Building Associations in SAP Integrated Product Development Visualization

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to construct and populate an association structure from an empty structure in Integrated Product Development Visualization.

Association Structures

Introduction

In SAP Integrated Product Development, you may need to create a new visualization structure to better represent data for different purposes, such as generating part catalogs or creating manufacturing lists. This lesson guides you through the process of associating structures within the Integrated Product Development Visualization tool, allowing you to organize and link visual objects in a way that suits your specific needs.

You learned how to create a blank structure within the Association application. Now, we'll dive into the process of building that structure and assigning visual objects to its nodes. This involves creating a hierarchy of nodes and linking them to the corresponding parts or components in your 3D model.

Base Structure Creation

The Associate application begins with a top-level node that mirrors the name of the visualization you opened. Your next task is to create a series of child nodes under this top-level node to represent the different parts or sections of your assembly. Think of this as you build the skeleton of your new structure.

To start, choose Edit (pencil icon), next to the top-level node in the Association Structure panel. From the menu that appears, select Insert Child. Expand the top-level node to reveal the newly created New Item node.

Steps to create a new child, as described in the preceding text.

Then, choose Edit, next to the New Item node and select Properties. This opens the Tree Item Properties window, where you can change the Name field to something more descriptive and meaningful. For example, if this node represents the Engine assembly, rename it accordingly. The ID field must be the ID that will link this node to the back-end business data.

To add more nodes at the same level as your renamed New Item node, you have a couple of options. You can either choose Edit, next to the top-level node and select Insert Child again, or you can choose Edit, next to the existing New Item node. Then, select either Insert Sibling Before or Insert Sibling After, depending on where you want the new node to appear in the tree. Understanding the difference between child and sibling nodes is crucial for building the desired hierarchy.

Add node options, as described in the preceding text.

Continue adding nodes and structuring them as needed to fully represent the organization you want to achieve. To further refine the association structure, you can create child nodes under the new nodes that you just created.

Node Assignment

With the base structure in place, it's time to link the nodes to the corresponding visual objects in your 3D scene. This is where you connect the abstract structure to the actual parts of your assembly.

To assign nodes, follow these steps:

In the Association Structure panel., select a node. This is the node you want to link to specific objects.
Select one or more nodes in the 3D scene or from the Structure Browser panel. You can select multiple nodes in a couple of ways:
1. Select each node individually.
2. To select multiple nodes at once, hold CTRL while left mouse clicking and dragging a selection window.
The selected nodes appear in the Related Items for... panel, located below the Association Structure panel. This panel confirms which objects you've selected for association.
When you have selected all the necessary 3D nodes for the selected Association Structure node, choose Update Association, at the bottom of the Related Items for... panel. This action establishes the link between the structure node and the selected objects.

Node assignment steps, as outlined in the preceding steps.

To verify that you've assigned all the correct objects to a node, right-click in the 3D scene and select Hide Selection from the menu. This hides all the objects that you just associated with the node, allowing you to easily see if any objects were missed and remain visible. If you spot any missed objects, simply select the correct Association Structure node, then select the nodes, and choose Update Association again.

Options for selecting each node in the Association Structure and Hiding the Selected node, to validate that everything has been associated.

When adding more objects to an existing association, make sure you do not deselect the previously associated nodes. If you only select a couple of nodes and choose Update Association, only those newly selected nodes will be associated. The system will remove any previously associated nodes that are not currently selected.

Congratulations! You've now learned how to create a new structure and assign nodes to it. The following video demonstrates in detail how to build an association structure.

Summary

Let's Summarize What You've Learned:

Creating Base Structures: You can create a new structure by inserting child or sibling nodes under the top-level node within the Association Structure panel.
Modifying Node Properties: You can modify the properties of each node, such as its name, to make it more descriptive and easier to identify.
Assigning Nodes: You can assign nodes from the 3D scene or Structure Browser to the Association Structure by selecting them and choosing Update Association.
Verifying Assignments: You can verify your assignments by hiding the selected nodes in the 3D scene and checking for any missed objects.
Updating Associations: You can update associations by selecting additional nodes and choosing Update Association, being careful not to deselect previously associated nodes.