Problem
This article goes over the different reasons why a Balloon is displaying an Asterisk (*) in a SOLIDWORKS Drawing using a Regular Bill of Materials (BOM). There are several possible causes:
The BOM for the View does not match the assembly
The Assembly or Part is in a different configuration than that of the BOM
The balloon shows an asterisk after performing a forced rebuild
Solution 1: BOM Mismatch
The steps below go over how to fix a BOM mismatch where the View does not match the assembly:
Right-click the drawing view and select "Properties"
Under the 'Balloons' section, ensure the BOM used to link the Balloons for the view matches the correct BOM
Solution 2: Configuration Mismatch
Check the view to see if the part is suppressed in the configuration used or if the part is in a different representation (i.e., an open or closed position) than the one in the assembly configuration in which the BOM was created.
Solution 3: Asterisk shown after Force Rebuild
To resolve this issue, follow these steps:
- Open the drawing.
- Go to Tools > Options > Document Properties
- Go to Tables > Bill of Materials
- Activate the "Automatic update of BOM" option and click "OK"
- Rebuild the Drawing and confirm that the balloons are updated
- Save and close the drawing
- Reopen the drawing
For additional support, existing customers can submit a ticket or new customers can contact Hawk Ridge Systems.
Comments
If the balloon comes up with a "?" then you just missed the part. But if it comes up with a "*" there are a couple of reasons for this.
1: The BOM for the view doesn't match the assembly, you can check this by right clicking the view and making sure the BOM for the view (in the right corner) matches the BOM you want.
2: The assembly is in a different configuration then the BOM, this can be caused by the part being suppressed in the configuration OR the part being in a different congiguration (i.e. an open or closed position) then the one in the assembly configuration the BOM was created with
Additionally
that definately applies for most of the cases with solidworks BOMs.
for excel based BOM's there are 2 things.
1.the view is of a configuration with less components than another
2.the BOM that is being referenced is set to an different option...for example "parts only vs top level assembly and parts".
3.balloons are added while another view is locked
for #1.
the excel based BOM is linked to the configuration in that view. if that configuration has components suppresed compared to a different configuration, it's BOM will be numbered differently than another view of a different config.
the best troubleshooting method for this is to create a BOM of that view, to make sure the numbers are the same as the other view in question.
the workaround here is to use hidden parts instead of suppressed parts. otherwise use the solidworks bill of materials so you can use the "link to BOM" option.
for #2
you may have 2 views of the same configuration and therefore would expect if you balloon either one for the views to show the same balloons. this is not always the case if you have selected an option such as "top assembly and parts" for the BOM on one view. the other view will default to "parts only" even if a BOM has not been created. therefore there may be different balloon numbering.
the workaround here is to add a BOM to the view in question and set it to the option of the other view. if you delete the BOM, it should stay in the option that was chosen rather tahn defaulting back to parts only. however, I would recommend leaving the BOM on the drawing just off the printed page.
another aspect of this that I have seen is that balloons added with the "parts only" option won't update when the BOM is changed to "top level assembly and parts" until the drawing is closed and opened.
for #3
I haven't run into this but saw it on the knowledgebase. if a view of a configuration is locked and balloons are added to a different view of a different configuration, the balloons may follow the BOM of the original view rather than the BOM of that view.
this may be intended behavior but if not, the balloons must be deleted, the correct view activated and then the balloons recreated.
it might be cautious to always recommend locking the view focus when creating excel based BOM balloons.
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