisible:

void SetVisibilityOfAllWorkPlanes (CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef, const bool kbVisibility){



// Get the list of workplanes in the part... CComPtr<WorkPlanes> pWorkPlanesList ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_WorkPlanes (&pWorkPlanesList) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlanesList == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"SetVisibilityOfAllWorkPlanes, could not get work planes list") ; return ; }

TRACE (L"There are %d workplanes\n",pWorkPlanesList->Count) ;

const UINT ikNumWorkPlanes = pWorkPlanesList->Count ;

VARIANT_BOOL vbVisib = kbVisibility ? VARIANT_TRUE : VARIANT_FALSE ;

for (UINT i = 1 ; i <= ikNumWorkPlanes ; i++) { CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane ; hRes = pWorkPlanesList->get_Item(CComVariant(i),&pWorkPlane) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlane == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"SetVisibilityOfAllWorkPlanes, could not get item %d",i) ; return ; } pWorkPlane->Visible = vbVisib ; }}

You can write similar functions for WorkPoints and WorkAxes.

12.157Listing the names of axes in a part

Here's an example of how to do it:

for (int i = 1 ; i <= pPartCompDef->WorkAxes->Count ; i++) { CComPtr<WorkAxis> pWorkAxis ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->WorkAxes->get_Item (CComVariant(i),&pWorkAxis) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"Could not get axis number %d\n",i); } else { gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"Got axis %d, name = <%s> ",i,LPCWSTR(pWorkAxis->Name)) ; } }

Note the LPCWSTR cast.



12.158get_ActiveDocument

The active document can be one of many types. Here is an examplecall:

CComPtr<Document> pDoc;

HRESULT hRes=pApplication->get_ActiveDocument(&pDoc);

get_ActiveDocument will put NULL in pDoc if there is no documentopen. You have to check that as well as hRes:

CComPtr<Document> pDoc;HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_ActiveDocument(&pDoc);if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDoc == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"Get Active Document Failed"); return ;}

12.159Get and Set the name of an Inventor document

You can get and set the document display name...



...like this:


BSTR bstrName ; pDoc->get_DisplayName (&bstrName) ; TRACE (L"\nFull document name was %s\n",bstrName) ;

pPartDoc->DisplayName = L"George" ;

pDoc->get_DisplayName (&bstrName) ; TRACE (L"\nFull document name now is %s\n",bstrName) ;

The above also illustrates how to get a part document pointer from adocument pointer.

12.160The .AddIn file

What is the .AddIn file? The .AddIn file is an XML format file whichtells Inventor various things about your program. Inventor knowswhere to look for .AddIn files and so can pick up information aboutyour AddIn. Open an example .AddIn file to get familiar with itscontents, you'll be able to find one here:

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Inventor 2013\Addins

or in a directory similar.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><Addin Type="Standard">  <ClassId>{213C79E5-0949-4CD8-93EA-77058D01BC48}</ClassId> <ClientId>{213C79E5-0949-4CD8-93EA-77058D01BC48}</ClientId> <DisplayName>Ch1AddInAddInServer</DisplayName> <Description>Description of Chapter 1</Description> <Assembly>C:\Users\Owen\Documents\MyAutoDeskStuff\Ch1AddIn.dll</Assembly> <LoadOnStartUp>1</LoadOnStartUp> <UserUnloadable>1</UserUnloadable> <Hidden>0</Hidden> <SupportedSoftwareVersionGreaterThan>16..</SupportedSoftwareVersionGreaterThan> <DataVersion>1</DataVersion> <UserInterfaceVersion>1</UserInterfaceVersion> </Addin>

Here are the most imports parts of an .AddIn file:

ClassId and ClientId which are simply unique identifiers to make sureInventor does not confuse your AddIn with other AddIns. DisplayName and Description are strings which will appear in theAddIn manager. (You can find the AddIn manager under the Toolstab, Options panel of the Inventor ribbon.) DisplayName appears inthe main list, and Description appears at the bottom of the dialogwhen you click on the name in the main list.

The Assembly is the path to the DLL which contains your AddIn, andso it is this entry which tells Inventor where to find your program. Ifyour DLL is in Inventor's bin directory you can simply list the name ofthe AddIn without the full path, for example: <Assembly>ScrewMaker.dll</Assembly>



The UserUnloadable element specifies whether the user can unloadthe AddIn. Assumed to be true if this value is not specified (i.e. usercan unload the add-in). Value can be 0 or 1.

The optional Hidden element defines whether the AddIn is visible inthe AddIn Manager or not. A value of 1 indicates that it is hidden,although the end-user can still right-click within the AddIn Managerand choose "Show hidden members" to display all AddIns. Thedefault value is 0, i.e. not hidden.

The UserInterfaceVersion is explained here.

12.161Adding a flush constraint programatically

A flush constraint means two planes are aligned on the same plane.So this means that you must get hold of the two planes to make themflush. Imagine two boxes, you could select a face from each box tobecome flush.

Here is an example of adding a flush constraint withAddFlushConstraint. AddFlushConstraint requires WorkPlanes orplanar objects like faces. The example below uses faces (planar



objects).

When you call this function you'll need two parts (with one box ineach part) in the Inventor assembly document for this to work.

static void DoFlushConstraint (CComPtr<Application>& pInvApp){ TRACE (L"DoFlushConstraint starting\n"); CComPtr<Document> pDoc; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_ActiveDocument(&pDoc); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pDoc == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes,L"Get Active Document Failed"); return ; } TRACE (L"A document is open, is it an assemply document?\n");

CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAsmDoc(pDoc); CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef; hRes = pAsmDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pAssemblyCompDef == nullptr)) { TRACE (L"Maybe this is not an assembly document?\n"); return ; }

TRACE (L"Getting occurrences, each occurrese is like an instance of a part\n");

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccs; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences(&pOccs); long iNumOccs ; hRes = pOccs->get_Count(&iNumOccs);

if (iNumOccs != 2) { TRACE (L"This program needs exactly 2 occurrences in the assembly to work, but the doc has %d\n",iNumOccs); return ; }

// Get the list of constraints of the assembly so you can add a new one CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pConstraintList; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Constraints(&pConstraintList) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pConstraintList== nullptr)) { TRACE (L"Could not get the constraints of the assembly\n"); return ; }

TRACE (L"The assembly has %d existing constraints\n",pConstraintList->Count) ;



CComPtr<Face> pFace1,pFace2; pAssemblyCompDef->Occurrences->Item[1]->SurfaceBodies->Item[1]->Faces->get_Item (1,&pFace1) ; pAssemblyCompDef->Occurrences->Item[2]->SurfaceBodies->Item[1]->Faces->get_Item (1,&pFace2) ;

if ((pFace1 == nullptr) || (pFace2 == nullptr)) { TRACE (L"Could not get two faces\n"); return ; }

CComVariant varEmpty, varReal(0.0);

// add the constraint CComPtr<FlushConstraint> pFC; hRes = pConstraintList->AddFlushConstraint(pFace1, pFace2, varReal, varEmpty, varEmpty,&pFC); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"Could not add flush constraint\n"); return ; }

TRACE (L"Added constraint\n");}

Other sorts of constraints are available too.

12.162Adding a flush constraint using workplanes

Here is an example, which shows that you must use geometricalproxies, assuming you have a CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument>pAsmDoc to start off with.

/* * Get the assembly definition which contains the actual"stuff"... */ CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef = nullptr ; hRes = pAsmDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef);

/* * Get the list of occurrences so that you can add twocyliders to it... */ CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccurrencesList=nullptr; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences (&pOccurrencesList)



;

/* * Create some geometries to place the parts in space... */ CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = nullptr ; pInvApp->get_TransientGeometry(&pTransGeom); CComPtr<Matrix> pPosMatrix = nullptr ; hRes = pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pPosMatrix); // Defaults to0 0 0

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pCyl1Occ = nullptr; hRes = pOccurrencesList->Add (CComBSTR(L"C:\\TEST\\Cyl1.ipt"),pPosMatrix,&pCyl1Occ) ;

CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pCyl1CompDef =CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition>(pCyl1Occ->Definition); CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane1=nullptr ; hRes = pCyl1CompDef->WorkPlanes->get_Item(CComVariant(L"XYPlane"),&pWorkPlane1);

CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxy1 ; pCyl1Occ->CreateGeometryProxy(pWorkPlane1,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxy1) ;

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pCyl2Occ = nullptr; hRes = pOccurrencesList->Add (CComBSTR(L"C:\\TEST\\Cyl2.ipt"),pPosMatrix,&pCyl2Occ) ; CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pCyl2CompDef =CComQIPtr<PartComponentDefinition>(pCyl2Occ->Definition); CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane2 ; hRes = pCyl2CompDef->WorkPlanes->get_Item(CComVariant(L"YZPlane"),&pWorkPlane2); CComPtr<WorkPlaneProxy> pWPProxy2 ; pCyl2Occ->CreateGeometryProxy(pWorkPlane2,(IDispatch**)&pWPProxy2) ;

// Get the list of constraints of the assembly so you can adda new one CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pConstraintList = nullptr ; hRes = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Constraints(&pConstraintList) ;

CComVariant varEmpty, varReal(0.0); CComPtr<FlushConstraint> pFC = nullptr ; hRes = pConstraintList->AddFlushConstraint



(pWPProxy1,pWPProxy2, varEmpty,varEmpty, varEmpty,&pFC);

12.163Constraints and parts from a programmer's point of view

Inside an AssemblyDocument (or rather an AssemblyComponentDefinition) Occurrences and Constraints can beimagined like this:

You can see that occurrences of parts are "constrained" together byconstraints. "Ball" and "Chain" are constrained by the constraintnumber 1, called "Mate:1"



You can also see that constraint number 4 has a user selected name,"Hold_Me".

When you are programming it might be good to name yourconstraints so that you can easily pick the one you are looking for,rather than having to remember the indices or the standard names.

12.164Loading your DLL

Addins are loaded at the startup of Inventor.

Once you have your Inventor AddIn DLL you need to show it toInventor so it can be loaded. You do this by creating an .AddIn file. Ifyou use the wizard that will be done for you. The .addin file needs tobe placed in one or more of several directories.

One example place is here:

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Autodesk\Inventor 2013\Addins

Note that the above path will resolve down to something like this:

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Inventor 2013\Addins

Also note that maybe you are using a different version of Inventor, sothe 2013 becaomes 2014 for example.

Anyway, since the .AddIn file has a path to your DLL, Inventor scansthe known directories and examines the .AddIn files it finds. Hence itreads the <Assembly> part of the .AddIn file, and knows where topick up the file.



12.165Sketches in an Inventor Part

This diagram shows you how sketches are contained inside a part:

They are inside a list which is itself inside a component definition.Programatically here is how to get a sketch by name:

// Get the component definition inside the PartDoc... CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartCompDef; hRes = pPartDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pPartCompDef);

// Get the sketch in the part by name... CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pSketch = NULL; hRes = pPartCompDef->Sketches->get_Item(CComVariant(L"MAIN_TUBE_CIRCS"), &pSketch); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddSolid but could not 'get'sketch\n"); return (false) ; }



You can get hold of sketches by index (starting from #1)

CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pSketch ; // Get the first sketch in the part hRes = pPartCompDef->Sketches->get_Item(CComVariant(1),&pSketch);

Of course both these sketch getting methods require that the namedsketch you are looking for, or the index, are present in the Sketcheslist of the Inventor Part.

12.166Default workplanes and default sketches programatically

Every part has 3 default workplanes.

You can add sketches to them programatically using this function:

// Adds a sketch to one of the three standard workplanes in a partbool AddSketchToStdWorkplane (CComPtr<PlanarSketch>& pNewSketch, CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef, const wchar_t* const pszNewSketchName, const UINT ikWorkPlaneNumber) // gikXIndex,gikYIndex, gikZIndex{ if ((pszNewSketchName == nullptr) || (wcslen(pszNewSketchName) == 0)) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"ASTSWP, workplane name incorrect") ;



return false; }

CComPtr<WorkPlane> pWorkPlane; bool bOk = GetStdWorkPlaneByIndex(pWorkPlane, ikWorkPlaneNumber,pPartCompDef); if (!bOk) { return false; }

// Get the list of sketches CComPtr<PlanarSketches> pSketchList ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_Sketches (&pSketchList); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddSketchToWorkplane, could not get planarsketches") ; return false; }

hRes = pSketchList->Add (_variant_t((IDispatch *)pWorkPlane),VARIANT_FALSE,&pNewSketch) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddSketchToWorkplane, could not get planarsketches") ; return false; }


return true;}

The last part of the code above shows you how to get the name of asketch using get_Name. The following diagram shows the indices toget the standard workplanes:



You can also use: gikXIndex, gikYIndex, gikZIndex

This code...

// Create a part CComPtr<PartDocument> pPartDoc; bool bOk = CreateNewPart(GetInvAppPtr(),pPartDoc,L"Test"); if (!bOk) { return; }

CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition> pPartDef; HRESULT hRes = pPartDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pPartDef); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPartDef==nullptr)) { return; }

for (UINT i = gikXIndex; i <= gikZIndex; i++) { // Add a sketch CString kcsSketchName; kcsSketchName.Format(L"Sketch%d", i); CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pNewSketch; AddSketchToStdWorkplane(pNewSketch, pPartDef, kcsSketchName, i); AddCircleToSketch(pNewSketch, i * 1, i * 2, i * 3); }

...creates these three sketches...



See also this page.

12.167Add a work point at a sketch point

Here's a function to place a workpoint in space at the same positionas a point in a sketch. This is what we want to do:



This is how to do it:

HRESULT AddWorkPointAtSketchPoint(CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartCompDef, const wchar_t* constpszNewPointName, const wchar_t* constpszSketchName) /*Adds a workpoint in space at the first point in a named sketch*/{ CComPtr<WorkPoints> pWorkPointsList ; HRESULT hRes = pPartCompDef->get_WorkPoints(&pWorkPointsList) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPointsList == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddWorkPointAtSketchPoint, could not get workplane list") ; }

CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pSketch ;



hRes = GetSketchByName (pSketch,pszSketchName,pPartCompDef) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pSketch == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddWorkPointAtSketchPoint, could not get sketch") ; }

CComPtr<SketchPoints> pSkPoints; pSketch->get_SketchPoints (&pSkPoints) ; long iNumPoints ; hRes = pSkPoints->get_Count (&iNumPoints) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (iNumPoints < 1)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddWorkPointAtSketchPoint, not enough points in sketc") ; }

CComPtr<SketchPoint> pSketchPoint ; hRes = pSkPoints->get_Item (1,&pSketchPoint) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pSketchPoint == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddWorkPointAtSketchPoint, get sketch point failed") ; }

CComPtr<WorkPoint> pWorkPoint ; hRes = pWorkPointsList->AddByPoint (_variant_t((IDispatch*)pSketchPoint),VARIANT_FALSE,&pWorkPoint) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPoint == nullptr)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddWorkPointAtSketchPoint, Add workpoint failed") ; }

pWorkPoint->put_Name (CComBSTR (pszNewPointName)) ;

return (hRes) ;}

This function assumes that there is at least 1 points in the sketch, andtakes the first. The function also takes a name for the workpointbecause I find that giving signifigant names to objects in Inventor makes them easier to find.



12.168Getting and setting the sketch name (as well as other objects)

Here is how to get and set the sketch (and other objects) name:

CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pSketch; ... CComBSTR bstrSketchName ; pSketch->get_Name (&bstrSketchName) ; //Get the sketch name ... pSketch->put_Name (CComBSTR(L"Tube_Base")) ; // Set the name

Many many objects in the Inventor API have names, like workplanesand parts etc. You can usually interrogate and change the nameswith the methods shown above.

12.169PatternSpacingTypeEnum

Constants identifying the pattern spacing type, used in, patterns(arrays) of objects.

Name Value Description

kDefault 33537Occurrences separated by specified

distance.

kFitted 33538All occurrences fitted within specified

distance.kFitToPathLe

ngth33539 All occurrences fitted within path length.

12.170PatternOrientationEnum

PatternOrientationEnum, Constants identifying the pattern orientationmethod.

Name Value Description

kAdjustToDirection1 33794Orientation of occurrences adjustedto direction 1.



kAdjustToDirection2 33795Orientation of occurrences adjustedto direction 2.

kIdentical 33793All occurrences are orientedidentically.

12.171Occurences as Xrefs

If you are familiar with Xrefs in AutoCAD then you can imagine thatan occurrence can be considered as a sort of xref.

As Xiaodong Liang of Autodesk said:

"I think this is a good comparison. The Inventor assembly containsthe occurrence information (file, path, transformation etc) only. Itdoes not contain the geometry of the occurrence. When the assemblyis opened, it tries to resolve the occurrence, after that, read thegeometries and display them in the assembly context with thetransformation defined with the occurrence. The occurrence isactually a proxy of the original document. If the original file cannot befound, Inventor will ask the user to resolve. So it may be OK to saysome behaviors are similar to Xref."

12.172VT_I4

VT_I4 – 32-Bit signed long value (positive 2147483647 to negative2147483648 )

12.173rgs file for Inventor AddIns, what is it?

***WARNING***: The old plugin wizard may create this file for you,but it is no longer required for modern registry free AddIns.

12.174BSTR OLECHAR wchar_t

BSTR is normally defined as an OLECHAR* and is normally a pointerto a wide string.

So this is valid:

CComBSTR bstrSketchName ;



pSketch->get_Name (&bstrSketchName) ; TRACE (L"The name of the sketch just made is %s\n",bstrSketchName) ;

Remember that with TRACE the format specifier requires L toindicate wide char string types (wchar_t). See here for anotherexample.

CComBSTR is a class which encapsulates BSTR:

class CComBSTR{public:

BSTR m_str;......

Here's an example of going from CComBSTR to CString:

BSTR bstrThisUserParamName ; pUserParam->get_Name(&bstrThisUserParamName); const CString kcsThisParamName(bstrThisUserParamName);

So use CComBSTR instead of BSTR whenever you can, since BSTRrequires more explicit memory handling, a call to ::SysFreeString afteruse for example:

BSTR DisplayName; HRESULT hr = pSketch->get_Name(&DisplayName); ... do things... ::SysFreeString(DisplayName);

As an aside I doubt that anyone is still using ASCII, almost allInventor programmers are using UNICODE. For that reason I nolonger use the _T macro, which was used to conditionally compile forboth ASCII and UNICODE.

You of course have to check what type of string a given function isrequesting. In case of calling Inventor API functions the strings arerequired as BSTR (sometimes wrapped in a VARIANT) which you canget in multiple ways. All of them can create it from wchar_t:SysAllocString, CComBSTR, _bstr_t



Here is how to get a CString from a _bstr_t.

_bstr_t FullName (pPartCompDef->iPartMember->GetReferencedFile()->GetFullFileName()); const CString kcsFulName((wchar_t*)FullName);

12.175AddForSolid

AddForSolid creates a profile inside a sketch which can be used forextrusion (for example).

CComPtr<Profile> pProfile = NULL;CComVariant pSegs;CComVariant pReserve;pSketch->Profiles->AddForSolid (VARIANT_TRUE, // combine allelements into one "path" pSegs, // path segments,may well not be used pReserve, // not used, butparameter requitred &pProfile); // returnedcombined profile

The VARIANT_TRUE means combine all the elements in the sketchinto one path.

pSegs may well not be used.

In the above case pProfile is the return data from AddForSolid.pProfile could be used later in the function like this:

CComPtr<ExtrudeDefinition> pExtrudeDef;hRes =pExtrudeFs->CreateExtrudeDefinition(pProfile,PartFeatureOperationEnum::kJoinOperation,&pExtrudeDef);



Next...

12.176VBA, VB.NET, C# or C++

VBA is only recommended for small macros.

VB can create quite large programs, as can C#.

C++ can be used to create EXE files which interact with Inventor from"outside" Inventor.

C++ can be used to create DLLs which run "inside" Inventor and addcommands to the program and icons in the "Ribbon".

12.177Profiles in sketches programatically

A profile is something like a circle, which is contained inside a sketch.

You can get the list of profiles in a sketch like this:

// Get Profiles CComPtr<Profiles> pSkProfiles; hr = pSketch->get_Profiles(&pSkProfiles) ;

12.178Creating an Assembly

HRESULT CreateNewAssembly (CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument>& pAssemblyDoc, CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>&pAssemblyCompDef, const CString& kcsTemplateFile)/*Create a new assembly and return the document and assembly componentdefinition.AssemblyComponentDefinition is a list of parts and constraints.*/{ CComPtr<Documents> pDocuments=nullptr; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocuments) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateNewAssembly, could not getdocuments");



}

CComBSTR strTemplateFilename(kcsTemplateFile);

// create a new assembly document using the template passed to us CComPtr<Document> pDocument=nullptr; hRes = pDocuments->Add(kAssemblyDocumentObject, strTemplateFilename,VARIANT_TRUE, &pDocument); if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateNewAssembly, Could not makenew assembly document"); }

// Try to cast to an assembly document, this should not ever fail... pAssemblyDoc = pDocument ;

// Get hold of the assembly component definition too... pAssemblyCompDef = nullptr ; hRes = pAssemblyDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef); if (FAILED(hRes)) { return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateNewAssembly, Could not gethold of assembly component definition"); }

//theApp.PrintfLedMessage (RGB(255,255,155),CCT_DLG,L"Assieme OK...") ;

return S_OK ;}

Here is another example of how to do it in C++

static void CreateAssembly (const CComPtr<Application>& pInvApp) { CComPtr<Documents> pDocuments; pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocuments) ;

CComBSTR strTemplateFilename; // Get assembly document template CComPtr<FileManager> pFileManager; HRESULT hr = pInvApp->get_FileManager(&pFileManager); if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE (_"Could not get file manager\n"); return ; }

hr = pFileManager->GetTemplateFile(kAssemblyDocumentObject, kDefaultSystemOfMeasure, kDefault_DraftingStandard, CComVariant(), &strTemplateFilename); if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE ("Could not get template file\n"); return ;



}

TRACE ("Template file is:\n%s\n",strTemplateFilename);

// create a new assembly document from a standard template CComPtr<Document> pDocument; hr = pDocuments->Add(kAssemblyDocumentObject, strTemplateFilename, VARIANT_TRUE, &pDocument); if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE ("Could not create new assembly document\n"); return ; }

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom; hr = pInvApp->get_TransientGeometry(&pTransGeom); if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE ("Could not get transient geometry\n"); return ; }

CComPtr<Matrix> pMatrix; hr = pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pMatrix); if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE ("Could not create matrix\n"); return ; }

CComBSTR csFileName = L"c:\\temp\\cylinder.ipt" ;

// Try to cast to the document to an assembly document CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssemblyDoc = pDocument ; if (!pAssemblyDoc) { TRACE ("Could not get assembly doc\n"); return ; }

// Get assembly component definition CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef; hr = pAssemblyDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef); if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE ("Could not get assembly component definition\n"); return ; }

// Get the ComponentOccurrences collection for the assembly document CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccs; hr = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences(&pOccs); if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE ("Could not get assembly occurrences\n"); return ;



}

CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pOcc1; hr = pOccs->Add(csFileName,pMatrix,&pOcc1) ; if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE ("Could not add assembly occurrence 1\n"); return ; }

CComPtr<Vector> pVector; hr = pTransGeom->CreateVector(20,2,2,&pVector); if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE ("Could not create vector\n"); return ; } pMatrix->SetTranslation (pVector,VARIANT_TRUE) ; CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pOcc2; hr = pOccs->Add(csFileName,pMatrix,&pOcc2) ; if (FAILED(hr)) { TRACE ("Could not add assembly occurrence 2\n"); return ; }

CComPtr<Face> pCylFace1 = GetCylinderSurface (pOcc1) ; CComPtr<Face> pCylFace2 = GetCylinderSurface (pOcc2) ;

TRACE ("pCylFace1 = %p pCylFace2 = %p\n",pCylFace1,pCylFace2);}

Of course if you know and want to use a specific template file you cansimply do this:

strTemplateFilename = L"C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\Autodesk\\Inventor 2013\\Templates\\LuVe\\RanStd.iam" ;

without calling GetTemplateFile .

See also creating a drawing, DWG IDW.

12.179Getting the project file location and other options programatically

You can use this fragment:

CComPtr<FileLocations> pFileLocations;Result = pInvApp->get_FileLocations(&pFileLocations);if (SUCCEEDED(Result))



{CComBSTR bstrFileLocationsFile;Result =

pFileLocations->get_FileLocationsFile(&bstrFileLocationsFile);if (SUCCEEDED(Result))

TRACE(L"Active Project File: %ls \n",bstrFileLocationsFile);

}

and something like this:

static HRESULT GetInventorInformation(CComPtr<Application>&pInvApp){ // Display some information about Inventor

TRACE("\nInventor Information: \n");

CComBSTR bstrCaption;HRESULT Result = pInvApp->get_Caption(&bstrCaption);if (SUCCEEDED(Result))

TRACE(L"Caption: %ls \n", bstrCaption);

CComBSTR bstrLanguage;Result = pInvApp->get_LanguageName(&bstrLanguage);if (SUCCEEDED(Result))

TRACE(L"Language: %ls \n", bstrLanguage);

CComBSTR bstrUserName;Result = pInvApp->get_UserName(&bstrUserName);if (SUCCEEDED(Result))

TRACE(L"User Name: %ls \n", bstrUserName);

CComPtr<SoftwareVersion> pSoftwareVersion;Result = pInvApp->get_SoftwareVersion(&pSoftwareVersion);if (SUCCEEDED(Result)){

CComBSTR bstrSoftVerDispName;Result =

pSoftwareVersion->get_DisplayName(&bstrSoftVerDispName);if (SUCCEEDED(Result))

TRACE(L"Software Version: %ls \n",bstrSoftVerDispName);

}



CComPtr<FileLocations> pFileLocations;Result = pInvApp->get_FileLocations(&pFileLocations);if (SUCCEEDED(Result)){

CComBSTR bstrFileLocationsFile;Result =

pFileLocations->get_FileLocationsFile(&bstrFileLocationsFile);if (SUCCEEDED(Result))

TRACE(L"Active Project File: %ls \n",bstrFileLocationsFile);

}

CComPtr<GeneralOptions> pGeneralOptions;Result = pInvApp->get_GeneralOptions(&pGeneralOptions);if (SUCCEEDED(Result)){

CComBSTR bstrStartupProjectFile;Result =

pGeneralOptions->get_StartupProjectFileName(&bstrStartupProjectFile);

if (SUCCEEDED(Result))TRACE(L"Startup Project File: %ls \n\n",

bstrStartupProjectFile);}

// Obtain the 'Visible' property of the active application VARIANT_BOOL bVisible = VARIANT_FALSE; Result = pInvApp->get_Visible(&bVisible); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

if (bVisible != VARIANT_TRUE){

pInvApp->Visible = VARIANT_TRUE ; }

CComPtr<Document> pDoc; Result = pInvApp->get_ActiveDocument(&pDoc); if (FAILED(Result)) { ShowCOMError (Result,L"get_ActiveDocument failed\n") ; return Result ; }

...etc.



12.180regsvr32

This information is only useful if you are making old style AddIns.New Registry Free AddIns don't require the use of regsvr32.

Required for when you make AddIns. Two examples:

regsvr32 shmedia.dll (for registering a file)

regsvr32 /u shmedia.dll (for unregistering a file)

Note that the full path of the .dll may be used to ensure that you areregistering the correct dll.

The def file is required because it is used to export the functionsDllRegisterServer and DllUnregisterServer. Here's an example:

; SimpleAddIn.def : Declares the module parameters.

LIBRARY "SimpleAddIn.DLL"

EXPORTSDllCanUnloadNow PRIVATEDllGetClassObject PRIVATEDllRegisterServer PRIVATEDllUnregisterServer PRIVATE

DllCanUnloadNow is a function inside your code which Inventor callsto see if it can unload the DLL to free up memory.

12.181What and where is the AddIn manager?

You can get hold of it here:



But also from the Windows Start Menu->Programs->Autodesk->Inventor->Tools. Just look for the "+" icon.

In your .AddIn file you can put a description of the addin which willappear in the manager:

You can also see the DisplayName from the .AddIn file in the main listof the manager. In this case it is InventorAddIn5AddInServer.

12.182RxInventor.tlb

A tlb file is a type-library and it contains a description of one or more aCOM components.



It will be inside the InventorUtils.h file, something like this:

#import "RxInventor.tlb" no_namespace named_guids raw_dispinterfacesraw_method_prefix("") high_method_prefix("Method") \

rename("DeleteFile", "APIDeleteFile"), rename("CopyFile", "APICopyFile"), rename("MoveFile", "APIMoveFile") \

rename("SetEnvironmentVariable", "APISetEnvironmentVariable")

To get the compiler to find the tlb file you need to add a path to it inthe projects properties. Of these two I've been told to use the oneunder bin32 :

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2017\BinC:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2017\Bin\Bin32

If you don't add the path you'll get something like this:

C1083: Cannot open type library file: 'RxInventor.tlb': No such fileor directory.

The compiler will create two more files, in your DEBUG andRELEASE directories:

RxInventor.tliRxInventor.tlh

If you change Inventor version you should

1. Clean your whole solution.2. Make sure the include paths are updated.3. Erase the tli and tlh files before recompiling (in your project Debug

and Release directories).4. Search in all text files for "Inventor 2017" (if for example you are

moving from "Inventor 2017" to "Inventor 2019") and change to thenew version (in this example "Inventor 2019")

This COM/TLB/TLH/TLI stuff is all a mystery inside an enigma. Tocomplete the porting in one instance I had to change a line inside"InventorUtils.h" from...

#import "RxInventor.tlb" no_namespace named_guids...

...to...



#import "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\RxInventor.tlb"no_namespace named_guids...

...else the compiler could not find the file.

12.183Adding a rectangle to a sketch programatically

We create a rectangle in a 2D sketch by specifying 2 points. You getthe points from transient geometry object, but they need to be used tocreate the two SketchPoint things.

// Get the transient geometry object. We'll use this tocreate pure geometric points CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTrGeom; pTrGeom = pApp->TransientGeometry;

// Draw a 4cm x 3cm rectangle with the corner at (0,0) CComPtr<Point2d> pPt1; // Pure geometric point hr = pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(0.0,0.0,&pPt1); if (FAILED(hr)) return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L" create 2d pointfailed") ;

CComPtr<Point2d> pPt2; // Pure geometric point hr = pTrGeom->CreatePoint2d(4.0,3.0,&pPt2); if (FAILED(hr)) return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L" create 2d pointfailed") ;

// Create sketch points from above points // Get list of SketchPoints, points existing in a sketch



CComPtr<SketchPoints> pSkPoints; hr = pSketch->get_SketchPoints(&pSkPoints); if (FAILED(hr)) return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L" get sketch point listfailed") ;

// Create a SketchPoint from a geometric point CComPtr<SketchPoint> pSpt1; hr = pSkPoints->Add(pPt1, // geometrical point VARIANT_FALSE, // not a hole center &pSpt1); // resulting SketchPoint if (FAILED(hr)) return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L" add point to sketchfailed") ;

CComPtr<SketchPoint> pSpt2; hr = pSkPoints->Add(pPt2,VARIANT_FALSE,&pSpt2); if (FAILED(hr)) return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L" add point to sketchfailed") ;

CComPtr<SketchEntitiesEnumerator> pRectangleLines;

// Get SketchLines CComPtr<SketchLines> pSkLines; hr = pSketch->get_SketchLines(&pSkLines); if (FAILED(hr)) return ReturnAndShowCOMError (hr,L" get lines listfailed") ;

TRACE (L"There are currently %d lines in the sketch\n",pSkLines->Count) ;

// Creat a rectangle from two points hr = pSkLines->AddAsTwoPointRectangle(_variant_t((IDispatch*)pSpt1), _variant_t((IDispatch*)pSpt2), &pRectangleLines);



12.184get_ and Get ?

