IMAGINiT Manufacturing Solutions Blog

Insert Block Into AutoCAD From Vault

I had a user trying to find a way to insert a block into AutoCAD directly from their Vault. They were having trouble because there is no command that does that yet.

I found threads on the Autodesk forums going back to 2008 on this topic. And it's on the Idea Station as recently as 2015. If you need this, give it a kudos to push its priority up a bit.
http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/vault-ideas/insert-block-from-the-vault/idi-p/5796810

That said, here is a potential work around. 

Open the XREF panel by typing XREF.
Attach the desired block from Vault

Place it like you normally would place the inserted block.

Next right click on the XREF and select Bind.

That will bring up this dialog.

Using the Insert option will cause all the XREF layer names to be removed and the XREF will then be as if it was inserted as a block.

Optimizing for the Cloud

Many articles have been posted about the advantages of PLM in the Cloud.  Topics of continuity, synchronization and availability from any platform instantly come to mind.

Not intending to burst your bubble, but guess what, "No Virginia, there is no cloud".  The term 'computing in the cloud' is merely a metaphor for someone else's hardware, employing economy of scale, executing queries and stored procedures against your metadata.  In short, you push data to a secure site running servers from your web client.  Apple, PC, Linux, doesn't matter.  It's just data.  Data that you live and breath by.

That said, (sorry if you're feeling let down somehow), we tend to take this 'cloud' for granted, but it is NOT necessarily an all powerful, all seeing, all knowing mega processor in the sky. It's normal server architecture that someone provides access to for a fee.

Since we know now that this cloud may have some limitations, let's see how that might apply to Autodesk's Fusion Lifecycle.

Anyone who've read any of my blog postings, or other social media blips might know that I'm a data junkie.  Data is king.  Data runs the world.  For every simple task from starting my car to drive to the corner store there is data in the mix.  My car knows the proper fuel/air ratio because it's been programmed using data to make automatic samples and adjustments.  The cash register at the market knows how much to charge me for the gallon of milk by scanning the barcode on the label.  More data...

While simple metadata is for the most part simple bits and bytes, we humans need some way to interface with that data.  So, we create tables to organize that data, use images to represent the data, and run code to automatically calculate data into meaningful output.

All these 'extras' eat bandwidth.  Pages have to load, images get downloaded and cached, numbers get crunched.  It all takes processor cycles.  There are three main components that come into play.  Network speed, (on both ends), transfer of data, both up and down, and actual processing of the data.

As a Fusion Lifecycle integration specialist I'm always looking for ways to speed up the flow of data and optimize the user experience.

 It's important to consider things such as how many images are utilized within the Fusion Lifecycle, (FLC), workspaces.  Do you really need your company logo plastered everywhere?  Chances are the majority of your users are from within your organization so they don't need a reminder of who's site they're on.

Page loading time can sometimes be reduced by setting workspace sections to be collapsed by default.  

Finally, the number one burden when we're talking performance is scripts.  There are Condition scripts which verify whether an action can take place, or if a user is a member of a particular group.  Next are Validation scripts do things like ensuring prerequisite data is complete, or that a required file has been attached.  

Perhaps the most utilized type of FLC script is the Action script.  Action scripts can do truly amazing things from automatically creating records based on workflow actions, generate emails containing advanced print views, etc.  When tasked with a creating a complex action script it's important to know that FLC imposes a time-out on the script execution, typically 9 seconds.  The reason for this timeout is primarily two-fold; expected interface response and server load balancing.  Nobody wants to stare at the screen for 45 seconds waiting for the records to update. With today's bandwidth we've come to expect near real-time response.  Also, remember that I said this 'cloud' is merely a server cluster running somewhere else in a secure data bunker?  Well, those server admins need to ensure that everyone gets equal access and you really don't want to wait for your screen to refresh while 20 users from some other company just fired off a script that's taking 45 seconds to run...

So, being a self-proclaimed 'clever' implementer I said, "I'll just string together a bunch of scripts and export everything I can to library functions."  In theory, that's a sound practice, right?  Wrong!  While theoretically each script gets ~9 seconds of CPU time, each script chews up time loading resources like those other scripts and library functions, effectively shooting yourself in the foot.  Clever...right.

