Welcome to the new OpenBOM release. In August 2024, OpenBOM continued its strategic development, delivering several key updates and enhancements that further solidified its leadership in the cloud-based BOM and PLM space. This release introduces significant improvements across multiple areas, with a strong focus on advancing xBOM management capabilities, enhancing design project permissions, and boosting overall user experience with new QR code and single-item URL features. Additionally, OpenBOM has refined its multiple CAD integrations, highlighted by a major release for Autodesk Fusion, ensuring seamless collaboration and efficiency for engineering and manufacturing teams. Let’s explore what’s new in OpenBOM’s latest release!
Compare xBOMs
This release brings support for BOM Types to the OpenBOM Compare utility. Open (or pre-select) a BOM and open the Compare tool. Choose a corresponding BOM Type and understand the differences between your BOM and mBOM or any other BOM type.
A short video example:
OpenBOM Design Projects – Improved Permission Control
We continued to improve OpenBOM Design Projects providing PDM service to manage CAD and file work-in-progress design documents. As the number of Design Projects was growing, we’ve been learning about important access control improvements that need to be done. We realize the Design users may be Engineers or Designers that have (or need) little or no access to OpenBOM Bills of Materials handling; they simply need an OpenBOM account to access Design and write access to the Design shared by the Team Administrator.
This release adds the ability of the Team Administrator to add a user to the Team as Read-Only or No-Access and THEN share specific OpenBOM Design Projects based on the need.
So, an Engineer who is working on some CAD data using OpenBOM Design Projects and Workspace Manager to synchronize CAD, can do so easily, yet NOT have the ability to edit or view the company’s important product BOm data.
Essentially, this feature allows the Team Administrator to grant an OpenBOM license to a designer, specify exactly which CAD data designs they may access, and let them get to work.
In the example below, a user with NO-Access on the Team can have full edit privileges in the Design Project, allowing them to Smart Sync (upload/download CAD files and collaborate with team members).
QR Code & Single Item Master link
Seamless connectivity and efficient access to data are crucial for successful operations, especially in manufacturing and engineering environments. OpenBOM’s latest features—the Single Item URL and QR Code support—are designed to significantly enhance the ease of connecting with and managing your data, whether you’re working within digital systems, physical environments, or mobile devices.
The Single Item URL simplifies the way you connect OpenBOM data with other digital systems. With the Single Item URL, you can directly link to specific items from various platforms like JIRA, ERP, CRM, and more.
The introduction of QR Code support in OpenBOM further expands your ability to connect digital data with physical environments. Each item in OpenBOM now has an automatically generated QR code that can be printed and attached to physical products, components, or packaging.
Read more about these features here and watch the video.
Export Vendor List
We lack the export function for Vendor lists. It is “fixed” now and export function is available in the Vendor List object. It’s easy to miss this subtle feature so here is a screenshot of the UI and a quick video.
Watch a short video to see how it works.
Custom Objects: Trash and Restore
Custom objects are sleeping giants. We are gradually improving Custom Objects capabilities and soon they will start to play a significant role in the way OpenBOM is used to organize product development, manufacturing, and maintenance information.
Meantime, we are continuing to bring features to Custom Objects. A new UI and conveniences like Trashcan and Restore Archived Custom Objects are included in this release. Very convenient for testing and developing new Custom Objects. More exciting Custom Object features coming in the next release stay tuned.
CAD Integration Improvement
As with every update, there are exciting new features and improvements to old favorites in this release. Autodesk Fusion gets a significant upgrade with features only found in OpenBOM like creating a BOM from a Configured Fusion Design, an amazing Quick Start mode, Category Mapping, Sustainability, automatic export of sheet metal and other formats, and much more. PTC Creo and Dassault Solidworks are also on the list. Give them a look.
Altium Designer
We are continuously improving and adding functions to support an enhanced data modeling capabilities and features of Altium Designer, also integrating OpenBOM with Altium 360.
There are two groups of enhancements in this release – improvement of DBLib interface and support for Altium Mode functionality.
In the last sprint, we released support for DBLibs. In this release, we add support for Multiple Tables inside the DBLib library. The selected Library Tables will be processed and imported into the OpenBOM catalog(s).
Watch the video how it works –
We also support Altium Mode functionality. A simple but powerful tool in Altium, we added support for the Altium Mode option and its various options. Proper thumbnails and other properties are recognized based on the components Mode.
OpenBOM for Autodesk Fusion
You probably noticed the amount of new features we introduced in the Autodesk Fusion interface. If you missed OpenBOM press release check it here – OpenBOM Launches Major Update for Autodesk Fusion: Simplifies User Experience, Introduces New Features, and Extends Support for Autodesk Platform Services. Here is a quick summary of what we delivered and a short description. For detailed information navigate to our articles.
