Webcast Q&A: Creo Parametric Bill of Materials (BOM) Report Formats

Here are questions and answers from my BOM Report Formats webcast. If you missed the live webcast you can view the on-demand recording here. 

Question 1:
Are the only formats available for an output a text file or an html? If so, is there any point of adding a CSV or Excel output? Many shops I work with want an excel BOM output of some sort. I know of ways to import into Excel as well; what delimiter is used with the output text file?

Answer 1:
Yes, the only formats available for viewing a BOM in the Assembly Design module are:

• BOM HTML output format
• BOM Text output format

If you create a BOM table in the Drawing module, there is a Save Table as CSV option. That output could be converted to an Excel document.

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Question #2:
Can you create indented BOM's?

Answer #2:
Yes, you can create indented Bills of Material. In Drawing Mode, use the Indentation option from the TBL Regions menu (Repeat Region). In the text output file, use the tools in the text editor.

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Question #3:
How can I get the BOM from the model tree?

Answer #3:
To get a BOM from the model tree:

1. Arrange your model tree the way you want your BOM to appear. (Add parameter columns, hide features, etc.)
2. Click on the Settings button in the Navigator.
3. Select the SAVE MODEL TREE option (this is the last option in the list).
4. A text file is created.
5. Open this TXT file in Excel.

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Question #4: 
Is there any PTC link where we can find all Config settings ?

Answer #4:
I am unaware of a direct link to the all configuration setting. With a PTC eSupport customer login account, you can access documentation that lists of all config.pro configuration options for Creo Parametric. Since I do not have an account, what I have done in the past is searched “Creo config.pro” (or variations of this) on the internet. I have been able to find PDF documents that list the configuration files this way.

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Question #5:
Can you describe how to create a BOM format file?

Answer #5:
You can create a FMT file with whatever information you want to show in your BOM.

You can search the help documentation files for the information that explains what to do. Most of the information in the help documentation is easy to understand. You can look up the topic About the User Defined BOM Output Format File.

For example:

.breakdown
The %$type %$name contains the following components:
.titles Qty; Part Number; Description; Material; Supplier; Finish; Issue
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.row %$quantity[-5d]; %$name[-15s]; %PTC_COMMON_NAME[-30s];                    %MATERIAL_NAME[-12s]; %SUPPLIER[25s]; %FINISH[-12]; %ISSUE[1s]
 

About the Author

Technical Training Engineer<br><br>Natasha joined the company in 2000 and has extensive experience sharing her CAD expertise through delivering webcasts, contributing to blog posts, and leading training classes. She trains end-users with all skill levels on Creo Parametric and CATIA, and she collaborates closely with the company’s technical writers on courseware development. Before joining Rand Worldwide, Natasha served as a mechanic in the U.S. Army National Guard and worked as a mechanical designer for a multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer. She has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and she holds certification from Dassault Systèmes as a CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer and Certified Surface Design Associate.

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