A better approach is to split the scripts up by operation.  We can trigger scripts by calling them according to the operation such as:

• Using an On_Create script when an item is created
• Firing an action script when item details are modified
• Triggering an action script when a workflow is transitioned
• Manually running an On Demand Script

Manually running an On Demand script is the ace up your sleeve.  True, it does require user interaction, but it also provides the freedom of NOT being tied to any other ongoing process.  It's important to realize that every FLC implementation/integration is unique due to client requirements.  In short, there is no tried and true process for ensuring things will work as desired right out of the box.  With a highly configurable product like Fusion Lifecycle you can count on a certain amount of head-scratching to get it to jump through those specialized hoops.

I hope that you found this posting informative.

Happy Coding,

Refreshing Autodesk Vault Is So Important

I just ran into an interesting experience that I thought I should share with everyone.  Those of you familiar with Autodesk Vault have probably already become familiar with the concept of refresh.  When in the vault thick client, we also refer to it as the full client, we must always be mindful of refreshing the display occasionally.  The vault client does not automatically refresh itself on any periodic basis.  Autodesk has said that this was a conscious decision on the part of the software development.  Having any sort of periodic refreshing of the screen takes resources away from other activities, and can interrupt the user at an undesirable point in their work.  

While there are some activities that will refresh the display, such as changing folders, I try to remind myself to use the two manual refresh commands.  In the main toolbar, there is a small button with two green arrows (reminds me of a recycle image) with a tool tip of 'Refresh (F5)'.  I use the F5 function button on the keyboard myself.  If you have left the user interface idle for any length of time, it is a really good idea to refresh it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I experienced something unusual that prompted the need to write this article.  Autodesk added a lifecycle rollback function for files back in version 2016.  I used it today to roll back a few files, and was surprised to find that following the rollback, I was unable to change the category or lifecycle of the files I had just rolled back.  I selected other files, the Change Category and Change State buttons are enabled.  I select my files in question and those buttons are disabled.  What gives here?  The answer is that I need to refresh my display.  This particular function shows the updated information about the file, they now show their previous lifecycle states, but otherwise what I see on screen is not completely up-to-date.  If I hit 'F5' on my keyboard, I now see those commands enabled for the files I have been changing.  I now have a renewed appreciation for the refresh command in Vault and will try to remember to use it more often.

T-Splines - Faces, Edges, and Points

One thing that opened up a whole new world to me when I started modeling with T-Splines was the realization that faces, edges, and points can be deleted to achieve different effects.  Some of those effects include adding holes, combining faces, and rounding corners to name a few.  In the image below you will see a T-Spline plane on the left, on the right the indicated face, edge, and point were deleted to change the control frame on the plane. 

 

 

Now, start combining the “delete” concept with a few simple "Edit Form" movements and you really begin to see your models take shape. 

 

 

Don’t forget that when you use the "Edit Form" command it works on faces, edges, and points.  Also, if you double click on an edge it will select the entire chain of edges to be moved.  See the image below for examples of using the "Edit Form" command to manipulate edges and a point.

 

 

 

 

 

Continue this workflow and you too can design your very own Halloween mask. 

 

Display Of iLogic Browser Forms Tabs

Have you ever wanted to change the look of the Forms or Global Forms tab of your iLogic Browser?  The generic look of the defaults can certainly use some perking up (see image below).  You've spent all that time on your code so you might as well make your form look a little nicer.  In my post, I'll be working with the Global Forms tab but the tools are the same for the Forms tab.

To modify the display of your Global Forms tab, go to the tab on the iLogic Browser, right mouse click on a blank spot, and choose Edit from the contextual menu.  This will open up the Global Forms & Rules Editor (or the Forms & Rules Editor if you are on the Forms tab).  The Global Forms & Rules Editor works very similar to the Form Editor but with less control.  Let's take a look at the areas of the dialog box and what options are available to us.

