Using Raster Views in an Autodesk Inventor Drawing

“There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking about.”
John von Neumann

One of the new functions in Autodesk Inventor 2014 is creating a drawing view as a raster view, and allowing the user to make it precise at the time of their choosing.

For starters, what's the point of starting a view as a raster image, then making it precise later.

Simply put, it lets the user to defer the full calculation of drawing views until later.  Imagine this on a large drawing view with a lot of calculations involved.  Now extend that across multiple projected views.  It can take quite a while!

Placing the views as raster views lets the user quickly place the views initially, then choose which views to make precise when needed.  The "hit" on calculation can be spread out over time.  Make one view precise, and work on it?  Going to a meeting?  Calculate another view while you're gone!  Going to lunch?  Make another view precise, and so on! 

So that's the purpose of it!  Now, how does it work.


When creating a base view on a drawing sheet, there's a check box to Raster Views Only.  With this check box selected, the views will be placed quickly.

Checking the Raster Views Only checkbox

Aside from selecting that check box, placing views is the same.  Once the views are placed, there will be green brackets around the views that are being represented as raster views.

Green brackets indicate these are raster views

At some point, however, it will become necessary to make the views precise.  To do that, right click on the view, and choose Make View Precise.

Calculating the views into precise views.

The green brackets will disappear, and the view is now precise.

One view is precise now.  The others can be calculated later, when needed.

Other views can be made precise later, when they're needed.  The views don't have to be calculated at once!

And for a video description of the steps!  Take a look below! 



And for even more information on this tool, take a look at the Autodesk Online help video at the link here!