What is the difference between the functions like these:

// High syntax version Get... ComponentOccurrencesPtr pActOccs=ActDef->GetOccurrences() ; // I suggest you avoid using this version

// Raw syntax version get_... CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccs; pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences(&pOccs); // I suggest you use this version

GetProperty and MethodMethName(): is called “high” method syntax get_property and MethodName(): is the “raw” syntax.

The first one returns a value and can throw exceptions. The secondone returns an error code and take the return value as in/out param.This is usually the suggested way to use the API, reason is that yourprogram is less likely to crash in case you are not handlingexceptions.

The returned property value itself is of course identical using one orthe other syntax.

Using the second method also means that you generally do not haveto worry about Releasing smart pointers and other COM arcania...

See also VARIANT and CComVariant.

12.185UserInterfaceVersion

UserInterfaceVersion is an entry in an .AddIn file.

It is used by Inventor to know when it should regenerate the GUI ofyour .AddIn. As you develop your AddIn's GUI this number should beincremeted so that Inventor knows to recreate that part of the ribbon.

It should be a positive integer. Here's an example:

<UserInterfaceVersion>1</UserInterfaceVersion>



And if you change the GUI then you can do this:

<UserInterfaceVersion>2</UserInterfaceVersion>

to let Inventor know.

12.186Difference between CComPtr and CComQIPtr?

CComQIPtr is derived from CComPtr. QI stands for Query Interface.When you construct with a CComQIPtr it can result in nullptr., whichmeans the cast has not worked. This is useful to check the type of thepointer. For example:

CComQIPtr<PartDocument> pPartDoc(pDoc) ; if (pPartDoc == nullptr) { // pDoc did not point to a PartDocument return (false) ; }

...and another example...

CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAsmDoc(pDoc); if (pAsmDoc == nullptr) { // pDoc did not point to an AssemblyDocument return (nullptr) ; }

.

12.187VARIANT and CComVariant

CComVariant is a C++ encapsulation of VARIANT.

They are more or less tagged unions.

An example of using CComVariant when programming in Inventor isin the many get_Item calls in for loops:

const int ikNumConstraints = pConstraintList->Count ;



for (int j = 1 ; j <= ikNumConstraints ; j++) { CComPtr<AssemblyConstraint> pConstraint; hRes = pConstraintList->get_Item(CComVariant(j),&pConstraint) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"Could not get the constraint %d of theassembly, hr=%X\n",j,hRes); return ; }

TRACE (L"Got constraint %d\n",j); }

Look at that CComVariant(j) call. That is how you send an integer toget_Item when get_Item wants a VARIANT.

Note also that it all the get_Item things start at 1.

You can create an empty variant and a real double variant asillustrated below:

CComVariant varEmpty, varReal(0.0);

Or you can use a global constant empty variant like this.

12.188Getting items from collections

You often want to get hold of items in various collections withinInventor objects. You can often use get_Item to do this.

CComPtr<PlanarSketch> pSketch = NULL; hRes = piPartCompDef->Sketches->get_Item(CComVariant(_T("BaseCircles")), &pSketch);

The above code looks inside the list of sketches to find the one called"BaseCircles".

Sometimes you can simply pass an index:

CComPtr<DrawingView> pThisView ; hRes = pViews->get_Item(1,&pThisView) ;



Another way of getting an item from a collection uses get_Item withan cast index:

for (int j = 1 ; j <= ikNumConstraints ; j++) { CComPtr<AssemblyConstraint> pConstraint; pConstraintList->get_Item(CComVariant(j),&pConstraint) ; TRACE ("Got constraint %d\n"),j);}

In the example above the index is passed as a CComVariant, CComVariant(j).

Here are some other ways of using get_Item:

get_Item(COleVariant(CGID)...

get_Item(CComVariant(j),... // i is an integer

get_Item(_variant_t(3L, VT_I4),... // 3 as a VT_I4

When using integer indices they always start from 1 (not 0).

12.189Assembly.Document Assembly

Here's how to get it...

CComPtr<Document> pDoc;HRESULT Result = pInvApp->get_ActiveDocument(&pDoc);if ((FAILED(iRes) || (pDoc == NULL)) { TRACE ("No document is open"); return Result ;}

// Try to cast the if (CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssemblyDoc = pDoc){ TRACE ("This is an assembly\n");}

...basically you check to see if the cast (in red) returns somethingother than nullptr.



12.19064bit vs 32bit

You should use 64 bit compilation when doing an AddIn for 64 bitInventor.

But you can use 32 or 64 bit when doing an external exe which willcommunicate with 64 bit Inventor.

12.191Client Graphics

Client Graphics are graphics which appear in drawings or on objectswhich a programmer can add via the API. There is a C++ example ofthis in the samples.

12.192Hierarchy of objects

The hierarchy is like this:

AssemblyAssemblyComponentDefinition

AssemblyConstraints...ComponentOccurencesList

ComponentOccurenceSurfaceBodiesList

SurfaceBodyFacesList

Face (Planar, Cylinder,Spheric...)

EdgeLoop (Line, Arc,Curve, Spline...)



12.193Getting or running an Inventor Instance

This code runs Inventor if it is not already running:

CLSID InvAppClsid; HRESULT Result = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Inventor.Application", &InvAppClsid); if (FAILED(Result)) return Result;

// See if Inventor is already running... CComPtr<IUnknown> pInvAppUnk; Result = ::GetActiveObject (InvAppClsid, NULL, &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (Result)) { // Inventor is not already running, so try to start it... TRACE (L"Could not get hold of an active Inventor , will start a new session\n"); Result = CoCreateInstance (InvAppClsid, NULL, CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER, __uuidof(IUnknown), (void **) &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (Result)){ TRACE (L"*** Failed to create a new Inventor application ***\n"); return Result; } }

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

After that you can carry on an interact with Inventor with pInvApp.

How to correct it if CLSIDFromProgID fails.

12.194Add a part to an assembly programatically

Here is a function for creating a new assembly:

// Create a new assembly and return the document and assemblycomponent definition.// AssemblyComponentDefinition is a list of parts andconstraints.bool CreateNewAssembly (CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument>& pAssemblyDoc, CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>&pAssemblyCompDef,



const CString& kcsTemplateFile){ CComPtr<Documents> pDocuments=nullptr; HRESULT hRes = pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocuments) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(ekErrMsg,hRes,L"CreateNewAssembly, could notget documents"); return false ; }

CComBSTR strTemplateFilename(kcsTemplateFile);

// create a new assembly document from a standard template CComPtr<Document> pDocument=nullptr; hRes = pDocuments->Add(kAssemblyDocumentObject,strTemplateFilename, VARIANT_TRUE, &pDocument); if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Errore in CreateNewAssemplytemplate = <%s>", kcsTemplateFile.GetString()); ShowCOMError(ekErrMsg,hRes,L"CreateNewAssembly, Could notmake new assembly document"); return false ; }

// Try to cast to an assembly document, this should not everfail... pAssemblyDoc = pDocument ;

// Get hold of the assembly component definition too... pAssemblyCompDef = nullptr ; hRes = pAssemblyDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError(ekErrMsg,hRes,L"CreateNewAssembly, Could notget hold of assembly component definition"); return false ; }

return true ;}

And here is how the above function is used:

CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssemblyDoc ; CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef;



const bool kbAsmOk = CreateNewAssembly(pAssemblyDoc,pAssemblyCompDef,theApp.GetLuveIAMTemplate()) ; if (!kbAsmOk) { theApp.PrintfLedMessage (RGB(255,0,0),CCT_DLG,L"Erroredurante creazione IAM...") ; return false; }

Here is the code to do this and add a part, with no error checking:

static void CreateAssembly (const CComPtr<Application>& pInvApp) { // Get the list of documents currently in Inventor... CComPtr<Documents> pDocuments; pInvApp->get_Documents (&pDocuments) ;

// Get assembly document template, what is used as a default for .iam files // To do that you need to get the file manager CComPtr<FileManager> pFileManager; HRESULT hr = pInvApp->get_FileManager(&pFileManager);

// So get hold of the user's default template file... CComBSTR strTemplateFilename; hr = pFileManager->GetTemplateFile(kAssemblyDocumentObject, kDefaultSystemOfMeasure, kDefault_DraftingStandard, CComVariant(), &strTemplateFilename);

// Create a new assembly document from a standard template CComPtr<Document> pDocument; // This is a return value from the following call hr = pDocuments->Add(kAssemblyDocumentObject, strTemplateFilename, VARIANT_TRUE, &pDocument);

// New need some transient geometry to add in a part... CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom; hr = pInvApp->get_TransientGeometry(&pTransGeom);

// Create a matrix CComPtr<Matrix> pMatrix; hr = pTransGeom->CreateMatrix(&pMatrix);

// This part must exist, because we are going to add an occurrence (instance) of it // to the assemply document CComBSTR csFileName = L"c:\\temp\\cylinder.ipt" ;

// Convert pDocument (returned by the call to Add previously) into an assembly document CComQIPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssemblyDoc = pDocument ;



// Get the assembly component definition CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pAssemblyCompDef; hr = pAssemblyDoc->get_ComponentDefinition(&pAssemblyCompDef);

// Get the ComponentOccurrences collection for the assembly document CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccs; hr = pAssemblyCompDef->get_Occurrences(&pOccs);

// Now we can add an occurrence (instance) of cylinder.ipt into the assembly... CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pOcc1; hr = pOccs->Add(csFileName,pMatrix,&pOcc1) ;}

It is long winded but clear.

12.195Coordinates of a WorkAxis

Once you have the proxy of a work axis you can get details (in centimeters cm) like this

CComPtr<WorkAxisProxy> pWAProxy ; pTuboOcc->CreateGeometryProxy (pWAxis,(IDispatch**)&pWAProxy) ;

// Get the geometry of the axis.. LinePtr pLine = pWAProxy->GetLine() ; UnitVectorPtr pDir = pLine->Direction ;

// You can get hold of the double values like this... TRACE ("direction %.3f, %.3f, %.3f,\n",pDir->GetX(),pDir->GetY(),pDir->GetZ())

Here is another example when you have a collection of workaxes...

for (int i = 1 ; i <= pWAProxyCollection->Count ; i++) { CComPtr<WorkAxisProxy> pWAProxy; pWAProxyCollection->get_Item(i,(IDispatch**)&pWAProxy) ;

LinePtr pLine = pWAProxy->GetLine() ; UnitVectorPtr pProxyDir = pLine->Direction ; PointPtr pProxyOrigin = pLine->RootPoint ;

gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,"%2d origin = %.1fcm %.1fcm %.1fcm direction %.3f, %.3f, %.3f,\n", i, pProxyOrigin->X,pProxyOrigin->Y,pProxyOrigin->Z, pProxyDir->GetX(),pProxyDir->GetY(),pProxyDir->GetZ()) ; }

See also this.



12.196Invisibilize components in a collection

Here's an example of making a collection of work axes invisible. Usethe Visible attribute:

void InvisibilizeWorkAxes (CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pWACollection) { for (int i = 1 ; i <= pWACollection->Count ; i++) { CComPtr<WorkAxisProxy> pProxy ; pWACollection->get_Item (i,(IDispatch**)&pProxy) ; pProxy->Visible = VARIANT_FALSE ; // or VARIANT_TRUE }}

12.197Delete a WorkAxis

Here's some code which I have used

{ csAxisName.Format (L"WAZR%d",iRango) ; CComPtr<WorkAxis> pZWorkAxis ; HRESULT hRes = GetWorkAxisByName (pZWorkAxis,csAxisName,pNodesDef) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pZWorkAxis == nullptr)) { TRACE (L"DUR, could not get z axis to delete, R%d",iRango) ; return ; } pZWorkAxis->Delete(VARIANT_TRUE) ; // the parameter means "retain dependents" }

You can use the Delete function on other object types.

12.198Add a plane by offset from another plane

Note that in theory these two functions work, but currenty in Inventor2015, you cannot add planes programatically inside assemblies. Forthat use the function at the very end of this page.

static bool CreateSketchOffsetFromXYPlane (CComPtr<PlanarSketch>&pNewSketch, // The sketch created, output CComPtr<WorkPlanes>pWorkPlanes, // Where the sketch added



CComPtr<PlanarSketches> pSketches, // The list to we add sketch const double kOffset, // How far to offset const wchar_t* constpszSketchName) // Name of the newsketch{ // Get hold of one of the WorkPlanes. Valid indices are 1L 2L3L for standard workplanes CComPtr<WorkPlane> pXYWorkPlane ; HRESULT hRes = pWorkPlanes->get_Item(_variant_t(3L,VT_I4),&pXYWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pXYWorkPlane == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CXYPOS, get_Item (workplane)failed") ; return false ; }

// Create a workplane parallel to the standard XY Plane... CComPtr<WorkPlane> pOffsetWorkPlane ; hRes = pWorkPlanes->AddByPlaneAndOffset(_variant_t((IDispatch *)pXYWorkPlane), // "starting" plane CComVariant(kOffset), // how much to offset VARIANT_TRUE, // Construction &pOffsetWorkPlane) ;// Return value

if (FAILED(hRes) || (pOffsetWorkPlane == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CXYPOS, could not add workplane withoffset, pOffsetWorkPlane=%p",pOffsetWorkPlane) ; return false ; }

// Now actually create a sketch and get a pointer to it inone go... hRes = pSketches->Add (_variant_t((IDispatch*)pOffsetWorkPlane), VARIANT_FALSE, &pNewSketch); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CXYPOS, AddSketch failed") ; return false ; }

pNewSketch->put_Name (CComBSTR (pszSketchName)) ;

CComBSTR bstrSketchName ; pNewSketch->get_Name (&bstrSketchName) ;

TRACE (L"The sketch is now called %s\n",bstrSketchName) ;



return true ;}

/**************************************************************************************************/

bool CreateSketchOffsetFromXYPlaneInPart(CComPtr<PartComponentDefinition>& pPartComponentDefinition, //where the sketch will be added CComPtr<PlanarSketch>&pNewSketch, // The sketch created, an output const double kOffset, const wchar_t* constpszSketchName) // Name of the newly created sketch{ // Get PlanarSketches, the list of sketches CComPtr<PlanarSketches> pSketches ; HRESULT hRes =pPartComponentDefinition->get_Sketches(&pSketches); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pSketches == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateXYPlaneSketch, get_Sketchesfailed") ; return false ; }

// Get standard default WorkPlanes, probably 3 only initiallyin the list CComPtr<WorkPlanes> pWorkPlanes ; hRes =pPartComponentDefinition->get_WorkPlanes(&pWorkPlanes); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlanes == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CreateXYPlaneSketch, get_WorkPlanesfailed") ; return false ; }

bool bOk = CreateSketchOffsetFromXYPlane (pNewSketch, //The sketch created, an output pWorkPlanes, //Where the sketch will be added pSketches, //List to which we must add the sketch kOffset, //How far to offset pszSketchName) ; // Name of the newly created sketch

return bOk ;}

/*************************************************************************************************/



bool CreateSketchOffsetFromXYPlaneInAsm(CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef, // where thesketch will be added CComPtr<PlanarSketch>&pNewSketch, // The sketch created, an output const double kOffset, const wchar_t* constpszSketchName) // Name of the newly created sketch{ // Get PlanarSketches, the list of sketches CComPtr<PlanarSketches> pSketches ; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Sketches(&pSketches); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pSketches == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CXYPOSIA, get_Sketches failed") ; return false ; }

// Get standard default WorkPlanes, probably 3 only initiallyin the list CComPtr<WorkPlanes> pWorkPlanes ; hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_WorkPlanes(&pWorkPlanes); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlanes == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CXYPOSIA, get_WorkPlanes failed") ; return false ; }

bool bOk = CreateSketchOffsetFromXYPlane (pNewSketch, //The sketch created, an output pWorkPlanes, //Where the sketch will be added pSketches, //list to which we must add the sketch kOffset, //How far to offset pszSketchName) ; // Name of the newly created sketch

return bOk ;}

/*************************************************************************************************/

Here is a function which will work in assemblies:

bool CreateSketchOffsetFromXYPlaneInAsm (CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef, // where the sketch will be added CComPtr<PlanarSketch>& pNewSketch, // The sketch created, an output const double kOffsetMm, const wchar_t* const pszSketchName) // Name of the newly created sketch{ // Get PlanarSketches, the list of sketches CComPtr<PlanarSketches> pSketches ;



HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Sketches(&pSketches); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pSketches == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CXYPOSIA, get_Sketches failed") ; return false ; }

// Get standard default WorkPlanes, probably 3 only initially in the list CComPtr<WorkPlanes> pWorkPlanes ; hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_WorkPlanes(&pWorkPlanes); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pWorkPlanes == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CXYPOSIA, get_WorkPlanes failed") ; return false ; }

// Get hold of one of the WorkPlanes. Valid indices are 1L 2L 3L for standard workplanes CComPtr<WorkPlane> pXYWorkPlane ; hRes = pWorkPlanes->get_Item(_variant_t(3L, VT_I4),&pXYWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pXYWorkPlane == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CXYPOSIA, get_Item (workplane) failed") ; return false ; }

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeom = GetTransGeomPtr () ; CComPtr<Point> pOrigin ; hRes = pTransGeom->CreatePoint (0,0,0,&pOrigin);

CComPtr<UnitVector> UnitXVector ; pTransGeom->CreateUnitVector (1.0,0,0,&UnitXVector) ;

CComPtr<UnitVector> UnitYVector ; pTransGeom->CreateUnitVector (0.0,1.0,0,&UnitYVector) ;

// Internally Inventor always uses cm, so convert... const double kOffsetInCm = kOffsetMm/10.0 ; pOrigin->PutZ (kOffsetInCm) ; CComPtr<WorkPlane> pOffsetWorkPlane ; hRes = pWorkPlanes->AddFixed(pOrigin,UnitXVector,UnitYVector,VARIANT_FALSE,&pOffsetWorkPlane) ; if (pOffsetWorkPlane == nullptr) { TRACE (L"CXYPOSIA, Could not AddFixed") ; return false ; }

// Now actually create a sketch and get a pointer to it in one go... hRes = pSketches->Add (_variant_t((IDispatch *)pOffsetWorkPlane), VARIANT_FALSE, &pNewSketch); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"CXYPOSIA, AddSketch failed") ; return false ; }

pNewSketch->put_Name (BSTR(pszSketchName)) ;



return true ;}

12.199Getting hold of the surfaces and faces of a solid object

You can start with an occurrence, then drill down to the data you areinterested in:

1. Start with an occurrence.2. Get the surface body(ies) of the occurrence. There should only

ever be 13. Get the list of shells from the (single) surface body.4. For every shell in the list get the Faces.5. For every Face you can find out what it is.

Here are the sort of surfaces that you can find:

kCylinderSurface kPlaneSurfacekConeSurfacekSphereSurfacekTorusSurfacekBSplineSurface

In the end a cylinder is composed of a single shell which is composedof two plane surfaces and a cylindrical surface.

And here is a code fragment illustrating the process:

// Get the surface bodies from the occurrence...CComPtr<SurfaceBodies> pSurfaceBodies;hr = pOcc1->get_SurfaceBodies(&pSurfaceBodies);

TRACE (L"Occurrence 1 has %d surface bodies\n",pSurfaceBodies->Count);

// Get the first surface body from the component definition.// (There should only ever be one surface body.)CComPtr<SurfaceBody> pBody;hr = pSurfaceBodies->get_Item(1, &pBody);



// Get the shells from the body.CComPtr<FaceShells> pShells;hr = pBody->get_FaceShells(&pShells);

TRACE ("The surface body has has %d shells\n",pShells->Count) ;

// Enumerate through the shells.long shellCount = 1;CComPtr<FaceShell> pShell;for (;(hr = pShells->get_Item(shellCount, &pShell)) == S_OK; pShell.Release()){ TRACE (L" Shell %d\n", shellCount);

// Increment the counter and print the current value. ++shellCount;

// Get the faces from the shell. CComPtr<Faces> pFaces; hr = pShell->get_Faces(&pFaces);

// Enumerate through the faces of the current shell. long faceCount = 1; CComPtr<Face> pFace; for (;(hr = pFaces->get_Item(faceCount, &pFace)) == S_OK;pFace.Release()) { // Increment the counter and print the current value. ++faceCount; TRACE (L" Face %d ", faceCount);

// Get the geometry from the face. SurfaceTypeEnum surfaceType; hr = pFace->get_SurfaceType(&surfaceType);

switch (surfaceType) { default : TRACE (L" Unrecognised surface type:%d\n",surfaceType); break ;

case kCylinderSurface : TRACE (L" Cylindrical surface\n"); break ;

case kPlaneSurface : TRACE (L" Plane surface\n"); break ; } }}



12.200Adding an AngleConstraint

Here's what I use:

bool AddAngleConstraintOfTwoWorkAxisProxies (CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef, CComPtr<WorkAxisProxy>& pWAProxyA, CComPtr<WorkAxisProxy>& pWAProxyB, const double kRadsAngle) { // Get the list of constraints of the assembly so you can add a new one CComPtr<AssemblyConstraints> pConstraintList ; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_Constraints(&pConstraintList) ; if (FAILED(hRes) || (pConstraintList == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AddAngleConstraintOfTwoWorkAxisProxies could not get constraints.") ; return false ; }

CComVariant varReal(kRadsAngle); CComPtr<AngleConstraint> pAngleConstraint ; hRes = pConstraintList->AddAngleConstraint(pWAProxyA, pWAProxyB, varReal, kDirectedSolution, gkvarEmpty, gkvarEmpty, gkvarEmpty, &pAngleConstraint); if ((FAILED(hRes) || (pAngleConstraint == nullptr))) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AngleConstraint failed") ; return false ; }

return true ;}

12.201Creating a 64 bit plugin using the Wizard

1. Select new project and select Autodesk Inventor AddIn.2. Follow all the defaults til you get an empty 32 bit project3. Go to Configuration Manager Release/Debug combo in the tool bar

and select New4. Then in the dialogh which comes up select, under the Active

solution Platforms select New5. Choose x64 in the litlle dialog which pops up6. Now the first project in the list will default to WIN32, change it to

x647. Build it



You may well get 2 warnings and 1 error. The error could MSB3073,be that it cannot copy the .addin file into the Inventor addins directory,This is usually because the .addins directory in the makefile does notcontain the string 2013. For example this is wrong:

"C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Inventor Addins\"

It should be:

"C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Inventor 2013\Addins"

So you'll have to change that in the command line of the post buildevent step.

12.202Purging Material Assets

If you use the code on this page you may get a list where partdocuments seem to have two materials:

1 material asset type 99073 has display name <Copper - Satin>fixed name <Metal-022> and category name <Metal>2 material asset type 99073 has display name <Default> fixed name<InvGen-071> and category name <Miscellaneous>3 material asset type 99074 has display name <Copper> fixed name<MaterialInv_013> and category name <Metal>4 material asset type 99074 has display name <Generic> fixed name<MaterialInv_072> and category name <Misc>

In the above example you have, for the same part, two 99073 linesand two 99074 lines. You can get rid of these by purging the materialsin the part:



12.203View orientations

The various orientation enumerator values (in ViewOrientationTypeEnum) correspond directly to the cube iconwhich shows the view orientation.

For example:



For example:



.



12.204Functions for project files .IPT

Here's a function which will get the currect active project file:

CString GetActiveDesignProject (){ CComPtr<DesignProjectManager> pManager; theApp.GetInvAppPtr()->get_DesignProjectManager (&pManager) ;

CComPtr<DesignProject> pDesignProject ; pManager->get_ActiveDesignProject (&pDesignProject) ;

BSTR bstrDesignProjectName ; pDesignProject->get_FullFileName (&bstrDesignProjectName) ;

return CString (bstrDesignProjectName) ;}

Notice that it also illustrates converting from a BSTR to a CString.

Here's a function (with lots of internal checks) for setting the currentactive project:

void SetActiveProject(const CString& kcsFullProjName){ // Check to make sure a document isn't open. if (GetNumDocummentsOpenInInventor() > 0) { TRACE (L"SAP but some documents are still open\n") ; return ; }

if (!FileExists (kcsFullProjName)) { TRACE (L"SAP %s but file does not exist",kcsFullProjName) ; return ; }

CComPtr<DesignProjectManager> pManager; HRESULT hRes =theApp.GetInvAppPtr()->get_DesignProjectManager (&pManager) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"SAP %s get_DesignProjectManager failed",kcsFullProjName) ; return ; }

// Get the list of all projects... CComPtr<DesignProjects> pProjectList ; hRes = pManager->get_DesignProjects (&pProjectList) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"SAP %s get_DesignProjects failed",kcsFullProjName) ;



return ; }

// This assumes that the project file exists... CComPtr<DesignProject> pDesignProject ; CComBSTR bstrFullProjectName (kcsFullProjName) ; hRes = pProjectList->get_ItemByName (bstrFullProjectName,&pDesignProject) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"SAP %s get_ItemByName failed",kcsFullProjName) ; return ; }

// Make the project the active one... hRes = pDesignProject->Activate (FALSE) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { TRACE (L"SAP %s Activate failed",kcsFullProjName) ; return ; }

// Check that the change has actually happened... if (GetActiveDesignProject().CompareNoCase(kcsFullProjName) != 0) { TRACE (L"SAP tried to activate <%s>\n" L"but active project is still <%s>", kcsFullProjName, GetActiveDesignProject()) ; }}

The above also shows to how get a CComBSTR from a CString.



12.205Listing RevolveFeatures of a part programatically

Here's a code fragment to do that:

{ gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"Object has %d features",pTroncCompDef->Features->Count) ; CComPtr<RevolveFeatures> pRevFeats = pTroncCompDef->Features->RevolveFeatures ; gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"Tronchetto has %d revolved features",pRevFeats->Count) ; for (long f = 1; f <= pRevFeats->Count; f++) { CComPtr<RevolveFeature> pFeat ; pRevFeats->get_Item (CComVariant(f),&pFeat) ; CComQIPtr<WorkAxis> pAxis = pFeat->GetAxisEntity() ; LinePtr pLine = pAxis->GetLine() ; gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg," Origin = %.2f %.2f %.2f ",pLine->RootPoint->X,pLine->RootPoint->Y,pLine->RootPoint->Z) ; } }


12.206Create a rectangular pattern of parts programatically

Here is an example. Remember that occurrences are "links to parts"inside an assembly:

bool CreateYArrayOfParts (CComPtr<ComponentOccurrences> pOccurrencesList, // The occurrences in the assembly CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition> pCctsAssemblyCompDef, // def of the assembly CComPtr<ComponentOccurrence> pObjOcc, const double kDeltaYMm, const UINT ikCount) { CComPtr<OccurrencePatterns> pOccPatterns ; pOccPatterns = pCctsAssemblyCompDef->GetOccurrencePatterns(); if (pOccPatterns == nullptr) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, "GetOccurrencePatterns failed"); return false; }

CComPtr<TransientObjects> pTransientObjects = GetTransientObjectsPtr() ;

CComVariant varObjEnumerator; CComPtr<ObjectCollection> pObjectCollection; HRESULT hRes = pTransientObjects->CreateObjectCollection(varObjEnumerator, &pObjectCollection); if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, "CreateObjectCollection failed"); return false; }

// Add the part which is the basis to the pattern... hRes = pObjectCollection->Add (pObjOcc) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, "Add to ObjectCollection failed"); return false;



}

// Get hold of the y axis... CComPtr<WorkAxis> pYWorkAxis ; GetAsmWorkAxisByName (pYWorkAxis,L"Y Axis",pCctsAssemblyCompDef) ; if (FAILED(hRes)) { gLogger.Printf(ekErrMsg, "Could not get assembly y axis"); return false; }

pOccPatterns->AddRectangularPattern(pObjectCollection, _variant_t((IDispatch *)pYWorkAxis), VARIANT_FALSE, CComVariant(kDeltaYMm/10.0), //ColumnOffset As Variant, CComVariant(ikCount), // ColumnCount As Variant, CComVariant(), // [RowEntity] As Variant, VARIANT_TRUE, // [RowEntityNaturalDirection] As Boolean, CComVariant(0.0),// [RowOffset] As Variant, CComVariant(1)); // [RowCount] As Variant)

return (hRes == S_OK) ;}

You could make it more general.

See also suppression of occurrences in a pattern.

12.207Suppression and Unsuppression of elements in a pattern

Read about general suppression programatically first, if you have'talready.

Within a single RectangularPattern (or any other pattern) you can usethis fragment as a starting point for suppressing individual featureswithin a pattern. Note that the first element in a pattern cannot besuppressed.

CComPtr<Parameter> XCountParam ; pRectPatFeat->get_XCount (&XCountParam) ; const int ikXCount = XCountParam->GetValue () ;

TRACE (L"Component %d is called %s, and the x count is %d",iRect,bstrName,ikXCount) ;

CComPtr<FeaturePatternElements> pFeaturePatternElements ; pRectPatFeat->get_PatternElements(&pFeaturePatternElements) ;



const int ikNumElements =pFeaturePatternElements->GetCount() ; TRACE (L", this has %d FeaturePatternElements\n",ikNumElements) ;

// Start at 2 because the first element cannot besuppressed for (int iElem = 2 ; iElem <= ikNumElements ; iElem++) { CComPtr<FeaturePatternElement> pFeaturePatternElement; pFeaturePatternElements->get_Item(iElem,&pFeaturePatternElement) ;

VARIANT_BOOL bSuppressed ;

if (((iElem/2)*2) == iElem) { bSuppressed = VARIANT_TRUE ;

} else { bSuppressed = VARIANT_FALSE ; }

pFeaturePatternElement->put_Suppressed(bSuppressed); }

::SysFreeString(bstrName); }

Note that you'll need to call Update to refresh the display:

pPartDocument->Update () ; // Like an AutoCAD regen

12.208Accessing mass properties

You can access the mass properties of a Part or Assembly like this(no error checking):

CComPtr<MassProperties> pMassProps; pAssemblyCompDef->get_MassProperties(&pMassProps); double Mass; pMassProps->get_Mass(&Mass);



gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Mass = %.3f", Mass);

12.209Is Excel installed on your computer?

