Learning

Certification

Certification overview

Architecture, Engineering & Construction

Design & Manufacturing

Media & Entertainment

Support & Policies

Learning

Mechanical CAD core concepts

In this lesson, we’ll discuss the key concepts when working with the mechanical CAD plugin and explore the most common views you’ll need to navigate.

The cBOM, eBOM, and Project BOM

Let's explore the three types of BOMs you’ll work with in Upchain, and discuss their uses.

Transcript

00:04

In this video, we'll introduce you to the key concepts when working in Upchain with the mechanical CAD Plugin.

00:10

Familiarize yourself with these terms, but don't worry about mastering them just now.

00:14

We'll revisit many of these core concepts in greater detail in later courses. So, let's take a look.

00:20

But first, let's recap a few things.

00:23

What is an item? An item represents one object in your design.

00:28

It is one level in your Bill of Materials that can be a Part, Assembly, Sub-assembly, or End item, which is a top-level item with no parent.

00:36

Think of an item like a box.

00:38

It contains all data associated with one object in a product design, including attributes which is your metadata,

00:45

CAD models, drawings, non-CAD documents, translations, visualizations, and markups.

00:52

Each item in Upchain is assigned a unique item number. Which once assigned may not be changed or reused by another item.

01:02

What is a Bill of Materials?

01:05

A Bill of Materials lists all of the Assemblies, Sub-assemblies, Parts, and raw materials needed to produce one unit of a finished product.

01:15

Each product has its own Bill of Materials. In Upchain, there are three Bill of Materials you'll work with, the cBOM, the eBOM, and the Project BOM.

01:27

So, what is the cBOM?

01:30

The cBOM is your CAD Bill of Materials. It is the BOM created in your CAD software and subsequently pushed into Upchain.

01:39

It comprises the parts and assemblies in your design and how they are linked together. In other words, the cBOM is your design Bill of Materials.

01:52

What is the eBOM?

01:54

The eBOM is your Engineering Bill of Materials.

01:57

It is the indented structure of items that represents your design in Upchain, and can also include additional items that do not appear in CAD,

02:05

such as electrical components, lubricants, purchased components, or software packages, for instance.

02:14

In most cases, every part and assembly in CAD will be associated with an Upchain item.

02:21

However, there are cases where objects appear in one BOM, but not the other.

02:26

You can include files in your cBOM that do not get registered to an item.

02:31

These are known as phantom files.

02:36

Two examples of their use include Reference CAD-

02:40

these files will not form part of the final product but are needed to model with.

02:45

And children of purchased assemblies-

02:47

the assembly overall has an item so it can appear in the final BOM,

02:51

but its children do not need items as they are not purchased and managed separately.

02:59

You can also include items in your eBOM that do not exist in your cBOM.

03:04

These can be items that may or may not have their own CAD,

03:07

and are included on the eBOM because they are required to produce the final physical product.

03:12

Note, however, that adding items that will only exist in the eBOM can only be done in the BOM section of a project in the web application.

03:24

What is The Project BOM? The Project BOM is the structure of all items used in a project.

03:29

It is the culmination of all eBOMs that have been associated and organized within a project.

03:35

This can include multiple End items.

03:43

So, you may be wondering why we have so many different BOM types.

03:48

The reason is that different users are interested in different information about the BOM.

03:53

As a CAD power user, your main focus will be the cBOM,

03:57

ensuring your design is correct and that you register everything in your design to items where relevant in Upchain.

04:04

The cBOM is what drives the structure of the eBOM.

04:07

The eBOM is primarily built from the structure of the cBOM, and any additional items that need to be added can be done so in the web application,

04:16

to ensure it contains everything needed to produce the final product.

04:20

The project BOM is what displays the final BOM for an entire project.

04:25

So, this will be the BOM that many of your downstream users will be interested in.

04:31

Continue working through the mechanical CAD courses to learn more.

Video transcript

00:04

In this video, we'll introduce you to the key concepts when working in Upchain with the mechanical CAD Plugin.

00:10

Familiarize yourself with these terms, but don't worry about mastering them just now.

00:14

We'll revisit many of these core concepts in greater detail in later courses. So, let's take a look.

00:20

But first, let's recap a few things.

00:23

What is an item? An item represents one object in your design.

00:28

It is one level in your Bill of Materials that can be a Part, Assembly, Sub-assembly, or End item, which is a top-level item with no parent.

00:36

Think of an item like a box.

00:38

It contains all data associated with one object in a product design, including attributes which is your metadata,

00:45

CAD models, drawings, non-CAD documents, translations, visualizations, and markups.

00:52

Each item in Upchain is assigned a unique item number. Which once assigned may not be changed or reused by another item.

01:02

What is a Bill of Materials?

01:05

A Bill of Materials lists all of the Assemblies, Sub-assemblies, Parts, and raw materials needed to produce one unit of a finished product.

