Use model states for parts

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Use model states for parts.

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After completing this video, you'll be able to

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activate a model state, edit or modify an existing model state,

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and export the variables from model states.

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Inside of Inventor, we want to begin by opening the supplied dataset Blower.iam,

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which can be located in the Assembly subfolder under the Blower subfolder.

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In this video, we're going to be talking about model states.

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Model states are a way for us to create variations or configurations of our designs.

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This can be a model state for an individual part or even an assembly like this blower assembly.

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Currently, this assembly has a primary model state and Model State 1, which has the removal of the vent on top.

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We're going to talk about how to create our own model states, what member scope and factory scope mean,

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and how we can export some of these variables if needed.

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To create a new model state, we can select the Model States folder and create a new.

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When we create a new model state, notice that the Model State 2 is now active, shown by the checkmark.

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The pencil icon next to it tells us that we're currently editing this model state.

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This means that we're using a member scope editing scheme.

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The member scope editing scheme means that this is the only object,

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or in this case, the configuration, of our assembly that's being modified.

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To change this, we can go to Manage and note that in the Author section, we've got Edit Factory Scope.

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When we edit factory scope, this means any changes to this model state will apply to all model states.

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This can also be modified here by toggling the factory scope or edit scope by clicking on the pencil icon.

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For now, let's make sure that we're working on just the member scope.

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For Model State2, we want to look at suppressing this CTube-001-Aluminum-6061.

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By right-clicking, we simply need to go down and select Suppress.

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We're going to select OK, and when we toggle back to our primary model state,

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notice that the CTube is visible and Model State 2, it's hidden.

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This is one way in which we can use model states, but we can also use model states to create substitutes for our parts.

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In some cases, you might use a model state to create a simplified version of a design where the complexity just isn’t needed.

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When we take a look at the Model State folder and right-click, we have this Edit via Spreadsheet option.

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When we make changes to a spreadsheet, those changes will apply to the model states.

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If we open this up, we can see that there is only a handful of things in here to modify.

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Currently, in the Primary Model State, we have it set to Adaptive.

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In Model State 1 and Model State 2, things are set to Non-Adaptive.

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This is for a specific component SM-002.

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We can see that listed here.

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Also note that CTube is listed as Adaptive and Non-Adaptive and also Compute and Suppress.

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Computing and suppressing features is not the only thing that we can do inside of model states.

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And here we're going to select Don't save because no changes were made.

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When we use model states inside of parts, we can modify things like dimensions.

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In model states inside of assemblies, we can modify variables such as dimensions that are used in constraints,

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but we can also modify physical properties, materials, and appearances.

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We also have the ability to duplicate model states.

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In this case, we can create a copy of Model State 2, noting that it's not currently active,

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unlike creating a new model state.

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Model State 2 1 is going to be an exact copy of Model State 2,

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but in this instance, we can make more adjustments.

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In some cases, we may decide that the entire frame doesn't need to be seen,

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so we're going to right-click and select Suppress.

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Now in Model State 2 and Model State 2 1, we have a different variation of our design.

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We can always go back to the primary to show everything in the assembly.

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Model states are a great way for us to create variations or configurations of our parts and assemblies.

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It takes a little practice, but make sure that you are comfortable with creating

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and modifying model states inside of an assembly and inside of a single part.