Here's a function which will tell you if Excel is installed on yourcomputer. You need Excel if you use Inventor tabular iParts.

bool ExcelIsPresent ()/*This looks very simply to see if Excel is installed*/{ CLSID ExcelClsid; HRESULT hRes = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Excel.Application", &ExcelClsid); if (FAILED(hRes)) { return false ;

} else { return true ; }}

12.210ConnectToInventor

This function establishes a connection from your program to theInventor application and API:

bool ConnectToInventor () { CLSID InvAppClsid; HRESULT hRes = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Inventor.Application", &InvAppClsid); if (FAILED(hRes)) { pInvApp = nullptr ; ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ConnectToInventor, CLSIDFromProgID failed, adminvs normal user conflict?") ; return false; }

// See if Inventor is already running... CComPtr<IUnknown>pInvAppUnk = nullptr ; hRes = ::GetActiveObject (InvAppClsid, NULL, &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (hRes)) { // Inventor is not already running, so try to start it... const int ikAnswer = YesNoBoxW (L"Inventor non sta girando, lolancio?") ; if (ikAnswer == IDNO) { return false ; }



hRes = CoCreateInstance (InvAppClsid, NULL, CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER,__uuidof(IUnknown), (void **) &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED (hRes)){ pInvApp = nullptr ; ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ConnectToInventor,CoCreateInstance failed") ; return false; } }

// Get the pointer to the Inventor application... hRes = pInvAppUnk->QueryInterface (__uuidof(Application), (void **)&pInvApp); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"ConnectToInventor,QueryInterface failed") ; return false; }

MakeInventorVisible () ;

return true ;}

12.211gLogger

I use a class called CLogger. I use it to have a printf type function to alog file. Here is an example of its use:

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"Template file is <%s>\n", CString(sTemplate));

In your own programs you can replace it with TRACE or maybe yourown logger.

I don't include its source here because it uses other functions in otherlibraries, and it all gets too complicated.



12.212iProperties programatically

12.212.1iProperties overview

iProperties are values which are stored within the Inventor document.So they are not stored within the part or assembly, but in thedocument which contains that part or assembly:

You can see iProperties by

1. Right clicking on the file (an .IPT or .IAM) and choosing iPropertiesfrom the context menu which pops up.

2. Opening the file inside Inventor and using the File menu.



Custom iProperties are useful for saving data which is not directlygeometrical, maybe the date of the order or the name of the customerfor whom the part was made, etc etc.

To get the property to be visible in the dialog box you need to savethem in the "Inventor User Defined Properties" iProperty set, thisis illustrated in this function.

To be able to read a custom property you can use this function.

You can add properties which are invisible to the dialog by inventingyour own property set, as shown here.

You can list all the property sets and properties with this function.

12.212.2Listing iProperties of an Inventor document

This will list the iProperties of an Inventor document:

// iProperties listing function. Needs a DOC not a PART or ASSEMBLYvoid ListIProperties(CComPtr<Document>& pInventorDoc){ CComPtr <PropertySets> pPropSets; pInventorDoc->get_PropertySets(&pPropSets);

const long ikNumSets = pPropSets->Count;

// There are several sets of properties, loop over the sets... for (long iSet = 1; iSet <= ikNumSets; iSet++) { CComPtr<PropertySet> pPropSet; pPropSets->get_Item(CComVariant(iSet), &pPropSet);

CComBSTR bstrPropSetName; pPropSet->get_Name(&bstrPropSetName); CString csPropSetName(bstrPropSetName);

// Loop over the properties of this property set... const long ikNumProps = pPropSet->Count;

for (long iProp = 1; iProp <= ikNumProps; iProp++) { CComPtr<Property> pThisProp; pPropSet->get_Item(CComVariant(iProp), &pThisProp);



_bstr_t bstrPropName = pThisProp->GetDisplayName();

CString csPropName(bstrPropName.GetBSTR());

CComVariant varValue; pThisProp->get_Value(&varValue);

// Add more VT_... values for more detail... CString csValue; if (varValue.vt == VT_BSTR) { csValue = CString(varValue.bstrVal);

} else if (varValue.vt == VT_I4) { csValue.Format(L"%d", varValue.intVal);

} else { csValue.Format(L"vt=%d", varValue.vt); }

gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"<%s> %03d %s value=%s", csPropSetName,iProp, csPropName, csValue); } }}

You can check for different values of varValue.vt to see different typesof properties.

You'll get an output something like this:

<Design Tracking Properties> 044 FlatPatternExtentsWidth value=vt=5<Design Tracking Properties> 045 FlatPatternExtentsLength value=vt=5<Design Tracking Properties> 046 FlatPatternExtentsArea value=vt=5<Design Tracking Properties> 047 SheetMetalRule value=<Design Tracking Properties> 048 LastUpdatedWith value=2017(Build 210142000, 142)<Design Tracking Properties> 049 SheetMetalWidth value=<Design Tracking Properties> 050 SheetMetalLength value=<Design Tracking Properties> 051 SheetMetalArea value=<Design Tracking Properties> 053 Appearance value=Copper - Satin<Design Tracking Properties> 054 Flat Pattern Defer Update value=vt=11<Inventor User Defined Properties> 001 TC_THICK value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 002 TC_Testing Pressure value=vt=5<Inventor User Defined Properties> 003 TC_TO_APPROVER value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 004 TC_CHANGE_NUMBER value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 005 TC_CHANGE_REASON value=



<Inventor User Defined Properties> 006 TC_CUST_MAT_CODE value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 007 TC_DATE_CREAT value=19/12/2017<Inventor User Defined Properties> 008 TC_DATE_DRAWN value=23/05/2018<Inventor User Defined Properties> 009 TC_CUST_DWG_NO value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 010 TC_CUSTOMERS value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 011 TC_NOTE value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 012 TC_ORDNO value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 013 TC_MATERIAL value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 014 TC_UOM value=<Inventor User Defined Properties> 015 TC_TO_APPROVAL_DATE value=

12.212.3iProperties, add a custom value programatically

If you want to add an iProperty into the visible custom properties...



...use this function:

void AddCustomProperty(CComPtr<Document>& pInventorDoc, const CString& kcsPropName, const CString& kcsPropValue){ CComPtr <PropertySets> pPropSets; pInventorDoc->get_PropertySets(&pPropSets);

CComVariant varPropSetName(L"Inventor User Defined Properties"); CComPtr<PropertySet> pPropSet; HRESULT hRes = pPropSets->get_Item(varPropSetName,&pPropSet); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPropSet == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes, L"Could not find custom property set"); return; }

CComPtr<Property> pProperty; CComVariant varPropName(kcsPropName) ; CComVariant varPropVal(kcsPropValue); CComVariant varPropId; pPropSet->Add(varPropVal, varPropName, varPropId, &pProperty);}

Here is an example of use:

CComQIPtr<Document> pDoc = pAssemblyDoc ; // upcast to Document AddCustomProperty(pDoc,gkcsInOutPropName,csInOut);

12.212.4iProperties, create a new property set

This function will create a new property set and optionally add in thefirst value of that property set:

void AddPropertySet(CComPtr<Document>& pInventorDoc, const CString& kcsNewPropSetName, const wchar_t* const pszFirstPropName /*= nullptr*/, const wchar_t* const pszFirstPropValue /*= nullptr*/){ CComPtr <PropertySets> pPropSets; pInventorDoc->get_PropertySets(&pPropSets);

CComPtr<PropertySet> pNewPropSet; CComVariant varInternalName; pPropSets->Add(CComBSTR(kcsNewPropSetName), varInternalName, &pNewPropSet);



if ((pszFirstPropName != nullptr) && (pszFirstPropValue != nullptr)) { CComPtr<Property> pProperty; CComVariant varPropVal(pszFirstPropValue); CComVariant varPropName(pszFirstPropName) ; CComVariant varPropId; pNewPropSet->Add(varPropVal, varPropName, varPropId, &pProperty); }}

12.212.5iProperties, read the value of a custom property

Here you go:

// Custom properties which are visible in the iProperties Custom tab have tobe// placed inside the "Inventor User Defined Properties" property setCString GetCustomPropertyValue(CComPtr<Document>& pInventorDoc, const CString& kcsPropName){ CComPtr <PropertySets> pPropSets; pInventorDoc->get_PropertySets(&pPropSets);

CComVariant varPropSetName(L"Inventor User Defined Properties"); CComPtr<PropertySet> pPropSet; HRESULT hRes = pPropSets->get_Item(varPropSetName,&pPropSet); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPropSet == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError(hRes, L"Could not find custom property set"); return CString (L""); }

CComPtr<Property> pProp; CComVariant varPropName(kcsPropName); hRes = pPropSet->get_Item(varPropName, &pProp); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pPropSet == nullptr)) { // A property of this name does not exist return CString (L""); }

CComVariant varPropValue; pProp->get_Value(&varPropValue);

CString csValue; // If the variant is not a string this will remain empty if (varPropValue.vt == VT_BSTR) { csValue = CString(CComBSTR(varPropValue.bstrVal)); }

return csValue;}



Here is an example of a call to the function:

// Upcast from a PartDocument to a general Document CComPtr<Document> pDoc; pDoc = pTuboDoc; const CString kcsMatName = GetCustomPropertyValue(pDoc,"OWEN_MAT");

13 Programming Inventor in C#

13.1 Starting Inventor in C#

The first thing to do is to make sure you can access Inventor usingC#. You have to ad a reference to the Inventor API like so:

323Programming Inventor in C#


Note that you need to choose the .NET Framework, elseGetActiveObject will not be found in Marshal:

In VS2019 the sequence is this:



Then you can use the following code to get you going...

// CInventor starts up and closes down Inventor// 2019-07-02 : Started.

using System;using System.Collections.Generic;using System.Linq;using System.Text;using System.Threading.Tasks;using System.Runtime.InteropServices;using System.Windows.Forms;using System.Diagnostics;

namespace SAClassif{ static class CInventor { private static Inventor.Application m_Inventor; private static bool m_bWasAlreadyRunning = false;

public static bool ConnectToInventor () { Debug.WriteLine("Connecting to inventor..."); try { // See if Inventor is already running...



m_Inventor = (Inventor.Application)Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application"); m_bWasAlreadyRunning = true; Debug.WriteLine("Inventor already running..."); } catch (Exception ex1) { Debug.WriteLine("Not running, will start it..."); m_bWasAlreadyRunning = false; try { Type invAppType = Type.GetTypeFromProgID("Inventor.Application"); m_Inventor = (Inventor.Application)System.Activator.CreateInstance(invAppType); m_Inventor.Visible = true; Debug.WriteLine("Started Inventor"); } catch (Exception ex2) { MessageBox.Show(ex2.ToString()); MessageBox.Show("Unable to start Inventor"); return false; } }

return m_Inventor != null; }

public static void DisconnectFromInventor() { if (m_Inventor == null) { return; }

if (m_bWasAlreadyRunning) { // I did not start Inventro so I shoulkd not close it... return; }

// Inventor was not running, you started it so you should shut itdown m_Inventor.Quit(); m_Inventor = null; } }}



13.2 MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions

You may get this sort of error if you change compiler. What youshould do is remove the reference from the project:

Then add a reference, browsing to the file Autodesk.Inventor.Interop.dll.



The whole horrible message is this:

warning MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions of "Autodesk.Inventor.Interop" that could not be resolved.warning MSB3277: There was a conflict between "Autodesk.Inventor.Interop, Version=23.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=d84147f8b4276564" and "Autodesk.Inventor.Interop, Version=23.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=d84147f8b4276564".warning MSB3277: "Autodesk.Inventor.Interop, Version=23.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=d84147f8b4276564" was chosen because it was primary and "Autodesk.Inventor.Interop, Version=23.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=d84147f8b4276564" was not.warning MSB3277: References which depend on "Autodesk.Inventor.Interop, Version=23.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=d84147f8b4276564" [C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\Public Assemblies\Autodesk.Inventor.Interop.dll].warning MSB3277: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\Public Assemblies\Autodesk.Inventor.Interop.dllwarning MSB3277: Project file item includes which caused reference "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\Public Assemblies\Autodesk.Inventor.Interop.dll".warning MSB3277: Autodesk.Inventor.Interop, Version=23.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=d84147f8b4276564, processorArchitecture=MSILwarning MSB3277: References which depend on "Autodesk.Inventor.Interop, Version=23.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=d84147f8b4276564" [C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.Net\assembly\GAC_MSIL\Autodesk.Inventor.Interop\v4.0_23.2.0.0__d84147f8b4276564\Autodesk.Inventor.Interop.dll].warning MSB3277: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\Autodesk.iLogic.Automation.dllwarning MSB3277: Project file item includes which caused reference "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\Autodesk.iLogic.Automation.dll".warning MSB3277: Autodesk.iLogic.Automationwarning MSB3277: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\Autodesk.iLogic.Interfaces.dllwarning MSB3277: Project file item includes which caused reference "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\Autodesk.iLogic.Interfaces.dll".warning MSB3277: Autodesk.iLogic.Automationwarning MSB3277: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\Autodesk.iLogic.Types.dllwarning MSB3277: Project file item includes which caused reference "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2019\Bin\Autodesk.iLogic.Types.dll".warning MSB3277: Autodesk.iLogic.Automation



13.3 C# plugin making

Quick notes.

Install the SDK and this should appear in the new projects selection:

So far I've only got it to work in VS2017.

And you may not have all the Windows references, so you may haveto add them by hand...



...alternatively add a form and the IDE should bring in the requiredreferences.

You will get some sources which look like this:

using System;using System.Runtime.InteropServices;using System.Windows.Forms;using Inventor;using Microsoft.Win32;

namespace InventorAddIn1{ /// <summary> /// This is the primary AddIn Server class thatimplements the ApplicationAddInServer interface /// that all Inventor AddIns are required toimplement. The communication between Inventor and /// the AddIn is via the methods on this interface. /// </summary> [GuidAttribute("bc7a9e92-f455-431d-9378-c791092de1cc")]



public class StandardAddInServer :Inventor.ApplicationAddInServer {

// Inventor application object. private Inventor.Applicationm_inventorApplication;

public StandardAddInServer() { }

#region ApplicationAddInServer Members

public voidActivate(Inventor.ApplicationAddInSite addInSiteObject, bool firstTime) { // This method is called by Inventor when itloads the addin. // The AddInSiteObject provides access tothe Inventor Application object. // The FirstTime flag indicates if the addinis loaded for the first time.

// Initialize AddIn members. m_inventorApplication =addInSiteObject.Application;

// TODO: Add ApplicationAddInServer.Activateimplementation. MessageBox.Show ("Hello"); }

public void Deactivate() { // This method is called by Inventor whenthe AddIn is unloaded.



// The AddIn will be unloaded eithermanually by the user or // when the Inventor session is terminated

// TODO: AddApplicationAddInServer.Deactivate implementation

// Release objects. m_inventorApplication = null;

GC.Collect(); GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers(); }

public void ExecuteCommand(int commandID) { // Note:this method is now obsolete, youshould use the // ControlDefinition functionality forimplementing commands. }

public object Automation { // This property is provided to allow theAddIn to expose an API // of its own to other programs. Typically,this would be done by // implementing the AddIn's API interface ina class and returning // that class object through this property.

get { // TODO: AddApplicationAddInServer.Automation getter implementation return null; }



}

#endregion

}}

.

.

13.4 C# plugins, adding a button and a command

I've found that I can use the VS 2017 Inventor Plugin Maker wizardand then simply move all the sources over to VS 2019. I haven'tfound a VS2019 compatible wizard.

Many thanks to Jelte de Jong for getting me going on this subject.

I add the "Sample" panel to the "Tools" tab of the "Assembly" ribbon:

Here is the full code of a C# program which adds in a command,copiously commented.

// Adding a button and a command into an Inventor ribbon// 2021-10-18 : Started



using System;using System.Drawing;using System.Runtime.InteropServices;using System.Windows.Forms;using Inventor;using Microsoft.Win32;

namespace InventorAddIn1{ /// <summary> /// This is the primary AddIn Server class thatimplements the ApplicationAddInServer interface /// that all Inventor AddIns are required toimplement. The communication between Inventor and /// the AddIn is via the methods on this interface. /// </summary> [GuidAttribute("bc7a9e92-f455-431d-9378-c791092de1cc")] public class StandardAddInServer :Inventor.ApplicationAddInServer {

// Inventor application object... private Inventor.Applicationm_inventorApplication;

// The button I will add in... private ButtonDefinition m_sampleButton = null;

public StandardAddInServer() { }

// Inventor will call this if it finds a (this)DLL in the appropriate place, for example //C:\Users\ofr\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\InventorAddIn1\InventorAddIn1.dll



// We are passed Inventor application which memust hold and cherish... public voidActivate(Inventor.ApplicationAddInSite addInSiteObject, bool firstTime) {

// This method is called by Inventor when itloads the addin. // The AddInSiteObject provides access tothe Inventor Application object. // The FirstTime flag indicates if the addinis loaded for the first time. m_inventorApplication =addInSiteObject.Application;

// I use try-catch because Inventor swallowsthe exceptions silently and does not // warn you or the user that anything hasgone wrong. The catch will give you a clue // if something does go wrong... try { // This was me checking thatm_inventorApplication is initialized properly MessageBox.Show("locale=" +m_inventorApplication.Locale.ToString()) ; var cmdMgr =m_inventorApplication.CommandManager;

// Create the button (without icons,icons appear to be tricky)... m_sampleButton =cmdMgr.ControlDefinitions.AddButtonDefinition("Command1", // Display name "Command 1", // Internal name



CommandTypesEnum.kQueryOnlyCmdType, // No changes, justlooking Guid.NewGuid().ToString(), //Invent an id for this command "Command 1 description", "Command 1 Tooltip"); // showswhen mouse hovers

m_sampleButton.OnExecute +=ButtonDef_OnExecute; // Tell the button what it shoulddo when clicked, see function below

#if false // If you want show the name of eachribbon.... foreach (Ribbon r inm_inventorApplication.UserInterfaceManager.Ribbons) { MessageBox.Show(r.InternalName); }#endif

// Which of these Ribbons (lines) youchoose depends on whether you plug in handles Parts orAssemblies... // Ribbon TheRibbon =m_inventorApplication.UserInterfaceManager.Ribbons["Part"]; // command active when a part doc is active is open Ribbon TheRibbon =m_inventorApplication.UserInterfaceManager.Ribbons["Assembly"]; // command active when an assembly doc isactive

#if false



// If you want show the name of each tabin the ribbon.... foreach (RibbonTab t inpartRibbon.RibbonTabs) { MessageBox.Show(t.InternalName); }#endif

RibbonTab toolsTab =TheRibbon.RibbonTabs["id_TabTools"]; // tools is presentin both parts and assemblies // MessageBox.Show ("tools tab internalname = " + toolsTab.InternalName); RibbonPanel customPanel =toolsTab.RibbonPanels.Add("Sample", "MysSample",Guid.NewGuid().ToString()); // MessageBox.Show("Custom panelinternal name = " + customPanel.InternalName);

customPanel.CommandControls.AddButton(m_sampleButton); } catch (Exception Err) { MessageBox.Show("Error " + Err.Message); }

MessageBox.Show ("Plugin loaded"); }

// This is the function you added to the buttona few lines above private void ButtonDef_OnExecute(NameValueMapContext) { // This is a test of calling a standard



Inventor command... m_inventorApplication.CommandManager.ControlDefinitions["AppZoomallCmd"].Execute();

// This is my simple test of something Ido... MessageBox.Show("My Command Called"); }

public void Deactivate() { // This method is called by Inventor whenthe AddIn is unloaded. // The AddIn will be unloaded eithermanually by the user or // when the Inventor session is terminated

// TODO: AddApplicationAddInServer.Deactivate implementation

// Release objects. m_inventorApplication = null;

GC.Collect(); GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers(); }

public void ExecuteCommand(int commandID) { // Note:this method is now obsolete, youshould use the // ControlDefinition functionality forimplementing commands. }

public object Automation {



// This property is provided to allow theAddIn to expose an API // of its own to other programs. Typically,this would be done by // implementing the AddIn's API interface ina class and returning // that class object through this property.

get { // TODO: AddApplicationAddInServer.Automation getter implementation return null; } } }}

13.5 Button Definition

See this page also, it has a full implementation.

A button definition has two functions:

1. It is a definition of the aspect, look of the button2. It has an OnExecute member which lets you react to a user clicking

on the button

Note that a button definition is not a button, that will be explainedlater.

Icons of a button are optional, and can be of two sizes Normal sizeicons are 16 pixels wide by 16 pixels high. Large icons are 32 pixelswide by 32 pixels high. If an icon of a different size is provided,Inventor will scale it to fit.

A good place to actually add an instance of a button is in the Activate



member of your addin. Read and understand the comments here:

public void Activate(Inventor.ApplicationAddInSiteaddInSiteObject, bool firstTime) { // This method is called by Inventor when it loadsthe addin. // The AddInSiteObject provides access to theInventor Application object. // The FirstTime flag indicates if the addin isloaded for the first time.

// Initialize AddIn members. m_inventorApplication = addInSiteObject.Application;

// Control definitions are definitons of things likebuttons and menus... ControlDefinitions controlDefs =m_inventorApplication.CommandManager.ControlDefinitions;

// Create a *definition* of a button, what it lookslike mainly... m_buttonDefinition = controlDefs.AddButtonDefinition("Owen's Button", "invrSampleCommand", Inventor.CommandTypesEnum.kShapeEditCmdType, "{786675cb-d781-4f02-bfaa-02c4fda0ba61}", "Owens Desc", "Owens Tooltip") ; m_buttonDefinition.Enabled = true;

// Now we have to *place* the button somewhere. // This is a lot of drilling down...

// Get the object which handles the user interface... UserInterfaceManager userInterfaceManager; userInterfaceManager =m_inventorApplication.UserInterfaceManager; // Get the list of ribbons... Inventor.Ribbons ribbons;



ribbons = userInterfaceManager.Ribbons;

// Get the "Part" ribbon, a list of tabs active whenediting a part... Inventor.Ribbon partRibbon; partRibbon = ribbons["Part"];

// Get the tabs associated with part ribbon RibbonTabs ribbonTabs; ribbonTabs = partRibbon.RibbonTabs;

// In particular get the "tools" tab... RibbonTab partSketchRibbonTab; partSketchRibbonTab = ribbonTabs["id_TabTools"]; // Inside the "Tools" tab there are many panels... RibbonPanels ribbonPanels; ribbonPanels = partSketchRibbonTab.RibbonPanels;

// Get the measurepent panel... RibbonPanel ribbonPanel; ribbonPanel = ribbonPanels["id_PanelP_ToolsMeasure"];

// Finally we can add the button... ribbonPanel.CommandControls.AddButton(m_buttonDefinition); }

The Gui heirachy is illustrated here:



13.6 C# plugin removal

To remove an add in it looks like you need to remove the subdirectory which contains it, for example:

C:\Users\ofr\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\InventorAddIn1

It'll look something like this:



13.7 C# message box

You can either use the standard windows one:

public voidActivate(Inventor.ApplicationAddInSite addInSiteObject, bool firstTime) { // This method is called by Inventor when itloads the addin. // The AddInSiteObject provides access tothe Inventor Application object. // The FirstTime flag indicates if the addinis loaded for the first time.

// Initialize AddIn members. m_inventorApplication =addInSiteObject.Application;

// TODO: Add ApplicationAddInServer.Activateimplementation. MessageBox.Show ("Hello"); }

or the Inventor one:

You can use build-in "message box" inventorApp.CommandManager.PromptMessage(...), but its usage is little bit obscure. See APIreference for more information.



Advantage of this is when Inventor is in silent mode, thisPromptMessage is not displayed and don't block application.

When you use MessageBox, this is displayed always and user MUSTclose them. This may be a trouble when you run some automatic taskwithout user interaction.


13.8 Custom iProperties using C#

Here's a function to get the iProperties of an assembly:

static PropertySet GetCustomiProperties (Inventor.AssemblyDocumentInvIAMDoc) { if (InvIAMDoc == null) { return null; }

// We will find the things to send to the classifier inside thecustom iPropertyies PropertySets Sets = InvIAMDoc.PropertySets;

PropertySet CustomSet = null;

// Look in all the property sets for custom user properties... foreach (PropertySet s in Sets) { if (s.Name == "Inventor User Defined Properties") { CustomSet = s; break; } }

return CustomSet; }



13.9 Open an Inventor file using C#

You can use Open or OpenWithOptions. Here's how to do it withOpenWithOptions:

NameValueMap Options = m_Inventor.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap () ; // Some example options.... Options.Add("SkipAllUnresolvedFiles", true); Options.Add("DesignViewRepresentation", "View1"); Options.Add("DeferUpdates", true);

AssemblyDocument IamDoc = (AssemblyDocument)m_Inventor.Documents.OpenWithOptions(sFullDocName,Options,true);

The last true means Open Visible.

The DeferUpdates in interesting. If you turn defer updates on,Inventor blocks all kinds of editability, to the in-memory data. But thefile itself stays as is, so that is what I use for read-only processing,where I only want to read from the file, and not modify it.

13.10 ItemByName for Document

The syntax is as follows:

Document Doc = (Document)m_Inventor.Documents.ItemByName(sFullDocName) ;

You need that cast to (Document).

13.11 Get user parameters using C#

Here's how to do it:

// Returns the string value of the user parameter namedin the input static string GetUserParam (Inventor.AssemblyDocument



InvIAMDoc, string sUserParamName) { UserParameters UsrParams =InvIAMDoc.ComponentDefinition.Parameters.UserParameters;

int iNumUsrParms = UsrParams.Count;

for (int mp = 1; mp <= iNumUsrParms; mp++) { // Get this user parameter UserParameter UsrParam = UsrParams[mp];

// Compare its name to what we are looking for bool bIsMyParam = (string.Compare(UsrParam.Name,sUserParamName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) == 0);

// Return the value if it is the one... if (bIsMyParam) { string sMsg = string.Format("Found {0} withvalue {1} ", UsrParam.Name.ToString(),UsrParam.Value.ToString()); Debug.WriteLine(sMsg); return UsrParam.Value; } }

return ""; }

13.12 Looping over components inside an assembly in C#

Here's an example of how to do it, assuming you already have anASM doc:

AssemblyComponentDefinition Definition =InvIAMDoc.ComponentDefinition; ComponentOccurrences Occurences = Definition.Occurrences;

Debug.WriteLine ("There are " + Occurences.Count.ToString() + "occurrences") ;



foreach (ComponentOccurrence ThisOcc in Occurences) { ComponentDefinition ThisDef = ThisOcc.Definition; Debug.WriteLine("Found something "); if (ThisDef.Type == ObjectTypeEnum.kAssemblyComponentDefinitionObject) { AssemblyComponentDefinition AsmDef = (AssemblyComponentDefinition)ThisDef; Material Mat = AsmDef.DefaultMaterial; AssemblyDocument AsmDoc = AsmDef.Document; Debug.WriteLine("Found an assembly of " + Mat.Name + " " +AsmDoc.FullDocumentName); } if (ThisDef.Type == ObjectTypeEnum.kPartComponentDefinitionObject) { PartComponentDefinition PartDef = (PartComponentDefinition)ThisDef; PartDocument PartDoc = PartDef.Document; Debug.WriteLine("Found an part " + PartDef.Material.Name+ " " + PartDoc.FullDocumentName) ; } }



13.13 GetActiveObject does not exist in Marshal

This may happen to you if you have not used the correct framework.

Other project types may not have the correct Marshall function.

13.14 Calling iLogic from C#

Remember to have Autodesk.iLogic.Automation.dll as a reference...



Here is an example, the dynamic keyword is important apparently:

using System;using System.Windows.Forms;using Inventor;

namespace OInventor{ public partial class Form1 : Form { static Inventor.Application m_Inventor; // static Inventor.ApplicationAddIn m_AddIn;

public Form1() { InitializeComponent(); }

private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { m_Inventor = (Inventor.Application)System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application");

int iNumDocs = m_Inventor.Documents.Count; MessageBox.Show("There are " + iNumDocs.ToString() + " documents");

string iLogicAddinGuid = "{3BDD8D79-2179-4B11-8A5A-257B1C0263AC}";

Inventor.ApplicationAddIn addin = null;

try { // try to get iLogic addin addin = m_Inventor.ApplicationAddIns.get_ItemById(iLogicAddinGuid); } catch {



return; }

if (addin != null) { // activate the addin if (!addin.Activated) addin.Activate();

dynamic _iLogicAutomation1 = addin.Automation;

Document oCurrentDoc1 = m_Inventor.ActiveDocument;

_iLogicAutomation1.RunRule(oCurrentDoc1, "Pippo"); } } }}

Note that you have to have included the Autodesk.iLogic.Automationreference in your product references:



13.15 Listing iLogic rules using C#

Remember to have Autodesk.iLogic.Automation.dll as a reference...

This works:

string iLogicAddinGuid ="{3BDD8D79-2179-4B11-8A5A-257B1C0263AC}"; Inventor.ApplicationAddIn addin = null; try { addin =m_Inventor.ApplicationAddIns.get_ItemById(iLogicAddinGuid); } catch { MessageBox.Show("Could not get iLogicobject"); }

if (addin != null) { if (!addin.Activated) {



addin.Activate(); }

dynamic _iLogicAutomation =addin.Automation; _iLogicAutomation.CallingFromOutside = true;

dynamic AllRules =_iLogicAutomation.Rules(m_Inventor.ActiveDocument);

if (AllRules == null) { MessageBox.Show("There are no rulesin this document"); return; }

foreach (/*iLogicRule*/ dynamicThisRule in AllRules) { MessageBox.Show("name of rule = " +ThisRule.Name); } }

It was modified from code found here:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-customization/call-ilogic-from-net-c-inventor-2018/m-p/8522694/highlight/true#M93226

13.16 Save programatically in C#

Save is a bit odd. It will throw an exception if the user chooses not tooverwrite an existing file. Here's my solution:





string sFullFileName = CInvSettings.sPlmCacheDir +m_Spec.sBatCode + ".IAM";if (System.IO.File.Exists (sFullFileName)){ // I need to delete the file if it already exists elseAsmDoc.Save will throw an exception // if the user says no to ovewrite. DialogResult Res = MessageBox.Show(m_Spec.sBatCode + "esiste, sovrascrivere?", "Sovrascrivere?",MessageBoxButtons.YesNo); if (Res == DialogResult.Yes) { // Stop Save() from thowing an exception System.IO.File.Delete(sFullFileName); } else { Cursor.Current = Cursors.Default; return; }}

AsmDoc.FullFileName = sFullFileName;AsmDoc.Save();

13.17 "Member not found" error in C# add-in

As mentioned in other blog posts (e.g. here and here) as well, usingEmbed Interop Types = True with the Inventor interop assembly doesnot work well.

