Using SW 2010 SP5

If I record a macro for clicking the flatten sheetmetel button it gives me the result below as the code I need to use.

longstatus = Part.SetBendState(2)

boolstatus = Part.EditRebuild3()

So from this I have been using the code below to flatten parts that are sheetmetel in a macro we run which I believe is exactly the same thing but I get really weird results.

BendState = swModel.SetBendState(swSMBendState_e.swSMBendStateFlattened) ' Flatten part

bRebuild = swModel.EditRebuild3()

All testing done on attached part HPW023-1.SLDPRT which is a known problem part, i.e. doesn’t behave as expected while others do.

Test 1: Using built in SW sheetmetel flatten button

     Step 1: Open part

     Step 2: Click sheetmetel flatten button

     Result: Everything behaves normally as expected and the part flattens.

Test 2: Using attached macro "flatten sheetmetel part".

     Step 1: Open part

     Step 2: Run macro

     Result: SM flatten button looks to be activated but the part is not flattened. The name of the flat pattern has now also changed from Flat-Pattern1 from Flat-Pattern2.

Test 3: Modify EditRebuild3 to be ForceRebuild3 and run the rebuild twice.

     BendState = swModel.SetBendState(swSMBendState_e.swSMBendStateFlattened)

     bRebuild = swModel.ForceRebuild3(False)

     bRebuild = swModel.ForceRebuild3(False)

     Step 1: Open part

     Step 2: Run macro but debug pause before the second rebuild

     Step 3: Run second rebuild.

     Result: After first rebuild everything appears to be the same as Test 2 with the name changing to Flat-Patten2 and the part not flattening but then once the second rebuild is run the name corrects itself and the part flattens.

Test 4: Check what’s in the feature tree

     Step 1: Open part

     Step 2: Run macro "list all features in tree"

Debugger output:

FName: Flat-Pattern1 (FType: FlatPattern)

  SubFeatures:

    Bend-Lines1

    Sketch Transformation1

    Flatten-1

Flatten-1

FName: Flat-Pattern2 (FType: FlatPattern)

  SubFeatures:

    Bend-Lines2

     Result: Above shows that there appears to be a second flatpattern that is in the part data but not normally visible in the SW GUI.

Am I doing something wrong or does anyone have any ideas how I can get all parts flattened reliably without doing two ForceRebuild3 and hoping it’s going to always work?