What should the behavior of ‘Dissolve part level rows’ be?
Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2022 5:16 am
I made this post to express my dissatisfaction with how Solidworks and our VAR are handling this, and I'd like to hear your thoughts. I mean, is it just me? 
So Solidworks introduced the ‘Dissolve part level rows’ option under ‘Detailed cut list’ in the bill of materials (BOM) options for Solidworks 2022.
Currently there is an inconsistent behavior between sheet metal and weldment parts when using the 'Dissolve part level rows', hence SPR 1239409.
The inconsistency with the 'Dissolve part level rows' option is that when all cut list items for both parts, sheet metal and weldments, are 'excluded from cut list'. Then only the part level row of the sheet metal part remains.
We have mixed-part assemblies with sheet metal and weldment parts that have multiple and single. The cut list item for single body parts are mostly excluded from cut list because the item itself is unnecessary.
We'd like to use the dissolve part level rows option for those assemblies. So that we can format the BOM in a quicker way. Only The problem is that the weldments parts, with the single excluded body, are completely missing from the BOM, since the body (cut-list-item) is excluded from BOM and de part level row is dissolved. While the sheet metal parts remains.
In my opinion the part level row of a weldments part should also remain when all cut list items are excluded. Because why would you want to dissolve a part level row if there are no sub items to display on the BOM!
And if that is what you want you should instead exclude the part itself from the BOM.
Our VAR says that the inconsistency is with the sheet metal part. So they don’t share this opinion with us. And I think Solidworks isn’t ether, but I’m not sure about that since the description/title of the SPR is vaguely defined. Pretty hard to get clarity on this.
I'm hoping that the SPR will end up mimicking the behavior of the sheet metal part, rather than the other way around.
What do you think?
So Solidworks introduced the ‘Dissolve part level rows’ option under ‘Detailed cut list’ in the bill of materials (BOM) options for Solidworks 2022.
Currently there is an inconsistent behavior between sheet metal and weldment parts when using the 'Dissolve part level rows', hence SPR 1239409.
The inconsistency with the 'Dissolve part level rows' option is that when all cut list items for both parts, sheet metal and weldments, are 'excluded from cut list'. Then only the part level row of the sheet metal part remains.
We have mixed-part assemblies with sheet metal and weldment parts that have multiple and single. The cut list item for single body parts are mostly excluded from cut list because the item itself is unnecessary.
We'd like to use the dissolve part level rows option for those assemblies. So that we can format the BOM in a quicker way. Only The problem is that the weldments parts, with the single excluded body, are completely missing from the BOM, since the body (cut-list-item) is excluded from BOM and de part level row is dissolved. While the sheet metal parts remains.
In my opinion the part level row of a weldments part should also remain when all cut list items are excluded. Because why would you want to dissolve a part level row if there are no sub items to display on the BOM!
And if that is what you want you should instead exclude the part itself from the BOM.
Our VAR says that the inconsistency is with the sheet metal part. So they don’t share this opinion with us. And I think Solidworks isn’t ether, but I’m not sure about that since the description/title of the SPR is vaguely defined. Pretty hard to get clarity on this.
I'm hoping that the SPR will end up mimicking the behavior of the sheet metal part, rather than the other way around.
What do you think?