IMAGINiT Manufacturing Solutions Blog

NEW Home for the IMAGINiT Manufacturing Solutions Blog

We truly enjoy writing blog posts and sharing them. But that’s not all we do. Our new blog site lives on the IMAGINiT Resource Center. 

The IMAGINiT Resource Center offers a searchable index of our older posts, on-demand webcasts, tips and tricks, case studies, whitepapers, and more.

Content from our amazing technical team will continue! We hope you’ll join us: https://resources.imaginit.com/manufacturing-solutions-blog

Live Industry Lecture Series

We're excited to announce IMAGINiT's Live Lecture Series! Each month, enhance your knowledge and use of Autodesk products with our complimentary "live lecture" style learning that emphasizes real-world topics and experiences not found in standard training classes. Explore the latest features, tips, tricks, and more for your industry.

Sign up now to attend January's free Lectures:

 

MANUFACTURING

Swapping and Updating Blocks in AutoCAD Electrical

January 10 - 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM ET

Objectives

• Understand the various ways to handle changing components
• Use the Swap/Update Block command

View full description and register for free.

 

Technical Overview of Inventor Tube & Pipe

January 13 - 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM ET

Objectives

• Understand the components of a Tube and Pipe run.
• Discuss the difference between a Rout and a Run
• Configure and use a Tube and Pipe Style

View full description and register for free.

 

AUTOCAD - GENERAL

Dynamic Blocks in AutoCAD
January 17 - 12:00 - 12:45 PM ET

Objectives

• Create a single dynamic block to manage different sizes and variations of an object
• Add parameters and actions to objects in a block to make it dynamic
• Add constraints (geometric or dimensional) to a dynamic block to help it retain its correct shape
• Create a block table to select from a list to adjust dynamic block

View full description and register for free.

 

CIVIL

Geotechnical Data for Civil 3D Surfaces
January 13- 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM ET

Objectives

• Review types of Data Formats
• Demonstrate the Geotechnical Workflow
• Review Geotechnical Data
• Create a Surface and Profile

View full description and register for free.

 

BUILDING

Rapid Detailing in Revit
January 27 - 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM ET

Objectives
• Link CAD files into a Revit project
• Add residential doors, windows, components, and floors
• Create a roof and add trusses
• Develop room elements and report schedule data
• Assemble sheets for construction documents

View full description and register for free.

 

Please note: on-demand recordings of these webinars are available for ProductivityNOW customers only. 

Model Based Definition With Autodesk Inventor

The Modern Digital Workplace

With fabricators continuing to push the limits of digital manufacturing, it was inevitable that classic drafting documentation would eventually become obsolete.  For quite a while it has been possible to manufacture a finished part solely based upon the information taken directly from the digital 3D design.  Feeding a CNC machine G-code derived from the original 3D model is now common place across the manufacturing discipline.  

But what about the machine parts and assemblies that still require a skilled machinist and fabricators?  How do we deliver machining tolerances and assembly instructions to our manufacturing division without proper 2D documentation?  The answer is found in a relatively new process called Model Based Definition.

Model Based Definition is the process of adding all necessary fabrication instruction information directly to the 3D model.  The model is then transmitted directly to manufacturing for assembly or fabrication.  Because this process eliminates the entire drafting step, it is far more efficient than any traditional “paper-based” workflows. 

Going Beyond Paperless
Many of us remember the “paperless initiatives” pursued by countless organizations during the early years of the digital manufacturing era.  Based upon the idea that there were reliable 2D digital formats like PDF and DWF, printing and producing paper drawings was almost completely eliminated.  With Model Based Definition, it is now possible to not only go truly paperless, but to eliminate the classic drafting documentation step altogether.  The same portable tablets used to view the 2D drawings can now be utilized to display the full 3D model complete with tolerances and assembly instructions. 

 

Model Based Definition for Parts and Assemblies
With the introduction of Autodesk Inventor 2018.1 we now have the ability to add 3D annotations to parts and assemblies, placing the product manufacturing information directly into the 3D model.  Commands for adding this information are now located on the Annotation tab available in the part and assembly modeling environments.  The Annotate tab provides complete support for Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing in way of part design.  The built in Tolerance Advisor can assist you in GD&T validation.  The Tolerance Advisor guides you through creating a fully constrained design.  When you create tolerance features, the advisor displays informational messages or warnings about potential issues in the Tolerance Advisor browser pane.

