About the Item Editor

Item Editor

The item editor provides tools for defining and editing Manufacturing Assemblies.

The editor comprises of the following elements:

A grid on which you can build an item flow represented by tiles in a graph
A tree
A group of commands enabling you to insert items, manage the grid layout, and so on.

The item representations in the graph are known as predecessors (that is, child items) and successors (that is, parent items). Items are connected by data requirement links and precedence constraints, and this represents the item flow.

A data requirement link goes from the output of a predecessor to the input of its successor. A precedence constraint connects two sibling items on the same level.

By default, data requirement links appear in blue and precedence constraints appear in orange. You can customize Connection colors in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Process Engineering > Fastened Item Definition > Item Grid Editor > Connection.

Tile Description

The item editor visualizes items by tiles laid out in a graph. If products are assigned to an item, a 3D representation of the products appears on the corresponding tile.

The general layout of a tile in the item editor is as follows:

The name of the item is displayed at the bottom of the tile.
The icon in the upper left represents the item type. In this example, this is a Manufacturing Assembly . This is a larger version of the icon that represents the item type in the creation command icon or in the tree node.
Other icons on the tile are as follows:
- : appears in the lower-left corner if an Item-Product scope link is defined for the item. If products are assigned to an item, a 3D representation of the products appears onto the corresponding tile.
- : appears if the Item-Product scope is broken.
- : appears in the lower right corner if a System-Item scope is defined for the item. In this case, the System must be loaded in the session.
- : appears at the bottom center if an output product is linked to the item. For more information, see Managing a Resulting Product.
- : appears in the upper right if a resource is associated with the item.
The up and down arrow commands are displayed at the input and output of a tile. These commands enable you to expand or collapse the graph to show predecessors or successors.

Notes:

The items' order in the tiles matches their order in the tree. For more information, see Item Tiles Placement Logic.
You can include a customized picture (2D representation) on a tile. For more information, see Associating a Picture to a Tile.

Several items with the same reference such as Fasten step, Removal Material, Provided Part, or Continuous Provided Material can be stacked onto a single tile. The number of stacked items is indicated in the upper-right corner of the tile. Stacking is done using the Stack items with the same reference contextual command. Similarly, unstacking is done using the Unstack items contextual command.

Tabs on Tiles and Context Toolbar

Tabs on tiles and a context toolbar are provided in the item editor for analyzing the Manufacturing Assembly structure, identifying which predecessors are used, and rerouting items.

Tabs for Indicating Predecessors

The tabs on the right of a tile indicate whether the item has Provided Part, Fasten step, and Manufactured Part predecessors.

In the example below, the Manufacturing Assembly has a Provided Part tab, a Fasten step tab, and a Manufactured Part tab.

When the graph is expanded, the Provided Part, Fasten, and Manufactured Part tiles can be seen as predecessors of the Manufacturing Assembly.

Contextual Commands for Expand/Collapse and Hide/Show

Contextual commands to expand and collapse the graph, and to hide or show Provided Parts, Manufactured Parts, and Fasten steps are available. For more information, see Managing the Tiles in the Graph.

Contextual Commands for Rerouting

Contextual commands to reroute items that have inputs (such as Manufacturing Installation, and Transform) are available. For more information, see Rerouting Items.

Item-Product Scope Management

You can manage Item-Product scopes in the item editor.

The Item-Product scope delimits a subset of the product structure that can be implemented by an item. For example, this enables product structure subsets to be isolated and assigned to different system planners. The scope is defined by an implement link from a reference item to a reference product. For more information, see Item-Product Scope.

In the item editor, you can:

Define the scope between an item and a product using the Create Item-Product Scope contextual command. In this case, the Item-Product scope icon appears on the tile
Delete the scope between an item and a product using the Remove Item-Product Scope contextual command.

Note: A scope between an item and a system can be defined in Process Planning app. In this case, the System-Item scope

icon appears on the tile.

Tip: Tooltips on the tile give information about Item-Product and System-Item scopes.

Item Management

A number of capabilities are available for managing items in the item editor.

Capabilities include:

Insert Predecessor context menu on tile.
Insert Predecessor context menu in the tree.
Drag and drop to modify data requirement links.

Selecting Products

Products can be selected using the 3D view in the item editor, Smart Zoom, and tree.