Apart from some events not firing, you might not find all the propertieseither. E.g. in the case of a Parameter object, when doing this:

var unitType = param.get_Units();

I get this error:

{"Member not found. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80020003(DISP_E_MEMBERNOTFOUND))"}

So just set Embed Interop Types to False:



EmbedInteoropTypes

Just for completeness' sake (though the above solution should solvethe problem), there could be another way as well to avoid this error.You could declare a dynamic variable for the parameter (in order touse late-binding) and access the property through that:

dynamic p = param;var unitType = p.Units;

- Adam



13.18 Browser panes in C#

Aech document has its own browser panes (panels):

Inventor.BrowserPanes Panes =m_Inventor.ActiveDocument.BrowserPanes;

foreach (Inventor.BrowserPane ThisPane in Panes) { MessageBox.Show("Pane internal name: <" +ThisPane.InternalName + "> = <" + ThisPane.Name + ">"); }

MessageBox.Show(m_Inventor.LanguageName + " " +m_Inventor.LanguageCode.ToString());

13.19 Assembly document or part document?

You can try casting with the As keyword to find out what sort ofdocument you have:

Inventor.AssemblyDocument AsmDoc = m_Inventor.ActiveDocument as Inventor.AssemblyDocument;if (AsmDoc != null){

MessageBox.Show("This is an assembly");}else {

Inventor.PartDocument PartDoc = m_Inventor.ActiveDocument as Inventor.PartDocument;if (PartDoc != null){

MessageBox.Show("This is a part");}else {

MessageBox.Show("This is something else");}

}



13.20 Listing parameters in an assembly, C#

Here is the code, note the foreach loop.

private void ListParameters_Click(object sender,EventArgs e) { Inventor.AssemblyDocument AsmDoc =m_Inventor.ActiveDocument as Inventor.AssemblyDocument; if (AsmDoc == null) { MessageBox.Show("This is not an assembly"); return; }

UserParameters UsrParams =AsmDoc.ComponentDefinition.Parameters.UserParameters; foreach (UserParameter UserParam in UsrParams) { string sMsg = string.Format("Found {0} with value{1} ", UserParam.Name.ToString(), UserParam.Value.ToString()); MessageBox.Show(sMsg); } }

The above works for user parameters, here is the loop for modelparameters:

ModelParameters ModParams =AsmDoc.ComponentDefinition.Parameters.ModelParameters; foreach (ModelParameter ModParam in ModParams) { string sMsg = string.Format("Found model param{0} with value {1} ", ModParam.Name.ToString(),ModParam.Value.ToString()); MessageBox.Show(sMsg); }



13.21 Getting the value of a parameter in a part

Here you go:

public static double GetPartMmParam (PartComponentDefinition PartDef, ParamType_e eParamType, string sParamName) { if (PartDef == null) { AutoBatSupp.Log.WriteLn(CLog.Type_e.ekErr,"SetAsmParam null AsmDef (" + sParamName + ")" + eParamType.ToString()); return 0.0 ; } if (!PartCompDefHasParam(PartDef, eParamType, sParamName)) { AutoBatSupp.Log.WriteLn(CLog.Type_e.ekErr,"Assembly does not have parameter <" + sParamName + ">, " + eParamType.ToString()); return 0.0; }

// This will become a User or Model Parameter Parameter Param = null;

if (eParamType == ParamType_e.ekModel) { ModelParameters ModelParams = PartDef.Parameters.ModelParameters; ModelParameter ThisParam = ModelParams[sParamName]; Param = (Parameter)ThisParam; } else if (eParamType == ParamType_e.ekUser) { UserParameters ModelParams = PartDef.Parameters.UserParameters; UserParameter ThisParam = ModelParams[sParamName]; Param = (Parameter)ThisParam; }

return (double)Param.Value * 10.0; }

13.22 Value of a Param

Though it is odd you may have to cast a Parameter Param.Value toget hold of its double value. look at the last line of this:

if (eParamType == ParamType_e.ekModel) {



ModelParameters ModelParams = PartDef.Parameters.ModelParameters; ModelParameter ThisParam = ModelParams[sParamName]; Param = (Parameter)ThisParam; } else if (eParamType == ParamType_e.ekUser) { UserParameters ModelParams = PartDef.Parameters.UserParameters; UserParameter ThisParam = ModelParams[sParamName]; Param = (Parameter)ThisParam; }

return (double)Param.Value * 10.0;

13.23 Getting the GUI language of Inventor

This works:

MessageBox.Show(m_Inventor.LanguageName + " " + m_Inventor.LanguageCode.ToString());

Here is an example of LanguageName: "English" andLanguageCode: "en-US"

13.24 Changing parameters with C#

Here is an example of changing model parameters of a part:

private void ChangeCyl_Click(object sender,EventArgs e) { Inventor.PartDocument PartDoc =m_Inventor.ActiveDocument as Inventor.PartDocument; if (PartDoc == null) { MessageBox.Show("This is not a part"); return; }



ModelParameters ModParams =PartDoc.ComponentDefinition.Parameters.ModelParameters; foreach (ModelParameter ModParam inModParams) { if (ModParam.Name == "Diametro") { ModParam.Value = 111.0; // .Value isin cm .Expression would be in mm } else if (ModParam.Name == "Altezza") { ModParam.Value = 55.0; // .Value isin cm .Expression would be in mm } }

PartDoc.Update(); }

Note also the comment about .Value and .Expression, as well as thecall to update the part. See also get_Units.

I have this set of functions for changing parameters:

public enum ParamType_e { ekModel, ekUser, };

public static void SetAsmParam(Inventor.AssemblyComponentDefinition AsmDef, ParamType_e eParamType, string sParamName, doubleNewVal) { if (AsmDef == null) {



MessageBox.Show("SetAsmParam null AsmDef (" +sParamName + ")" + eParamType.ToString ()); return; } if (!AsmCompDefHasParam(AsmDef,eParamType,sParamName)) { MessageBox.Show("Assembly does not have parameter<" + sParamName + ">, " + eParamType.ToString()); return; }

// This will become a User or Model Parameter Parameter Param = null;

if (eParamType == ParamType_e.ekModel) { ModelParameters ModelParams =AsmDef.Parameters.ModelParameters; ModelParameter ThisParam =ModelParams[sParamName]; if (ThisParam == null) { MessageBox.Show("Cannot find assembly modelparam: " + sParamName); return; } Param = (Parameter)ThisParam; } else if (eParamType == ParamType_e.ekUser) { UserParameters ModelParams =AsmDef.Parameters.UserParameters; UserParameter ThisParam =ModelParams[sParamName]; if (ThisParam == null) { MessageBox.Show("Cannot find assembly userparam: " + sParamName); return; } Param = (Parameter)ThisParam; }

if (Param != null)



{ Param.Value = NewVal; MessageBox.Show(Param.get_Units()); } }

public static voidSetAsmUlParam(Inventor.AssemblyComponentDefinition AsmDef, ParamType_e eParamType, string sParamName,double NewVal) { SetAsmParam(AsmDef, eParamType, sParamName, NewVal); }

public static voidSetAsmMmParam(Inventor.AssemblyComponentDefinition AsmDef, ParamType_e eParamType, string sParamName,double mmUserParamNewVal) { // Note the division by 10 because of cm native uintsin Inventor SI SetAsmParam(AsmDef, eParamType, sParamName,mmUserParamNewVal / 10.0); }

13.25 get_Units crashes

If you have a parameter then you may not be able to use get_Units(C# version of the VBA Units function). Your C# call to get_Units willcrash if you have not set Embed Interop _Types to true:



The crash will look like this:

This can Enter topic text here.



13.26 Listing holes in a face of folded metal

Here is a face with a hole in it, actually a cut:

If you have that part open you can run this:

public static void Test () { PartDocument PartDoc; try { PartDoc = (PartDocument)m_Inventor.ActiveDocument asPartDocument; if (PartDoc == null) { MessageBox.Show("This is not a part document"); return; } } catch { MessageBox.Show ("not a part doc"); return; }

PartComponentDefinition PartDef = PartDoc.ComponentDefinition; PartFeatures FeatsList = PartDef.Features;

foreach (PartFeature ThisFeature in FeatsList) { if (ThisFeature.Type == ObjectTypeEnum.kCutFeatureObject) {



CutFeature CutFeature = (CutFeature)ThisFeature; ProfilePath TheProfile = CutFeature.Definition.Profile[1]; ProfileEntity Ent = TheProfile[1];

Debug.WriteLine ("Profile ent " + Ent.ToString() + " " +Ent.CurveType.ToString());

if (Ent.CurveType == Curve2dTypeEnum.kCircleCurve2d) { Circle2d Circle = (Circle2d)Ent.Curve; Debug.WriteLine("It is a circle of radius " +Circle.Radius.ToString()); } } else if (ThisFeature.Type ==ObjectTypeEnum.kFaceFeatureObject) { FaceFeature FaceFeat = (FaceFeature)ThisFeature; MessageBox.Show("FaceFeature " + FaceFeat.ToString() + "name<" + FaceFeat.Name + "> has " + FaceFeat.Faces.Count.ToString() + " faces");

//Faces FacesList = FaceFeat.Faces; //FaceFeat.Definition.

//foreach (Face ThisFace in FacesList) //{ // Face.Edges;

//}

} else { MessageBox.Show("This feature is a " +ThisFeature.Type.ToString()); } } }

And you will get this output in the debug window of the IDE:

Profile ent System.__ComObject kCircleCurve2d

It is a circle of radius 0,15.

See also this.



13.27 Listing holes in a face of folded metal VB

This code was the starting point for this.

// Set a reference to the sheet metal document. // This assumes a part document is active. Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument Set oPartDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument // Make sure the document is a sheet metal document. if (oPartDoc.SubType == "{9C464203-9BAE-11D3-8BAD-0060B0CE6BB4}")

{ MessageBox.Show ("A sheet metal document must be open.") return } // Get the sheet metal component definition. Because this is a partdocument whose // sub type is sheet metal, the document will return aSheetMetalComponentDefinition // instead of a PartComponentDefinition. Dim oSheetMetalCompDef As SheetMetalComponentDefinition Set oSheetMetalCompDef = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition // Iterate through the features looking specifically for sheet metalfeatures. Dim oFeature As PartFeature For Each oFeature In oSheetMetalCompDef.Features switch (oFeature.Type) { Case kFaceFeatureObject Dim oFaceFeature As FaceFeature Set oFaceFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Face Feature: " + oFaceFeature.Name); Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oFaceFeature.Adaptive); Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " + oFaceFeature.Faces.Count) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " + oFaceFeature.



HealthStatus) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" ) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " + oFaceFeature.Suppressed ;

break ;

Case kContourFlangeFeatureObject Dim oContourFlangeFeature As ContourFlangeFeature Set oContourFlangeFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Contour Flange Feature: " +oContourFlangeFeature.Name) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oContourFlangeFeature.Adaptive) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " +oContourFlangeFeature.Faces.Count) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " +oContourFlangeFeature.HealthStatus) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")") ;



Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " +oContourFlangeFeature.Suppressed ;

break ;

Case kCutFeatureObject Dim oCutFeature As CutFeature Set oCutFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Cut Feature: " + oCutFeature.Name) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oCutFeature.Adaptive) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " + oCutFeature.Faces.Count) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " + oCutFeature.HealthStatus) ; Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")") ; Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " + oCutFeature.Suppressed

break ;

Case kFlangeFeatureObject Dim oFlangeFeature As FlangeFeature Set oFlangeFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Flange Feature: " + oFlangeFeature.Name Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oFlangeFeature.Adaptive Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " + oFlangeFeature.Faces.Count Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " + oFlangeFeature.HealthStatus



Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " + oFlangeFeature.Suppressed

break ;

Case kHemFeatureObject Dim oHemFeature As HemFeature Set oHemFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Hem Feature: " + oHemFeature.Name Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oHemFeature.Adaptive Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " + oHemFeature.Faces.Count Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " + oHemFeature.HealthStatus Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " + oHemFeature.Suppressed

break ;



Case kFoldFeatureObject Dim oFoldFeature As FoldFeature Set oFoldFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Fold Feature: " + oFoldFeature.Name Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oFoldFeature.Adaptive Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " + oFoldFeature.Faces.Count Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " + oFoldFeature.HealthStatus Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " + oFoldFeature.Suppressed

break ;

Case kCornerFeatureObject Dim oCornerFeature As CornerFeature Set oCornerFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Corner Seam Feature: " +oCornerFeature.Name Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oCornerFeature.Adaptive Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " + oCornerFeature.Faces.Count Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " + oCornerFeature.HealthStatus Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.



Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " + oCornerFeature.Suppressed

break ;

Case kBendFeatureObject Dim oBendFeature As BendFeature Set oBendFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Bend Feature: " + oBendFeature.Name Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oBendFeature.Adaptive Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " + oBendFeature.Faces.Count Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " + oBendFeature.HealthStatus Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " + oBendFeature.Suppressed

break ;

Case kCornerRoundFeatureObject Dim oCornerRoundFeature As CornerRoundFeature



Set oCornerRoundFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Corner Round Feature: " +oCornerRoundFeature.Name Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oCornerRoundFeature.Adaptive Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " +oCornerRoundFeature.Faces.Count Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " +oCornerRoundFeature.HealthStatus Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " +oCornerRoundFeature.Suppressed

break ;

Case kCornerChamferFeatureObject Dim oCornerChamferFeature As CornerChamferFeature Set oCornerChamferFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Corner Chamfer Feature: " +oCornerChamferFeature.Name Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " +oCornerChamferFeature.Adaptive Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " +oCornerChamferFeature.Faces.Count Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " +oCornerChamferFeature.HealthStatus Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " +



Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " +oCornerChamferFeature.Suppressed

break ;

Case kPunchToolFeatureObject Dim oPunchToolFeature As PunchToolFeature Set oPunchToolFeature = oFeature Debug.WriteLine ( "Punch Tool Feature: " +oPunchToolFeature.Name Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oPunchToolFeature.Adaptive Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " + oPunchToolFeature.Faces.Count Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " + oPunchToolFeature.HealthStatus Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " + oPunchToolFeature.Suppressed

break ;

Case Else



Debug.WriteLine ( "Non Sheetmetal Feature: " + oFeature.Name Debug.WriteLine ( " Adaptive: " + oFeature.Adaptive Debug.WriteLine ( " Face Count: " + oFeature.Faces.Count Debug.WriteLine ( " HealthStatus: " + oFeature.HealthStatus Debug.WriteLine ( " RangeBox: (" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MinPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")-(" + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.X, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Y, "0.00000") + ", " + Format(oFaceFeature.RangeBox.MaxPoint.Z, "0.00000") + ")" Debug.WriteLine ( " Suppressed: " + oFeature.Suppressed

break ;

} NextEnd Sub

13.28 Direction of a workaxis

Yes, axes have a direction. I personally don't know of a way to viewthat orientation outside of viewing those arrows while making aconstraint - maybe somebody else does.



In the API, you can drill down and get the direction of the axis as avector. (workaxis.line.direction)

See also this.

13.29 HoleFeature HoleFeatureProxy C#

To find the position of a hole which is in a part which is in anassembly you must get hold of the hole feauture's proxy.

The proxy will give you the position of the hole in assemblycoordinates.

This function adds a fixed axis based on the position of a hole:

public static void AddFixedTest (){

if (!CurrentDocIsAssembly()){

MessageBox.Show("Not an assembly");



return;}

AssemblyDocument AsmDoc = m_Inventor.ActiveDocument as AssemblyDocument;AssemblyComponentDefinition AsmDef = AsmDoc.ComponentDefinition;ComponentOccurrences OccList = AsmDoc.ComponentDefinition.Occurrences;

ComponentOccurrence SpallaOcc = null;

// Find a component we know to contain "Hole7"foreach (ComponentOccurrence ThisOcc in OccList){

Debug.WriteLine("Found " + ThisOcc.Name);

// Get "30084896" only (not "30084896:2") by stripping off all the trailing characters....string sCode = ThisOcc.Name.Substring(0, 8);if (sCode == "30084896"){

SpallaOcc = ThisOcc;break;

}}

if (SpallaOcc == null){

MessageBox.Show("Spalla not found");return;

}

// The definition contains the list of holes...PartComponentDefinition SpallaDef = (PartComponentDefinition)SpallaOcc.Definition;

Debug.WriteLine("The spalla has " + SpallaDef.Features.HoleFeatures.Count + " hole features");

// Get it directly and hope it is thereHoleFeature Hole7 = SpallaDef.Features.HoleFeatures["Hole7"] ;

// CreateGeometryProxy needs an Object parameterObject Hole7ProxyObj = null;

// Create the proxy of the hole...SpallaOcc.CreateGeometryProxy(Hole7, out Hole7ProxyObj);

// Having created the general proxy cast it to a HoleFeatureProxy...HoleFeatureProxy Hole7Proxy = (HoleFeatureProxy)Hole7ProxyObj;

Debug.WriteLine ("Hole7 has " + Hole7Proxy.Faces.Count.ToString() + " faces");



foreach (Face ThisHoleFace in Hole7Proxy.Faces){

if (ThisHoleFace.SurfaceType == SurfaceTypeEnum.kCylinderSurface){

Cylinder faceCyl = (Cylinder)ThisHoleFace.Geometry;StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder("Cylinder In FaceFeature:" + "\r\n");Point centerPt = faceCyl.BasePoint;UnitVector axisVector = faceCyl.AxisVector;sb.Append("Center Point: X = " + Math.Round(centerPt.X, 4) + " Y = " + Math.Round(centerPt.Y, 4) + " Z = " + Math.Round(centerPt.Z, 4) + "\r\n");sb.Append("Axis: X = " + Math.Round(axisVector.X, 4) + " Y = " + Math.Round(axisVector.Y, 4) + " Z = " + Math.Round(axisVector.Z, 4));

Debug.WriteLine(sb.ToString());

AsmDef.WorkAxes.AddFixed(centerPt, axisVector);}

}}

This also illustrates getting a workaxis from a hole feature by uinsgthefaces of the hole.

There is a problem, being fixed the axis will not move if you move thepart.

13.30 Items in lists by string

Here are 2 different ways of doing the same thing, i.e. getting aHoleFeature by its text name:

// Get it directly and hope it is there HoleFeature Hole7 = SpallaDef.Features.HoleFeatures["Hole7"] ;

or

// Look for it, Hole7 remains null if not found HoleFeature Hole7 = null; foreach (HoleFeature ThisHole in



SpallaDef.Features.HoleFeatures) { if (ThisHole.Name == "Hole7") { Hole7 = ThisHole; break; } } if (Hole7 == null) { return; }

13.31 Constrain work axes C#

Here is how to constrain two work axes of two parts within anassembly

public static void WorkAxisMateTest() { if (!CurrentDocIsAssembly()) { MessageBox.Show("Non è un assieme"); return; } AssemblyDocument AsmDoc = m_Inventor.ActiveDocument asAssemblyDocument; AssemblyComponentDefinition AsmDef = AsmDoc.ComponentDefinition;

ComponentOccurrences OccsList = AsmDef.Occurrences; ComponentOccurrence SpallaOcc= null, FinPackOcc=null;

foreach (ComponentOccurrence Occ in OccsList) { string sComponentName = Occ._DisplayName.Substring(0, 8);

if ("30084897" == sComponentName) { SpallaOcc = Occ; }

if ("30095817" == sComponentName) { FinPackOcc = Occ; } }



if ((SpallaOcc == null) || (FinPackOcc == null)) { MessageBox.Show("Manca spalla e o finpack"); return; }

try { PartComponentDefinition SpallaCompDef =(PartComponentDefinition)SpallaOcc.Definition; PartComponentDefinition FinPackCompDef =(PartComponentDefinition)FinPackOcc.Definition;

WorkAxis WASpalla = SpallaCompDef.WorkAxes["AsseAltoSinistra"]; WorkAxis WAFinPack = FinPackCompDef.WorkAxes["AsseAltoSinistra"];

// CreateGeometryProxy needs an Object parameter Object SpallaAxisProxyObj = null; Object FinPackAxisProxyObj = null;

// Create the proxies ... SpallaOcc.CreateGeometryProxy(WASpalla, outSpallaAxisProxyObj); FinPackOcc.CreateGeometryProxy(WAFinPack, outFinPackAxisProxyObj);

WorkAxisProxy WASpallaProxy =(WorkAxisProxy)SpallaAxisProxyObj; WorkAxisProxy WAFinPackProxy =(WorkAxisProxy)FinPackAxisProxyObj;

AsmDef.Constraints.AddMateConstraint(WASpallaProxy,WAFinPackProxy,0.0);

} catch (Exception Ex) { MessageBox.Show("Non sono risucito a fare il vincolo tra assi" + Ex.Message); } }

text here.



13.32 Constrain work things of a part to the work things of thecontaining assembly

You can do it, but remember that you do not need a proxy at theassembly level. You need a proxy for the part because it can movearound inside the assembly, but the assembly is, of course, fixed.

// A constraint between object B and a workplane in an assembly WorkPlaneA = m_AsmDef.WorkPlanes[m_iAsmObj]; // m_iAsmObj will be 1 2 or 3 probably

ComponentDefinition GenDefB = m_OccB.Definition; if (GenDefB.Type == ObjectTypeEnum.kAssemblyComponentDefinitionObject) { AssemblyComponentDefinition AsmDefB = (AssemblyComponentDefinition)m_OccB.Definition; WorkPlaneB = AsmDefB.WorkPlanes[m_iWorkObjB]; } else { // Assume a Part PartComponentDefinition PartDefB = (PartComponentDefinition)m_OccB.Definition; WorkPlaneB = PartDefB.WorkPlanes[m_iWorkObjB]; }

// CreateGeometryProxy needs an Object parameter object ProxyObjB = null; m_OccB.CreateGeometryProxy(WorkPlaneB, out ProxyObjB); WorkPlaneProxy WorkAxisBProxy = (WorkPlaneProxy)ProxyObjB;

if (m_eCostraintType == Type_e.eMate) { MateConstraint NewCons = null; // Here I use the workplane directly, in the asm, so no need for a proxy NewCons = m_AsmDef.Constraints.AddMateConstraint(WorkPlaneA, WorkAxisBProxy, 0.0); if (m_mmMaxOffset > 0.0) { NewCons.ConstraintLimits.MaximumEnabled = true; NewCons.ConstraintLimits.Maximum.Value = m_mmMaxOffset / 10.0; // Set as cm not mm } NewCons.Name = sName; } else { FlushConstraint NewCons; // Here I use the workplane directly, in the asm, so no need for a proxy NewCons = m_AsmDef.Constraints.AddFlushConstraint(WorkPlaneA, WorkAxisBProxy, 0.0); if (m_mmMaxOffset > 0.0) { NewCons.ConstraintLimits.MaximumEnabled = true;



NewCons.ConstraintLimits.Maximum.Value = m_mmMaxOffset / 10.0; // Set as cm not mm } NewCons.Name = sName; }

If you see what I mean.

13.33 Bounding box of a part

Here is how to do it, make sure you use the ref keyword in the callthough:

PartDocument EndPlateDoc =CInvHelp.OpenPart(sEndPlateFullFileName, out PartDef);

Box BBox = PartDef.RangeBox;

double[] Mins = new double[3]; double[] Maxes = new double[3]; BBox.GetBoxData(ref Mins, ref Maxes);

for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) { Debug.Write(Mins[i].ToString()); Debug.Write(" , "); Debug.Write(Maxes[i].ToString()); Debug.Write(" , "); }

These will be in native units, so normally cm.

13.34 Matrix Vector and SetTranslation, C#

Here is an example of how to use them:

// Create the default matrix... Matrix PosMat = TransGeom.CreateMatrix(); Vector DistribPos = TransGeom.CreateVector();

Point Origin = TransGeom.CreatePoint(0, 0, 0); Vector VectorAxis = TransGeom.CreateVector(1, 0, 0); PosMat.SetToRotation(-Math.PI/2.0, VectorAxis,Origin);



DistribPos.X = -20.0; // front view verticalpositioning, may change DistribPos.Y = 15.0; // how far from the spalla mainplane, may change DistribPos.Z = -mmEndPlateWidth/10.0; // positionnear center of double battery PosMat.SetTranslation(DistribPos);

Remember that SetTranslation will want cm, not mm.

13.35 WorkPlane orientation in C#

Here is some code which gets the a named WorkPlane in a part:

string sEndPlateFullFileName =GetPartFullFileName(sEndPlateCode); PartComponentDefinition PartDef = null; PartDocument EndPlateDoc =CInvHelp.OpenPart(sEndPlateFullFileName, out PartDef);

WorkPlane EndPlatePlane = PartDef.WorkPlanes["EndPlatePlane"];

// Point WPOrigin = null ; UnitVector XAxis = null; UnitVector YAxis = null;

EndPlatePlane.GetPosition(out _, out XAxis, outYAxis);

string sXaxis = string.Format("XAxis {0:0.0} {1:0.0}{2:0.0}", XAxis.X, XAxis.Y, XAxis.Z); Debug.WriteLine(sXaxis);

string sYaxis = string.Format("YAxis {0:0.0} {1:0.0}{2:0.0}", YAxis.X, YAxis.Y, YAxis.Z); Debug.WriteLine(sYaxis);



And here are two examples of what those two vectors mean:



13.36 Standard WorkAxes in C#

Here is some code to help you along:

//base work axes

WorkAxis XAxis = oAssyDef.WorkAxes[1];

WorkAxis YAxis = oAssyDef.WorkAxes[2];

WorkAxis ZAxis = oAssyDef.WorkAxes[3];

But you would be better to define something like this:

// These help to get at workplanes WorkPlanes[]

public const int ikYZPlaneNum = 1;

public const int ikXZPlaneNum = 2;

public const int ikXYPlaneNum = 3;

// These help to get at workaxes WorkAxes[]

public const int ikXAxisNum = 1;

public const int ikYAxisNum = 2;

public const int ikZAxisNum = 3;

13.37 Constrain a part to an assembly level work axis

Here's how to create a workaxis at assembly level and constrain it toa hole.



This is the VB version, when I have time I'll do the C# version

Imports System.Runtime.InteropServicesImports Inventor



Class MainWindow ' For this to work you need a part open in the assembly andthe part needs to have a t least one hole in it Private Sub Button_Click(sender As Object, e AsRoutedEventArgs)

Dim ThisApp As Inventor.Application Dim oCylGeom As Cylinder Dim oWAxis As WorkAxis

' To get this you need .NET framework, not just .NET ThisApp = Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.application")

If ThisApp.ActiveDocumentType <>DocumentTypeEnum.kAssemblyDocumentObject Then MsgBox("An Assembly Document must be active for thisto work. Exiting.", vbOKOnly + vbCritical, "WRONG DOCUMENT TYPE") Exit Sub End If

Dim oADoc As AssemblyDocument = ThisApp.ActiveDocument Dim oADef As AssemblyComponentDefinition =oADoc.ComponentDefinition Dim oComp As ComponentOccurrence =oADef.Occurrences.Item(1) Dim oPDoc As PartDocument = oComp.Definition.Document Dim oPDef As PartComponentDefinition =oPDoc.ComponentDefinition If oPDef.Features.HoleFeatures.Count = 0 Then MsgBox("No holes") Exit Sub End If

Dim oHole As HoleFeature =oPDef.Features.HoleFeatures.Item(1)

'oHole.HoleCenterPoints 'could likely use these too Dim oCylFace As Face = oHole.SideFaces.Item(1) If oCylFace.SurfaceType =SurfaceTypeEnum.kCylinderSurface Then Dim oCylFaceProxy As FaceProxy = Nothing oComp.CreateGeometryProxy(oCylFace, oCylFaceProxy)



oCylGeom = oCylFaceProxy.Geometry Dim oPoint As Inventor.Point = oCylGeom.BasePoint Dim oAxis As UnitVector = oCylGeom.AxisVector oWAxis = oADef.WorkAxes.AddFixed(oPoint, oAxis, False) oWAxis.Name = "ASM_WORK_AXIS"

Dim oMConst1 As MateConstraint =oADef.Constraints.AddMateConstraint2(oWAxis, oCylFaceProxy, 0,InferredTypeEnum.kInferredLine, InferredTypeEnum.kInferredLine,MateConstraintSolutionTypeEnum.kAlignedSolutionType) oMConst1.Name = "ASM_WORK_AXIS_CONSTRAINT"

Else MsgBox("Hole's first side face was not a Cylinder.Exiting.", , "") Exit Sub End If

End SubEnd Class

So that workaxis is at assembly level but constrainted to a hole in apart. You can constrain further things to that workaxis...



13.38 Create an assembly document C#

This code creates a new assembly and sets the measurement unitsto be mm

public static AssemblyDocument CreateNewAssembly() { try { // Get the list of documents currentlyopen inventor Documents DocList =m_Inventor.Documents;

FileManager FileMan =



m_Inventor.FileManager;

string sTemplateFile =FileMan.GetTemplateFile(DocumentTypeEnum.kAssemblyDocumentObject, SystemOfMeasureEnum.kMetricSystemOfMeasure); //Make sure metric units

// Create the doc and get hold of it... AssemblyDocument NewAsmDoc =(AssemblyDocument)DocList.Add(DocumentTypeEnum.kAssemblyDocumentObject); NewAsmDoc.UnitsOfMeasure.LengthUnits =UnitsTypeEnum.kMillimeterLengthUnits; // make sure mmunits

return NewAsmDoc; }

catch (Exception Ex) { MessageBox.Show("Create new assemblyfailed, " + Ex.Message); return null; } }



13.39 Listing the profiles of a face in C#

Look at this sheet metal:

Although it could be shown as a single face it is in fact 2 faces. Itprobably depends on how t was constructed. Anyway this code willlist the two profiles (if they are made of LineSegment2d:

public static void Test2 () { PartDocument PartDoc; try {



PartDoc = (PartDocument)m_Inventor.ActiveDocument as PartDocument; if (PartDoc == null) { MessageBox.Show("This is not a part document"); return; } } catch { MessageBox.Show ("not a part doc"); return; }

PartComponentDefinition PartDef = PartDoc.ComponentDefinition; PartFeatures FeatsList = PartDef.Features;

foreach (PartFeature ThisFeature in FeatsList) { if (ThisFeature.Type == ObjectTypeEnum.kCutFeatureObject) { CutFeature CutFeature = (CutFeature)ThisFeature; ProfilePath TheProfile = CutFeature.Definition.Profile[1]; ProfileEntity Ent = TheProfile[1];

Debug.WriteLine ("Profile ent " + Ent.ToString() + " " + Ent.CurveType.ToString());

if (Ent.CurveType == Curve2dTypeEnum.kCircleCurve2d) { Circle2d Circle = (Circle2d)Ent.Curve; Debug.WriteLine(" ...is a circle of radius " + Circle.Radius.ToString()); } } else if (ThisFeature.Type == ObjectTypeEnum.kFaceFeatureObject) { FaceFeature FaceFeat = (FaceFeature)ThisFeature; Debug.WriteLine("FaceFeature <" + FaceFeat.Name + "> has " + FaceFeat.Faces.Count.ToString() + " faces");

Debug.WriteLine(" the profile has " + FaceFeat.Definition.Profile.Count.ToString() + " objects");

foreach (ProfilePath ThisPath in FaceFeat.Definition.Profile) { Debug.WriteLine(" this path the profile has " + ThisPath.Count.ToString() + " entities");

foreach (ProfileEntity ThisEnt in ThisPath) { if (ThisEnt.CurveType == Curve2dTypeEnum.kLineSegmentCurve2d) { LineSegment2d Line2d = (LineSegment2d)ThisEnt.Curve;



string sX0 = string.Format("{0,8:0.00}", Line2d.StartPoint.X); string sY0 = string.Format("{0,8:0.00}", Line2d.StartPoint.Y); string sX1 = string.Format("{0,8:0.00}", Line2d.EndPoint.X); string sY1 = string.Format("{0,8:0.00}", Line2d.EndPoint.Y);

Debug.WriteLine(" LinSeg, X:" + sX0 + " Y:" + sY0 + " --> X:" + sX1 + " Y:" + sY1); } } }

// Un false this to see even more detail#if false Faces FacesList = FaceFeat.Faces; // Face BiggestFace = null;

foreach (Face ThisFace in FacesList) { Debug.WriteLine(" this face has vertices: " + ThisFace.Vertices.Count.ToString() + " (feature: " + FaceFeat.Name + ")");

foreach (Vertex v in ThisFace.Vertices) { Point p = v.Point; Debug.WriteLine(" " + p.X.ToString() + " " + p.Y.ToString() + " " + p.Z.ToString()); } }#endif } else { Debug.WriteLine("This feature is a " + ThisFeature.Type.ToString()); } } }

And the output will look like this:

FaceFeature <Face1> has 3 faces the profile has 1 objects this path the profile has 4 entities LinSeg, X: 0,00 Y: 0,00 --> X: -53,30 Y: 0,00 LinSeg, X: -53,30 Y: 0,00 --> X: -53,30 Y: -53,00 LinSeg, X: -53,30 Y: -53,00 --> X: 0,00 Y: -53,00 LinSeg, X: 0,00 Y: -53,00 --> X: 0,00 Y: 0,00FaceFeature <Face3> has 1 faces the profile has 1 objects this path the profile has 4 entities LinSeg, X: 8,05 Y: 0,00 --> X: 8,05 Y: -3,50 LinSeg, X: 8,05 Y: -3,50 --> X: 52,90 Y: -1,90



LinSeg, X: 52,90 Y: -1,90 --> X: 52,90 Y: 0,00 LinSeg, X: 52,90 Y: 0,00 --> X: 8,05 Y: 0,00

...and shows that there are two FaceFeatures.

