Well there partners, the 2011 software has been out for a little while now and it is time to look and see if anything was missed from beta testing to final shipment as well as perhaps examine our older software if we are running on it still too. Let's start off with the 2011 line.
Inventor 2011
Hotfix: Inventor 2011 unexpectedly exits upon feature creation : This was a biggie for a a portion of users. The error was with specific setups and caused Inventor to crash during creation of features while using the new Direct Manipulation mini toolbar.
Hotfix: Occasional performance degradation seen with Inventor 2011 and Windows 7 : This address performance issues with some aspects of Windows 7 and Inventor 2011. A must for users of Windows 7 to install.
Hotfix: Change parameter value from linked Excel file does not update sketch : This hotfix addresses users of Excel files in conjunction with Inventor models that push updates through Excel and not the parameter table directly. This only really applies to you if you follow this modeling method.
AutoCAD 2011
AutoCAD 2011 CHM based help : This addresses issues for some users that have trouble with the new online based help system for AutoCAD. With this notice you can download the CHM file directly for help information rather than the online method in AutoCAD 2011.
Vault 2011
Vault Update 1 : Fixes a variety of issues with all flavors of Vault. WARNING, failure to follow the read me instructions may result in unusable sites so watch your Ps and Qs.
So with the 2011 products only out for a short period of time (a little over a month) why do we have these issues? Well, my first question is... Did YOU beta test or report issues? Beta testing is one of the easiest ways for Autodesk to find issues with code before it ships by actually getting it in the hands of the users. 2011 was in beta for at least 4 months to a lot of users. The argument against that is that you do not have enough time to beta test and get work out. I understand that and so does Autodesk, but if you are passionate enough about the software they will get their users that beta test every time (me).
A majority of these issues are due to fact that once you release a product to a million user base, there will be things that pop up. Its great to see they react and get patches out in a timely matter. This is an important reason to turn on the Customer Involvement Program and to send details on crash reports so these items can be tracked and tasked in a priority manner. You can also log issues directly with Autodesk through your subscription center account and get direct tracking information and updates on your issues.
So enough about my soapbox lecturing and on to the 2010 updates.
Inventor 2010
Service Pack 3 : This service pack address a host of minor issues and user requests to the software. The most important thing to install the correct version. There is a SP# for x86 and x64 but also for users of the advantage pack as well. Make sure you download and install the correct version for your setup. Make sure you disable UAC on Vista or Win7 if you are using those operating systems and that you have installed the previous Service Packs before this one. Remember, Inventor SPs are not inclusive of the previous SP and must be installed in order of SP number. There is actually a fix listed in here to be able to use Custom Parameter iParts with iAssemblies. I have not tried that out yet, but I am intrigued.
AutoCAD 2010
Service Pack 2 : The AutoCAD update actually includes all hotfixes of Service Pack 1 so you do not need to install the first SP in this case.