Transparent Parts in Autodesk Inventor 2016 Drawings - It's New!

This weekend, I finally had an opportunity to start truly testing out my new install of Autodesk Inventor 2016.

And there is a ton of new features out there.  A great list was compiled by Design and Motion in their post here.

But in my post here, I thought I'd delve into just one of the features a little more deeply.

The feature I chose first was creating transparent parts in a drawing.

It's a very common thing.  An assembly contains components that are made out of some sort of clear material.  Glass, Lexan, so on.

For my example.  I've created a representation of an aircraft window.

The sample file

It's not a perfectly engineered design, but it does show the new functionality nicely.

In versions previous to Inventor 2016, the only way to show the part as transparent was to render the view, which while effective, wasn't always desirable.

Rendered views on a drawing

However, if you turn off rendering, the part now looks like a solid plate, and nothing like the clear glass it's supposed to represent.

Now the window looks like a hatch!

But now Inventor 2016 offers a new option.  The ability to show a component as transparent.

The first step to make the window transparent is to change your selection filter to Select Part Priority.

Switching selection priority

Now, select the part you want to make transparent, in this case, it's the window, and choose the Transparent option.

Making a component transparent. 

The view will recalculate, and now the edges behind the part will appear as they would if the part were transparent.

The isometric view is now transparent

And if you need to, you can choose which views have transparency!  It doesn't have to be all or nothing!

Both views transparent!

So as upgrade time begins this spring, take a look at the new transparency setting in Inventor 2016!  It could be one of those small things that makes life much easier!

And below, here's a video showing the same functionality!  Enjoy!

Autodesk Inventor 2016 What's New!

Autodesk seems to have released the what's new information for Inventor 2016!  Thanks to Design and Motion and InventorTopix for sharing the info!

This represents the excitement I feel come release time.
(Image courtesy of theoatmeal.com)

There are some cool features I can't wait to get into!

Since Design and Motion and InventorTopix did all the hard work, I won't steal the credit that should be theirs by cutting and pasting.

You can find the information for the posts at Design and Motion here, and InventorTopix here! 

Thanks to them for sharing! 

KETIV Introduces the Autodesk Vault "DIY Kit"

I think Autodesk Vault is a great tool.  I've use in in my personal "just joy of CAD" projects, and it's helped me be more effective when working in a production environment.

My Craftsman style coffee table.  It's been in Vault for years. 

Just the ability to go back and retrieve a previous version can be a lifesaver when a mistake is made (not that we ever do that!), or when a design changes, and it's important to retrieve a previous iteration.

But no matter how you slice it, properly installing, configuring, and using Vault effectively takes time, and planning.

And even thought "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", the fast paced world of design can sometimes keep us dancing and we never take that all important first step.

In light of that reality, my colleagues at KETIV decided to "give you a lift", if you forgive me continuing the pun, and introduced a "Do it Yourself" kit for getting started with Vault.

Based on Vault Basic 2015, the DIY kit includes everything you need to get started with Autodesk Vault.

It includes videos to help you understand the components that form the framework of Vault, as well as describe the installation and basic functions of Vault.

It even gives you access to a Vault backup including sample data and preconfigured users and roles to get you started on the journey.

A screen capture from the Autodesk "Vault DIY Kit".

So if your interested in starting your journey, but weren't quite sure if you were ready to take that first step, here's the link to to the KETIV DIY Vault kit to get you started.

Maybe the thousand mile journey starts with a single step, but nobody said that the first step couldn't be into a classy ride with air conditioning, a comfortable ride, and a sweet sound system!

A Case for Using Adaptivity in Autodesk Inventor

Back when I started working with Inventor, Adaptivity was all the rage.  It was shown in every training class, seminar, and demo I ever attended.

But as new tools come out, old ones fade into memory.  But just because a tool has some mileage on it, it doesn't mean that it's become less useful.

And so, I go back in time to revisit adaptivity, and more importantly, a case where adaptivity was exactly the tool that I needed, when I needed it.