13.40 List all planes in a part, C#

There are always the first three planes which can be accessed by a 1based index. Other user work planes are added from 4 onwards:

In code you can access all the planes in a part like this:



PartDocument PartDoc;try{

PartDoc = (PartDocument)m_Inventor.ActiveDocument as PartDocument;if (PartDoc == null){

MessageBox.Show("This is not a part document");return;

}}catch{

MessageBox.Show("not a part doc");return;

}

PartComponentDefinition PartDef = PartDoc.ComponentDefinition;WorkPlanes WPList = PartDef.WorkPlanes;

int iPlaneNumber = 1;foreach (WorkPlane ThisPlane in WPList){

Debug.WriteLine("ThisPlane is called <" + ThisPlane.Name + "> Plane number = " + iPlaneNumber.ToString());WorkPlane Plane1 = WPList[iPlaneNumber];Debug.WriteLine("Plane <" + Plane1.Name + "> number = " + iPlaneNumber.ToString());iPlaneNumber++;

}

This will give you output like this:

ThisPlane is called <YZ Plane> Plane number = 1Plane <YZ Plane> number = 1ThisPlane is called <XZ Plane> Plane number = 2Plane <XZ Plane> number = 2ThisPlane is called <XY Plane> Plane number = 3Plane <XY Plane> number = 3ThisPlane is called <PianoSpalla> Plane number = 4Plane <PianoSpalla> number = 4

Notice that 4th plane, the first user plane.

You could use something like this:

// These help to get at workplanes WorkPlanes[]

public const int ikYZPlaneNum = 1;



public const int ikXZPlaneNum = 2;

public const int ikXYPlaneNum = 3;

// These help to get at workaxes WorkAxes[]

public const int ikXAxisNum = 1;

public const int ikYAxisNum = 2;

public const int ikZAxisNum = 3;

13.41 Get a WorkPlane by name

You can use square brackets and the name:

WorkPlane EndPlatePlane = PartDef.WorkPlanes["EndPlatePlane"];

You'll probably get an exception if the plane does not exist

13.42 kReferenceFeatureObject is a derived part

If you get a feature in a part it might be a reference to another part:

else if (ThisFeature.Type ==ObjectTypeEnum.kReferenceFeatureObject) { ReferenceFeature RefFeat = (ReferenceFeature)ThisFeature;

Debug.WriteLine("kReferenceFeatureObject called " +RefFeat.Name);

ReferenceComponents RefComps =PartDef.ReferenceComponents;

DerivedPartComponent DerivPartComp =RefComps.DerivedPartComponents[1];

I have not been able to really go deeper into this yet.



13.43 Reading values from an iPart table in C#

Here is a big example:

static public C3dCctData Get3dCctData (AssemblyComponentDefinitionAsm3dCctDef) { AssemblyDocument CctDoc = (AssemblyDocument)Asm3dCctDef.Document; string sGeom = CInvHelp.GetCustomiProperty(CctDoc,"CC_FIN_GEOMETRY"); double mmSporgenza = 0.0; ComponentOccurrences Occurences = Asm3dCctDef.Occurrences;

// Find the sporgenza looking at the forcelle or tubes. // These are iParts and so we need to look at their tables... foreach (ComponentOccurrence ThisOcc in Occurences) { // Is this occurrence a part? ComponentDefinition ThisDef = ThisOcc.Definition; if (ThisDef.Type ==ObjectTypeEnum.kPartComponentDefinitionObject) { // This is a part... PartComponentDefinition PartDef =(PartComponentDefinition)ThisDef; PartDocument PartDoc = (PartDocument)PartDef.Document;

AutoBatSupp.Log.WriteLn(CLog.Type_e.ekLog, " lookingat:", PartDoc.DisplayName);

// Get the SAP code for this part... string sPartSapCode = PartDoc.DisplayName.Substring(0,AutoBatSupp.ikNumSapChars);

// Is this an iPart? if (PartDef.IsiPartMember) { // This is an iPart member, which I want to find outmore about... iPartMember Member = PartDef.iPartMember; iPartFactory Factory = Member.ParentFactory;

AutoBatSupp.Log.WriteLn(CLog.Type_e.ekLog, " is amember, the factory has ", Factory.TableRows.Count.ToString(), " columns");

// Look over all columns to find the one we arelooking for... int iColIndex = 0; // Errore value int i = 1; foreach (iPartTableColumn Col in Factory.TableColumns) { if (Col.Heading == "SporgLatoCurve") {



iColIndex = i; break; } i++; }

if (iColIndex > 0) { // So, we know in which *column* to get thesporgenza from

// Loop over all the rows to find the one whichcorresponds to our part iPartTableRows Rows = Factory.TableRows; foreach (iPartTableRow Row in Rows) { iPartTableCell SapCodeCell = Row[1]; string sThisSapCode = SapCodeCell.Value; if (sThisSapCode == sPartSapCode) { iPartTableCell SporgenzaCell =Row[iColIndex]; string sCellValue =AutoBatSupp.GetCleanNumberString(SporgenzaCell.Value); // Convert from "20,00mm" to "20.00" AutoBatSupp.Log.WriteLn(CLog.Type_e.ekLog, " cell is ", sCellValue); if (!double.TryParse(sCellValue,NumberStyles.Number, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out mmSporgenza)) { AutoBatSupp.Log.WriteLn(CLog.Type_e.ekErr, " could not get sporgenza ",mmSporgenza.ToString(), " from ", sCellValue); } else { AutoBatSupp.Log.WriteLn(CLog.Type_e.ekLog, " sporgenza is ",mmSporgenza.ToString()); break; // finished. } } } } } } }

if (mmSporgenza == 0.0) { AutoBatSupp.Log.WriteLn(CLog.Type_e.ekErr, "Could not findsporgenza parameter"); }



// Compose all the data into a single object C3dCctData CctData = new C3dCctData { m_sGeom = sGeom, m_mmSporgenza = mmSporgenza };

return CctData;


14 Using Inventor manually

14.1 Parallel constraint, not coplanar

You can make planes be parallel but not coplanar by using the Limitstab...

401Using Inventor manually


You'll have to experiment with which limits work. If the objects aresmall you can use, for example, 1000mm in the Maximum.

See also software wise.

You can achieve the same result using angular constraints...

.

14.2 BOMs and Part Lists

14.2.1 BOM vs Parts List

BOM can be accessed from Assembly and Drawing while Parts List isa Drawing only table.

In general a BOM cannot be changed, it is based on the actualassembly and rows cannot be added. But for example counts can be



changed by making them static.

In the parts list you can add rows.

14.2.2 Adding a flat parts list in a drawing

Add the BOM into the assembly. See here and here. In the BOMselect Parts Only.

Create the drawing with that assembly as the base view.

Go to Annotate tab Parts List icon. In the Parts List dialog select BOMView Parts Only item:

14.2.3 BOM Bill of materials

To find the settings of the BOM go into the document settings of theassembly or part and click on the BOM tab.

To get to the BOM itself:



The parts list is derived from the BOM, but is not the same thing. Itseems to be closer to the metal. I think you can't do much with theBOM, whereas the parts list is more flexible.

Components can be1. Normal2. Phantom, like screws nuts washers, ignored by the BOM but used

in the mass calculations.3. Referenced, these are not real components, but are present to

help the drawing construction. Ignored by BOM and masscalculations.

4. Purchased, the component is a single BOM line5. Inseperable, made of parts, but of parts which cannot be separated

from each other



See also substitution.

14.2.4 Remove something from a Parts List

Double click on the parts list in the drawing, that will bring up the partslist dialog list box. Right click on the component, and turn of visibility.

14.2.5 Parts list modification

Add a parts list to a drawing IDW like this (save the drawing first):

Once you have added a parts list you can modify it, even substitutingsome columns for other columns, Parts List Column Substitution:



Note that the parts list is obtained from the BOM but is not the samething.

14.2.6 Parts Only (disabled) problem

If you get the BOM dialog with Parts Only (disabled) all you have todo is enable them using the magnifying glass:



14.2.7 Virtual components

Virtual components are good for adding quantities of paint or solderor padding ext. They appear in the BOM. They can only be insertedinto an assembly, not into a part.

You create them like this:



They have that white cube icon in the assembly.

Now here is how you can set the component to hold data aboutweight (for example). Create a user parameter which contains thedata you need, then...



Now the component will appear in the BOM like this:



If this does not work in your situation you can also try this technique.



14.2.8 Parts List Style (Default)

You set it like this:

It is all a bit of a mystery inside an enigma:



See and understand also this:



14.2.9 Alternative to a virtual component in a BOM

If you want to add liquids or solder or other materials to yourassembly you can use virtual components. This generally works, butsometimes, for various reasons, this is not the best way.

So, instead, you can create an IPT and say it is counted not as anitem but as a quantity, milligrams, or mm or whatever. Look at thequantity for GA1234 in the parts list below:



It says the quantity is 14 grams. (The other quantities in the list aboveare counts of the number of IPTs in the assembly.)

Create the IPT which you want to contain your quantity and which youwant to appear in the BOM and Parts List. In the example belowGA1234.IPT has had its BOM settings set to grams:

The next step is to make that parts entry in the BOM "Static", whichmeans you can write whatever number you want in there, it is notcalculated:



Finally, if you want a parts list as well as a BOM, be sure to use QTYas one of the columns. As you design your parts list choose QTY asshown below:



14.3 iParts

14.3.1 iParts general info

iParts work with parametric parts.

Steps to create an iPart, a tube for example:

1. Create a new part.2. In the sketch add a circle3. Add a dimension to the circle and in the tiny mm box type

Diameter=204. End the sketch and extrude it.5. In the edit box for the extrusion type Length=50.6. Finish the sketch7. Now you have two model parameters named as you want as

Length and Diameter (instead of the default L0 and D0).8. You also have a tube which is 20 by 509. Now go into the Manage tab and click on the Create iPart icon. (if

grey disabled trying saving the file) 10.Now you can create a table of different sized tubes. Each row of

the table is called a Member.



14.3.2 iPart - standard vs custom

A standard iPart has parameter values which must be selected from apredefined list. e.g. part code corresponds to a record in a table. Therecord contains the parameters like angle and length to specify theiPart for that code.

A custom iPart allows you to write whatever values you want, not justselecting one of several fixed values from a list.

In the SDK there are two examples of iParts, one custom onestandard, in this directory...

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2013\SDK\DeveloperTools\Samples\Data_Files

...you should find CustomFactory.ipt and StandardFactory.ipt.

14.3.3 iPart author

To get to the iPart Author click on the Create iPart icon in the Managetab.

You must have Excel installed for iParts to work.

14.3.4 iPart Member and PartNumber

As far as I can tell there is some confusion here. It seems thatMember is the key index into the table, and maybe PartNumber is adescriptive field. This confusion/duplication/feature is due to history.

So when creating iParts make sure that Member has the code of the



object you are creating, like 34120009.

Why is a new column needed? It is because sometimes memberscan have the same Part Number. PN is just a user book-keepingattribute. We need a column with unique values.

In summary, the Member column has to be there. The cell values canbe changed but they have to be unique. Please do not delete orrelocate the column.

The Member also gives the name to any temporary files created bythe iPart factory.

The iPart also generates "children" files, which represent each of themembers of your table. These are files that you normally don't haveto do much with, as they are controlled by the table in the Factorypart. The file names for these child parts are controlled by theMember name from the table - hence, when you change the membernames, their file names will change. This (not the name of the factorypart) is what the warning message was referring to.



14.3.5 Custom iParts

Create your part normally, for example a cylinder with Diameter andLength dimensions.



Clicking on the Create iPart icon you'll get the iPart Author dialog,right click on the Diameter column and select Custom ParameterColumn:



The diameter column will become purple. Do this with all the otherparameters to make the custom iPart:

When you place the custom iPart inside an assembly you'll be shownthis dialog, where you can change the values:

Here is an example of the 3 custom iPart cylinder instances inside anassembly:



How to change parameters of an already created custom iPart.

14.3.6 Changing Custom Ipart Parameters

Once you have created a custom ipart you can change theparameters by Activating its table:



So here I'm changing the parameters of the"derived" object.

In the above screenshot the "source" object is Tubo-CHS-LHS-Custom.ipt



14.3.7 Suppression of features parametrically using the iPart Author

You need to drag the feature into the right hand panel of theSuppression tab, then the accepted values inside the parameter editbox is C or S. (Computer or Suppress).

14.3.8 Changing from iPart back to normal part

If you have an iPart with a table and you want to get back to a normalpart without a table, open the iPart, right click on the table, and select"Delete"



1. You'll get a warning about turning the file back into a normal part. 2. Remember to set the parameters to those that you want before

removing the table.3. Do this on a copy of you want to keep the original tabulare iPart.

14.3.9 Custom column in an iPart table

Sometimes you want to add some text or a number into the iPart'stable which is not strictly connected to the geometry of the part. Youdo it like this:

· Open the table· Go to the Other tab· Click in the empty space· Insert the name of the extra column



14.3.10 Create iPart icon is grey

This can happen if you have not saved the file recently.

14.4 Suppress and Level Of Detail

Apparently Suppress Part in assemblies is used to create a lighter filewhen drawing and manipulating, and is intimately connected withLOD (Level Of Detail).

When you calculate the mass you can do it with all parts or just theunsupressed parts.

14.5 Offset of a point

You can give a point an offset...

I'm a programmer/educator not a mechanical designer so please bearwith me. There is a flange constrained using a plane an axis and apoint:



I'd like to be able to move the flanged tube in by 10mm. I can do thisby increasing the offset on the point-point constraint to 10mm. If I use-10 it does not go in the other direction. Presumably the absolutevalue of the number is taken.

But what tells Inventor in which direction the offset (in a point to pointconstraint) should go?.

This described mate combination has two possible solutions. Duringmate creation you can control the result using BiasPointOne andBiasPointTwo arguments. When the mates are already created, youcan move with the occurrence via API or iProperties dialog. If youmove the occurrence near to the second possible solution, afterupdate the occurrence will be move to the nearest solution (thesecond one in this case).Tags (0)

14.6 Pack And Go

Here's something which sort of works...

Copy all the pieces from the Pack And Go area into the Inventorcache directory. You will have to decide whether to overwrite thevarious bits and pieces.



Most components are in the "Area di Lavoro" or the Englishequivalent:

In some cases the main component is in the same directory, as in theabove example, in other cases the main component is in a higherlevel directory:



Once in the usual Inventor directory make sure all components arenot read-only then pen them and save them while having your normalproject setup (i.e. not the Pack And Go project which the componentsarrived with).

14.7 WorkAxes at assembly level

When you add a work axis at assembly level what you actually do isconstrain it to some feature of a part.



Programmatically you can AddFixed, and they stay in that place inspace, unattached to any part feature.

14.8 Insert constraint

The insert (perno foro) constraint lines up two cylindrical features byusing their axes and two planes.



Look...



...aligned puts the cylinder exactly on the surface aligning the twoaxes:



14.9 Faces as objects

You can create faces by extruding a profile with the correctproperties...



14.10 Show hidden lines in a drawing manually

To show hidden lines in a 2D IDW drawing follow this:



14.11 Axis directions

It seems that it is better to use undirected axes constraint, eventhough each work axis does have a direction.



So if you have a plane to plane constraint already in place you shouldchoose "undirected" axis constraint. I suppose it makes sensebecause who can tell which direction a hole or circular cut axis shouldgo...?

14.12 Creating folders in the browser manually

Select the objects in the browser and then context click and thenchoose "Add to New Folder"...



14.13 Construction lines in sketches

Construction lines help you create the profile to extrude, for example,but are not extruded themselves. You can flip lines from construction(dotted) to normal and back again using this icon:



14.14 Formulas inside parameter settings

Here is an example which is the formula equivalent of this iLogic VBexample:



sign(RagColl - RagAtt) * sqrt(( RagColl * RagColl - RagAtt *RagAtt ) * sign(RagColl * RagColl - RagAtt * RagAtt))

It is very very important that the case is respected in the parameternames and the functions.

Here's how the thing would appear inside a part:

14.15 Explode a pattern

To make an object independent from its containing pattern right clickon the Element text odf the object, and choose "Independent".



Once it is independent though all the constraints will be lost.

You can't remove the first object from a pattern, and you can't removean object from a pattern inside a pattern.

14.16 Assembly WorkPoints and Part WorkPoints

These are a bit different and so cannot be assumed to behave in thesame way. You cannot, in an assembly, create a WorkPoint from aSketchPoint. Autodesk says:

"Hi! Certainly, the behavior is not intuitive but there are technicalreasons behind it. Inventor assembly (except assembly features andweldment) is not history based like part. The advantage is to allowusers to structure the assembly and swap out components with ease.Work geometry is treated like a component. So, a workpoint or aworkplane or a workaxis is actually a component which can beconstrained to other geometry. Assembly level work geometry can be



adjusted by editing the constraint values. It is not like the workgeometry in a part as features.

However, assembly level sketch does have a sense of history likeassembly features. Allowing non-history based operation likeconstraining to act on history based object can lead to an unsolvablecycle. As a result, assembly level work geometry cannot beconstrained to an assembly sketch. There is room for improvementhere. At least, it should be made more apparent why this operation isblocked. I will work with project team to understand the behaviorbetter and see if the limitation can be removed."

The same presumably goes for WorkAxis and WorkPlane objects.

14.17 Erase pattern elements

It seems that you can suppress pattern elements, but not deletethem:



14.18 Axis perpendicular to sketch point, how to

It is fairly easy, add the axes on a sketch point and parallel to (forexample) Z.

But remember that you may have to click on the Update icon if youchange some parameters:



Click on the Update icon...



14.19 Delete a dimension manually

14.20 Mass Volume Calculation

In the brower, on the part or assembly root, right click and selectiProperties from the menu. Then click on the Physical tab. You mayhave to recalculate. And you may want with or without suppressedparts.

14.21 Add a WorkPlane in an Assembly

Here is a function to to it based on the existing standard workplanesof an assembly:

bool AddFixedWorkPlaneInAsm (CComPtr<AssemblyComponentDefinition>& pAsmCompDef, // where the plane will be added const int ikPlaneIdx, // Which ofthe standard planes to base the new one on const double kOffsetMm, // Offset, const wchar_t* const pszPlaneName)



// Name of the newly created plane{ gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"AddFixedWorkPlaneInAsm %d <%s>starting",ikPlaneIdx,pszPlaneName) ; // Get WorkPlanes CComPtr<WorkPlanes> pWorkPlanes ; HRESULT hRes = pAsmCompDef->get_WorkPlanes(&pWorkPlanes); if (FAILED(hRes)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AFWPIA, get_WorkPlanes failed") ; return false ; }

// Get hold of one of the WorkPlanes. Valid indices are 1 2 3for standard workplanes CComPtr<WorkPlane> pAsmStdWorkPlane ; hRes = pWorkPlanes->get_Item(CComVariant(ikPlaneIdx),&pAsmStdWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pAsmStdWorkPlane==nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AFWPIA, get_Item (workplane %d)failed",ikPlaneIdx) ; return false ; }

// Get the standard plane to use as a base for the offsetplane PlanePtr ThePlane = pAsmStdWorkPlane->GetPlane() ; PointPtr StdPlaneOrigin = ThePlane->RootPoint ;

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeo = GetTransGeomPtr () ;

// Internally Inventor always uses cm, so convert... const double kOffsetInCm = kOffsetMm/10.0 ;

CComPtr<Point> pOrigin ; hRes = pTransGeom->CreatePoint (StdPlaneOrigin->X,StdPlaneOrigin->Y,StdPlaneOrigin->Z,&pOrigin); if (FAILED(hRes) || (pOrigin == nullptr)) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AFWPIA, could not create originpoint") ; return false ; }

CComPtr<UnitVector> uVector; CComPtr<UnitVector> yVector;



switch (ikPlaneIdx) { case gikXYPlaneIndex : pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector (1.0, 0.0, 0.0, &uVector); pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector (0.0, 1.0, 0.0, &yVector); pOrigin->PutZ (kOffsetInCm) ; break ;

case gikXZPlaneIndex : pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector (1.0, 0.0, 0.0, &uVector); pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector (0.0, 0.0, 1.0, &yVector); pOrigin->PutY (kOffsetInCm) ; break ;

case gikYZPlaneIndex : pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector (0.0, 1.0, 0.0, &uVector); pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector (0.0, 0.0, 1.0, &yVector); pOrigin->PutX (kOffsetInCm) ; break ;

default : gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"AFWPIA unhandled index:%d", ikPlaneIdx) ; // Do something anyway... pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector (1.0, 0.0, 0.0, &uVector); pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector (0.0, 1.0, 0.0, &yVector); // pOrigin->PutZ (kOffsetInCm) ; break ; }

CComPtr<WorkPlane> pOffsetWorkPlane; hRes = pWorkPlanes->AddFixed(pOrigin,uVector,yVector,VARIANT_FALSE,&pOffsetWorkPlane); if (FAILED(hRes) || pOffsetWorkPlane == nullptr) { ShowCOMError (hRes,L"AFWPIA, Could not AddFixed plane %d",ikPlaneIdx) ; return false ; }



CComBSTR bstrName = CString (pszPlaneName) ; pOffsetWorkPlane->put_Name (bstrName) ;

gLogger.Printf (ekLogMsg,L"AddFixedWorkPlaneInAsm <%s> endingok",pszPlaneName) ;

return true ;}

Here's some other less flexible code:

HRESULT Result = NOERROR;

CLSID InvAppClsid; Result = CLSIDFromProgID (L"Inventor.Application", &InvAppClsid); if (FAILED(Result)) return;

CComPtr<IUnknown> pInvAppUnk; Result = ::GetActiveObject(InvAppClsid, NULL, &pInvAppUnk); if (FAILED(Result)) { _tprintf_s(_T("*** Could not get hold of an active Inventorapplication ***\n")); return ; }

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

CComPtr<Document> oDoc; CComPtr<AssemblyDocument> pAssyDoc; Result = pInvApp->get_ActiveDocument(&oDoc); pAssyDoc = oDoc;

CComPtr<TransientGeometry> pTransGeo; Result = pInvApp->get_TransientGeometry(&pTransGeo);

CComPtr<Point> pt; Result = pTransGeo->CreatePoint(0, 0, -100,&pt);

CComPtr<UnitVector> xVector; Result = pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector(1,0, 0, &xVector);

CComPtr<UnitVector> yVector; Result = pTransGeo->CreateUnitVector(0, 1, 0, &yVector);



CComPtr<WorkPlane> wPlane;

Result = pAssyDoc->ComponentDefinition->WorkPlanes->AddFixed(pt,xVector,yVector, VARIANT_FALSE,&wPlane);

14.22 Add a feature to an existing pattern

You can add a feature to an existing pattern by simply editing it andwhen the dialog comes up (don't click in the dialog) hover the mouseover the feature you want to add (you'll see a + sign near the cursor).Then click on it.

NB: In the browser you must put the new features you want to add tothe pattern higher up than the pattern itself. The features you want toadd to the pattern must be considered to be created before thepattern itself.



14.23 Add a point to the surface of a tube manually

The first step is to put a plane at the required height:

Put a sketch on that new plane, then project the geometry of the tubeonto the sketch. Draw a line and put a point at the intersection of thegeometry and the line.

14.24 General Note and text

You can add text to an Inventor document using the General Notefunction:



It looks like it always floats on the screen in a given quarter which youchoose.

14.25 Add an angular dimension

You select the Dimension icon and then select two lines.

The problem is that the standard axes are not considered lines, soyou have to add one manually before you can select it. Add a linealong the axis you want to use as the base for the angular dimension,in other words.



14.26 Adding a Dimension in a sketch

The add dimension icons are in the constrain panel of the sketch tab.

For example...

Create a circle in Sketch mode and create a dimension in the Toolstab. Then click on the Parameters icon in the Manage tab. Now youcan change the name of the parameter from "d0" to, for example,"MainTubeDiam". So that parameter now controls the diameter of atube constructed on that sketch.

14.27 Application Options Settings

At empty startup go into the Tools tab and click on ApplicationOptions.

The files tab of this dialog lets you change various directories, likeyour default projects folder.

If you can't find an option in Application Options it is probably inDocument Settings (next to each other in the Tools ribbon). You canuse templates to make application wide document settings.

14.28 Backup options for Inventor files

This is an item in the project options. Select the project in the upperpane and select the Options branch in the lower pane.

The default setting for Old Versions To Keep is 1, keep one backup.You can set this to 2 3 4 or whatever.



14.29 Add-In automatic load suppression

The loading of Add-Ins can slow down the startup of Inventor, and ifyou don't need them you can stop them like this:



14.30 Strange material problem

If you get a single solid object which has different materials on it usethe Clear All Overides on its properties:



The solid above is copper outside and steel inside, I don't know why.But the clear all overrides solves the problem.

14.31 Browser is missing! Get it back!

Go to View tab, User Interface icon.

14.32 Change material / color of a solid

Select the object in the browser, and then use the material combo atthe top of the window:



14.33 Change the offset elevation of a plane

Double click on the plane:



and you'll get the edit box.

14.34 Changing home view setting

Go to the view you want to be the home view then right click on thehome view icon, the examine the menu which pops up.

Front Top Right is the default visibility of the cube for home view.



You can choose to set the current view as fit to view or fixed distance.

14.35 Changing manipulator snap

Use the Document Settings in the Tools tab. Then choose theModelling tab, 3D Snap Spacing edit box.

14.36 Changing the default units

Use the application options to change the default template file:

You can also change this in the document options:



When programming Inventor internal units are fixed.

14.37 Completely and adequately constrained sketches

A sketch has dimensions and constraints. Here is how to addconstraints manually:



The two red arrows show how to add a tangent constraint between aline and a circle.

The two green arrows show how to add a contraint between aWorkPoint and a line endpoint.Inadequatrely constrained objects are black.

The bottom right status bar in sketch mode tells you whether thesketch is fully constrained or not. It will either say Fully Contrained or N dimensions needed.



14.38 Constrain 2 pairs of axes

If you have a u-bend you have two axes in it, say AxisA and AxisB.These two axes have to be constrained to another two axes whichrepresent the tubes which the u-bend connects, say Axis1 and Axis2:

The problem is that although you can fix AxisA to be completelyconstrainged by Axis1, depending on the accuracy of the parts youmay not be able to constraing AxisB to Axis2. For example the inter-axis distance might be 25.0 on the u-bend but 25.06 between the twotubes.

You can get over this problem by changing the parameter in thesecond constraint. If you set it to 0.1mm, as shown above, it meansthat one of the axes rotates around the other with a radius of 0.1mm:



In the first image above the Mate:12 (0,100) tells you the "radius""offset" of 0.1mm.

If you don't give this flexibility in a 4 axis construction you might get ayellow rectangle liks this:

Programatically here .



14.39 Constrain vertically and horizontally

Sometimes objects in sketches remain unconstrained (green objects)even though they are on axes. You need to constrain them probablyby the two constrain icons as shown below:

Here the green points are constrained with horizontal dimensions butnot vertically. The blue points are completely constrained.



14.40 Contact set

A contact set is a subset of points for calculating interference.

14.41 Contraints between 3D part objects

Move into the Assemble tab and click on the Constrain icon, seebelow:



The screenshot above also illustrates the fact that constraints canhave names, apart from Mate:1 etc. Note George and Mildred.

3D object based constraints are generally at the level of assembly,and constraints "connect" parts within the assembly.

Click here for constraints and parts from a programmers point of view.

14.42 Crash when creating a new drawing

You may get this message:



It may be fixed, perhaps, by following the instructions above andchanging the hardware accelleration (inside Inventor) fromperformance to conservative.

14.43 Create a sketch by default on creating a new part

Use the Tools Application Options Part tab to select create x-y sketchautomatically.

14.44 Creating a big tube with holes in it

Start a new part and then a new sketch. Use the XY plane for yoursketch:



While in sketch mode draw two circles on it, then exit the sketch:



Now extrude, you may have to select the "profile" as being the areabetween the two circles:



In the browser select the yz plane and create a new sketch there:



Like this:



Now you have to put some points in the sketch which can be used ashole centers. To do this make sure that center point is highlighted likethis:



Now when you use the point command the points you make can beused as center points:

Putting 3 points in the yz sketch will look like this:



Click on Finish Sketch, you'll return to the 3D part view. Now click onthe Hole icon and you'll get something like this:

14.45 Creating a drawing of an assembly or part

You need to have the assembly (or part) already open before you cancreate a drawing of it. And then, oddly enough, you have to create anew drawing using the file menu, and then specify the assembly.

1. Use the "file" new drawing command, you'll get a piece of paper onthe screen.

2. Right click on the paper and select "Base View"3. Choose various parameters:



You can also get the above dialog by right clicking on the view andselecting "edit".

14.46 Creating a workplane offset from another plane

Here is how to move a workplane, offsetting a workplane, use thismenu:



And this sequence to specify the offset:

14.47 Customizing the menu

Use the tools tab customize icon.



14.48 Delete a parameter

Use the Parameters list dialog box and right click on the line of theparameter you want to delete.

Note that if the parameter is in use you'll not get a "Delete Parameter"menu item.

14.49 Deleting, removing a constraint

Right click on the constraint in the browser and choose "delete".

The delete key on your keyboard will not work for this operation, itseems.

14.50 Driven Dimensions and their Removal/Change

Driven dimensions are controlled by the geometry.

Turning a driven dimension into a normal dimension: Right click onthe dimension then if it is a driven dimension a small window willshow you a check box checked. Uncheck it.

Driven dimensions have brackets around them, like: (45,921)

Compare these with driving dimensions.

14.51 Editing a sketch flatly

Use the look at command (rectangle and arrow icon) and click on thesketch to get that sketch flat on the screen.

14.52 Editing Model Parameters and how they are displayed

Double click on a dimension in a sketch to change the value of thatdimension.

To see the name of the dimension change the document settings asfollows:



Select Display As Expression in the radio buttons. Then you'll get"d0=45" rather than just "45". Not only but you can also change thename of the parameter, for example from "d0" to "DiamTube".

14.53 Enable and Disable parts and assemblies

If you right click in the browser a part you can Enable or not Enable it.When not enabled it goes green and cannot be selected.

14.54 Example of dimensions and parameters in a sketch

Two circles, to form a tube, later. Change the names from d1 and d2then add a thickness:



Now, to change InnerDiam into a driven dimension:



And you'll get a tiny dialog where you can type in a formula:



Click on the green tick. You'll see the driven dimension:



14.55 Extruding sketches with multiple concentric circles

If you add several concentric circles into an Inventor sketch, whenyou extrude the sketch, Inventor will need to know which areas youwant to extrude. Click inside the ones you want.



Three circles have been interpreted correctly when the extrusionhappened.

14.56 Extruding with widening angles

When you are extruding something you can use the tab key to switchbetween length minibar and angle minibar.