Quick Start for Fusion
A simple, truly one-click way, to make your BOMs look great in Fusion. On by default for new accounts, and configurable for existing accounts, OpenBOM for Autodesk Fusion Quick Start is a blessing when it comes to getting your BOM right the first time and every time.
Existing users can enable Quick Start in the Settings Dialog as shown below.
A blog with more details is here – OpenBOM for Fusion Quick Start . You can watch the video with the demo.
Support for Fusion Design Configurations
Autodesk recently announced Design Configurations for Fusion, and OpenBOM has followed quickly with support for the new feature. streamlining the process of generating and managing Bills of Materials (BOMs) across different design variants.
A detailed blog and video are here
OpenBOM For Autodesk Fusion – Design Configurations Support.
Fusion Component Classification Using Catalog Mapping
In the new OpenBOM for Autodesk Fusion, we bring support for multiple catalogs to Fusion. You can learn how to effectively use categories and assign Fusion components to catalogs within OpenBOM.
By mapping each component to a different catalog, you can automatically store and organize components according to their specific categories, ensuring accurate part numbering and seamless BOM creation.
Read more information in the following blog – OpenBOM catalog support. And a short video:
Create DXF for Sheet Metal Parts
One of the most requested Autodesk Fusion features has been the automatic creation of flat pattern DXF files from a known Fusion sheet metal component. OpenBOM will fetch the flattened design, create the DXF, and export and link to your Item and BOM.
You, your shop floor or supplier will have easy access to the DXF to automatically program sheet metal breaks, punch presses or any other automatic sheet metal manufacturing machine on the shop floor.
Simpy enable the option in the settings, and when OpenBOM encounters a Sheet metal part in our design, a DXF will be generated.
It’s that simple. Give it a try!
Learn more in the short video:
Autodesk Fusion Sustainability Extension
The Autodesk Fusion Sustainability extension offers any design or manufacturer deep resources for planning and deciding on key manufacturing methods, regions, materials, and much more as they impact the overall sustainability of the product and the company footprint.
Once you enable the extension and select the option from the settings, the Sustainability properties will automatically be brought to OpenBOM where they can be incorporated into all downstream business operations, purchasing, and product delivery.
Learn more in this informative video:
Support Autodesk Fusion Multi-Select Options in Menu
As we have mentioned, many of the capabilities we present in OpenBOM for Autodesk Fusion can ONLY be delivered by OpenBOM. Furthermore, you may want to apply these to many or multiple Components in your design. The commands shown below may be applied to multiple selected Components
OpenBOM for Fusion Quick Start vs Advanced Settings
OpenBOM’s new setting dialog in Fusion allows easy switching between Quick Start mode and complex settings. A nice, new, easy-to-read, and navigate Settings dialog.
Check these options (above).
- Toggle Quick Start and Advanced modes
- Manage Catalogs and the Category behavior
- Manage Templates and access the Template Manager to build your own templates
- Enable Autodesk Manage and Sustainability features
- Access and specify your Autodesk Platform Services behavior and account information
- Control STEP File creation
- Manage behavior for Drawings PDF and DXFof Sheet metal
- A much-improved way to Get and Send logs to the OpenBOM support team if requested
Dassault Systemes Solidworks
We added a subtle but powerful change to how we process Configuration-specific properties. If they exist in the Configuration Specific list we will use them, and update them when sending data back to Solidworks. This used to apply only to the Part Number property. But now, if you have a Description in Custom AND in the Configuration specific, OpenBOM will take the active Configuration-specific value.
Think about that for a moment if you have two configurations, say for a long and short bolt, And both have different Part Numbers as expected, AND different Description property values, OpenBOM will create unique items for each, and each with their specific Description.
It’s subtle but powerful. In the example below I have specified a specific Part Number (different than Custom) added a Description to the Configuration Specific tab. OpenBOM will use this specific value for Part Number and add the Description. All other Properties will be taken from the Custom tab.
Some other improvements and bug fixing
As always, in every release, we killed and squashed a few bugs and made some minor changes and improvements:
- Fixed a case when we failed to load the Purchase Order if the BOM had been deleted
- Fixed case when POs made from Catalog did not show in the Dashboard
- Images are now exported to the vendor list (:)).
- Restoring deleted items no longer makes Sourcing info unusable – Sorry about that!
- Sometimes we would show an annoying message about exceeding the license count. We don’t do that anymore. Also, fixed the case when a concurrent license was not released at signout.
- Made a few more minor improvements to the Quantity Gap calculations
- Fixed a rare case when the Change Request context menu might not display the dialog
Conclusion
I hope you’re excited about the changes the OpenBOM Team made last month. New features improve the capabilities of OpenBOM improving xBOM service, user experience and CAD integrations. We are committed to delivering OpenBOM with monthly updates with new features and functions. I hope this approach gives us the needed trust from a growing number of OpenBOM users and customers.
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Best, Oleg
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