1. Rules
   • External rules are listed here for dragging and dropping onto the Design Tree.  Yep, you can create a button on your Forms tab to directly run a rule.
2. Toolbox
   • The Toolbox for this dialog contains many (but not all) of the same controls as the Form Editor.  The only new control is the Form control.  This will allow you to add another Form to the Design Tree.
3. Design Tree
   • The Design Tree works similar to the Design Tree for the Form Editor.  You can manipulate the display and arrangement of Forms through the use of the Toolbox items and dragging and dropping.
4. Properties
   • By using the properties, you can really make your Forms stand out.  The properties shown are dependent on whether you have selected the Forms and Rules node or a Form in the Design Tree.
   • Forms and Rules Properties
     • Label: This property is read only for the Forms and Rules node.
     • Show Item Borders:  Boolean property that controls whether or not there are borders around each form.
     • Text Location for Contents: I'll be honest, I do not understand what this property does.  I cannot see any impact this has.  If you find something, please comment below.  :)
     • Font for Contents: Sets the font for the label of the form as it's displayed on the Forms tab of the iLogic Browser.
     • Visual Style: Sets how the Form buttons look on the iLogic Browser.  The options are Default, Windows XP (Really?), Flat, Ultra Flat, 3D, Office 2003, DevExpress Style, DevExpress Dark Style (my personal favorite).
• Forms Properties
  • Label: Sets the name of the Form.  The label is displayed on the Forms tab of the iLogic Browser but is dependent on the options chosen for the Image and Show Text properties.
  • Image: Assigns an image to use as part of the Form button on the iLogic Browser.  Be sure to resize your image beforehand as there are no controls to resize in the Editor.  If you wish to remove an image, delete the text in the Image property.
  • Show Text: Boolean that allows you to turn off the label on the Form button.  This will only affect your button if you're using an image for your form.  If no image is used, the label will always display.
  • Tooltip: Assigns a tooltip for this Form button.  The tooltip will display when your user hovers their mouse over the button on the iLogic Browser.
  • Font: Assigns the font to use for the label.

Below is an example of using some of these options.  I've set the Visual Style to DevExpress Dark Style and set the font to Calibri Bold.  I've assigned an image to the Configurator Form.  I've also assigned an image to the BOM Export Options Form (the second button) and set it's Show Text property to False.  The Clear iProperties is an External Rule that I often run so I added it to my Global Forms tab.

Hopefully these will give you some ideas on how you can make your forms look a little better.

"Good design adds value faster than it adds cost." - Thomas C. Gale

Randy 

Tips to get better resolution or display quality of the Inventor Models

If you would like to have a better resolution or display quality of the Inventor models, there are couple of settings you can change for the best results. If you noticed jagged edges on the model, Inventor is doing it to speed up the process, so that it doesn’t put load on the graphics card. Depending on the hardware of your computer, you can try following tricks to improve the display quality.

Go to Applications Options> Display and set the display quality to “Smoother”.         

 

Go to Inventor Application options > Hardware > Quality, by default this setting is at performance. You can change it to Quality and close. Now shut down inventor and restart after couple of seconds. Anytime you change anything in inventor display performance, it will be effective only after you restart inventor.

This should make the model edges look smoother.

There is another method of improving the display quality if you wish to keep the hardware settings at performance. For that we will need to change some settings of the graphics card. Select “Performance” in hardware settings and then go to your desktop, right click on the screen and select NVIDIA control panel,

        
In the NVIDIA control panel window, go to MANAGE 3D SETTINGS in the left browser as shown in image below. Depending on the type of graphics card you have, settings could be little different in your computer. On the right side click ADD to add inventor from the selected programs.

Once you have inventor selected, it will list different settings for the program, we will override some of the settings that inventor needs to use to make the model look smoother. Not all the settings apply to inventor, you can click on each setting and read its description for better understanding.

For now select ANTIALIASING-FXXA setting and turn it on from the drop down menu next to it. Then apply changes, close inventor and restart it to see the improved performance. You will see the model has fine smooth edges.

These are some tricks to get rid of jagged edges of inventor model and have a smoother model.

Inventor Fun Time with Uncle Rusty - Illustrated Views of your Inventor Models

Do All Your Renderings Look Alike?

If you have been working in Inventor for a while, you may have noticed that all your renderings tend to look the same.  I am sure they look great, but these days I am beginning to feel like one photo-realistic rendering tends to look like the next.  Sometimes I find myself reminiscing about the old days when an actual artist would take your design and develop a hand-drawn illustration depicting the final design.  This got me thinking how could we generate "old fashioned" illustrations from our modern Inventor designs?

