You can configure aPriori to recognize multi-body CAD files as collections of free body parts and cost them as an assembly.
In the UI, click Tools > User Preferences > Multi-Body Options
Note: As of Release 21.1.0.0, multi-body options are no longer configurable in the apriori.properties file. If you do add multi-body options in this file they will have no effect. Multi-body options are configurable in the UI only. You can still configure and apply multi-body settings in the properties file for previous releases.
For interactive costing, these properties are set in the apriori.properties file, or can be set in a Multi-Body Options preferences dialog.
The apriori.properties settings are documented in the Properties Files chapter of the aPriori System Administration Guide. The Multi-Body Options preferences dialog is described at Multi-Body Options.
For Bulk Costing and Analysis, those properties and an additional one are set in plugin.properties and prefaced with launcher.set
example, launcher.set.apriori.keep.free.bodies=true.
This section specifically discusses costing multi-body parts with Bulk Costing and Analysis.
When bulk costing encounters a multi-body, it first creates the structure and then cycles back to pick up the additional bodies
Enable multi-body bulk costing, set the following properties
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In <install>\apriori.properties set:
apriori.keep.free.bodies=true -
In <install>\ext\analysis-purchasing-module\ plugin.properties set:
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launcher.set.apriori.keep.free.bodies=true
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launcher.set.apriori.cost.free.bodies.as.assembly=true
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Ensure that there is no trailing space after true.
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Multi-body parts and Bulk Costing and Analysis
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launcher.set.apriori.cost.free.bodies.as.assembly is a setting that is recognized only in Bulk Costing.
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When launcher.set.apriori.cost.free.bodies.as.assembly is set to true, aPriori costs each body as a part with the same costing inputs and then aggregates the costs at the assembly level.
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When set to true, aPriori each body as a part with the same costing inputs and then aggregate the costs at the assembly level.
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When free body parts get added to the Bulk Loader automatically; that is, if you load a multi-body CAD file containing free body parts, the free body parts appear in their own rows in the Bulk Costing & Analysis UI for the purposes of showing costing status. However, they are not editable, and they will not be saved in the Bulk Loader files (*.loader.xml), or to any exported CSV or Excel spreadsheet file. They inherit all their inputs from the parent assembly/multi-body part.
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If launcher.set.apriori.keep.free.bodies=true and launcher.set.apriori.cost.free.bodies.as.assembly=false then only the top-level assembly is costed and rows for assembly sub-components will not be added to the bulk cost group.
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It is critical that you retain the common settings; that is, all free body properties other than apriori.cost.free.bodies.as.assembly in apriori.properties and plugin.properties consistent.
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If you change the free.bodies setting in one, you must change it the same way in the other. Failure to do so can result in unexpected behavior, such as assemblies being created with no subcomponents.
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It should also be noted that bulk costing does not notify you if multi-body component scenarios are open in the UI when you initiate a bulk costing operation. However, when the bulk costing is finished, aPriori does display a list of components, including multi-body components that are opened in the UI and which should be refreshed.
Limitations with multi-body STEP assemblies
Bulk costing STEP assemblies with multi-bodies present some special challenges and require some workaround procedures. You cannot directly Deep Cost and save multi-body STEP assemblies, but you can Deep Cost the resulting Rollup. The limitation with this workaround is that you cannot save and later re-open the Bulk Cost file: you must Deep Cost the Rollup scenario again.