IMAGINiT Manufacturing Solutions Blog

To Copy Design or Not...

Many of us have a need to leverage work from an earlier project or design on a new project.  In AutoCAD, that typically meant using Save As to create a new file and then getting to work on what is new and unique for the new project.  With a 3D modeling tool like Inventor, with individual files for every component, more files for sub-assemblies to collect them all together, and a top-level assembly to see it all come together, Save As just doesn't produce the same results, to say the least.  And don't get me started on copying all the drawings, presentations, and other related files that document the design.

So what are our options to reuse previous work in a new Inventor design?  We are glad you asked.  Here are two links to videos in our ProductivityNOW portal where our Application Expert, Walt Jaquith discusses all your options in detail.

The first video is a survey of 6 different tools for copying Inventor data, and discusses each one’s purpose, strengths and weaknesses.  It covers:

• The Save and Replace Component tool
• The Assembly Copy command
• Pack and Go
• Design Assistant
• iLogic Copy
• Vault Copy Design

Survey of 6 Inventor Copy Tools

The second video singles out Design Assistant and Vault Copy Design, and does a head-to-head comparison between them.

Head-to-Head Comparison

We know you will find an option that meets your needs from all that Walt has detailed for you.  If there's anything we can do to help you utilize these tools more effectively, please let us know.

Until next time, keep inventing!

Eric France

Manufacturing Solutions Team Manager

Parent-child relationship between part features in Inventor 2017

In Inventor 2017, a new feature relationships tool has been added that can identify parent and child relationships between part features.

This is useful to see the dependencies between the features, before you edit or delete them. Earlier than this, only way to see the dependent features was to try deleting a feature and then it would highlight any dependents.But this tool allows you to check relationships between features and change them as required.

Right click on a feature and see its relationships. In the Relationships window, you can see the parents and children of that feature.

                  

Every feature has two options Make Selected & Edit feature.

                                                 

Make Selected helps you to see further parents-children relationship for that listed feature, whereas Edit feature allows you to edit, so that you can change the relationships if you want right away.

This is one of the basic but most awaited feature in Inventor. We are glad it was picked from the IdeaStation by Autodesk for 2017. If you have any Ideas that you would like to see implemented in Inventor, don't forget to submit it on IdeaStation 

 

 

Multi-Value Controls

We often use multi-value parameters in our automation projects as they are a way to offer options for your end user to select from.  Usually you, as the developer, will want to limit these options to what’s available, either due to selections already made or other constraints.  In this post, we’ll describe how to control values for one option based upon another selection.

Have a look at the User Interface (UI) shown below for a conveyor design by Salt Automation.

When the end user selects a Duty Cycle of Heavy, the Motor Selection options should be 7-1/2 or 5 hp, as shown in the image.  But, what if the options need to change when the end user selects a Duty Cycle of Light, to either 2 or 1 hp?

Let’s take a look at how we can accomplish this.  We can set the value options for the Duty Cycle parameter in either the Parameters dialog box via traditional methods or we can set it via iLogic code, using MultiValue.SetList.

The scheme for the MultiValue.SetList is:

    MultiValue.SetList("parameter name", "value 1", "value 2", "value 3")

In our example, it would look like this:

    MultiValue.SetList("Duty_Cycle", "Heavy", "Light")

The benefits to setting the value options in code versus the traditional method are that you can set the order in which you want them displayed but more importantly, you modify the value options at run-time through your code.

Let’s look at how we can modify the value options of our Motor Selection parameter at run-time.  We’ll do this using the Case structure.  This could also be done with an If Then statement.

    Select Case Duty_Cycle

        Case "Heavy"

            MultiValue.SetList("Motor_Selection", "7.5 hp", "5 hp")

        Case "Light"

            MultiValue.SetList("Motor_Selection", "2 hp", "1 hp")

    End Select

The code above will set the Motor Selection options based up on the selection of the Duty Cycle parameter.

The entire code is listed below.  I am also setting the ValueOptions, which will be covered later.

' Set multi-value options

    MultiValue.SetValueOptions(True, DefaultIndex := 0)

    MultiValue.SetList("Duty_Cycle", "Heavy", "Light")

 

' Set Motor Selection based on Duty Cycle

    Select Case Duty_Cycle

        Case "Heavy"

            MultiValue.SetList("Motor_Selection", "7.5 hp", "5 hp")

        Case "Light"

            MultiValue.SetList("Motor_Selection", "2 hp", "1 hp")

    End Select

Autodesk Inventor 2017 R2 Mini-Toolbar

On the first day of an Inventor class I often find myself conflicted to the point of exhaustion when a student asks me the following question...

"Why is there a dialog box AND a Mini-Toolbar to work with the standard commands?"

To that I often reach back into my AutoCAD days and say...its just another way to do the same thing like in AutoCAD.  I've always sorta hated that response because I want an interface that is consistent and complete and the Mini-Toolbar is not that.  Now, I am not saying I don't like the Mini-Toolbar, I just wish that Autodesk would commit to it.  There are many commands that do not use the Mini-Toolbar and some that ONLY have the Mini-Toolbar.  If that is the case, why not just turn off all the dialog boxes altogether and just use the Mini-Toolbar?  Well, Inventor 2017 R2 does not remove all dialog boxes for us, but instead gives users another option.