Smart Zoom Capability

The Smart Zoom capability is useful for investigating the 3D representation and for selecting and assigning products. It can be activated at any time by pressing F6. The 3D representation becomes detached from the tile and then it can be rotated and zoomed.

Note: Press F6 again to exit the Smart Zoom.

Tip: To activate the Smart Zoom by default, select the Automatic activation option in Me

> Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Process Engineering > Fastened Item Definition > Grid Editors > Smart Zoom.

Digger Functionality in Smart Zoom

The digger functionality is available when Smart Zoom is active. It is used to temporarily disable geometry that hides other parts of 3D. Move the mouse cursor onto the outer geometry and press F7. The hiding geometry becomes transparent and the hidden geometry can be selected or also made transparent. Press F8 to make the geometry visible again. For more information, see Using Digger.

Thumbnail Navigation in Smart Zoom

In Smart Zoom mode, you can click a left-hand or right-hand thumbnail to change to a predecessor or successor in the graph.

Show Unassigned Parts Using Smart Zoom and the B.I. Essentials Panel

In Smart Zoom mode, when Product Assignment Status is clicked in the B.I. Essentials panel, two contextual commands enable you to display either the unassigned parts or all the parts.

Right-click an empty area, then click Show Only Unassigned Parts to display the 3D representation with only the unassigned parts.

Right-click an empty area, then click Show All Parts to display all the parts again.

You can navigate to a predecessor or a successor using the thumbnails. To do this, quit and relaunch the Smart Zoom.

Note: The Show All Parts, or Show Only Unassigned Parts display mode is kept.

Product to Item Assignments

A product can be assigned to an item using a variety of methods such as Drag and Drop, Smart Zoom, and assignment assistant. Fasteners can be assigned to items using the same methods.

When a product is assigned to a Manufacturing Assembly, a Provided Part is created with an implement link to the assigned product. Similarly, when a fastener is assigned to a Manufacturing Assembly, a Fasten step is created with an implement link to the assigned fastener.

For more information, see:

Assign Products Using Drag and Drop

It is possible to drag a product, a part, and a fastener from the tree to a tile or another node in the tree. The rules are as follows:

When you drag a tile or element from the tree to the border of the viewer, the grid automatically pans in the direction of the mouse cursor.
The implemented parts and fasteners can be displayed in a list by pressing F5. For more information, see Use the F5 List to Show and Reassign Objects.
When items implement products, parts, and fasteners that have 3D information, they are shown on top of the item tiles.
Parts that are displayed on top of item tiles can also be dragged directly from these tiles to other item tiles.
When you drag an object, the grid automatically centers on the selected object.

The following table summarizes the behavior for dragging and dropping a product onto a Manufacturing Assembly:

Notes:

If the product is already assigned to at least one item in the session, a dialog box appears asking whether or not you want to assign the product again.
If the product is not declared as Manufacturable/Procurable, the system asks for a confirmation to assign it.


Product implemented by a single object	Product implemented by multiple objects	Drag and drop pressing Ctrl
The implemented Manufactured Part is rerouted under the target Manufacturing Assembly.	A dialog box appears to indicate that there is already an implement link and requires confirmation before creating a new one. If you click OK, a new Manufactured Part is created under the target Manufacturing Assembly. The Part is assigned to the created Manufactured Part.	A new Manufactured Part is created under the target Manufacturing Assembly. The Part is assigned to the created Manufactured Part.

The following table summarizes the behavior for dragging and dropping a part onto a Manufactured Part:

Note: If the part is not declared as Manufacturable/Procurable, the system asks for a confirmation to assign it.


Part implemented by a single object	Part implemented by multiple objects	Drag and drop pressing Ctrl
The Part is assigned to the target Manufactured Part.	The Part is assigned to the target Manufactured Part.	The Part is assigned to the target Manufactured Part.

The following table summarizes the behavior for dragging and dropping a product onto a Provided Part:

Notes:

If the product is already assigned to at least one item in the session, a dialog box appears asking whether or not you want to assign the product again.
If the product is not declared as Manufacturable/Procurable, the system asks for a confirmation to assign it.


Product implemented by a single object	Product implemented by multiple objects	Drag and drop used with Ctrl
The previous implemented link is deleted and a new link is created.	A dialog box appears to indicate that there is already an implement link and requires confirmation before creating a new one. If you click OK, the product is assigned to the target Provided Part.	The product is assigned to the target Provided Part.