14.57 File types

Inventor Standard Part File: *.ipt.: Used for storing general single ormulti-body components or part. For example a shaft, bolt, etc. Partfiles are the building blocks of any design. Collections of part filescome together to make an assembly. The Inventor standard part filecan be created easily by using the Standard (mm).ipt, Standard (in).ipt or Standard.ipt template on the New File dialog box.

Inventor sheetmetal part file: *.ipt. Used for creating parts (andiParts?) or components with constant and thin thicknesses. Mostsheet metal parts have thicknesses ranging from 1 mm to 6 mm. Youcan create sheet metal parts by using the Sheetmetal (mm).ipt,sheetmetal (in).ipt or sheetmetal.ipt template on the New File dialogbox.

Standard Assembly File: *.iam. It is used for storing assembly files.Collections of part files come together to make an assembly. Anassembly file is made of parts or components that are linked to eachother parametrically. All assemblies without weldments areaccommodated here. Inventor standard assembly files can be createdby using the Standard(mm).iam, Standard(in).iam or Standard.iamtemplate on the New File dialog box.

Inventor Weldment Assembly File: *.iam. This type of assembly fileis used for creating assemblies that require welding process forjoining one part or component to another. This file type can becreated by using the Weldment.iam template on the New File dialogbox

Inventor Drawing File: *.idw or *.dwg. The Inventor detail drawingfiles are used for creating design documentation. In a drawing file,one creates views (sectioned, detailed, orthographic, auxiliary, etc)accompanied with annotations, dimensions and Bill of Materials (BOM). There are two ways of creating drawing files in Inventor. Oneis with the *.idw file type and the other is with the *.dwg. The DWGformat is an industry standard and such files may be viewed withAutoCAD-based applications.

Inventor Presentation File: *.ipn *.ipt: Used for creating exploded



views of assemblies. These exploded parts could be animation tovisualize how the parts will be assembled Can be created by usingthe Standard(mm).ipn, Standard(in).ipt or Standard.ipn.

Inventor Project File: *.ipj : This is like the root of a large project.

Inventor iFeature file: .ide : A file for an iFeature..

14.58 FlipNormal and WorkPlane constraints

When you use WorkPlanes for constraints remember that they have anormal direction. The normals are the white arrows in the diagrambelow:

You can change the normal direction by choosing FlipNormal from theworkplane's context menu.



If you see a red(dish) workplane you are looking at the front of it.If you see a blue(ish) workplane when you are looking at the back ofit.

14.59 Flush Mate And Axis Constraint Example

To put a tube inside a hole inside another tube you can make a flushcostraint with a workplane tangential to the cylindrical surface:

And the next step is to make the two axes coincident:



So two constraints.

14.60 Free Move and Free Rotate

These commands (right click on a part inside an assembly) allow youto move and rotate the part freely. But it is only temporary, maybe toallow you to see something better.

The move or rotation is not saved when you save the assembly. Afree move is a temporary "get out of the way" move.

14.61 fx: and parameters and formulas

If you add a dimension but set it not to a numeric value but to aparameter, then that dimension will be shown with an fx: in front of it.



To get a sketch dimension to be a user parameter all you need to dois1. Create the user parameter. Use the big f icon under the manage

tab.2. When you create an object in sketch mode, instead of typing in a

number, type in the name of the user parameter.

These are called driving dimensions. Compare them to drivendimensions.

Difference between model parameters and user parameters.Model Parameters are created automatically when you create anobject, and are given automatic names, d0 for the diameter of the firstcircle you draw, for example. You can name model parameters on thefly, for example when you draw a circle, and then do a dimension of itinstead of typing 35, type InnerTube=35 directly. In that way whatwould have been d4 (for example) becomes InnerTube. Actually typethat into the tiny dimension edit box. It will then appear in the f dialog.

User Parameters are created by you to maybe drive dimensions, andmaybe be applied to more than one part of the sketch.

14.62 Get the browser pane back

Go into the view tab and click on the user interface icon near thecenter.

14.63 Getting into and out of sketches

To get into a sketch, in the browser on the left of the screen right clickon the node called, for example, "Sketch1" and choose Edit Sketch.

To get out of a sketch simply click on the green Finish Sketch icon attop right of the main tool bar.

It pops up also if you do a right click anywhere on the sketch.



14.64 Getting to the constrain icon in Inventor

You must be in assembly mode to see the constrain icon!

Doh!

14.65 Grounded Parts

An assembly is a collection of parts and by default the firstcomponent in an assembly file will be grounded. This means it cannotmove, and probably the other components will be offset relative to it.This assembly has two parts. The pushpin says which is groundedand cannot be should not be moved.

Here is another visual example:



14.66 Holes in tubes

If you want a hole in a tube at an arbitrary angle it best to base thehole on a sketch.

The sketch will have a point at 0,0 and you select "Placement fromsketch" from the hole dialog.

The sketch must move around with the angle. To do this you need asketch in the plane parallel to the base of the tube:



That bright hole is what you attach the smaller sketch to:



If you use some other method it may be that not all angles around thetube are respected.

14.67 How to change the background of the Inventor screen

Use Tools | Application Options | Colors tab.

14.68 How to make a hollow tube

1. Start a new part, clicking in the main window.2. Make a new sketch for this part.3. In the 2d commands draw a circle.4. Select Offset and so make another circle inside the first.5. After getting the two circles to the rights size clikc on Finish sketch6. You are now in the 3d Model tab7. Click on Extrude and click between the two circles so that the ring



becomes grey.

14.69 How to move a 3D object

Simply right click in the browser on the object you wwant to move:

You will get 3 axes which you can drag.



14.70 Inches problem

Sometimes you create a new project and unless you are careful thefirst part you put in will be in inches. When you create the componentbe sure to select the Metric/Standard (mm).ipt template. You mayhave to hit the browse button in the dialog to do that.

Alternatively in the Project dialog Folder Options you can point thetemplate directly at:

Templates = C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2013\Templates\Metric\

14.71 Insert constraint

The insert constraint has an axis and a plane to match to another axisand another plane. Or rather two circles which together identifyeverything neccessary to insert a countersunk screw into acountersunk hole.

14.72 Inserting an inclined workplane

Here are the steps.

Make sure an axis is visible, like that Inventor will give you thepossibility to rotate it later:



It may be the fact that you have selected an axis which allows you toincline the plane later. Which happens in the fourth step:



14.73 Inventor Apprentice

Apprentice Server is basically a read-only subset of the Inventor APIunless you are doing some file manipulations - like savecopyas. It'snot a great subset either. I have not been able to use it much in myapps yet.

Inventor Apprentice is a freely available programming component thatcan be used by a program to read information from Inventor files. In afew cases, it is also possible to write information. A key part ofunderstanding how to use Apprentice is to understand what itscapabilities are, both what it can and cannot do. This class will look atthe functionality of Apprentice using several sample programs toillustrate its capabilities.



The simple way to think of Apprentice is that it's a smaller version ofAutodesk Inventor that does not have a user interface. Without a userinterface the only way to access its functionality is by using its API.Apprentice is actually an ActiveX component. It runs within theprocess space of the client that's using it. For example, if you write aVisual Basic program that displays information about the contents ofan assembly, Apprentice will be running within your VB program'sprocess space. Apprentice can be very efficient for certainapplications because it's smaller than the complete Autodesk Inventorapplication and because it runs in the same process as yourapplication.

The API exposed by Apprentice is a subset of the complete AutodeskInventor API. Apprentice provides access to file references, assemblystructure, B-Rep, geometry, attributes, render styles, and documentproperties. Access to the assembly structure, B-Rep, geometry, andrender styles is read-only.

14.74 Mate vs Flush constraints



14.75 Mini tool bar autofade

Switch autofade on and off using the minitoolbar options, usually amenu near the red X button.

14.76 No visible unadaptive sketches

You might get this error message:

No visible unadaptive sketches

...if you make a sketch at assembly level rather than part level.

14.77 Pattern inside a sketch

You can make a pattern inside a sketch. Look at the red rectanglesbelow:

You need to create construction lines to specify the axes you need forthe rectangular pattern.



14.78 Patterns (arrays) of features

To create a rectangular array of features follow these steps whichshow how to create a linear array:



1. Click on the rectangular pattern icon (the dialog pops up)2. Select the feature3. Click on direction icon4. Click on (for example) and axis5. Modify the spacing

And voila':



14.79 Plane on the surface of a tube at an angle

Create a sketch with a circle and a line. Add a point at theintersection of the circle and the line:

You may have to promote that sketch to see it at Part level.

Anyway, then use the WorkPlane at tangent to surface through point:



14.80 Problem when inserting iParts into Assemblies

You may get one of these messages while trying to insert a specificmember of an iPart:

Problems encountered while saving the document.The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.The database in P:\...\Part1.ipt.* could not be saved

When it happened to me I found that only certain members hadproblems. I had to copy those members in the iPart Author with atemporary new member name, then delete the offending rows, thenrename the member to the original code.

For example code (member) 123456 gives you problems:



1. Create a new entry in the table, 123456N for example.2. Set the column values to be the same as 123456.3. Delete 123456, and rename 123456N into 123456. You'll be

warned that changing the member name will change the filename.Continue anyway.

14.81 Problems encountered while executing this command.

You may get this message if you are trying to do something in anAssembly when you should be doing it in a Part.

For example you will not be able to extrude from a sketch in anAssembly, but you will inside a part.

14.82 Problems with sketch extrusion and revsurf

There are many things which can go wrong. Remember to use thebutton for drawing construction geometry and for changing sketchgeometry to construction geometry:

I've found it easier not to use projected features, base your sketch onvariables and dimensions.

14.83 Project files

You should start all new projects with a project file, it'll have theextension .ipj.

Projects are a way of organizing many components, parts,



assemblies etc. There are two main reasons for having a project file.

1. Organise a single standalone project2. Have a library of read only components.

For single users project directories contain all the (new) componentsof the project, i.e. sub drectories are not used. Libraries contain partsand assemblies which will not be modified.

The book: Mastering AutoDesk Inventor 2013 has some interestingtechniques for project files.

Project files are XML files. Note that when you open a .ipt or .iam thedialog box also specified the project:

You can set the top level directory of all your projects using the Application Options dialog.

Include= (in the project options dialog) tells you which other projectscan be accessed from this project.



14.84 Putting 2d dxf files in 3D assemblies, manually

You may want to put a 2D dxf file in a 3D position in an assembly:

To do this you must create a plane in the plane you want to DXF fileto appear, then add a sketch to that plane. Then, from AutoCAD copy(COPYCLIP) the entities of the DXF file and paste them into thesketch.

Precise locating has been beyond me so far, and even if the entitypasted is a block it gets changed into component lines and circles.

14.85 Removing material with the cut extrusion command

Here is the sequence:



14.86 HealthStatusEnum

Here are two health status values which I've currently found:

kCannotComputeHealth 11783 Object cannot be evaluated.

kUpToDateHealth 11778 Object is up to date.

Here's a fragment of how it can be used, in this case with a RectangularPatternFeature...

const HealthStatusEnum eHealth = pRectPatFeature->GetHealthStatus(); gLogger.Printf(ekLogMsg, L"For pattern <%s> eHealth = %d",kcsPatternName, eHealth); if (eHealth == kCannotComputeHealth) { gLogger.Printf (ekErrMsg,L"Pattern health is bad %s\n",kcsPatternName) ; return E_FAIL ; }



There are a lot of values for HealthStatusEnum, and I'm not sure ofthe meaning of all of them.

14.87 Showing dimensions temporarily

In the browser right click the object (for example a feature) and select Show Dimensions. Select the same object to switch them off.

To remove the dimensions just click somewhere else in the browser.I'm not totally clear on all this at the moment.

14.88 Showing expressions in a sketch

In the sketch right click on the graphics screen and select

Dimension Display - > Expression

14.89 Sketch plane

The sketching plane is by default the XY plane and extrusions goalong the Z axis.

But you can change the default sketch plane, use the Tools tab,application options dialog, Part tab.

14.90 Sketches and Features

In general Sketches are 2D and features are 3D objects.

You have a basic solid feature created from a 2D sketch.



14.91 Suppression and mirrored features

If you suppress a part, will its mirror be suppressed too? Butremember that suppression of parts is only for LOD applications,Level of detail.

Yes.

14.92 Templates and Template files

You will find the template files in this directory (or something similar)

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2013\Templates

When you create a new file (a new assembly or part) the templatechoosing dialog...



...will respect what is inside the templates directory...



14.93 The Marking Menu

This is the menu which pops up when you right click in the graphicsarea.

You can use that to get to know where some commands are, so thatyou can use mouse gestures (drag with "other" button pressed) forvery quick access.



14.94 Trim and Fillet

Fillet and Chamfer:

These commands exist in Inventor in the sketch tab. Select two lines(use the shift key for multiple selection) then click on the Fillet (orChamfer only one will be visible at the same time) icon in the toolbar.You can change the radius of the fillet by clicking on the numberwhich specifies the current size.

Chamfers also have a size and again you change change it by doubleclicking on the number.

Trim:



In Inventor trimming is easy Create a sketch with two overlappingrectangles, click on the Trim command (middle of the toolbar) andhover the mouse over the lines which intersect. Click to actually trim.

These are sometimes called placed features and should be done atthe end of a job, not at the beginning.

14.95 ul as a dimension

ul means unitless and you'll see it inside rectangular patternproperties as a count of the number of repititions.

14.96 Units, Inches, Mm

If you find yourself suddenly working in inches for some reason usethe Tools -> Application Settings dialog, -> Files tab -> ConfigureDefault Template.

Set it to ISO and mm.

14.97 Vault

Autodesk Vault locks down Inventor files for their protection.

There is a Vault icon in the Inventor toolbar.

14.98 View face command

The view face command lets you select a face in a 3D object andview it head on, from its normal type like.

14.99 Viewing Multiple Documents in Inventor

If you have more than one document or window open in Inventoryou'll see it in the tabs, as shown below:



14.100Work Axis Thru Circular Hole

Do it like this:

Simples! No?



14.101Work Point in center of a hole (COPY)

The insert constraint requires a flat object, and a tube in a cylinder isnot a flat circle

So this will not give you an insert constraint...

...which is why they've added a point in the center of a loop of edges.

14.102Workplanes and Sketches, Creating a sketch on an arbitraryplane

Workplanes need geometry, for example 3 points. Often workplanesare added to parts.

First you make a workplane, so far what I have done is insert 3 pointsand use the workplane from 3 points command. Then make a sketchform that.

Default workplanes exist in every part, xy yz and xz planes.



FYI in a program workplanes can be accessed like this:



14.103WorkPoint in center of a hole

If you want to place a work point in the center of a hole one option isto use the "Point In Center Of Loop Of Edges" function:

You'll have to select one of the two circles which forms the hole.

Autodesk forum also showed me this:



See also center points and non.

14.104Yellow Dot Green Dot Constraints

When doing a sketch yellow snap nodes are not constraints, whereasgreen snap nodes are constraints.

A circle with a center snapped off the origin (becomes a yellow node),maybe on a axis, can be moved. These are called "soft snaps".

A circle with a center snapped on the origin (becomes a green node),cannot be moved. Snapped to green are called "hard snaps" becausethe object cannot be moved afterwards.

15 Acknowledgements

Thanks to, in alphabetical order (many, but not all, of these peoplework for AutoDesk):

519Acknowledgements


Vladimir AnanyevBrian Bolam

Carlos Manuel Carreiras Jonathan D. Kriek

Dave Hoder Bob Holland

Philippe LeefsmaXiaodong Liang

Adam NagyHerm Jan Otterman

Kean WalmsleyCaroline Ward

Chandra Shekar G Johnson Shiue

If I've left anybody out, my apologies and please let me know!



Index

- " -"Center Point" getting hold of it programatically 112

"ul" unitless parameters 103

- . -.addin 18, 263

.AddIn file directory 263

.AddIn file in Autodesk Inventor C++ Programming 257

.AddIn manager 281

.addins directory 302

.DEF file 281

.dwg 474

.dwg file types 484

.EXE file 18

.Expression vs .Value 358

.iam file types 484

.ide file types 484

.idw 474

.idw file types 484

.ipj 503

.ipj file types 484

.ipj programatically 278

.ipn file types 484

.ipt file types 484

.rgs file for Inventor AddIns, what is it? 272

.tlb 282

.tli 282

.Value vs .Expression 358

- : -::SysFreeString 272

- [ -[item] in C# lists 376

- \ -\n in a table 146

\r in a table 146

- _ -_b_str filename 106

_bstr_to CString 272

_com_error (Autodesk Inventor) 158

_T macro 272

_WIN32_WINNT=0x0501 in Inventor Programming 73

- 0 -0x80004005 AddByPlaneAndOffset not suppored inassemblies 295

0x800401e3 MK_E_UNAVAILABLE AutodeskInventor Programming 74

0x800401f3 CLSIDFromProgID failure 76

- 1 -1083 282

1083 in Inventor Programming 75

11778 Object is up to date health of pattern 506

11783 Object cannot be evaluated health of pattern 506

12291 134

- 2 -2064: term does not evaluate to a function taking 0arguments 77

2130706443 134

- - --2147467259 registration error in InventorProgramming 78

- 2 -2774 compile error in Inventor programming 77

2d and 3d points (abstract geomety) 183

Index 521


2d dxf files in 3D assemblies 505

2d points in a sketch, listing their coordinates 97

2d sketch 477

2d sketch solid feature 507

- 3 -3073 error 302

32 vs 64 in Autodesk Inventor Programming in C 302

3277: Found conflicts between different versions 326

3D snap spacing 458

- 4 -4278 Autodesk Inventor Programming 78

- 5 -50348544 is kModelParameterObject 134

- 6 -64 bit AddIn in Autodesk Inventor Programming inC++ 290

64bit vs 32bit in Autodesk Inventor Programming inC++ 290

67113776 134

- 8 -80004005 AddByPlaneAndOffset not suppored inassemblies 295

80004005 CreateGeometryProxy 162

80004005 error when saving Inventor documents 209

800401f3 CLSIDFromProgID failure 76

80070057 and WorkFeature visibility 188

83886592 134

83887616 134

83893504 134

83893664 134

83923968 134

- A -Access and connecting to Inventor 43

Acknowledgements 518

Activate function in plugin 342

active document 278

Active Document, Inventor programming in C++ 255

Active Inventor Document, how to get it 289

active project files programatically 307

ActiveDocument 156

Adaptive geometry 60

Add a circle to a sketch function 81

Add a column into an iPart table 425

Add a DrawingSketch to a DrawingDocument 89

Add a DrawingSketch to an IDW 90

Add a feature to an existing pattern 449

Add a line by two points 90

Add a mate constraint with two planesprogramatically, Autodesk Inventor Programming 160

Add a part to an assembly function 66

Add a part to an assembly programatically 291

Add a plane by offset from another plane 295

Add a point to the surface of a tube manually 450

add a rectangle to a sketch programatically 284

add a rule as a button in iLogic 40

add a sheet to a drawing 71

Add a sketch based on a workplane 195

Add a sketch offset from a plane 295

Add a sketch on a part's default workplaneprogramatically 265

add a sketch programatically 247

Add a sketch to an assembly or part 61

Add a unitless user parameter into an assembly 103

Add a work point at a sketch point 268

Add a workplane based on an existing workplane 195

add a workplane in an assembly programatically(AddFixed) 445

add a workplane programtically 251

Add a WorkPoint at the intersection of a line and aplane 113

Add a WorkPoint into an assembly manually 112

Add a WorkPoint into an assembly programatically 112



Add an angular dimension 451

Add an assembly into another assembly,programatically 101

add an extrusion to a part programatically 242

Add an iMate (based on a point) into an assembly 97

Add an occurrence of a part to an assembly 66

Add an occurrence to an assembly does not work 201

add assembly in anpther assembly, programatically 101

Add Form and iLogic 40

Add function calling (occurrences) 201

Add grounded WorkAxis in an assemblyprogramatically 114

add in C# member not found 353

Add in the occurrence of a custom iPart into anassembly 214

Add lines to a DrawingSketch 90

add named sketch to named workplaneprogramatically 247

add part to an assembly 66

add parts using iLogic 33

add rectangle to sketch 108

Add text to an Inventor document 450

Add to New Folder 436

Add views to an IDW 149

Add vs MethodAdd 224

AddAsTwoPointRectangle 284

AddBaseView 149

AddBrowserFolder 83

AddByCenterRadius 81

AddByCenterRadius example 242

AddByPlaneAndOffset 251

AddByPlaneAndOffset example 196

AddByPlaneAndOffset not suppored in assemblies 295

AddCircleToSketch 81

AddCustomiPartMember tips and hints and help 213

AddCustomiPartMember, how to use it in C++ 214

AddFixed 112

AddFixed axis in assembly based on a hole in a part 374

AddFlushConstraint 260

AddFlushConstraint in Autodesk Inventor C++Programming 258

AddFlushConstraintOfTwoPlanes with max distance 49

AddForSolid and profiles and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 274

AddForSolid example 242

AddGround and sketch origin 92

Add-In automatic load suppression 453

addin dll 263

AddIn file 257

addin loading 263

AddIn Manager 281

AddIn, Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ 18

addin, C# 328

adding a button C# 338

Adding a Dimension in a sketch 452

Adding a flat parts list in a drawing 402

Adding an AngleConstraint 302

Addins in C# 347

AddiPartMember 206

AddiPartMember and rotation 185

AddLineByTwoPoints in a sketch 90

AddMateConstraint 160

AddMateConstraint2 at assembly level 385

AddMateConstraintOfTwoPlanes 160

AddMateiMateDefinition example 97

AddSketchToStdWorkplane 265

AddSketchToWorkplane Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 247

AddTwoPointDistance explanation 92

adequate constraint in sketch 459

administrator for regsvr32 in Inventor Programming 74

AffectedOccurrences in an extrusion 109

All occurrences are oriented identically. 271

All occurrences fitted within path length. 271

All occurrences fitted within specified distance. 271

Alternative to a virtual component in a BOM 413

Ananyev 518

angle (Inventor Programming) 173

angle, adding an angle constraint 302

AngleConstraint programatically 302

angular constraing programatically 302

angular constraints 400

angular dimension, how to add manually 451

angular units and Autodesk Inventor Programming 173

application invisible 185

Index 523


application options 507

Application Options Settings 452

application visible 185

Apprentice Server 496

array of double values as an array for Inventor 147

array of features 499

arrays (rectangular) in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 233

Arrays in COM 96

Ascii 22

ASCIIand UNICODE 272

Assemblies - Hierarchy 290

assembly .iam file types 484

Assembly Close programatically 155

Assembly creation programatically 275

assembly document creation 291

assembly document opening (Inventor API) 68

assembly file types 484

Assembly in .AddIn file 257

assembly inside assembly, programatically 101

Assembly level workaxes 429

Assembly vs Part for work things 440

assembly workaxis and constraints 385

assembly workplanes, constrain to C# 379

Assembly WorkPoints and Part WorkPoints 440

Assembly WorkThings vs Part WorkThings 440

Assembly.Document get current one 289

AssemblyComponentDefinition 216

AssemblyComponentDefinition - Hierarchy 290

AssemblyComponentDefinition and componentoccurrences 198

AssemblyComponentDefinition C# 345

AssemblyComponentDefinition is a list of parts andconstraints 249

AssemblyDocument creation in C# 389

AssemblyDocument from general Document 291

AssemblyDocument or PartDocument C# 355

AssemblyDocument, get currenr document 289

Asset is null 47

asset lib access programatically 47, 52

asset looping 47, 52

asset purging in part documents 303

Asset Type 52

assets, material API 52

Attribute Sets in Inventor Programming 238

Attributes in Inventor programming in AutodeskInventor Programming in C++ 238

author of iParts 417

Autodesk Inventor COM API 22

AutoDesk Inventor functions 244

Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ basicarchitecture of the source code 18

Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ how to usethis book 17

Autodesk Inventor Programming Pattern Elements 190

Autodesk Inventor programming, COM and SmartPointers 22

Autodesk inventor version programatically in C++ 138

Autodesk.iLogic.Automation reference 347

Autodesk.Inventor.Interop version problems 326

autofade on and off 498

Axes (standard X Y Z( 170

Axis (X Y Z standard) 170

Axis And Flush Mate Constraint Example 486

axis constraint offset parameter 461

axis constraint parameter 461

axis constraint radius parameter 461

axis constraints 461, 486

axis direction 435

axis of a hole C# 374

Axis perpendicular to sketch point, how to 442

Axis Thru Circular Hole 514

- B -background of Inventor screen options 492

Backup files 452

Backup options for Inventor files 452

Base View 474

BaseView 149

BBox of a part in C# 380

BBox of a part occurrence in an assembly 49

BBox of a parts list 103

bias and point offset 426

biaspoint and point offset 426

Bill of materials 402

blue objects in a sketch 463

Bolam 518

BOM 402

BOM and substitution 404

BOM put_Reference 85

BOM quantity programatically 87



BOM row programatically 85

BOM Static part counts and quantities 413

BOM Static quantity in a programatically 87

BOM view parts only 405

BOM view type row programatically 85

BOM vs Parts List 401

BOM with virtual components 406

BOMRow 85

BOMRowsEnumerator 85

BOMViewTypeEnum 85

boolean values in COM 229

boolean VARIANT_BOOL 229

Bounding box of a part C# 380

Bounding box of a part occurrence in an assembly 49

bounding box of a parts list 103

Box2d and get_RangeBox 103

BoxPtr of a part in an assembly 49

Browser visibility 455

browser folder 436

Browser folder name getting 84

Browser is missing! Get it back! 455

browser pain on and off 488

Browser panes in C# 355

Browser, Folder, Pane programatically 83

Browset folders, looping over them 84

BSpline Surface 300

BSTR and ::SysFreeString 272

BSTR from CString 307

BSTR OLECHAR wchar_t 272

BSTR vs CComBSTR 272

button definition C# 338

button in C# 338

button, ribbon, tab C# 332

buttons and iLogic 40

buttons and rules in iLogic 40

Byname, items in lists C# 376

- C -C# 275

C# addin 328

C# and parameters 358

C# AssemblyComponentDefinition 345

C# calling iLogic 347

C# ComponentOccurrences 345

C# GUI adding a button 332

C# iLogic listing of the rules 351

C# Inventor references 322

C# Looping over components inside an assembly in 345

C# message box 342

C# NameValueMap 344

C# Open an Inventor file using 344

C# plugin making 328

C# plugins, adding a button and a command 332

C# running Inventor 322

C# TransientObjects 344

C++ 275

C++ from VBA 244

C1083 in Inventor Programming 75

C1083: Cannot open type library file: 'RxInventor.tlb':No such file or directory 282

C1189 error in Inventor Programming 73

C2064: term does not evaluate to a function taking 0arguments 77

C2774 compile error in Inventor programming 77

C4278 Autodesk Inventor Programming 78

Calling iLogic from C# 347

Camera and zoom 46

cannot add feature to existing pattern 449

Carreiras 518

carriage return inside table cells 146

cast from AssemblyDocument to Document 318

cast from Document to Part or Assembly 355

cast IDispatch** and get_Document 95

cast to get part document 156

cast to IDispatch**, in Autodesk InventorProgramming 195

Casting from a ComponentDefinition to aPartComponentDefinition. 205

casting using CComQIPtr example 51

category of material 47, 52

CComBSTR and wchar_t in the Autodesk InventorAPI 208

CComBSTR cast in Add function call 201

CComBSTR in AutoDesk Inventor Programming 201

CComBSTR vs BSTR in Inventor programming 272

CComPtr and how to release them in Inventorprogramming 225

CComPtr constructor 183

CComPtr is initialised to nullptr automatically 183

Index 525


CComPtr release memory by setting it to nullptr. 225

CComPtr vs CComQIPtr 287

CComPtr<Parameter> 230

CComPtr<Point> Autodesk Inventor Programming 183

CComPtr<Point2d> Autodesk Inventor Programming 183

CComQIPtr and QueryInterface 139

CComQIPtr and Release 140

CComQIPtr example of casting 51

CComQIPtr is better than QueryInterface 140

CComQIPtr vs CComPtr and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 287

CComStr and programming Autodesk's Inventor 272

CComVariant and VARIANT 287

CComVariant gkvarEmpty 97

cells in tables in IDW drawings 143

center point for hole 467

Center Point, getting hold of it programatically 112

CenterPoints and Points 245

centimeters C# 389

Chamfer 512

change a model or user parameter programatically 57

change dimensions in sketches using iLogic 33

change dimensions in sketches using VBA 33

change document filename when saving Inventordocuments 209

change filename of object in the Autodesk InventorAPI 209

Change material / color of a solid 455

change name of a sketch 120

change name of workplane programatically 251

change parameter name 477

change parameters in sketches using iLogic 33

change parameters in sketches using VBA 33

Change size of a hole 51

change the default units 458

Change the offset elevation of a plane 456

Changing from iPart back to normal part 424

Changing home view setting 457

Changing manipulator snap 458

Changing parameters with C# 358

Changing the application visibility in AutodeskInventor Programming 185

changing the name of a drivng dimension 452

circle, add to a sketch 81

Circle2d and ProfilePath and CutFeature C# 363

Circular Hole With Work Axis 514

ClassId in the .AddIn file 257

clear all overrides 454

Client Graphics and AutoDesk Inventor Programmingin C++ 290

ClientId in the .AddIn file 257

CLogger 313

Close (SkipSave) Inventor API 211

close a sketch edit with ExitEdit 90

Close and SaveAs Autodesk Inventor API C++ 211

Close function, Inventor API 211

Close of a part programatically 155

Close of an assembly programatically 155

Close with SkipSave 155

CLSIDFromProgID failure 76

CLSIDFromProgID for Excel 312

CLSIDFromProgID for Inventor 312

CLSIDFromProgID in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 291

cm inches (Inventor Programming) 173

cm or mm in C# units 389

cm parameters 235

CoCreateInstance for Inventor 312

CoInitialize and AutoDesk Inventor Programming inC++ 172

COleSafeArray VARIANT arrays of strings 214

collections, getting items from them 288

color and material of a solid 455

colors of Inventor screen options 492

Column Chooser in a parts list 413

column substitution in BOMs and parts lists 404

ColumnCount is strange 194

COM and AutoDesk Inventor Programming 172

COM API and pointers and memory in AutodeskInventor Programming in C++ 225

COM arrays 96

COM DLL registering 281

Com error 80070057 188

COM errors in Autodesk Inventor 158

COM errors, and Autodesk Inventor Programming 166

COM Function calls in Autodesk Inventor C++programming 224

COM macros in Inventor C++ programming 158

COM ParameterPtr 230



COM points matrices vectors Autodesk InventorProgramming 183

COM return values 166

COM RxInventor 282

ComBSTR from CString 307

compiling with MFC dialog (for Autodesk Inventor) 78

complete constraint in sketch 459

Completely and adequately constrained sketches 459

component definition and occurrences 216

component definition of newly created assembly 291

Component definition, definition of, InventorProgramming in C++ 249

ComponentDefinition from an Occurrence 205

ComponentDefinition from Doc 249

ComponentOccurence - Hierarchy 290

ComponentOccurence and ReferencedFileDescriptor 198

ComponentOccurence crash 223

ComponentOccurence mssing component 223

ComponentOccurencesList - Hierarchy 290

ComponentOccurrenceByName 198

ComponentOccurrences when creating an assembly 275

ComponentOccurrences in C# 345

Compute and Suppress from an iPart tableprogramatically 223

Compute or Suppress in iPart tables 424

ComVariant, CComVariant 287

concentric circle extrusion 482

Cone Surface 300

Connecting to Inventor form your C++ Windowsprogram 312

ConnectToInventor with C# 322

ConnectToInventor, running Inventor programatically, Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ 22