First Stop - Autodesk Product Design Collection

Usually the first place I turn for any design challenge is Inventor and the members of the Product Design Collection.  There are so many options for image generation and illustrated views. But I was pretty disappointed with the results and the complex processes for generating illustrated views using the the collection tools.

AutoCAD -  I think my best results came from the AutoCAD "Sketchy" visual style, but it took a while to modify all the options to achieve an image.  I also had to print this image via AutoCAD to generate the graphic.

 

 

3DS Max - I used the preset Stylized setting in 3DS Viewport to generate an illustrated image.  3DS is usually thought of as the "King of the Hill" when it comes to image visualization.  Given enough time and effort I am sure I could have done better, but I really want a quick and easy process for generating hand drawn images.  

Showcase - I have always thought of Autodesk Showcase as a simpler and easier version of 3DS Max.  Showcase has some preset visual styles for illustration generation.  The one I settled on was called Toon Color.  My issues here are pretty simple.  The visual styles in Showcase cannot be edited and the results still look more computer generated than hand-drawn.

Autodesk Inventor - Ugh!  I hate to say anything bad about my beloved Inventor application, but the preset visual styles dedicated to Illustrations leave a lot to be desired.  I used the Water Color and Sketch Illustration styles for these images.  

Close, But Not Good Enough

As you have seen above, each of the Autodesk applications is capable of producing an image that is similar to a hand drawn illustration, but each falls short in one way or another.  All Autodesk illustrations have edge lines that are obviously generated by a computer and not a person.  Several of the examples above obviously appear to be computer generated.  In other words, they are too perfect.  These examples lack the hand drawn artistic touch that real sketch illustrations have.  I know these criticisms may seem harsh, but the point must be made.  When it comes to sketch illustrations, the Autodesk Product Design Collection comes up a little short. 

 

Going Outside the Autodesk Box

If our Autodesk applications are letting us down, where can we turn?  Don’t worry.  There is a simple and inexpensive answer to this issue.  Simply pull out your smart phone or iPad.  That’s right.  One of the most popular capabilities of smart phones and iPads is the conversion of photographs to hand drawn pictures.  Whether you are using an Android or Apple device, your app store is full of applications dedicated to this process.

For this example I will be utilizing my iPad and an application called Pencil Sketch 2.  I downloaded this app a few weeks ago and purchased the Pro version available as an in app purchase.  $1.99 in case you are wondering.  Of course, there are hundreds of photo apps that produce similar results.  You should feel free to explore as many of them as you like before settling on your favorite.   

 

The Process

The process for generating a quality sketch illustration from an Inventor model is actually quite simple.  You simply generate a screenshot or rendered image of your Inventor Model and transfer it to your phone or iPad.  Then you open the Pencil Sketch and import the image.

Process

• Open your Inventor Model.
• Orient your model to the desired viewpoint or position.
• Turn on the shadows and reflections as desired.
• Generate the screenshot / Publish the image.
• Transfer the image to your mobile device.
• Open the Pencil Sketch App.
• Import the picture.

This image shows the simple screenshot created from Inventor open in the Pencil Sketch app.

Options, Options, Options

Now for the fun part.  There are so many different kinds of sketch illustrations effects to choose from.  From a simple pencil sketch to a comic book illustration.  It’s all up to you and your artistic vision.  It is important to note that many of the Autodesk applications have Visual Styles dedicated to illustrations but many of them do not allow you to alter the style at all. That is certainly not the case here.

A few sketch illustrations examples are included below.

A360 and Pencil Sketch - Process

The process can be augmented allowing you to have complete control of the model position, orientation, and perspective all on your mobile device.    To do this you simply save your Inventor model to your Autodesk 360 account as a DWFx file.  There is an A360 application for your mobile devices that allow you to review your Inventor models on the go.  The app allows you to pose the model in any orientation and save a picture of the model to your camera roll.  These pictures are then imported into the Pencil Sketch app and converted to sketch illustrations. 

Process

• Save a copy of your Inventor model to DWFx.
• Upload the DWFx file to your A360 Account.
• Use the A360 app on your mobile device to view the DWFx file.
• Pose the 3D model adjusting the position, orientation, and perspective.
• Use the Snapshot option to save a picture of the model to your camera roll.
• Open the Pencil Sketch app and import the picture
• Adjust the settings to produce the sketch illustration.

