8.6.4. No bill of materials is created on the ortho drawing

Fixing empty bills of materials on ortho drawings

In this article you will learn how to fix the problem of empty bills of materials in Plant 3D. Using the correct template file is decisive in order to ensure the automatic data link between the project database and your drawing.

Prerequisites

• The project was created with SuCri Module 4.
• You have access to the project directory in the file explorer.

Step-by-step guide

1. Identifying the faulty template: Check whether your existing ortho drawing has the table structure but no entries or item numbers appear. This indicates that the current drawing cannot establish a connection to the database.
2. Locating the correct template file: Navigate in your project folder to the following path: \Orthos\Styles\Default.
3. Selecting the template: Look for the file Ortho - A1 - Color Dependent Plot Styles.dwt. This template contains all necessary field definitions and style assignments.
4. Creating a new drawing: Create a new ortho drawing and explicitly select the above-mentioned Ortho - A1 - Color Dependent Plot Styles.dwt as the basis.
5. Generating data: After you have inserted the views into the new drawing, generate the bill of materials again.

   Expected result: The bill of materials is automatically filled with all components contained in the 3D model and the corresponding item numbers.

Important notes

• Always use the standard template supplied with the project in order to ensure full compatibility of the data fields.
• If you want to make company-specific adjustments (e.g. your own logo in the title block), be sure to create these on the basis of the original file Ortho - A1 - Color Dependent Plot Styles.dwt.
• Do not use standard AutoCAD templates or templates from older Plant 3D versions without appropriate migration.

Troubleshooting

If the bill of materials remains empty despite the correct template, check the following points:

• Are the components in the 3D model correctly assigned to a pipe group?
• Was the ortho view generated up to date (command ORTHOAKT)?
• Check in the project folder under \Orthos\Styles\Default whether the template file may have been moved or renamed.