Consistent Materials 52

Constrain 2 pairs of axes 461

Constrain a part to an assembly level work axis 385

Constrain a sketch point to a coordinate 92

constrain command 465

Constrain icon in Inventor 489

Constrain vertically and horizontally in a sketch 463

Constrain work axes C# 377

Constrain work things of a part to the work things ofthe containing assembly C# 379

constraint (flush) in Autodesk Inventor C++Programming 258

constraint (Insert) does not work 515

Constraint deletion 477

constraint error GetWorkPlaneNameGetOccurrenceName 46

constraint example (Inventor programming) 287

Constraint removal 477

Constraint, EntityOne, EntityTwo 201

constraint, parallel but nor coplanar 400

constraint, programming 160

Constraints - Hierarchy in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 290

Constraints and parts from a programmer's point ofview 262

constraints and proxies 201

constraints and proxies (planes) Autodesk InventorProgramming 160

constraints between parts in an assembly 207

constraints in an asselmbly, listing them 169

constraints in sketches 459

constraints, angular 400

constraints, WorkPlane and FlipNormal 485

construction geometry 503

Construction lines in sketches 437

construction plane 251

contact set 465

contacts for Inventor Programming in C++ 15

contacts for Programming Inventor in C++ 15

convert from a CString to a BSTR. 307

convert from Document to AssemblyDocument 291

convert from general to drawing document 148

convert from IDispatchPtr to something else, ifpossible 137

convert generic document to partdocument 265

convert iPart into normal part 424

coordinate system right hand or left hand 27

coordinates of 2d points in a sketch, SketchPoint 97

Coordinates of a WorkAxis 294

CopyFile warning, Autodesk Inventor Programming 78

CoUninitialize and AutoDesk Inventor Programmingin C++ 172

CoUninitialize() and COM pointers 225

Count error C2064 77

Index 527


Counting the number of documents open in Inventor 141

crash when inserting a drawing 466

create a 2d point 108

create a 2d point (transient geometry) 183

Create a 3d point 112

Create a 3d vector 183

create a drawing from a part or assembly 474

create a geometric object 114

create a hole extruding 178

create a Line 114

Create a matrix 174

create a new document 275

create a new part 177

create a Point 114

Create a proxy geometry from an occurrence and aworkplane 195

Create a rectangular pattern of parts programatically 309

Create a sketch by default on creating a new part 467

create a sketch programatically example 22

create a virtual component manually 406

Create an assembly and add a part to it 291

Create an assembly document C# 389

Create an ObjectCollection of parts in an assembly 104

Create assembly 291

Create Extruded Feature: problems encounteredwhile executing this command. 503

Create iPart 416, 417

Create iPart icon is disabled 426

Create iPart icon is grey 426

create new assembly document 291

CreateDoubleVariantArray, Autodesk Inventor C++COM API 147

CreateExtrudeDefinition 242

CreateExtrudeDefinition and AddForSolid 274

CreateExtrudeDefinition example 242

CreateGeometryProcy, how to use it 162

CreateGeometryProxy 80004005 162

CreateGeometryProxy C# 374

CreateGeometryProxy crash 162

CreateMatrix 291

CreateNewPartDoc Autodesk Inventor Programming 177

CreateObject("Inventor.Application") 43

CreateObjectCollection in the Inventor API 176

CreateOneDim VARIANT arrays of strings 214

CreatePoint in Autodesk Inventor Programming 183

CreatePoint2d 284

CreatePoint2D in Autodesk Inventor Programming 183

CreateSafeDoubleArray 96

CreateSafeDoubleArray example use 132

CreateSafeStringArray 96

CreateSketchOffsetFromXYPlaneInAsm 295

Creating a big tube with holes in it 467

Creating a new Part Document Autodesk InventorProgramming 177

Creating a workplane offset from another plane 475

Creating an Assembly programatically 275

Creating folders in the browser programatically 83

Creating projected views from base views using theInventor API 153

CSafeArray 96

CSafeArray and IDW and CustomTable 143

CSLID and AutoDesk Inventor Programming in C++ 291

CString 22

CString and ComBSTR 307

CString from CComBSTR 272

CString to _bstr_t 272

CString to BSTR conversion 307

current active project programatically 307

current display driver stops responding errormessage 466

Curve2dTypeEnum.kLineSegmentCurve2d C# profileof sheet metal 392

Custom column in an iPart table 425

custom iPart 417

custom ipart programatically 214

custom iParts programatically 213

Custom iParts, changing parameters 422

Custom iParts, how to make and use them 419

Custom iProperties using C# 343

custom iProperties VBA 44

custom iproperty create and update with VBA andiLogic 38

custom Level of Detail (LoD) 28

custom propery reading 321

custom table, multiple lines in cells 146

customize the menu 476



CustomTables in Sheets and Drawings 143

cut extrusion 505

CutFeature and ProfilePath C# 363

cuts in a face of folded metal C# 363

cutting objects using an extrusion, programatically 109

Cylinder Surface 300

- D -database blah blah .ipt could not be saved 502

DebugView and iLogic 31

Declaring variables in iLogic 39

DEF file 281

Default Parameter Input Display 477

default project templates 494

default projects folder 452

default sketch 467

default sketch plane 467

default template 513

default units (mm or inch) 458

default variant 287

default workplanes 515

Default workplanes and sketches programatically 265

Default.ivb VBA 35

DeferUpdates 344

Definition from an Occurrence 205

Definition from Doc 249

degrees and radians and Autodesk InventorProgramming 173

degrees and radians SetToRotation 185

Delete a dimension manually 445

Delete a feature in a part 106

delete a parameter 477

delete a plugin 341

delete a workaxis programatically 295

delete pattern elements 441

Delete something from a Parts List 404

delete suppressed compoents with iLogic 31

DeleteFile warning, Autodesk Inventor Programming 78

Deleting a constraint 477

Derived parts C# 397

DerivedPartComponent C# 397

Description in .AddIn file 281

Description in the .AddIn file 257

descriptions of objects 134

DesignProject 307

DesignProjectManager 307

DestroyInventorGlobals, 20

detail drawing file types 484

DeveloperTools.Msi 15

dialog, adding one to iLogic 40

Dialogs in iLofic 40

diameter as a driven dimension 478

diameter of hole changing 51

diameter parameter 459

Difference between CComPtr and CComQIPtr? 287

Difference between model parameters and userparameters 487

DIID_PartDocument 156

dimenions, who to delete them manually 445

dimension editing 477

dimension in a sketch 452

dimension ModelValue 126

dimension name getting 137

dimension selection to show programatically 128

dimension types 137

DimensionConstraint 140

dimensions as user parameters 487

dimensions in a drawing sheet 131

dimensions needed. 459

dimensions, dirven 477

Dimensions, Retrievable 120

Dimensions, Showing temporarily 507

DimensionText 126

direction of a work axis programatically 294

direction of a workaxis 435

Direction of a workaxis programatically 373

directory for tlb files 282

Disable and Enable parts and assemblies 478

disabled iPart 426

disabled Parts Only problem 405

disabling user save 170

DISP_E_MEMBERNOTFOUND C# crash 361

displaying expressions in a sketch 507

DisplayName 281

DisplayName and full file name of the part 106

DisplayName in Autodesk Inventor C++ Programming 255

DisplayName in the .AddIn file 257

Index 529


DisplayName of occurrences 46

DisplayName vs InternalName 81

DisplayName vs Name 52

DisplayName vs PartName 45

dll addin 263

DllCanUnloadNow 281

DllRegisterServer 281

DllUnregisterServer. 281

Document from a Definition 95

Document getting 156, 255

Document iProperties (te 316

document name getting and setting 255

Document opening in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 224

document settings 452

document type in VBA 37

document types 156

document types in Inventor 155

DocumentDescriptor, referenced document 118

Documents in VBA 36

Documents opening 224

documents programatically 224

Documents referenced by a 2d view in an IDW 88

DocumentType 156

DocumentTypeEnum 246

DocumentTypeEnum.kAssemblyDocumentObjectVBA 37

dotted lines in sketches, construction 437

double array, as a VARIANT 147

double parameters (ParameterTypeEnum) 235

double variant 287

drawing dimensions 128

drawing object 156

drawing object, create a new one 148

drawing of assembly 474

drawing of part 474

drawing page sheet size 71

drawing sheet addition 71

drawing view styles 154

DrawingDimension 126

DrawingDimensions 131

DrawingDocument and DrawingSketch 89

DrawingDocument creation 148

drawings, views, sheets, Inventor C++ API 149

DrawingSheetSizeEnum 71

DrawingSketch creation and manipulation 90

DrawingSketch to a DrawingDocument 89

DrawingView and projected views 153

DrawingView names 152

DrawingView, referenced documents 88

DrawingViews and dimensions 120

DrawingViewStyleEnum 154

DrawingViewStyleEnum , Inventor API 149

DrawingViewStyleEnum AddBaseView 149

driven dimension diameter example 478

driven dimension removal 477

driven dimensions, what are they? 477

driving dimensions 487

dwg 474

dwg file types 484

dwg object 156

DWG, create a new one 148

dxf files in 3D assemblies 505

- E -E_ABORT Operation aborted (Autodesk Inventor) 158

E_ACCESSDENIED (Autodesk Inventor) 158

E_FAIL Unspecified error (Autodesk Inventor) 158

E_FAIL COM macro and Autodesk InventorProgramming 158

E_HANDLE invalid handle (Autodesk Inventor) 158

E_INVALIDARG (Autodesk Inventor) 158

E_NOINTERFACE (Autodesk Inventor) 158

E_NOTIMPL (Autodesk Inventor) 158

E_OUTOFMEMORY (Autodesk Inventor) 158

E_POINTER invalid pointer (Autodesk Inventor) 158

E_UNEXPECTED (Autodesk Inventor) 158

Each quantity in a BOM 413

EdgeProxy and occurrence 236

Edit a sketch 90

Edit an iLogic function 27

edit sketch 488

edit the offset of a workplane 456

Editing a sketch flatly 477

editing dimensions 477

Editing Model Parameters and how they aredisplayed 477

email address for Inventor Programming in C++ 15

email address for Programming Inventor in C++ 15

Embed Interop Types C# compiling Inventor 361



empty variant 97, 287

Enable and Disable parts and assemblies 478

enable contact set 465

enabling user save 170

EntityOne and EntityTwo in a constraint 201

enum in GetTemplateFile 246

enum values and rxinventor.tlh 134

enum values of ObjectTypeEnum 134

enumerator for sheet sizes, DrawingSheetSizeEnum 71

enumerators for extrusion 178

Erase a feature in a part 106

erase a parameter 477

erase a workaxis programatically 295

Erase pattern elements 441

Erase something from a Parts List 404

Error 3277: Found conflicts between differentversions 326

error 80004005 when saving Inventor documents 209

Error C1083 in Inventor Programming 75

error C2064: term does not evaluate to a functiontaking 0 arguments, Autodesk Inventor Programming 77

error MSB3075: The command "regsvr32 /s /c inInventor Programming 74

error strings and codes from COM in AutodeskInventor 158

error when compiling in Autodesk InventorProgramming 73, 74, 75, 77, 78

ErrorManager for Autodesk Inventor Programming 166

errors and reporting them and Autodesk InventorProgramming 166

errors in COM (Autodesk Inventor) 158

Example C++ code shows how to create aCustomTable in an IDW Inventor drawing 143

Excel and iLogic 33

Excel installed on your computer? 312

Excel, VBA and Inventor 38

ExcelIsPresent 312

exception in PutFullFileName 80

exception throwing in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 224

EXE file, Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ 18

exe, run one from iLogic 29

Exit the editing of a sketch with ExitEdit 90

explode a pattern 439

explode an array 439

Export a workfeature from a Part 196

export WorkFeatures from iParts into Assemblies 188

Exported in a part definition 196

expression display 507

Expression vs Value 358

expressions in a sketch 507

Extents of a part C# 380

extents of a part occurrence in an assembly 49

extrude programatically 242

extrude surfaces (not solids) 433

ExtrudeDefinition in Autodesk Inventor Programmingin C++ 242

extruding faces 433

extruding programatically 274

extruding programatically (AutoDesk InventorProgramming) 178

Extruding sketches with multiple concentric circles 482

Extruding with widening angles 483

extrusion angle 483

extrusion cutting 505

extrusion for cutting objects, programatically 109

extrusion of circles 482

extrusion problems 503

extrusion programatically (AutoDesk InventorProgramming) 178

extrusion to remove material 505

extrusions and profiles (Inventor Programming) 178

extrusions programatically in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 242

extrusuion problems with sketch 503

- F -Face - Hierarchy 290

Face Edge EdgeProxy 236

face enumeration 300

face getting 300

Face Getting hold of the surfaces and faces of a solidobject 300

face normal viewing 513

face viewing along normal 513

FaceFeature listing in C# 392

faces and cylinders C# 374

faces as objects 433

Index 531


FaceShell Getting hold of the surfaces and faces of asolid object 300

FacesList - Hierarchy 290

factory from member programatically 140

Factory of an iPart in C# 398

factory, listing members 203

FactoryFile 213

FAIL return value for HRESULT codes (E_FAIL) 166

FAILED COM macro and Autodesk InventorProgramming 158

FALSE in VBA 229

FALSE VARIANT_BOOL 229

feature arrays 499

feature deletion 106

Feature deletion in a part 106

feature erasing 106

feature patterns 499

feature removing 106

Feature Suppression of features programatically 221

Feature.IsActive in iLogic 30

FeaturePatternElement getting 191

FeaturePatternElements 190, 221

FeaturePatternElements, suppression of 310

Features and Sketches 507

file exception while saving a file in C# 352

file locations programatically 278

File manager (Inventor programming) 246

file types 484

FileManager and AutoDesk Inventor Programming inC++ 291

filename in the Autodesk Inventor API 209

Filename of referenced doc 118

filename of the part 106

filename, directory name, or volume label syntax isincorrect. 502

Fillet and Trim 512

FindDrawingViewInSheetByName 168

finish sketch 488

fit to view 457

fixed origin in 2d sketches 92

fixed workplane 59

Flat parts list 402

flat sketch editing 477

FlipNormal and WorkPlane constraints 485

FlipNormal failure 59

floating point parameters (ParameterTypeEnum) 235

Flush constraint 258

Flush Mate And Axis Constraint Example 486

Flush vs Mate 497

folded metal cuts listing C# 363

folded metal holes listing C# 363

folded metal holes listing VB 365

folded model hole C# 363

folder in browser 436

Folder, Pane, Browser programatically 83

Folders browser panes 84

Folders in the browser programatically 83

foreach rule, C# 351

form, adding one to iLogic 40

forms and iLogic 40

formulas 487

formulas inside parameters 438

Found conflicts between different versions 326

Free Move 487

Free Rotate 487

full file name of a part 210

FullDocumentName 118

FullDocumentName changing 77

FullDocumentName to get parent of iPart member 140

FullDocumentrName 140

FullFileName exception 80

FullFileName in the Autodesk Inventor API 209

Fully Contrained sketches 459

Function calls in Autodesk Inventor C++programming 224

functions in AutoDesk Inventor 244

fx: 487

- G -general dimensions 128

General Note and text 450

GeneralDimension 126

geometric proxies in Autodesk Inventor C++Programming 260

geometry of a Plane object 132

Get a Document from a Definition 95

get a named object in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 231

get a named workplane 247



get a view from a sheet 168

Get a WorkPlane by name C# 397

Get all the axes in a part 254

Get and Set the name of an Inventor document 255

Get by name C# 397

get document from definition 95

get list of sketches 247

get list of workplanes 247

get name of dimension 137

get name of parameter 137

get number of occurences 216

get occurrences of an assembly 198

Get or get_ differences 286

Get parameters using C# 344

Get PartComponentDefinition from an occurrence 205

get sketch by index 264

get sketch by name 264

Get the name of a part programatically 45

get the name of a sketch programatically 265

Get the part document from the document 156

Get user parameters using C# 344

get_ or Get differences and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 286

get_... function return values, and Autodesk InventorProgramming 166

get_ActiveDocument 156

get_ActiveDocument in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 255

get_ActiveMaterial 52

get_BOM and BOM rows 85

get_ComponentDefinition and parameters 218

get_ComponentDefinition example 216

get_Constraints for a Mate constraint 160

get_Constraints from anAssemblyComponentDefinition 249

get_Count example 198

get_Count for documents 141

get_Count of dimensions 131

get_DisplayName 255

get_Document and IDispatch** cast 95

get_FileManager 291

get_FileManager for creating documents 148

get_FullDocumentName 118

get_Geometry 2d points in a sketch 97

get_item 300

get_Item and IDispatch**, in Autodesk InventorProgramming 195

get_Item by name 231

get_Item examples in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 288

get_Item for views 288

get_Item for views in a sheet 168

get_item from collection and (IDispatch**) casting 294

get_Item in for loops 287

get_Item parameter type in AutoDesk InventorProgramming 220

get_Item to access objects in an Inventor object list 288

get_Item vs GetItem 224

get_Item vs Item in Autodesk Inventor Programming 220

get_Line from an object 187

get_MassProperties 311

get_Name and BSTR and CComBSTR 272

get_Name of occurence 216

get_Name of view 152

get_Occurrences example 216

get_Profiles 275

get_PropertySets 316

get_RangeBox and Box2d 103

get_ReferencedDocumentDescriptor 118

get_Sketches (Planar) 247

get_SketchPoints 284

get_SubOccurrences 208, 216

get_SurfaceBodies 238

get_SurfaceType 300

get_TransientObjects Autodesk InventorProgramming 176

get_Units crashes C# parameters 361

get_Value double example 63

get_Version 138

get_Workplanes 207, 247

get_XCount 230

get_XCount from a RectangularPatternFeature 197

get_YCount from a RectangularPatternFeature 197

get_YCount in Autodesk Inventor Programming inC++ 230

GetActiveObject does not exist in Marshal 347

GetActiveObject failure Autodesk InventorProgramming 74

GetComponentOccurrenceByName 198

Index 533


GetCount for documents 141

GetFullDocumentName of a part 210

GetInvAppPtr 20

GetInventorDocTypeDesc 155

GetItem vs get_Item 224

GetItemByName C# 344

GetLocationFoundIn 210

GetModelDataBOMView 85

GetNumDocummentsOpenInInventor 141

GetObject(, "Inventor.Application") 43

GetObjTypeDesc 134

GetOccurrenceName 46

GetPartName 45

GetPartPositionInIamCm position of an occurrence inan assembly 162

GetRetrievableDimensions and picking one of them 128

GetSketchByName 231

GetStdWorkAxisByIndex 170

GetStdWorkPlaneByIndex 82

GetTemplateFile (Inventor programming) 246

getting data about a RectangularPatternFeature 197

Getting hold of the standard workpoint called "CenterPoint" 112

Getting hold of the surfaces and faces of a solidobject 300

Getting into and out of sketches 488

Getting normal part back from iPart with table 424

getting objects by name 231

Getting or running an Inventor Instance 291

Getting the document in Autodesk Inventor C++Programming 156

getting the document type 156

Getting the names of browser folders 84

Getting the value of a parameter in a part C# 357

Getting the version of AutoDesk Inventorprogramatically 138

Getting the version of Inventor programatically 138

Getting the workplanes of a part occurrence in anassembly 207

Getting to the constrain icon in Inventor 489

GetTransGeomPtr 20

GetTransientObjectsPtr 20

getType and ObjectTypeEnum in Autodesk InventorProgramming 134

GetValue of a 197

GetValue() of a Parameter 230

GetWorkAxisByIndex 170

GetWorkAxisByName 231

GetWorkPlaneByName 231

GetWorkPlaneName 46

GetWorkPointByName 231

GetXCount of a rectangular array 230

GetYCount of a rectangular array 230

gkvarEmpty 97

Global or local VBA 35

global pointers for useful objects 20

Global shared variables in iLogic 39

gLogger 313

graphics crash 466

Green and Yellow Dot Constraints 518

green objects in a sketch 463

greyed out iPart 426

Ground and sketch origin 92

Grounded Parts 489

Grounded WorkAxis in an assembly, programatically 114

GUI 455

GUI language of Inventor C# 358

GUID for Sheetmetal and Weldment 246

- H -Headers of partslist 410

HealthStatusEnum 506

Hidden in the .AddIn file 257

hidden lines in an IDW 434

Hide a sketch in a part 102

Hierarchy of objects and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 290

Hoder 518

hole making from a center point 467

hole size changing 51

HoleCenter programatically 245

HoleDiameter 51

HoleFeature C# 376

HoleFeature HoleFeatureProxy C# 374

Holes in a face of folded metal C# 363

holes in a tube 467

Holes in tubes 490

holes, making them with extrusions 178

Holland 518

hollow tube making manually 492



home view setting customization 457

horizontal constraint in a sketch 463

How to add views to a drawing sheet (Inventor API) 149

How to change colors of the Inventor screen 492

How to change the background of the Inventor screen 492

how to count the number of occurences in anInventor part 258

how to extrude a sketch (Inventor Programming) 178

how to get the name of a component occurrence 198

How to get the parameters of an assembly 218

How to get the RectangularPatterns in aPartComponentDefinition 233

How to get the value of a user or model parameter inAutodesk Inventor C++ Programming 63

how to list constraints in an Inventor assemblyprogramatically 169

how to loop over the constraints in a part document 288

How to make a hollow tube manually 492

how to make an iPart 416

How to move a 3D object 493

How to set the BOM Reference property in a partoccurrence 85

How to start the contrain command 465

how to use get_Item to access objects in an Inventorobject array 288

how to use get_Item with a string name in AutodeskInventor Programming in C++ 288

how to use get_Item with an integer index 288

HRESULT codes in AutoDesk Inventor COMprogramming 158

HRESULT in high level and low level function calls 224

- I -i 489

iam file types 484

icon grounded 489

icon sizes 338

icons 338

icons, marking 511

ide file types 484

IDispatch** cast and get_Document 95

IDispatch, casting to, in Autodesk InventorProgramming 195

IDispatchPtr to DimensionConstraint conversion 137

idw 474

IDW and CustomTable 143

idw file types 484

IDW Views and Sheets programming 168

IDW, create a new one 148

iFeature file .ide file types 484

iLogic and buttons 40

iLogic and LOD 28

iLogic and parameters 39

iLogic and part parameters 30

iLogic and suppression of parts in assemblies 28

iLogic browser 27

iLogic dialog form modification 40

iLogic editing 27

iLogic forms 40

iLogic from C# 347

iLogic global shared variables in iLogic 39

iLogic iProperties 34

iLogic LOD : Setting the Level of Detail with iLogic 28

iLogic MessageBox 80

iLogic quote characters 29

iLogic reference to add to C# project 351

iLogic rules listed from C# 351

iLogic rules, when are they triggered? 41

iLogic running an exe 29

iLogic shared global variables in iLogic 39

iLogic suppression of features in a part 30

iLogic to add parts to an assembly 33

iLogic to change dimensions in sketches 33

iLogic to change parameters 33

iLogic to delete suppressed components 31

iLogic Trace and DebugView 31

iLogic variable declaration 39

iLogic which reads from an Excel file 33

iLogic, adding a new form 40

iMate, add into an assembly based on a workpoint. 97

iMateDefinitions 117

iMates in an assembly and how to list them 117

inch and mm 458

inches , but I want mm 494

inches feet (Inventor Programming) 173

Index 535


Inches, millimeters, units 513

inclined workplane creation 494

include files in Inventor Programming 75

include SafeArrayUtil.h 143

including WorkFeatures for iparts 188

independent object from pattern 439

indices of planes in a part, C# 395

indices of standard planes in a part C# 395

InitInstance MFC 18

Inseperable, BOM 402

Insert constraint 494

Insert constraint (Perno Foro) 430

Insert constraint does not worl 515

insert, Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ 216

Inserting an inclined workplane 494

inside Inventor, running a C# plugin 328

Installing the SDK 15

integer variant 287

intellisense 75

intellisense not working 282

interference 465

internal name of material 47, 52

internal units of Autodesk Inventor Programming 173

InternalName vs DisplayName 81

Interrogating rectangular patterns in AutodeskInventor Programming 197

intersection between line and plane to get aWorkPoint 113

Invalid parameters in COM call, and AutodeskInventor Programming 166

Inventor Apprentice 496

Inventor CLSIDFromProgID 312

Inventor COM error reporting 166

Inventor document types 155

Inventor documents programatically 224

Inventor errors and reporting them 166

Inventor from inside Access VBA 43

Inventor part opening programatically API 79

Inventor Programming in C++ introduction 15

Inventor Project Wizard 78

Inventor Projects 503

Inventor references C# 322

Inventor User Defined Properties 38, 314

Inventor VBA and Excel 38

Inventor warnings 166

Inventor.Application 291

Inventor.Application VBA 43

Inventor.AssemblyDocument orInventor.PartDocument C# 355

Inventor.exe instance 291

Inventor.PartDocument orInventor.AssemblyDocument C# 355

InventorUtils.h and stdafx.h 75

InvErrorHandling.cpp 166

Invisibility of a part's WorkPlane in an assembly 211

Invisibilize components in a collection 295

invisible 478

invisible and visible work features 211

invisible Inventor app 185

invisible opening of parts and assemblies 149

Invisible sketch 102

invisibly open and assembly 68

iPart - standard vs custom 417

iPart author 417

iPart author parameter visibility 174

iPart Author to make custom iParts 419

iPart Author, suppression of features 424

iPart creation 416

iPart factory parent from child member 140

iPart file types 484

iPart insertion problems 502

iPart Member 416

iPart Member and PartNumber 417

iPart table programatically Compute and Suppress 223

iPart table value reading C# 398

iPart table, add a custom column 425

iPart tables suppression of features 424

iPart to normal part conversion 424

iPartFactory listing the members 203

iPartMember programming 206

iParts (custom, how to make and use them) 419

iParts and Assemblies and WorkFeatures 188

iParts and WorkFeatures 188

iParts and WorkPlane, WorkPoint, WorkAxis 188

iParts general info 416

iPartTableCell and iPartTableRow 203

iPartTableRow and iPartTableCell 203

ipj 503

ipj file types 484

ipn file types 484



iProperties and iLogic 34

iProperties of an Inventor DOC using C# 343

iProperties of an Inventor document 316

iProperties overview 314

iProperties using C# 343

iProperties VBA 44

iProperties, add a custom value programatically 318

iProperties, create a new property set 320

iProperties, read the value of a custom property 321

iProperty existence, C++ 65

iProperty sets in iLogic and VBA 38

iProperty value getting C++ 65

ipt file types 484

Is Nothing example 43

IsActive feature in iLogic 30

IsPatternElement and iLogic 31

Italian Compute and Suppress (Calcola e Sopprimi) 223

Item by name example C# 397

Item parameter type 220

Item vs get_Item in Autodesk Inventor Programming 220

ItemByName C# 344

Items in lists by string C# 376

- J -Jelte de Jong 332

- K -kA3DrawingSheetSize drawing page sheet size 71

kA4DrawingSheetSize drawing page sheet size 71

kAdjustToDirection1 271

kAdjustToDirection2 271

kADrawingSheetSize drawing page sheet size 71

kArbitraryViewOrientation = 10763, 304

kAssemblyDocumentObject 134, 156, 246, 275

kAssemblyDocumentObject VBA 37

kBackViewOrientation 149

kBackViewOrientation = 10756, 304

kBDrawingSheetSize drawing page sheet size 71

kBottomViewOrientation 149

kBottomViewOrientation = 10757, 304

kBottomViewOrientation in sheets 149

kBSplineSurface 300

kCannotComputeHealth 11783 Object cannot beevaluated. 506

kCDrawingSheetSize drawing page sheet size 71

kCircleCurve2d in a Profile C# 363

kComponentOccurrenceObject in Autodesk InventorProgramming 134

kConeSurface 300

kCurrentViewOrientation 149

kCustomDrawingSheetSize drawing page sheet size 71

kCylinderSurface 300

kDefaultPageOrientation 70

kDefaultPageOrientation drawing page orientation 71

kDefaultSystemOfMeasure 246

kDerivedParameter : Parameters automaticallycreated from derived component. 235

kDesignElementDocumentObject 156

kDrawingDocumentObject 246

kDrawingDocumentObject creating one 148

kEnglishSystemOfMeasure 246

kFeaturePatternElementObject 134, 190

kFitted pattern spacing 271

kFitToPathLength pattern spacing 271

kForeignModelDocumentObject 156

kFrontViewOrientation 149

kFrontViewOrientation = 10764, 304

kg mass Inventor Programming 173

kHiddenLineDrawingViewStyle 154

kHiddenLineDrawingViewStyle, , Inventor API 149

kHiddenLineRemovedDrawingViewStyle 154

kIdentical 271

kIsoBottomLeftViewOrientation = 10762, 304

kIsoBottomRightViewOrientation = 10761, 304

kIsoTopLeftViewOrientation = 10760, 304

kIsoTopRightViewOrientation = 10759, 304

kLandscapePageOrientation 70

kLandscapePageOrientation drawing page orientation 71

kLeftViewOrientation 149

kLeftViewOrientation = 10758, 304

kLineSegmentCurve2d C# 392

kMetricSystemOfMeasure 246

kModelParameter : Parameter created automaticallyby Inventor when a command requires it. 235

kModelParameterObject 134

Index 537


kObjectCollectionObject 134

kPartComponentDefinitionObject 134

kPartDocumentObject 156, 246

kPlaneSurface 300

kPortraitPageOrientation 70

kPortraitPageOrientation drawing page orientation 71

kPresentationDocumentObject 156

kReferenceFeatureObject is a derived part C# 397

kReferenceParameter : Parameter createdautomatically by Inventor while creating a drivendimension, for example. 235

