Material assignment command

 

This command is used to assign a Woodwork for Inventor material to an Autodesk Inventor part or set of parts.

 

To run the command, follow these instructions:

Woodwork Design –> Material –> Assign

 

 

 

1.  The current palette item. It shows material color and main material properties. By clicking the “Apply” button, this material will be assigned to the selected Autodesk Inventor components.

2.  Material type selector. You can use it to select a different type of material.

3.  Palette item.

4.  Palette selector. You can use it to select a different palette compiled by the user, if such palette was created.

5.  Creation of a set based on the material filter for creating a set of parts made from the same material as that specified in the current palette item.

6.  Cover highlight for highlighting the faces of the part that are covered with a material.

7.  Reading material from the model which allows you to know what material has been assigned to the part and to make this material current.

8.  Reading material from the model which allows you to know what material has been assigned to the part and to make this material current.

Note: if a cover type material is selected, then several additional buttons will appear in the material assignment dialog (see figure on the right).

9.  Cover thickness selection. Available cover thickness options are provided depending on the content of the material database.

10. Cover position selector with respect to the model. Used to indicate how Wodwork for Inventor should interpret the cover position with respect to the model: whether it should be interpreted as “sunk” within the model or “externally” placed on the model.

11. Cover position overwrite button. This button allows you to request that the position of the cover being assigned with respect to the part be changed based on the position set in the dialog or left the same as that of the previously assigned cover.

 

 

Creation of component sets in the material assignment command

 

When performing material assignment, it is important to remember a few important things based on which Woodwork for Inventor material assignment command operates. It can have one of the following statuses:

1.  Fill material assignment.
2.  Cover material assignment.

For the fill material, you should always select an Autodesk Inventor part that is of Normal document type. Meanwhile other types (Phantom, Reference, etc.) are ignored. The material can be assigned to one part or a set of parts. Sets can be created in several ways:

1.  By making a selection with the cursor on the screen.

2.  By making a selection on the search bar.

3.  By creating a set based on the specified filter.

4.  By requesting to assign material to an empty set. In this case Woodwork for Inventor automatically gathers all Autodesk Inventor parts that meet the following criteria:

a.  The part has not been assigned with Woodwork for Inventor material yet.

b.  The component taken from the library space has not been inserted in the assembly.

c.  The component has a Normal BOM structure type.

5.  The component can be removed from the set by selecting it with a cursor, while you press and hold Ctrl.

 

When assigning a cover, you should always indicate the surfaces of the part to which the material will be assigned. Sets can be created in the following ways:

1.  By making a selection with the cursor on the screen. You should bear in mind that the assignment of the edge band cover can be performed only for the edges of board-type parts.

2.  By creating a set based on the specified filter.

3.  Surface removal from the set is performed by selecting it with a cursor, while you press and hold the Cntrl key.

 

Note. Woodwork for Inventor cover material cannot be assigned to the parts that do not have a fill material assigned to them.

 

 

Current palette item

 

The current palette item shows the material that can be assigned to selected model elements in the current command mode. The information shown on the current palette item changes depending on the type of the material:

Mat. Code - material code.
Mat. Name - material name.

Two additional fields are provided for color-matched materials:

Color Code - color code.
Color Name - color name

The following are the materials that are color-linked:

Laminated Board
Desktop
Veneer
Edge Band
Paint

 

Material type selector

 

You can select a material type in the dialog box. Woodwork for Inventor materials are classified into two groups containing relevant material types:

Fill material group:

 

- Solid

- Board

- Laminated Board

- Multilayer Board

- Rod

- Desktop

 

 

Cover material group:

 

- Veneer

- Edge Band

- Paint

 

 

Palette item

 

Palette items are created in the palette editor. Each palette item reflects a material and its color (if material is color linked). Palette items can be displayed as icons or as a list of items.

 

 

 

Each set of palette items contain a special palette item – a blank material – in the first position. This item is designated as an eraser symbol . If the current material is a blank material, the material assignment task will mean the removal of material from the selected element.

The representation of palette items can be changed using a palette item display button. If the palette items are represented as a list, they can be sorted by a selected criterion. To do this, you can simply mark up a selected column heading using a cursor. If you press and hold the Shift key, then you can sort items by several criteria at once, by selecting several columns in a row.

 

 

Palette selector

 

The palette selector allows the user to switch between palettes that the user can create himself. When you start the Woodwork for Inventor add-on for the first time after installing it, you will be provided with a default palette. For more information about palettes and their content management, click here.

 

 

Filter

 

The filtering command allows gathering all elements that meet the current palette item. Depending on the material type, these could be parts or faces.

 

 

Material Picker

 

The material picker command enables the reading of the material of the specified element in the model. Depending on the group in which you are in (fill material or cover material), the command will read fill or cover material.  The fill material command is in the component selection mode, whereas the cover material command is in the face selection mode. By moving the cursor across the model, you can highlight selectable elements, i. e. the elements that have the Woodwork for Inventor material assigned to them. Once the reading is complete, the read material type is opened which becomes the current item.

 

 

Material highlight

 

The material highlight only applies to cover type materials. This function provides a clear representation of the thickness, its type and in which position with respect to the part model, the cover material is. Woodwork for Inventor settings include a link between a cover thickness and a highlight color:

 

1.Cover thickness up to equal to 0.3mm                  

2.Cover thickness up to or equal to 0.45mm        

3.Cover thickness up to or equal to 0.6mm        

4.Cover thickness up to or equal to 1 mm          

5.Cover thickness up to or equal to 2 mm        

6.Cover thickness over 2 mm                        

 

Material color highlight is controlled via system settings.