Classic variant principles

Variants allow you to create options (for example, color) and allowed values of those options (for example, red and blue) and associate them with an item revision. You usually do this at a top-level assembly, but you can implement variants anywhere in the structure. You then define a variant condition (for example, only load IF option color = value red is specified in the variant rule) on those occurrences that are subject to variant rules. To configure a particular variant of an assembly or product, set a variant rule (a group of options and values such as color = red, material = cotton). This can be stored in the database and retrieved later. To specify option values or combinations that are not allowed, you can also set default option values (for example, color = blue) for the variant rule and create variant rule checks (for example, error if color = green AND material = cotton). This functionality supports: Options that are a mandatory choice or an accessory. Components that are configured by more than one option. Variant assemblies that are shared between products. A 120% BOM configuration, allowing users to select multiple values for an option. Overlay configurations, allowing users to apply multiple saved variant rules (SVRs) to the product structure. Changes to variant data are controlled by association with item revisions and BOM view revisions. You can save a variant rule in Structure Manager as a persistent workspace object, then use it in the Multi-Structure Manager application or NX. You can also send the object to another user.