Now we can turn off the Mini-Toolbar when a dialog box is also present.  If a Mini-Toolbar is needed for a command that has no dialog box, then it does not turn off.  So, again, inconsistency remains.  Let's look deeper at some of the methods in use with Inventor and this new option.  First let's recall that if you do not like the dialog boxes alongside the Mini-Toolbar that you can roll them up.  Not remove, just roll up.  Just click on the little black triangle at the bottom of the dialog.

Now, what if the Mini-Toolbar is off?  Well you still get some heads up tools like the in the case of an Extrusion, the Depth arrow and the Taper ball at the base of the arrow.

I like this new option for those that have complained about the Mini-Toolbar, but it really begs the question...why can't Autodesk just decide on one or the other?  Some commands that use the Mini-Toolbar and the dialog box have inconsistency between what is available in the dialog and Mini-Toolbar.  For instance, the Minimum Solution in Extrusion and the All Fillets and All Rounds in the Fillet command.  Why not just make the Mini-Toolbar better?

Now with this new option there is already a slight bug that you should be aware of when you turn off the Mini-Toolbar.  If you type entry a new value into the dialog box and you do not wait for the graphics to update before you hit OK, then the command will essentially do the same thing as a Cancel, nothing will happen.  Read about it here...Autodesk Forums.  Keep and eye out for this one and watch for the next hotfix, update or R3 when it comes out.

 

Autodesk Inventor 2017 R2 Subscription Release

The Inventor 2017 R2 update is available to subscription customers and includes new features, other product enhancements, as well as various fixes. Inventor 2017 Service Pack 1 is available to customers without subscription and contains only fixes.

Customers with Subscription

Autodesk Inventor 2017 R2 includes multiple fixes plus over 40 enhancements driven directly from user feedback, including submissions via the Inventor Ideas webpage. Improvements have been made in the presentation environment, tangent selection, user interface, bill of material, ballooning, and drawings. For details regarding the enhancements, follow the link below for more on What’s New.

Autodesk Inventor 2017 R2 includes these enhancements and all improvements in Service Pack 1 within a single update. To start using it, directly install using the Autodesk Desktop App (recommended) or click the blue button to access the Inventor 2017 R2 download via Autodesk Account.

Read about 2017 R2 here.

For Non Subscribers you can get the SP1 update at that site for free, but for Subscription users you will have to either use the Autodesk Desktop App to find the update for you (which for me for some reason it never does), or you can go to your Autodesk Account and find it there after quite a bit of digging.  More digging than what it should take in my own opinion.  I had to first filter my Inventor downloads to 2017 and then it was at the VERY bottom of the list.  I guess that is what I get for having about every Autodesk product under the sun in my account.

Changing the Zoom Wheel Increment in Inventor

When you have been using Inventor for as long as I have, somethings go unnoticed when transitioning from AutoCAD to Inventor.  That's why I love when I meet new Inventor users because sometimes they ask me the questions that I never thought to ask myself.  Just the other week I had a user ask me about the factor at which Inventor zooms when the mouse is scrolled.  Now this is a setting I always teach in my AutoCAD classes and its a command called ZOOMFACTOR.  In AutoCAD, the adjustment of this system variable will increase or decrease the zoom percentage after each roll click of the wheel.  It is something in Inventor I always just sort of lived with due to my general acceptance of the zooming in Inventor.  Let's face it, most of us are not needing ZOOMFACTOR in Inventor because we are not working on entire buildings or civil street layouts.  The more mechanically minded user even with AutoCAD generally doesn't adjust this value.

Now off the bat, there is no user direct way of adjusting this setting unless you have administrative rights to your machine.  There is no Application Option to control this because it frankly has never been asked for by the masses enough to warrant another setting in the application options.  So here is how you do it...

Close Inventor and open your registry editor...REGEDIT (This is where I tell you that if you are going to make edits to your registry, maybe export the current settings before monkeying with anything).

Browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/SOFTWARE/Autodesk/Inventor/RegistryVersion21.0 (this is Inventor 2017)/System/Preferences/Display

In here you will find a registry key named Wheel Zoom Speed with a default value of 1.  Modify this value to a lower setting to zoom less and a higher number to zoom more.  I find a setting of .5 is rather tolerable if you are working on what most Inventor users work on (small or medium assemblies).

I don't think it would be hard to add this variable so I started an Inventor IdeaStation link for users to consider the magnitude of adding this to the interface.

Make sure you vote here if you want this added...

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-ideas/zoom-wheel-factor-control-add-the-registry-change-to-application/idi-p/6485175

How to create a custom linetype in AutoCAD?

It’s very easy to create custom linetype now using Express Tools in AutoCAD. Make sure express tools are installed in AutoCAD. If express tools are missing from AutoCAD Ribbon, see Missing Express Tools.

You can create a simple or complex custom linetypes in AutoCAD.

Simple linetype is a combination of lines and text, whereas complex linetype contains complex shapes.

Steps to create simple linetype;

Let’s say I need to create a linetype; --------GAS, which is a combination of dashed line and a text.

1. Go to Express Tools----> Make Linetype
2. Give linetype a file name; Gasline.lin. If you need to load a line in the linetype list, this file .lin is used.

3. Give Linetype name; GAS Linetype. You will see this name in the linetype list.

4. Next, Linetype description

5. Specify starting point and end point

For the starting point, pick the left end point of the line and, for the ending point click somewhere on the right side of the text GAS.

 

 

6. Select object

Select the line and text and hit enter.

 

Linetype is created and it should be displayed in the linetype drop down list.