CAD Software Questions & Answers

Why a User Parameter Might Not Delete

Referenced in Geometry or Features

Even if it looks unused, Inventor won’t let you delete a parameter if:

• It’s used in a sketch dimension
• It drives a feature (extrude, pattern, etc.)\
• It’s referenced in an equation or another parameter

2.Linked to iProperties or BOM

if the parameter is mapped to an iProperty or exported to BOM, it may be retained.

3.Used in Expressions

Even indirect references (like Width = Length * 2) count as usage.

The SelectSet in an assembly can contain different types of objects: geometry, faces, edges, or ComponentOccurrences. To access a property value from a part inside an assembly, you need to:

• Identify the selected item in the assembly.
• Confirm it's a ComponentOccurrence.
• Access the referenced document (typically a .ipt).
• Read the desired property from its PropertySets.

You can write a VBA or VB.NET routine to replace the title block and border in an existing .idw file by copying them from a template drawing. This is especially useful for batch updates or enforcing company-wide standards.

If you're using the DWG Translator AddIn, you can configure it to export specific sheets. This is more advanced but gives you control over export settings.

• All add-ins and ActiveX controls are DLLs, but not all DLLs are add-ins or ActiveX.
• Add-ins are typically built as DLLs that implement specific interfaces (e.g., ApplicationAddInServer in Inventor).
• ActiveX controls are a specialized type of COM DLL with a visual interface, often used in legacy VB6 or VBA forms.
• DLLs are the most general — they can be used for anything from math libraries to API wrappers.

• A drawing view references a model document (ReferencedDocumentDescriptor).
• If the model is a sheet metal part, it may have a flat pattern.
• You can use the SheetMetalComponentDefinition to check if the flat pattern is active or if the view is referencing it

Avoid MsgBox Immediately After Export Instead of:

vba

Call oDWGTranslator.SaveCopyAs(...)

MsgBox 'Export complete!'

Use a delayed notification or write to the status bar:

vba

Call oDWGTranslator.SaveCopyAs(...)

ThisApplication.StatusBarText = 'DWG export complete.'

Or use Debug.Print for logging:

vba

Debug.Print 'Export complete.

Yes, it’s absolutely possible to set DWG export options via VBA using Inventor’s TranslatorAddIn interface.

You can assign an existing layer to a SketchLine in a drawing (.idw) using VBA. The key is that layers in drawings are managed via the Layers collection on the DrawingDocument, and sketch geometry like SketchLine has a Layer property you can set directly.

Yes, you can access and control export parameters for DWG/DXF through VBA using the NameValueMap object, which acts as the configuration carrier for the export process.