Excluding a component from Windchill WTPart Structure

[N-Pyn]

Version: Windchill 12.0

Use Case: In some cases, we need to add a model in an assembly just for reference or space claim reasons and we do not want the WTPart associated to that reference model to show up in the Windchill WTPart structure and therefore end up to ERP BOM.

Description:

What is the recommended/best practice for excluding items from WTPart structure?

I thought that the preference "Part Structure Override Attribute Name" would be the way to do this, as the description for that preference says that it "Identifies a boolean soft attribute name that determines if the CAD document participates in build. This soft attribute can be on: iteration, master, member link, model item, or model item link. This soft attribute also determines whether to autoassociate the model to a part."

So I created a reusable boolean attribute, added it as a global attribute to the "CAD Document Uses Link" type and inserted the internal name of that attribute to the preference.

Then I created an assembly in Creo, added few components to it, added a designated component parameter to one of the components with boolean value YES on it and checked the assembly in.

I can see on the CAD assembly in Windchill that the designated component parameter ended up on the usage of the component in the assembly successfully, but that item is included in the WTPart structure. I also tried to add the attribute to the Part Usage type to see if it propagates from the CAD usage to the corresponding Part Usage during build, but for some reason it is not doing that. I also tried to set the preference EPM Service Preferences > Build Service Preferences > Attributes to be published on Occurrence to * just in case but that did not help.

So have I misunderstood something about the Override Attribute preference or have I once again been bamboozled by PTC describing functionalities that do not actually exist?

How are people using Creo + Windchill and WTParts handling this use case? Just by removing the unwanted WTPart manually from the WTPart structure after check in?

[TDT]

Hi @N-Pyn,

When you say model, do you mean a CAD model?
Are you looking to keep it only as a reference CAD model and not display it in the part structure?

[N-Pyn]

Yes, CAD model.

I want to use a CAD model in a CAD assembly without it being included in the WTPart structure associated to the CAD assembly.

[N-Pyn]

Here is what I have in Creo:

Then after check in, I can see the component parameter successfully sent to Windchill in the CAD usage link:

But still the WTPart structure includes the associated item:

[TDT]

Hi @N-Pyn,

If the requirement is that the CAD model should not be linked to any WTPart, then the Auto-Associate option must not be used during check-in.

Currently, Auto-Associate appears to be enabled, which is causing the system to create a link between the WTPart and the CAD document.

To avoid this association, please check in the CAD model with Auto-Associate disabled.

[N-Pyn]

The CAD model is and should be linked to a WTPart. I need the WTPart to be omitted from the assembly item structure just for this occurence, because it is in that assembly model used only as a reference.

And if I would not want it to be linked to a WTPart, I would use the parameter defined in the "Part Structure Override Attribute Name" preference to disable the auto-association just for that part. I would not disable auto-associate because my users will have some other parts that should be linked to WTParts.

[ScottMorris]

Have you looked at the information on how to use Gathering and Phantom parts in Windchill? 

• https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS21083 
• https://support.ptc.com/help/windchill/r12.1.2.0/en/index.html#page/Windchill_Help_Center/WorkingWithCADandPartStructures/PartsWithSpecialAttributes.html 

[N-Pyn]

Gathering or Phantom parts do not solve this issue as I need the part to be omitted from the structure only in specific BOMs, so the attribute needs to be on the Usage Link. Gathering and Phantom attributes are on the Part Master.

Also Gathering Part is next to useless function also in it's intended use case because it is not handled properly by the ERP Connector. But that is a whole other matter:
https://community.ptc.com/t5/Windchill-Ideas/Gathering-parts-support-in-ESI/idi-p/464177

[joe_morton]

We use a method that sounds really similar to what you're doing. I'm sure you used this guide: https://www.ptc.com/cn/support/article/CS268136?art_lang=en

I don't know if it matters, but we have internal name "NO_PART" for both of the uses indicated there. We used a different display name to help our users, and used this mapping for the part occurrences: 

Our most recent update was adding a mapkey so users can select the part instance they want to exclude, and it goes through the steps of setting the boolean and marking it as Designated.

[N-Pyn]

Okay, so that function should work as I thought it would. What version of Windchill do you have?

I'll have to check my settings again and make sure that everything is properly configured.