Note: When Spot Fastener Assembly or Single is dragged and dropped onto a Manufacturing Assembly, a Fasten step is created to implement it. Sometimes a product is dragged and dropped onto a Manufacturing Assembly and it is already assigned to a Manufacturing Assembly in the session. In this case, the implemented Manufacturing Assembly is rerouted under the target Manufacturing Assembly.

Assign/Unassign Parts Using Smart Zoom

When parts and fasteners that are displayed as unassigned, you can assign them to the current item by double-clicking them in Smart Zoom mode or by using the Assign Part to Current Item contextual command.

For example, in the Smart Zoom mode, if you select an unassigned part, then assign it to the current item using the contextual command. The part is no longer displayed.

When you exit the Smart Zoom mode by pressing F6, the assigned part is visible on the tile.

Note: If the object is not declared as Manufacturable/Procurable, it is not proposed as an assignable product and is displayed in transparency.

Assign Product to Item Command

The Assign Product to Item command in the Authoring section of the action bar enables assigning a product to a selected item. The product is then displayed on the tile.

Important: A scope must be defined before any assignments.

If a product is already assigned to at least one item in the session, a dialog box appears asking whether or not you want to assign the product again.

Note: The 3D localization part of a bead fastener cannot be selected, so this part cannot be assigned to an item.

If the product is not declared as Manufacturable/Procurable, the system asks for a confirmation to assign it.

Unassign Product from Item Command

The Unassign Product from Item command in the Authoring section of the action bar enables unassigning a product from an item directly in the item editor or in Smart Zoom mode. This command is available for all item types except Manufacturing Assembly and Manufactured Part.

Show Assigned Items Only Command

The Show Assigned Items Only command in the Authoring section of the action bar shows in the 3D view only those items that are related to the item, and hides others. This command is available for a Manufacturing Assembly only.

Implementation Management for Multi-Instantiated Products and Fasteners

For item types that implement products, it is possible to reuse an existing item reference when multi-instantiated products are implemented. This is available for all product-to-item assignments: Drag and Drop, Assign Product to Item command, Smart Zoom, Assignment Assistant, Create/Update commands, and F5 list.

For implemented products, the Use same item reference to implement multi-instantiated parts option must be selected in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Process Engineering > Fastened Item Definition > Items Management > Implementation Management.

The same capability is available for Fasten steps and fasteners, but with additional criteria (same diameter, type, and definition of joined parts).

For fasteners, the Use same Fasten Step reference to implement Fasteners option must be selected in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Process Engineering > Fastened Item Definition > Fastened Items > Fasteners Management.

Cross Highlighting Between Item Editor and Tree

The cross highlighting capability enables objects to be highlighted simultaneously in both the item editor and the tree.

For example, if an item tile is selected, the tile and the corresponding node in the tree are highlighted.

Management of PPR Editor Views

The item editor, system editor, and 3D view can be displayed as independent widgets of the same tab.

App Transition

Transition to an app that uses a system editor opens a system editor widget. This is the only widget for this type of DELMIA app.

Transition to an app that uses an item editor opens an item editor widget. This is the only widget for this type of DELMIA app.

Opening a PPR Structure in Different Widgets

When you open a PPR structure, the structure is opened in the widget corresponding to the last compatible app.

For example, if Manufactured Item Definition was the last compatible app opened, the PPR structure opens in an item editor widget.

Then, if you start Process Planning, the structure opens in a system editor widget in the same tab.

Finally, if you start Planning Structure, the structure opens in a 3D view widget in the same tab.

App Transition for Apps with Same Type of Grid

If you switch from one DELMIA app to another that has the same widget type, you change app.

For example, you can switch from Manufactured Item Definition to Fastened Item Definition. In this case, the item editor widget stays open but the current app is now Fastened Item Definition. As shown by the app name in the window header and the commands in the action bar.

Special Transition

Special transition is a quick way to open a structure in a specific app.

For example, search and then select a structure you want to open. Then, you can select the app where you want to open the structure from the list of apps. The structure opens in the selected app.

New Content

If you select a new system or workplan from the New Content panel, by default the system opens in a system editor widget. However, if the last opened widget was a 3D view widget, the system opens in a 3D view widget.

If you select a new item from the New Content panel, by default the item opens in an item editor widget. However, if the last opened widget was a 3D view widget, the item opens in a 3D view widget.