One of the most common features to implement is to build outputs which can be attached to quotes. A number of steps and other considerations need to be taken in order to make this work effectively.
Add a Build Type and CAD Output to a Configurator
In our example, we will be using a simple Box configurator which will have a simple CAD output. In this instance, we do not have any build types defined, so we will create one.
Choose a descriptive name for this build type.
When you create a build type, it can and should be used in other configurators whose outputs share the same functionality. In this case, if you had another configurator who has outputs to render a model, it should also use the Renderings build type.
After the build has been created, you can add a CAD output to it. In this case, we'll use Solidworks, but the same steps can be applied for any other CAD.
The process to add a template, capture output fields in the template, and write your output document rule to populate those fields is already described in another walkthrough. But for CAD outputs specifically, you can...
- Learn how to capture output fields in a CAD file template.
- Understand the various CAD output fields you can automate with snap rules.
Create an Image Export from that Output
Once the CAD output is built, we can now add a CAD Drawing to this output. When the drawing is working, you can then create an Export of that drawing, so we have it rendered as a jpg image.
This image is going to be included in a PDF output. In order for this output to know which outputs and/or exports should be included, we need to tag this export. Like build types, we should name this tag descriptively.
Like build types, output and export tags can and should be reused in multiple outputs to include them in a common group.
Create a PDF Quote Output which will Include this Image
Now that our configurator output is all set, we can now create a PDF Quote Output which will be viewable by the user. Let's go to the Quote Outputs page.
Add Code to the Workflow which will Build the Necessary Outputs
And create a new PDF Bundle Quote Output.
Quote outputs have tags as well. In this case, we want to add a tag called "viewable" to the output. When we get to the workflow, we can include this new tag for view permissions for this output.
Next, we can create a new PDF Section field, which will represent the image we want to include.
Now the PDF output will consist of a series of images for each output that has the tag, "include_in_pdf". If you wish to add more pages to the PDF, such as a cover sheet or index, you can create other outputs which get generated, then create other PDF Section fields which point to those new outputs.
Now that our outputs are ready to be built, we need to instruct the workflow to build these outputs. You'll see where the build types and tags get referenced in these workflows.
The permission "View Outputs with Tag" instructs the workflow to expose any output with the "viewable" tag to the user for download. Remember that the Rendered Products have this tag.
Important
By default, any output does NOT have any view permissions. You need to make sure any output you wish someone to view has the correct permissions via this block.
Next, a Build State is added which builds all outputs belonging to the "Renderings" build type. Having this added to the build state is important, because the Rendered Products output depends on these images to be fully generated before its build is kicked off. Once the builds are complete, it will move onto the Complete state. At this point, it will build the Rendered Products, which will attach the generated PDF output to the quote. The user with the correct permissions will be able to see this in the attachments panel for the quote with a link to download.
Troubleshooting
If you've run the quote through the workflow and cannot find your file when expected, the first thing to check are the permissions and tags. Make sure the output you expect to see is tagged, and that tag is applied to the permissions. It's possible that a permission belonging to the state the quote is in is overriding the default permissions as well.
Also, remember that Quote Outputs will appear in the main attachments panel, but Configurator Outputs will appear in the attachments for that configured product, visible after you expand it in the quote page.
Check logs to ensure the outputs are building correctly. If there is an error logged, it's possible that's preventing the output from being built.
Finally, check that all the outputs to be viewed and any other outputs that this output depends on are posted to the cloud.