 The 2018.1 subscription release of Inventor now offers the ability to add 3D annotations to assemblies.  The simple difference between the assembly and part annotations environment is the understandable absence of the GD&T tools which are only valid in part fabrication instructions.  Dimensions, Hole Notes, Surface Texture, Leaders, and General Notes are available to include as 3D part, and assembly annotations.    

 

Organizing your 3D Annotations with Design Views
The 3D Annotations you add to your models are all stored in the Annotations folder located in the model browser.  You typically create individual Design Views for the classic Front, Top, Right, and Isometric viewpoints.  3D Annotations are automatically visible in each design view and can be manually hidden in specific views where they don’t apply.  Each Design View remembers the visibility state for all 3D Annotations.  There are also options to hide 3D Annotations and Component Annotations on the Object Visibility command located on the View Tab.

Pitfalls and Considerations
As with all emerging workflows and design features, there are a few drawbacks and incomplete functionality that need to be considered.  It is important to note that this is the initial release of Model Based Definition in Autodesk Inventor and there are still major gaps in design documentation that need to be addressed.  Overall the current functionality is a fine first step toward the goal of a completely annotated 3D design, but there is still a way to go.  Below you will find some the pitfalls I have initially found with this workflow.  You should certainly begin utilizing 3D Annotations now, but consider these points before full adoption.

 

Pitfall #1 - Sharing your Design to Mobile Platforms
At this point the only reliable method of sharing the 3D model to portable tablets utilizes the 3D PDF export feature available on the Annotate tab.  This means that your collaborators or fabricators will have to install an app that supports and displays 3D PDF files.  It is foreseeable that Autodesk will eventually include the display of 3D annotations in a DWF or A360 viewer, but as of the time of this article, 3DPDF is the only viable option. 

Pitfall #2 - Missing Annotation Types
A classic 2D drawing contains other annotations beyond the standard dimensions, tolerances, and leader notes.  There are no current 3D annotation support for the following.

• Bill of Materials / Parts List
• Balloons
• Custom Symbols

Pitfall #3 - Everything in the One File
The current workflow puts all 3D Annotation in the main assembly or part file.  While keeping everything together seems to have some organizational advantage, it can quickly clutter the file with useful but distracting visual data.  The data management cycle for versioning these types of files will be greater because of the nature of updating and tweaking annotations.  It would be nice to see a dedicated annotation file, like an Inventor Presentation file which holds all manufacturing information but does not impact the actual 3D model.   

 

Conclusion
I will be the first person to sound off and cry that “you will never take my 2D drawings!”, but the future is coming whether you like it or not.  3D Model Annotations and Model Based Definitions have already been adopted by many companies including high end defense contractors.  If there is a silver lining to the passing of traditional 2D drawings, it’s that the same care and attention to detail are required to produce the modern 3D equivalent.  So, jump in and begin experimenting with this new workflow.  Chances are you will be utilizing it sooner than you think. 

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

 

Moving to the Cloud...

Should You or Shouldn't You?

When it comes to moving a part of your business out to the World Wide Web, there are many considerations to weigh.  Will our data be secure in a datacenter?  What elements of our business would work better on the internet?  Will the cloud give our company an edge over our competitors?

These questions and more will be answered in our free online discussion happening on Wednesday, October 28^th.  We invite you to attend and bring all your questions.  Learn more here:

Leveraging the Cloud

As technology and the Internet of Things continue to evolve, it becomes less a matter of "if" and more a question of "when" to make the shift.  This event could answer the question, "Is now the time to move our business to the cloud?"  We have the answers you need.

Register Now and decide for yourself.

Register Here for the discussion

3DRV: A Road Trip Like No Other

This past year one of our clients (Jayco) was asked to assist with an Autodesk endeavor to educate communities and schools on what design methods are available today and how accessible it all really is.  Jayco was nice enough to loan him a prototype of a new RV they will be producing and allow Autodesk to wrap it up with dynamic signage.  If you have a desire to learn more about 3D Scanning, 3D Printing, and other current design realities, then I would encourage you to check out TJ's journey.

100+ scheduled stops. 8 months. 1 writer. A million stories.
Welcome to the Autodesk 3DRV road tour.

Led by TJ McCue, host, writer, and 3D enthusiast, the 3DRV tour is exploring the cities, towns and off-the-path byways to uncover a fundamental change in the way things are designed and made, and how this is bringing radical change to business and to society at large.

At each waypoint, we are celebrating the creative process, while illuminating the impact of design through firsthand customer stories, consumer creativity and student innovations. We hope you join us on this journey, meet up with the RV when we're in your area, or even suggest a stopover for us. See you soon.

