Video

In part 5 of the series we will be showing you how to use the Excel parameters with Inventor.

The other way to access a parameter to access a file we may need is to use an Excel sheet. We are going to create an Excel sheet. You want to save this in the same folder you have your project in. You don't want any headers in the sheet, just the list of the parameters. We first type "StandarsScrewLength" and then we put the value in the second column and the unit in the third column. We will then save the file in the folder with our other files.

Keep the Excel sheet open so you can access the parameters. We want to use these in the holes we're going to make. We go into the part file (not the sketches). We then use the "hole" command to create the hole. Place it on the part wherever to begin with. Next select "through all" to make the hole go all the way through to the bottom. Now we go into the parameters and select "link" toward the bottom left. This will open up the folder that the project is in. Open the spreadsheet you want to use with the parameters you have specified. You will then be able to see the parameters from the spreadsheet exposed. Next we add another parameter called "StandardThicknessOfMaterial" and add the value and unit. Now we press "update" and go back into the parameters. We will now use this in the distance from the hole to the edge of the material. Click and select the parameter you have specified in the Excel sheet. Our hole is a little too far so now we need to subtract the thickness of the wood. Now we can accept the changes.

Another place to find your parameters is to look in the parameters folder. You can modify the values here and it will change in the actual part. Now we need to place a hole in the back so the screw and cross dowel can be fastened. First we're going to put another entry into the Excel file called "FastenerDistanceFromEdge". We save this on the sheet and then click on "update". We create and hole and place in the specifications. We click on reference and select "list parameters" and select the appropriate measurement from the list. Now we accept and we can see the hole that reaches inside to meet the screw hole without travelling through the entire piece.

Click Here for the Next Part in the Series