01:15

Each product has its own Bill of Materials. In Upchain, there are three Bill of Materials you'll work with, the cBOM, the eBOM, and the Project BOM.

01:27

So, what is the cBOM?

01:30

The cBOM is your CAD Bill of Materials. It is the BOM created in your CAD software and subsequently pushed into Upchain.

01:39

It comprises the parts and assemblies in your design and how they are linked together. In other words, the cBOM is your design Bill of Materials.

01:52

What is the eBOM?

01:54

The eBOM is your Engineering Bill of Materials.

01:57

It is the indented structure of items that represents your design in Upchain, and can also include additional items that do not appear in CAD,

02:05

such as electrical components, lubricants, purchased components, or software packages, for instance.

02:14

In most cases, every part and assembly in CAD will be associated with an Upchain item.

02:21

However, there are cases where objects appear in one BOM, but not the other.

02:26

You can include files in your cBOM that do not get registered to an item.

02:31

These are known as phantom files.

02:36

Two examples of their use include Reference CAD-

02:40

these files will not form part of the final product but are needed to model with.

02:45

And children of purchased assemblies-

02:47

the assembly overall has an item so it can appear in the final BOM,

02:51

but its children do not need items as they are not purchased and managed separately.

02:59

You can also include items in your eBOM that do not exist in your cBOM.

03:04

These can be items that may or may not have their own CAD,

03:07

and are included on the eBOM because they are required to produce the final physical product.

03:12

Note, however, that adding items that will only exist in the eBOM can only be done in the BOM section of a project in the web application.

03:24

What is The Project BOM? The Project BOM is the structure of all items used in a project.

03:29

It is the culmination of all eBOMs that have been associated and organized within a project.

03:35

This can include multiple End items.

03:43

So, you may be wondering why we have so many different BOM types.

03:48

The reason is that different users are interested in different information about the BOM.

03:53

As a CAD power user, your main focus will be the cBOM,

03:57

ensuring your design is correct and that you register everything in your design to items where relevant in Upchain.

04:04

The cBOM is what drives the structure of the eBOM.

04:07

The eBOM is primarily built from the structure of the cBOM, and any additional items that need to be added can be done so in the web application,

04:16

to ensure it contains everything needed to produce the final product.

04:20

The project BOM is what displays the final BOM for an entire project.

04:25

So, this will be the BOM that many of your downstream users will be interested in.

04:31

Continue working through the mechanical CAD courses to learn more.

Key takeaways

Upchain manages three different BOMs available from the CAD plugin.
cBOM - CAD bill of materials - this is your design.
eBOM - engineering bill of materials - this is how the design is represented in Upchain and may contain additional items not in CAD.
Project BOM - the culmination and organization of all eBOMs being used within the project.
As a CAD power user, your primary focus is building the cBOM and ensuring the eBOM correctly matches the cBOM where required.

Exploring the BOM views in the CAD plugin

In this video, we show you where to find each of the BOM views, and an overview of what you can do within each view.

Key takeaways

The BOM views are where you spend most of your time in the CAD plugin. Actions that you can take on an item in each view are accessed by right-clicking on the item.
The Project BOM is the primary location where you will download existing registered CAD files to view or work on.
The cBOM view shows the design structure for the assembly you have open in your CAD system. This view must be refreshed before it shows this structure.
The eBOM view shows a similar structure to the cBOM view with items condensed into one instance and any additional items added from the web application.
The Lower pane and Item view show a selected item’s attributes, documents, previews, categorization, where used information, and tasks.

Was this information helpful?

______

Cookie preferences

Your privacy is important to us and so is an optimal experience. To help us customize information and build applications, we collect data about your use of this site.

May we collect and use your data?

Learn more about the Third Party Services we use and our Privacy Statement.

Strictly necessary – required for our site to work and to provide services to you

These cookies allow us to record your preferences or login information, respond to your requests or fulfill items in your shopping cart.

YES

Improve your experience – allows us to show you what is relevant to you

These cookies enable us to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we use to deliver information and experiences tailored to you. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not be available for you.

YES

NO

Customize your advertising – permits us to offer targeted advertising to you

These cookies collect data about you based on your activities and interests in order to show you relevant ads and to track effectiveness. By collecting this data, the ads you see will be more tailored to your interests. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

YES

NO

Are you sure you want a less customized experience?

We can access your data only if you select "yes" for the categories on the previous screen. This lets us tailor our marketing so that it's more relevant for you. You can change your settings at any time by visiting our privacy statement

Your experience. Your choice.

We care about your privacy. The data we collect helps us understand how you use our products, what information you might be interested in, and what we can improve to make your engagement with Autodesk more rewarding.

May we collect and use your data to tailor your experience?

Explore the benefits of a customized experience by managing your privacy settings for this site or visit our Privacy Statement to learn more about your options.