Bills of Materials

You can view bills of materials (BOMs) for drawings, parts, and assemblies. You can display BOMs in native SolidWorks documents, as well as in eDrawings files saved from the SolidWorks software. Using BOMs in parts and assemblies, you can control how components are displayed in the graphics area. You can also select component rows in the BOM to highlight them in the components tree and the graphics area.

When you print a part or assembly containing a BOM, the BOM settings control what eDrawings prints. For example, if you use the BOM to hide an object, that object is not printed.

To view BOM data in eDrawings, you can either:

• Save the BOM data when you create an eDrawings file in SolidWorks.

• Publish to eDrawings from SolidWorks, making sure the BOM is displayed.

To save a SolidWorks document containing BOM data as an eDrawings file:

1. In a SolidWorks document, make sure the BOM is currently displayed and click File, Save As.

2. In the dialog box, select one of the following for Save as type:

• eDrawings (*.eprt). Part documents.

• eDrawings (*.easm). Assembly documents.

The dialog box displays the correct eDrawings file type based on the SolidWorks document type.

3. Click Options.

4. In the dialog box, select Save table features to eDrawings file and click OK.

5. Click Save.

6. Open the generated file in eDrawings to access the BOM.

To publish a SolidWorks part or assembly containing BOM data to eDrawings:

1. Ensure that the Export Options dialog is set to save table features:

1. Select File, Save As.

2. In the dialog box, select one of the following for Save as type:

• eDrawings (*.eprt). Part documents.

• eDrawings (*.easm). Assembly documents.

3. Click Options.

4. In the dialog box, select Save table features to eDrawings file and click OK.

5. Click Cancel to dismiss the Save As dialog box.

2. In a SolidWorks document, make sure the BOM is currently displayed and click File, Publish eDrawings File or in the Save flyout menu, click Publish eDrawings File .
   
   eDrawings displays the SolidWorks document containing the BOM.

To access a BOM from the components or part tree:

1. In the components or part tree, expand the top object.

2. Expand the Tables folder and select a BOM .
   
   The BOM is selected and the drag icon appears above the upper left corner of the BOM.

To highlight components of assemblies using the BOM:

• In the BOM, click a component row.
  
  The component is highlighted in the graphics area and the components tree.

To position a BOM:

1. In the graphics area, move the pointer over a BOM.
   
   The drag icon appears above the upper left corner of the BOM. You can also activate the drag icon by selecting the BOM in the Tables folder of the components tree.

2. Do one of the following:

• Left-click the drag icon and drag to a new position.

• Hold down the Alt key, left-click the BOM, and drag to a new position.

To hide a BOM:

Do one of the following:

• In the components or part tree, under Tables , right-click a BOM and click Hide.

• In the graphics area, move the pointer over the top row of the BOM and right-click Hide.

To show a hidden BOM:

Do one of the following:

• In the components or part tree, under Tables , right-click a BOM and click Show.

• In the graphics area, right-click an empty area and click Show.

To control objects using the BOM:

• In a BOM, right-click in a component row, and do one of the following:

• Click Hide to hide the component in the graphics area.

• Click Show to display a hidden component.

• Click Make Transparent to make a solid component transparent.

• Click Make Solid to make a transparent component solid again.

• Click Hide Others to show only the selected component. The BOM is hidden as well.

• Click Show All to redisplay all hidden objects.

• Click New Part Document to open the component. You can then save it as an eDrawings part file.