I make small metal structures (platform, walkways, etc.). Generally I draw everything in the same room (posts, beams, purlins etc...), except for the railings and stairs. Recently I have been trying to make welded sub-assemblies in order to gather and locate the different elements welded together; Posts with plates, beams with plates and shanks for example.
The only problem is that when drawing and creating a table of welded parts, I no longer have the total number of sections with their flow length but only the welded sub-assemblies with their references and their quantity. I wish I had both because my customers use this list to order their material.
I have more or less the same problem, I have 2 parts with mechanically welded function, some of which are identical, but I have the impression that SolidWorks is not able to combine 2 parts to make a total.
So your list of welded mechanics only works on one part and not on an assembly to have the lengths for example. (unless I'm mistaken, and the tests I've done)
I know that SolidWorks is not the best software for the steel structure but there should be more features in terms of welded construction I think. For my part, I spend a considerable amount of time making all the plans for the manufacture of my structures.
An idea to test: make a part in which you insert the mechanically welded parts. With a bit of luck, SW will find his little ones, disadvantages: it's a fictitious piece to manage on top of that.
I've used this technique before, inserting my elements into different pieces and creating an assembly of all this little world. Unfortunately this operation is tedious because all the parts have to be manually referenced (name, part number) and in addition there is no longer any link with the properties of the original welded parts list. Nevertheless, this technique makes it possible to have a part for the total list of mechanically welded elements for drawing with flow, and an assembly to identify the welded sub-assemblies.
The management of SW for a "PRT const. Welded" cannot go up/down in nomenclatues.
The container/content rule is kept, and remains a priority.
This principle is the basis of the management of SolidWorks in welded buildings.
You can put a BOM-ASM in TAB "to see" the decomposition of the welded components, and sheet metal parts, etc... But no grouping is possible, the rule containing content remains.
As a result, a "BOM-ASM in Part Mode" is useless in this case.
solution/possibility (but it's still not great) =
Since 2012 or 2014, we can now "bring down" the united lists.
So the idea will be to create a new PRT, to do "insert PRT part" and put the PRTs you want to group in it, then in the insertion options, (no need to move after the function, you put everything in bulk) check the box "Properties of the list of welded parts".
Then with this new PRT (which is a kind of ASM), see what gives the "Welded List".
Until SW goes through an assembly to manage the parts, it won't be possible to do what you want.
The welded part list only takes into account the first level of mechanically welded parts.
I create mechanically welded designs every day and I have long since abandoned the idea of creating sub-assemblies.
After a while, I had created a macro going through all the parts of an assembly, grouping the mechanically welded parts (by profile, length, ...) and the sheet metal bodies (analysis of all the available parameters) and creating a table by code as a list of welded parts.
It was a gas plant that worked pretty well but didn't differentiate between the profile-based bodies if they were drilled (or machined) or not.
I would have to get back on the addin I had started to make and see to integrate it... But for that, it takes time...
Alright, I understand that there is no miracle solution so I'll continue as I'm doing right now:
A general drawing of my welded construction with the list of welded parts. Then folios by inserting the desired bodies to plan the welded sub-assemblies with their reference point in relation to the general plan.
in the principle of calculating an ASM BOM nomenclature , we manage (or not) the "Unique Identifiers"
In the principle of automatic calculation of a "Welded Part List" it is only the 3D Geometry that makes the classification (excluding manual retouching)
In 2- see - http://www.lynkoa.com/forum/import-export-formats-neutres/transformer-un-sldprt-avec-plusieurs-corps-en-sldasm-avec-plusie
At the end you have a share that becomes an asm.
Then it's up to you to remake sub-assemblies with posts and plates.
For your plans (.part,. Asm) no problem if you want to modify a length of posts you have to modify from the base part and for the nomenclature do it from the base part.