Kriek 518

kRightViewOrientation 149

kRightViewOrientation = 10755, 304

kRightViewOrientation in sheets 149

kSATFileDocumentObject 156

kShadedDrawingViewStyle, Inventor API 149

kSphereSurface 300

kTableParameter : Parameters created from a table;like a spreadsheet. 235

kTopViewOrientation 149

kTopViewOrientation = 10754, 304

kTorusSurface 300

kUnknownDocumentObject 156

kUpToDateHealth 11778 Object is up to date. 506

kUserParameter : Parameters explicitly created bythe user. 235

kWorkAxisObject 194

kWorkPlaneObject 134, 194

kWorkPointObject 134, 194

kWorkPointProxyObject 134

- L -Landscape and Portrait orientation getting and setting 70

language of Inventor interface C# 358

LanguageCode C# 358

LanguageName C# 358

Leefsma 518

length (Inventor Programming) 173

LengthUnits C# mm or cm 389

Level of detail and suppress 426

Liang 518

library of components 503

Line create a geometric object 114

Line, getting from an object 187

LinePtr 294

LinePtr getting example 309

Lines, Adding lines text and circles to aDrawingSketch 90

linetypes in sketches 437

List (filtered) of parts in an assembly 104

List all planes in a part, C# 395

list all rules in an Inventor document using C# 351

List iMates in an assembly 117

list occurences inside an assembly 216

list of constraints 288

list of constraints in an assembly programatically 169

list of Inventor objects and get_Item 288

list of objects, ObjectCollection 176

List of objects, ObjectsEnumerator 235

list of workplanes 251

Listing 2d points in a sketch 97

Listing constraints in an assembly programatically 201

Listing cuts in a face of folded metal C# 363

Listing documents open in Inventor with VBA 36

Listing holes in a face of folded metal C# 363

Listing holes in a face of folded metal VB 365

Listing iProperties of an Inventor document 316

Listing members in an iPartFactory programatically 203

Listing parameters in an assembly, C# 356

Listing RevolveFeatures of a part programatically 309

Listing the names of axes in a part 254

Listing the profiles of a face in C# 392

Listing types of dimensions in a view 137

load AddIn suppression 453

loading the addin DLL in Autodesk Inventor C++Programming 263

Local or global VBA 35

LOD and iLogic 28

LOD Level Of Detail 426

Logger, gLogger 313

look at command 477

loop of edges 515, 517

loop over assets 47, 52

loop over materials 47, 52

Loop over occurrences in an assembly in C# 345

loop over open documents 141



Loop over part occurrences in an assembly 106

loop over views in a sheet 168

Looping over browser folders 84

Looping over components inside an assembly in C# 345

looping over parts in an assembly 104

LPCWSTR and BStr in Names of features 254

- M -maetrial name 47, 52

Major version 138

make a hole extruding 178

making a tube with holes in it 467

making an iPart 416

manipulator snap 458

manual dimension deletion 445

marking menu 476, 511

Marshal.GetActiveObject does not exist 347

mass kg (Inventor Programming) 173

mass properties programatically 311

Mass Volume Calculation 445

Mate constraint with two planes programatically 160

Mate vs Flush 497

material and color of a solid 455

material asset purging 303

material category 47, 52

material display name 47, 52

material error 454

material internal name 47, 52

material looping 47, 52

material problem, strange 454

materials and assets 52

materials API 52

materials editor 52

Matrix and Vector 174

matrix for rotation 185

matrix in Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ 291

matrix point vector in Autodesk InventorProgramming 183

Matrix Vector and SetTranslation, C# 380

measurement units 246

Member and PartNumber in iParts 417

member name of an iPartFactory programatically 203

Member not found error in C# add-in 353

member of an iPart in C# 398

member to parent getting 140

menu customization 476

menu, marking 511

message box, C# 342

MessageBox vs MsgBox in iLogic and VBA 80

metal concrete wood 47, 52

MethodAdd vs Add 224

MFC compiling for Autodesk Inventor Programming 78

MFC InitInstance 18

millimieters C# 389

minibar autofade option 498

Minor version 138

mirrored parts suppressed 509

MK_E_UNAVAILABLE 0x800401e3 AutodeskInventor Programming 74

mm and inch 458

mm cm (Inventor Programming) 173

mm instead of inches 494

mm or cm in C# units 389

mm parameters in Autodesk Inventor Programmingin C++ 235

Mm, Units, Inches 513

Model and User parameters programatically inAutodesk Inventor Programming in C++ 57

model data BOM view 85

Model Parameter Change 477

Model Parameter Display 477

model parameter setting with C# 358

Model Parameter Type 134

model parameters 416

model parameters vs user parameters. 487

model parameters, getting the value programatically 63

ModelParameters in C# 356

ModelValue of a dimension 126

mouse gestures 511

Move a 3D object 493

MoveFile warning, Autodesk Inventor Programming 78

moving a workplane 475

MSB3073 error 302

MSB3075 in Inventor Programming 74

MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions 326

Index 539


MsgBox vs MessageBox in VBA and iLogic 80

multi user 513

Multiple Document Viewing in Inventor 513

multiple lines within table cells 146

- N -Nagy 518

Name an assembly 208

Name of a part programatically 45

Name of a plane in a part definition 196

name of a sketch changing 120

Name of a WorkPoint, how to set it 112

name of an Inventor sketch programatically 271

name of an occurrence 198

name of an occurunce 46

Name of document, getting and setting 255

name of DrawingView 152

name of occurrence 118, 216

name of PartComponentDefinition 45

name of view 152

Name vs DisplayName 52

Name, DisplayName vs InternalName 81

Name, InternalName vs DisplayName 81

Name, set the name of a WorkFeature example 196

named objects, getting them 231

names and sketch objects 225

names of features, Name 254

Names of objects inside sketches in AutodeskInventor Programming in C++ 225

names of parameters which control dimensions 137

NameValueMap C# 344

naming model parameters 487

Negative Dimensions 127

new assembly and new document (creation of) 275

new browser folder 436

new document and new assembly (creation of) 275

new drawing document 148

new DWG document 148

new features and old patterns 449

new IDW document 148

New line within table cells 146

new Part programatically 177

new views in a sheet 149

no inference 97

No visible unadaptive sketches 498

non coplanar parallel constraint 400

normal face viewing 513

normal of a plane 160

Normal of a Plane object programatically 132

Normal, BOM 402

Nothing VBA example 43

null pAsset 47

NULL return values , and Autodesk InventorProgramming 166

NULL VARIANT 97

number of documents open in Inventor (C++) 141

- O -object descripion getting function 134

Object Hierarchy 290

object types 134

ObjectCollection Autodesk Inventor Programming 176

ObjectCollection creation (parts in an assembly) 104

ObjectCollections in the Inventor API 176

ObjectsEnumerator and Patterns 234

ObjectsEnumerator use example 113

ObjectsEnumerator, a list of objects in AutodeskInventor Programming in C++ 235

ObjectTypeEnum and getType 134

Occurences, Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ 216

occurences, how to get the programmatically 198

occurrence adding 201

Occurrence and EdgeProxy 236

occurrence name 118

occurrence name getting 46

OccurrencePatterns inside Assemblies 309

occurrences and component definitions 216

occurrences and iPart members 206

occurrences and PartComponentDefinition of them 205

Occurrences as Xrefs 272

occurrences assemblies custom ipartsprogramatically 214

occurrences, sub, in Autodesk Inventor C++programming 208

occurrences, workplanes, parts, assemblies 207

offset from plane command 475



offset of a plane 456

offset plane and sketch 295

Offsetting a workplane 475

Old Versions To Keep 452

OldVersions directory of backups 452

OLECHAR BSTR wchar_t 272

OnExecute of a button 338

open a document programatically 224

open a part from a view 133

Open an assembly programatically 68

Open an Inventor assembly programatically 68

Open an Inventor file using C# 344

Open an Inventor part programatically 79

open invisible 149

OpenAssembly function 68

OpenPart API for Inventor 79

OpenWithOptions 344

Optional parameters and empty COM values inAutodesk Inventor Programming in C++ 244

options programatically 278

Options Settings 452

options, sketch plane, part tab 507

Orientation of a sheet on a page 71

orientation of a WorkPlane in C# 381

Orientation of occurrences adjusted to direction 1. 271

Orientation of occurrences adjusted to direction 2. 271

Orientation of patterns 271

orientation of the sheet 70

orientations of a view in a drawing 304

origin of a work axis programatically 294

Origin point 112

Other column in iPart tables 425

Otterman 518

out of memory errors in call to AddBaseView 149

Override a total quanitity in a BOM. 87

overrides, materials, clear them 454

overwite exising file exception C# 352

overwriting existing Inventor files with SaveAs in theAutodesk Inventor API 208

- P -Pack And Go, getting individual components from it. 427

PageOrientationTypeEnum 70

Pane, Browser, Folder programatically 83

panes in C# 355

Parallel constraint, not coplanar 400

Parallel planes constraints programatically 49

Parallel planes programatically 49

parallel workplanes 251, 475

Param.Value casting in C# 357

parameter adding 478

parameter adding programatically 103

parameter deletion 477

parameter diameter 459

parameter erasure 477

parameter export from a part 174

Parameter getting in C# 344

parameter getting programatically 218

parameter getting using C# 356

parameter in a part C# 357

parameter name changing 477

parameter of axis constraint 461

parameter setting with C# 358

Parameter Type 134

parameter types (ParameterTypeEnum) in AutodeskInventor Programming in C++ 235

Parameter units 235

parameter visibility at a higher level 174

ParameterPtr in COM for Inventor 230

parameters 487

parameters and C# 358

parameters and iLogic 30

parameters API 218

parameters for driven dimensions 478

parameters in a custom iPart programatically 214

Parameters in Inventor programatically 57

parameters invalid in COM call, and AutodeskInventor Programming 166

parameters with formulas 438

parameters, model and user, how to get themporgramatically 63

Parent objects of patterns 191

parent of an iPart member 140

part .ipt file types 484

Part Close programatically 155

Part containing sketches in Autodesk Inventor C++Programming 264

Part Document creation 177

part document from the document 156

Part document opening API 79

Index 541


part document pointer from a document pointer. 255

part files file types 484

Part Lists programatically 99

Part Name programatically 45

Part occurrences in an assembly, how to loop overthem 106

part parameters and iLogic 30

part position 174

Part vs Assembly for work things 440

part workfeatures in an assembly 211

PartComponentDefinition and occurrences 205

PartComponentDefinition and PartDocument openthe file 79

PartComponentDefinition and RectangularPatterns 233

PartComponentDefinition and Sketches 264

PartComponentDefinition from an occurrence 205

PartComponentDefinition getting 22

PartComponentDefinition name 45

PartComponentDefinition, get its document 95

PartDefinition from Doc 249

PartDocument and PartComponentDefinition 249,264

PartDocument and PartComponentDefinition openthe file 79

PartDocument creation programatically 177

PartDocument from PartComponentDefinition 95

PartDocument or AssemblyDocument C# 355

PartFeatureExtentDirectionEnum 178

PartFeatureOperationEnum 178

Participating occurrences 109

PartList programatically 99

PartList Style (Default) 410

PartNumber and Member in iParts 417

Parts and Constraints from a programmer's point ofview in Autodesk Inventor C++ Programming 262

parts and views, open a part from a view 133

Parts in an assembly object collection 104

Parts list 402, 404

parts list bounding box 103

Parts List Column Order 410

Parts List Style (Default) 410

Parts List vs BOM 401

Parts List, remove an item 404

Parts Only (disabled) problem 405

parts only BOM view 405

Parts Only Parts List 402

Partslist vs BOM 401

PartsListCell programatically 99

PartsListRow programatically 99

PartsLists programatically 99

pAsset is null 47

path for tlb files 282

path length pattern spacing 271

path to RxInventor.tlb 282

pattern (how ro add a feature to an existing pattern) 449

Pattern count = 1 ? 194

Pattern Counts are strange 194

pattern element deletion 441

Pattern element suppression, first element in apattern cannot be suppressed 310

Pattern Feature Suppression of featuresprogramatically 310

Pattern inside a sketch 498

pattern making 499

Pattern name 194

pattern of features 499

pattern of parts programatically 309

pattern spacing Occurrences separated by specifieddistance. 271

pattern spacing kDefault 271

pattern, explosion 439

pattern, remove object from one. 439

PatternElements 221

PatternElements and iLogic 31

PatternElements in the Inventor API 190

PatternElements, suppression of 310

PatternOrientationEnum, Constants identifying thepattern orientation method. 271

Patterns, contents of programatically 191

pDocuments->Add 149

Perno Foro (Insert) constraint 430

Phantom, BOM. 402

placed features 512

Placing a work axis 514

placing parts in space 174

PlanarSketch 178

PlanarSketch (adding to workplane) 247

Plane adding by offset from an existing plane 295

plane by offset from another plane 295

Plane object programatically getting its geometry 132



Plane on the surface of a tube at an angle 501

plane position editing 456

Plane Surface 300

planes in a part, C# 395

plugin Activate function 342

Plug-in automatic load suppression 453

plugin in C# 328

plugin manager, removal of a plug in 341

plugin removal 341

point 2d 3d in Autodesk Inventor Programming 183

point adding to tube manually. 450

Point create a geometric object 114

point display 245

Point in center of a hole 517

point offset 426

point vector matrix in Autodesk InventorProgramming 183

Point2d Transient Geometry 183

Point3d Transient Geometry 183

Points and CenterPoints in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 245

points in a sketch programatically 284

points in a sketch, listing their coordinates 97

Portrait and Landscape orientation getting and setting 70

Position a 3D object 493

position of a part in space 174

position of a table in a sheet. 146

position of an occurrence in an assembly,GetPartPositionInIamCm 162

position of part in assembly, C++ 162

position of text in a sheet 146

Positioning objects in a Sheet. 146

post build event step 302

printf BSTR 272

problems encountered while executing thiscommand. 503

Problems encountered while saving the document. 502

Problems with sketch extrusion and revsurf 503

Profile and kCircleCurve2d C# 363

Profile example (extrusion) 242

profile of two circles 467

profile, what is it? 275

ProfilePath and CutFeature C# 363

profiles and AddForSolid 274

profiles and extrusions (Inventor Programming) 178

profiles and sketches 275

programatically add a rectangle to a sketch 284

programatically occurrences assemblies customiparts 214

Programming Autodesk Inventor in C++ to add acircle to a sketch 22

Programming Inventor in C++ introduction 15

Project file 503

project file file types 484

project file programatically 278

project file workspace 210

project files programatically 307

project template default setting 494

projected views and base views 153

Properties, adding 320

Property sets in iLogic and VBA 38

Property sets of an Inventor document 316

PropertySet, new 320

proxies (geomeatrical) 260

proxies and constraints (planes) Autodesk InventorProgramming 160

proxies in constraints 201

Proxies, why and what? in Autodesk InventorProgramming 163

Proxy in Autodesk Inventor Programming 163

Proxy in C# 374

proxy of an assembly workplane in an assembly 379

Purchased, BOM 402

purge assets 303

purge material assets 303

push pin grounded 489

put assembly inside another assembly,programatically 101

put_AffectedOccurrences 109

put_FullFileName example in the Autodesk InventorAPI, Save function 209

put_Name 112

put_Name and CString 120

put_Name and wchar_t problems 120

put_Name of view 152

put_Name, how to use it 120

put_Reference 85

put_Suppressed 221

put_Suppressed in patterns 310

Index 543


put_Visible 213

put_Visible for sketches 102

PutFullFileName exception 80

Putting 2d dxf files in 3D assemblies 505

- Q -QI QueryInterface 139

QTY in BOMs and partslists 413

quantity in a BOM programatically 87

QueryInterface and Release Etc 139

QueryInterface example 137

QueryInterface(DIID_PartDocument 156

quotes in VB strings 29

- R -radians and degrees and Autodesk InventorProgramming 173

radians and degrees SetToRotation 185

radius in a workaxis constraint 111

radius of hole, how to change 51

RangeBox of a parts list 103

Reading values from an iPart table in C# 398

ReadOnly opening 344

rectangle in sketch and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 284

rectangle, add it to a sketch 108

rectangles in sketches programatically 108

rectangular pattern 499

rectangular pattern in sketch 498

Rectangular pattern name and counts 194

Rectangular pattern of parts programatically 309

rectangular patterns 233

RectangularArray GetXCount 230

RectangularPattern contents programatically 191

RectangularPattern HealthStatusEnum 506

RectangularPatternFeature, getting data about one 197

RectangularPatterns and PartComponentDefinition 233

red and blue workplane sides 485

redefine the components of an existing pattern 449

Reference property of a part occurrence 85

ReferenceComponent 117

ReferenceComponents C# 397

referenced doc filename 118

Referenced Document of a View 118

referenced documents in a DrawingView 88

Referenced, BOM 402

ReferencedDocumentDescriptor 118

ReferencedDocumentDescriptor to get parent 140

ReferencedFileDescriptor 46

ReferencedFileDescriptor and ComponentOccurence 198

ReferencedFileDescriptor and name of a part 45

ReferenceMissing in a component occurrence 223

regen = Update 221

registering COM DLL 281

registration of Visual Studio Inventor Wizard failure 78

Registry Free AddIns 272, 281

Registry Free AddIns in Inventor Programming 74

regsvr32 281

regsvr32 in Inventor Programming 74

remove a C# plugin from the plugin manager 341

Remove a feature in a part 106

remove a workaxis programatically 295

remove an element from a pattern 439

Remove something from a Parts List 404

Remove table from an iPart 424

Removing a constraint 477

removing a driven dimension 477

Removing material with the cut extrusion command 505

rename warning, Autodesk Inventor Programming 78

ResultFeatures and Patterns in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 234

ResultFeatures and workplanes, workpoints,worksurfaces 234

retrievable dimension showing 128

Retrievable Dimensions 120

return codes from COM (Autodesk Inventor) 158

ReturnAndShowCOMError 166

revolution problems with sketch 503

RevolveFeature listing C++ 309

rgs file for Inventor AddIns, what is it? 272

Right hand coordinate system in Inventor 27

ROT Running Object Table Autodesk InventorProgramming 74

rotate an object inserted as an occurrence in anassembly 185

rotate and translate an iPart 174



rotate around the Z Axis 185

rotation around the X axis in Inventor programming 185

rotation around the Z axis in Inventor programming 185

rotation of objects programatically in AutoDeskInventor 185

rotation with FlipNormal (constraints) 160

RowCount is strange 194

rules and buttons in iLogic 40

rules of iLogic from C# 347

rules, iLogic, and C# 351

Run Inventor from C# 322

Run Inventor from VBA 43

running Inventor 291

RunRule from C# 347

RxInventor.tlb and AutoDesk Inventor Programmingin C++ 282

RxInventor.tlb path in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 282

RxInventor.tlh 282

rxinventor.tlh and enum values 134

RxInventor.tli 282

- S -S_FALSE com success macro and AutodeskInventor Programming 158

S_OK and S_FALSE, and Autodesk InventorProgramming 166

S_OK com success macro and Autodesk InventorProgramming 158

SAFEARRAY and doubles 96

SAFEARRAY and strings 96

SAFEARRAY with CustomTables 143

SafeArrayDestroy 96

SafeArrayUtil.h include 143

Samples (UserTools.msi) 15

save not working 170

Save programatically in C# 352

Save programatically in the Autodesk Inventor API 209

SaveAs and Close Autodesk Inventor API C++ 211

SaveAs gotcha 208

SaveAs programatically in the Autodesk Inventor API 208

SaveCopyAs 208

saving apparently disabled 170

Saving without dialogs 155

scale of view drawing 474

SDK Installing 15

set document filename when saving Inventordocuments 209

set name of an assembly 208

set name of an IPT or assembly FullFileName 80

Set the visibility of all workplanes in a part 253

set_Name (you mean put_Name) 112

SetDistanceExtent for extrusions 178

SetEnvironmentVariable warning, Autodesk InventorProgramming 78

setting the visibility if Inventor 185

settings of the document 452

Settings Options 452

SetToRotation 185

SetTranslation 174

SetTranslation (pVector,VARIANT_TRUE) 174

SetTranslation, C#, in cm 380

SetWorkPlaneVisibility 211

Shared global variables in iLogic 39

Sheet and dimensions 120

Sheet coordinate system 146

Sheet Metal C# 363

Sheet Metal GUID 246

sheet metal profile C# 392

Sheet Metal VB 365

Sheet orientation 70

Sheet View Orientations 304

Sheet View Referenced Document 118

sheets, views, drawings, Inventor C++ API 149

Sheets.Add 71

Shekar 518

shell getting 300

Shiue 518

Show a dimension programatically 128

Show hidden lines in a drawing manually 434

ShowCOMError and Autodesk Inventor Programming 166

Showing dimensions temporarily 507

showing expressions in a sketch 507

sign inside parameter formulas 438

sign of dimenions 127

SilentOperation 170

SilentOperation and save dialogs 155

single user 513

Index 545


sketch a rectangle programatically 108

sketch and part 264

Sketch by name 231

Sketch constraints 518

sketch edit 488

sketch expressions 507

sketch extrusion (Inventor Programming) 178

sketch finish 488

sketch geom to construction geom 503

sketch name getting 271

sketch name programatically 265

sketch name setting 271

sketch offset from a plane 295

Sketch offset from plane (in assemblies) 295

sketch origin constrain and AddGround 92

sketch patterns 498

sketch plane 507

sketch plane default 467

sketch plane from 3 points 515

sketch, add a circle to it 81

Sketch, Add a DrawingSketch to a DrawingDocument 89

sketch, add to assembly or part 61

sketch, exiting 488

sketch, getting into 488

Sketch, hiding it 102

SketchCircle, adding a circle to a sketch 81

SketchCircles in Autodesk Inventor C++Programming 81

Sketches and Features in Inventor 507

sketches and names 225

sketches and parts 264

sketches and profiles 275

sketches and workplanes programatically 265

Sketches in an Inventor Part 264

sketches on standard planes 265

sketches programatically 242

SketchPoint coordinate getting 97

SketchPoint in Autodesk Inventor Programming inC++ 284

Skipping missing components programatically 223

SkipSave when Close in Inventor API 211

SkipSave when closing a document 155

smart pointers, COM and Autodesk Inventorprogramming 22

snap changing for 3D dragging 458

snap spacing 3D 458

snaps hard and soft 518

solid feature 2d sketch 507

solid material and color 455

Sphere Surface 300

SQRT inside parameter forumlas 438

square bracket item in C# lists 376

standard iPart 417

standard planes and sketches 265

standard planes in a part C# 395

standard units in Inventor 173

standard work axis 170

Standard WorkAxes in C# 385

Standard WorkPlane getting 82

Startup Add-In automatic load suppression 453

Static BOM quantity 413

Static quantity in a BOM programatically 87

std workpoint "Center Point" getting hold of itprogramatically 112

stdafx.h and InventorUtils.h Autodesk InventorProgramming 75

stop addin load 453

Strange material problem 454

strings in Inventor and OLE and COM 272

strTemplateFile 246

Styles 410

SubOccurrences 216

SubOccurrences in the Autodesk Inventor C++ API 208

substitution in parts lists 404

suppress a feature in an iPart table 424

Suppress and Compute and from an iPart tableprogramatically 223

suppress feature 221

suppress feature in a pattern in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 310

Suppress or Compute in iPart tables 424

Suppress parts 426

Suppressed boolean API 221

suppressed components deletion with iLogic 31

suppressed parts and mirrors thereof 509

suppression of features in a part using iLogic 30

Suppression of features in patterns programatically inAutodesk Inventor C++ Programming 310

Suppression of features parametrically using the iPartAuthor 424

Suppression of features programatically in AutodeskInventor Programming 221



Suppression of parts in assemblies iLogic 28

surface bodies 300

surface enumeration and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 300

surface extrusions 433

SurfaceBodies and EdgeProxies 236

SurfaceBodiesList - Hierarchy 290

SurfaceBody - Hierarchy 290

SurfaceTypeEnum in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 300

switch on the browser pane 488

SysFreeString 272

- T -table cells with multiple lines 146

table editing of custom iparts 422

table iparts 424

table of an iPart readnig them 398

table suppression of iPart featues 424

table, add a custom column in an iPart table 425

Tables in Sheets and Drawings 143

tangent to surface through point 501

temperature (Inventor Programming) 173

template file in Autodesk Inventor Programming inC++ 246

template files 509

TemplateFile 291

text in an Inventor document 450

text tables in IDW files 143

The database blah blah .ipt could not be saved 502

The filename, directory name, or volume label syntaxis incorrect. 502

The hierarchy is like this: 290

throw exceptions 224

time (Inventor Programming) 173

tips and tricks for Autodesk Inventor programming inC++ 25

tlb 282

TLB RxInventor 282

tlh 282

TLH RxInventor 282

TLI RxInventor 282

Torus Surface 300

total quantity in BOM row 87

TotalQuantityOverridden 87

Trace in iLogic 31

Trace.WriteLine 31

transient geometry 291

transient geometry and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 174

Transient geometry and geometrical proxies 260

transient geometry points and SketchPoint 284

TransientGeometry 174

TransientGeometry Autodesk Inventor Programming 183

TransientObjects in the Inventor API 176

translation 174

tricks and tips for Autodesk Inventor programming inC++ 25

triggering iLogic rules 41

Trim and Fillet 512

TRUE in VBA 229

TRUE VARIANT_BOOL 229

tube hollow manually 492

Tubes with holes 490

type library 282

type of objects 134

types of dimension 137

types of parameters (ParameterTypeEnum) 235

- U -ul as a dimension 513

unadaptive sketches 498

UNICODE and ASCII 272

UNICODE, Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ 22

UNICODE, wchar_t and programming Inventor 272

unitless 513

unitless parameters programatically, "ul" 103

units 458

units (internal) 173

Units does not exist in C# parameters 361

units in a sheet coordinate system 146

units in a template file 246

units of parameters 235

units when programming Autodesk Inventor 173

units, inches or mm programatically 246

Units, Inches, Mm 513

UnitsOfMeasure C# 389

UnitVector, getting an axis 187

Unsupress parts 426

upcast from AssemblyDocument to Document 318

Index 547


Update a Part after a parameter change 57

Update custom iproperty with VBA and iLogic 38

Updating a part or assembly C# 358

User and Model parameters programatically 57

user defined type not defined error and Excel 38

User Interface 455

user parameter setting with C# 358

user parameters and virtual components 406

user parameters as dimensions 487

User parameters in C# 344

user parameters, getting the value programatically 63, 223

UserInterfaceVersion in .AddIn files for Inventor 286

UserParameters and ModelParameters 57

UserParameters in C# 356

- V -Value casting in C#, parameters 357

value of a custom iProperty C++ 65

value of a parameter in a part C# 357

Value vs Expression 358

variables in iLogic 39

variant (default) 287

variant (empty) 287

VARIANT and CComVariant and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 287

VARIANT arrays of strings 214

VARIANT empty 97

VARIANT which is an array of doubles 143

VARIANT, an array of double values for Inventor 147

VARIANT_BOOL Autodesk Inventor Programming inC++ 229

VARIANT_FALSE 229

VARIANT_TRUE 229

Vault 513

VB.NET 275

VBA 275

VBA and iLogic Update custom iproperty 38

VBA custom iProperties 44

VBA Default.ivb 35

VBA document type 37

VBADocumentTypeEnum.kAssemblyDocumentObject 37

VBA Excel and Inventor 38

VBA Inventor from inside Access 43

VBA Inventor.Application 43

VBA iProperties 44

VBA kAssemblyDocumentObject 37

VBA listing documents 36

VBA local or global project 35

VBA MsgBox 80

VBA Run Inventor 43

VBA running an exe 29

VBA to C++ 244

VBA to change dimensions in sketches 33

VBA to change parametes 33

Vector and Matrix 174

Vector and SetTranslation, C# 380

Version of Inventor, getting it programatically 138

vertical constraint in a sketch 463

View and zoom 46

view assembly as a drawing 474

View Cube 304

view face 513

view face normal 513

view from a sheet 168

view names 152

View orientation, Inventor API 149

View orientations 304

View Referenced Document 118

view scale 474

View scale, Inventor API 149

view style 154

View, what documents is it looking at... 88

Viewing 2d dxf files in 3D assemblies 505

Viewing Multiple Documents in Inventor 513

ViewOrientationTypeEnum 304

ViewOrientationTypeEnum of views in sheets 149

views and parts, open a part from a view 133

Views Sheets Drawings programatically 168

views, base 149

views, sheets, drawings, Inventor C++ API 149

Virtual component alternative in a BOM 413

virtual components and user parameters 406

virtual components in a BOM 406

Virtual components, how to 406

visibility 478

Visibility of a part's WorkPlane in an assembly 211

Visibility of all workplanes in a part 253



Visibility programatically 213

Visibilize components in a collection 295

visible and invisible work features 211

visible Inventor app 185

Visible programatically 295

Visible sketch hiding 102

Volume Mass Calculation 445

VT_I4 COM data type and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 272

- W -Walmsley 518

Ward 518

wchar_t 22

wchar_t and CComBSTR in the Autodesk InventorAPI 208

wchar_t, UNICODE and programming Inventor 272

Weight properties programatically 311

weld file file types 484

weldment file .iam file types 484

Weldment GUID 246

what are PatternElements in the Inventor API? 190

What sort of WorkFeature is this in AutodeskInventor Programming? 194

When do iLogic rules run? 41

where .AddIn files are placed 263

where sketches are stored in an Inventor Part 264

why my objects blue 463

why my objects still green 463

wide char 272

WinError.h and Autodesk Inventor 158

Wizard 15, 302

Wizard failed to register 78

wood concrete metal 47, 52

Work Axis Thru Circular Hole 514

WorkAxes (Standard) in C# 385

WorkAxes at assembly level 429

WorkAxes listing names of 254

WorkAxes programatically 170

WorkAxis collection 170

workaxis constraint margin 111

workaxis constraints 111

Workaxis constraints C# 377

workaxis deletion 295

workaxis direction 294, 435

workaxis direction programatically 373

workaxis from a hole C# 374

workAxis in an assembly 385

WorkAxis in an assembly programatically 114

WorkAxis index C# 385

WorkAxis perpendicular to sketch point, how to 442

WorkAxis programatically Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 170

workaxis removal 295

workaxis visibility 253

WorkAxis, grounded programatically, in an assembly 114

WorkAxisProxy collection 294

WorkAxisProxy coordinates 294

WorkAxisProxy geometry 294

WorkAxisProxy Line 294

WorkFeatures and iParts in Autodesk InventorProgramming 188

WorkFeatures, what type is this one? ( in AutodeskInventor Programming) 194

WorkPlane and FlipNormal and constraints 485

workplane and sketch 515

WorkPlane by name C# 397

workplane from 3 points 515

workplane in an assembly programatically (AddFixed) 445

workplane inclination 494

workplane indices (standard) Inventor programming 265

workplane offset 475

workplane offset editing 456

workplane on surface of tube at an angle 501

WorkPlane orientation in C# 381

workplane positioning 475

workplane visibility 253

workplane, adding programatically, Inventor. 251

WorkPlane, getting the 3 standard ones, a functionfor 82

workplane, name of ,getting 46

WorkPlane, WorkPoint, WorkAxis and iParts 188

WorkPlaneProxy in Autodesk Inventor Programming 163

workplanes (default) 515

Workplanes and sketches programatically 265

workplanes in parallel 475

workplanes, parts, assemblies, occurrences,programatically 207

Index 549


workpoint "Center Point" getting hold of itprogramatically 112

WorkPoint at intersection between plane and line 113

WorkPoint by name 231

workpoint creation in Autodesk Inventor C++Programming 268

workpoint from sketch point 268

WorkPoint in center of a hole 517

WorkPoint into an assembly manually 112

WorkPoint into an assembly programatically 112

workpoint making 268

WorkPoint name settings 112

workpoint visibility 213, 253

WorkPoint WorkPlane WorkAxis, which is it? 194

Workspace project file 210

WorkThing by name C# 397

WorkThings in assemblies (cf parts) 440

WorlkPlane by name 231

wprintf BSTR 272

WriteLine and Trace and iLogic 31

- X -X Axis programatically 231

X Axis programatically by index 170

x64 302

XAxis of a workplane C# 381

XCount and YCount of patterns 197

XCount of a rectangular array 230

XData in Inventor programming in Autodesk InventorProgramming in C++ 238

Xrefs as Occurences and AutoDesk InventorProgramming in C++ 272

xy plane 467

XYPlane gikXIndex 265

XYPlane gikZIndex 265

XZPlane gikYIndex, 265

- Y -Y Axis programatically 231

Y Axis programatically by index 170

YAxis of a workplane C# 381

YCount of a rectangular array 230

Yellow Dot Green Dot Constraints 518

yellow rectange in an axis constraint 461

yz plane 467

YZ Plane in Autodesk Inventor C++ Programming 251

- Z -Z Axis programatically 231

Z Axis programatically by index 170

Z Axis rotation 185

Zero point 112

Zoom 46

Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ by Owen Ransen

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Transcript of Autodesk Inventor Programming in C++ by Owen Ransen