Website: www.3drv.com

YouTube: Videos

Educational Shift: Free Software for Students, Faculty, and Now Institutions!!!

Autoesk annouced at AU2014 this year and it has been known by many for some time now, that Autodesk has offered free software to those that are going to shape our future and develop into the next generation of designers, engineers, and architects.  What has been different in the past from what you may have known, is that the software was not free to the actual schools.  Well now that has changed.  Schools now have access to Autodesk's Suite of programs for FREE!

If you ever wondered why your school is using Google Docs instead of MS Word, cost is usually the main factor.  If you wondered why your trade school used a lesser accepted 3D CAD system or a lower quality competitor to Autodesk it was because they got it for little or next to nothing.  Personally, I learned Inventor in college through my own curiosity, but I was instructed on a at the time DEAD software that no company was using but it was what my University had.  Don't get me wrong, I learned what I need to know out of it, but it was using that dead program that didn't give me any experience or confidence in the tool.

Autodesk estimates 2 billion students at any given time in the world today and 1 billion of those have access to hardware Autodesk software can run on.  Just image the power our future generation has at their disposal, now we just need to make sure the schools can accept the changing winds of design and dump the dead, dying, or obsolete programs they got for next to nothing in favor of robust, evolving, free programs that Autodesk is empowering them to use.

Any parents reading this, go ahead and start designing with your kids, the software can be downloaded and enjoyed at home.  Build a project around design in your home and empower your whole family to design and visualize better.

Project Falcon Graduates to Autodesk Flow Design

Autodesk had a technology preview called Project Falcon, you can probably remember my blog post on it a while ago here.  Autodesk has announced that this preview is now a full blown product called Autodesk Flow Design. 

Now this isn't a run of the mill change from preview to product.  A lot of overhaul has gone into as far as interface and many other improvements such as...

• 64-bit solver process with greater access to memory
• Expanded graphics card and driver support
• Voxel size and overall tunnel size information
• Solution status indicator
• Ability to key-in specific values for velocity, resolution, orientation, etc.
• Expanded CAD imports (ipt, iam, sldprt, prt, x_t, STEP, etc.)
• Ribbon-style controls, standard menus, and model navigation cube
• Color banding and contour display options
• Revised tunnel and flow line seed box size controls
• Improved video recording controls and feedback
• Simplified iso-surface controls
• Saved run configurations for fast recall of past runs
• Multi-axis wind tunnel orientation control inside Inventor
• Pressure shading on building surfaces inside Revit
• Wind velocity profile option inside Revit

Autodesk Flow Design is available as a annual or monthly cost ($210, or $35 respectively) and requires an internet connection for each use of the tool.  For any users of the existing Project Falcon, it will still expire with your term and you will have to let that bird fly away unless you pick up the rental license as the Autodesk store.

A Breakdown of the Features inside IMAGINiT Utilities for Vault Server

This tool has been around for several years now. With each year it gains new features. These features are intended to make an IT managers life easier and extend the overall functionality and reach of Vault within an organization. Listed below are each of the features included in the new 2014 release.

Oh and to Mr. Bennett… I see now how this isn’t the best title. However having posted the client features I have to finish with a “breakdown” of the server. 

Vault Metadata Update (New for 2014)

Exports and imports data from an Excel spreadsheet. Just last week I was asked if there was a way to insert the manufactures number at a mass level referencing the part number. There is now using the IMAGINiT Utilities for Vault.

Export to Excel

Build configurations of any of the Vault properties and export Vault metadata from any folder.

So let’s add some data to push back into Vault…
 

Import from Excel

The import tool looks for standard property columns in Excel and automatically maps them. Manual mapping is an option as well. 

After loading the Excel file listed above, let’s verify the first file from the list…

Vault Backup and Notification

This tool sets up a scheduled task that performs a backup and then sends a notification e-mail upon completion. 

Vault Publisher

This tool Publishes .DWF’s of only released versions of items or files to an external folder of your choice. Schedule your publishing or do it on-demand. The .DWF file names can consist of any combination of iProperty information.
This tool requires the use of a Job Processor that is available in all version of Vault except Vault Basic. 

Create any combination of filename using any of the Vault properties. If the file names are the same, newer versions will overwrite as needed. 

Vault Security Tool

This tool will audit your Vault security by creating reports about users, groups, administrative privileges and folder level security.

A Breakdown of the Features inside IMAGINiT Utilities for Vault Client

This tool is free and available on our Portal website. http://portal.imaginit.com/ It adds a number of features to the Vault Client that increases the functionality of the Vault Client. Each of the features are explained below.