Conclusion – What Are You Waiting For?

Sketch illustrations are still a viable method of communicating your design vision and they have never been easier to create.  Combining the 3D capabilities of the Autodesk Manufacturing collection and a simple Pencil Sketch app on your mobile device gives you the capabilities to easily generate any sketch illustration you desire. 

 

Video Link

 

 

 

 

 

Autodesk Vault Custom Objects

Custom Objects were introduced into Autodesk Vault in 2014, but they are hidden and you have to know how to use them correctly.  A Custom Object can have its own customised object definition security, assigned properties, and participate in life cycle changes.  This is great because you can attach file links to a custom object.

In this example lets create a Vendor Record Custom Object that will hold Vendor information.

First log into the Vault and click on Tools > Administration > Vault Settings

Then select the Custom Objects Tab and the click on Configure:

In the Configure Custom Objects Dialog box select New and enter the following information:

 **Note: you can create a icon by saving an image to an ICO file.  

You can create your own custom object definition security by clicking on the Configure and then assigning the permissions as necessary.  

Once you are done click on OK and then log out of the Vault Client, and log back into the client. (The new object will not be visible until you log off and log back into the vault)

When you log back into the Vault you should see the following Vendors in the Home Tab.

 

 

Now on the back end you can create Properties that will be specific to the Custom Object, and you can create lifestyles that control the custom objects.

Properties:

Properties can be mapped by going into Tools > Administration > Vault Settings > Behaviours > Properties.  Once in the Properties dialog box make sure to select the Custom Objects in the Associations.  

Also the you can change the Categories which will control the life cycle and which properties you want to display. 

To create a new Vendor in our example you can click on the Vendors tab and click on New which will create a new Vendor.

 

This will create a new Vendor in the Vendors tab.  Now you can assign links from files that reside in Vault and paste them as links into the custom object.

Now you can give Custom Objects a try.

For more information visit:

Autodesk Vault Custom Object

 

Vault 2017 - Security Problem Solved

The release of Autodesk's Vault 2017 made us very happy.  We have known of a problem in the vault security for quite some time now.  It dates back to around 2008, when it was discovered that there was an issue between folder-level permissions and lifecycle permissions.  As an example (in the 2016 version in this case), I have a folder named Security.  This folder is set with permissions so that only the administrators group can see files in that folder. 

I check in a file to the security folder, named ‘Admins Only.Docx’.

I then assign a category to this document, which assigns a basic lifecycle.  The file is currently in a 'Work in Progress' state, which is editable by most of the users.  When I log into the vault using a guest account, I do not see the Security folder in the folder tree.  If I perform a search in the vault, looking for that file, I indeed find it, and could conceivably get a copy or check it out.  As an interesting side note, the vault understands that the file is not accessible to me and will not show me the path in which the file is found.

Fast forward to Vault 2017.  Autodesk announces that they have redesigned the security model so that administrators are now able to better control the way the security model behaves. 

In our new vault, I again create a folder named Security, and set the security so that only the Administrators group has access to those files.  Note the additional setting that allows me to override the state-based security.  This is the key to hiding the files in that folder from those that should not access them.  I again, place my ‘Admins Only.Docx’ file in the folder. 

I log in to the vault as ‘guest’.  Looking through the folder tree, I do not see the ‘Security’ folder.  I perform a search for the 'Admins Only' file, and I am pleased to see that the file is not available through the search results.  I have now effectively hidden the file from all but the administrators.

Prior to the 2017 release, we would create a separate category for each type of restricted files, because we were forced to create a separate lifecycle for those files (having a separate category made it simpler for the users to assign the lifecycle, and allowed those files to stand out in a larger search result).  With a separate lifecycle, we could allow a specific group of users to have access to those files.  Hiding the folder from the rest of the users was essentially unnecessary because they could not see the files in the folder, but hiding that folder usually was preferred over the typical question from the users, “Why is there an empty ‘Security’ folder in the vault?”  Vault 2017 now allows us to reduce the effort needed to separate those files that require some level of restricted access.  We can now use a basic lifecycle for those files and feel safe that only those that can 'see' the file will be able to use that file.  Kudos, Autodesk!  For additional information, please see Autodesk's knowledge article on Vault 2017 security.