Balloon and Parts List

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To add and arrange Balloon callouts, AutoCAD Mechanical offers specific tools rather than using generic functionality.

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You can also insert a parts list into the drawing which is connected to the balloons,

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so that if you edit the parts list or the balloon item number, the changes reflected in both.

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For decades, people have used blocks with attributes connected to leaders to make balloons for assembly callouts.

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In AutoCAD Mechanical, there's specific balloon features that will extract the item information from the component just by selecting it.

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This makes your callouts quicker to place and more accurate.

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If you place a series of callouts that you want to represent together, it's easy to group balloons together on a single leader.

01:00

With the balloons added, you can create a parts list of the drawing as well.

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The same information that's included in your component definitions as you create your design in AutoCAD Mechanical is extracted for the parts list.

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So rather than using a generic table, you're able to have a much more intelligent document.

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It's also very easy to edit the formatting to make sure that the document fits your needs,

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including the ability to choose what columns are presented in the parts list.

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Any change made in the parts list is reflected throughout the design,

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including the ability to update an item number and have their balloon that's associated with it update as well.

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You can also export the parts list for use with an ERP system or any other systems that you use to get your production up and running.