Inventor API to Redefine Work Features

by Vladimir Ananyev

The work feature collection objects – WorkPoints, WorkAxes, WorkPlanes – provide the wide range of Add methods to create corresponding work features in the part document. Autodesk Inventor API also provides a rich toolset for manipulating existing work features. In particular, you may redefine the existing work feature to re-associate it to another input geometry.

Take for example the work axis Axis1 in a part that was created by the intersection of two planes Plane1 and Plane2.

Workaxis.SetByTwoPlanes method allows you to redefine the Axis1 by specifying another pair of work planes – Plane1 and Plane3.

Sub RedefineWorkAxis()
  Dim oDoc As PartDocument
  Set oDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
  Dim oDef As PartComponentDefinition
  Set oDef = oDoc.ComponentDefinition
  Dim oAxis As WorkAxis
  Set oAxis = oDef.WorkAxes.Item("Axis1")
  Dim oPlane1 As WorkPlane
  Set oPlane1 = oDef.WorkPlanes.Item("Plane1")
  Dim oPlane3 As WorkPlane
  Set oPlane3 = oDef.WorkPlanes.Item("Plane3")
  Call oAxis.SetByTwoPlanes(oPlane1, oPlane3)
End Sub

Result:

You may redefine work features from iLogic rule as well.
Here is the equivalent iLogic code:

‘parent Part document
Dim oDoc As PartDocument = ThisDoc.Document
‘part document definition
Dim oDef As PartComponentDefinition = oDoc.ComponentDefinition
‘reference to the existing work axis
Dim oAxis As WorkAxis = oDef.WorkAxes.Item("Axis1")
‘1st workplane
Dim oPlane1 As WorkPlane = oDef.WorkPlanes.Item("Plane1")
‘2nd workplane
Dim oPlane3 As WorkPlane = oDef.WorkPlanes.Item("Plane3")
‘redefine Axis1 to be at the intersection of planes 1 and 3
oAxis.SetByTwoPlanes(oPlane1, oPlane3)

Here is the full list of Add and Set methods available to create and redefine existing work features.

WorkAxis object

WorkPlane

Workpoint