What is adaptivity?

This is what the Autodesk Help system states, at least in part:  "Adaptive parts and geometry have under-constrained features, and adjust to design changes."

In other words, an adaptive components are "squishy", and have flexibility to change based on the changes in other geometry.

A more compelling question for those using Inventor in their trade is "Where would I use adaptivity?"

Here, the Autodesk help system sums things up nicely.

In general, use an adaptive model:

• When an assembly design that is not fully defined requires a part or subassembly in a particular position, but you do not know its final size.
• When the position or size of a feature depends upon the position or size of a feature on another part in the assembly.

Drawing from the second bullet, I decided to share a case where adaptivity proved very useful to me, in hopes that it can give you some food for thought when you sit down at your Inventor station and hit that power button to start your day. 

The case I have is for a wood shop project I designed a few years ago now.  

The project is a blanket chest that I modeled in Inventor a few years ago,  

The blanket chest

Part of that design includes a design feature, sometimes referred to as a "cloudlift" at the base of the part that can be cut using a jig to guide the router cutting them. 

Isolating the part with the cloudlift. 

And that's the challenge, how could the shape be quickly transferred from the part being made, to the tool making it?  Sure, we could use the measure tool to and start transferring lines and arcs, but that's not efficient at all. 

So here's a solution!  I've built the jig to accommodate the part, all it needs is the cutout for the router to follow.

Now it's time to create the mating cutout.  First, edit the jig base and create a sketch where it's needed.

The new sketch is ready to go! 

Before projecting, here's a suggestion to make sure you're picking the correct edges,  Go to the view tab, and expand out the Appearance panel on the View ribbon.  Turn of transparency so the components that aren't currently being edited are solid.  It will make them easier to see in this case.

Editing the part with transparency turned off.

Now that we can see what we're doing, just use the Project Geometry to project the profile from the cloudlift on the part onto the jig.  

The sketch and part become adaptive by default.  

Projecting the geometry from the profile.
Note the adaptivity symbol in the browser. 

Now one more step.  In order to make sure the profile is closed, connect the open ends of the profile with a line.  

Once the loop is closed, extrude just like any other sketch. 

And now the jig contains exact profile from the part it's making!

But why go through this trouble?  What's the benefit/

For this application, the benefit is pretty simple.  If the cloudlift changes in size, the jig making it can change without the user having to make sure to size the mating part again.  And that can be a time saver if the part is in a fluid sate of design. 

First, the size of the driving part, the cloudlift profile is created.

The part sizes are changed.

After finishing the edit, the jig, being adaptive, will match the size without user interaction! 

After finishing the edit the jig resizes.

So there we are, all done!  A case where adaptivity was the perfect tool for the job.

But before you Inventor power users light up the comment section, I'll speak to the fact that you don't get something for nothing.  

There is a price to be paid for using adaptivity.

1. It will drive calculation times up.  Every time you update an assembly where adaptivity may be changing, Inventor is going to check to see if the adaptive parts need to update.  You may not notice it at first, but as the assembly gets larger and/or more adaptivity is used, performance can get seriously impacted. 
2. Parts can update without user interaction.  That's right, one of adaptivity's biggest strengths can be its biggest drawback.  A part can update automatically.  Sometimes updating in such a way that it no longer functions.  If it happens without you realizing it, then you have a big problem. 
1. As a result, it's a common practice to turn off adaptivity once the design begins to solidify.   Right click on the component in the browser and uncheck "Adaptive". The part won't update automatically until you turn it back on. 

Turning off adaptivity.

In conclusion, Adaptivity can be a tool that can be extremely useful, but like any tool, one needs to know how, and where to use it.  While it's not the solution for every situation, when properly used, it can be a fantastic way to augment your designs. 

I'm afraid there's no video this time around!  I've been in a big time crunch the last couple of weeks, but I'm hoping to add in the next couple of weeks!  

Using Copy Properties to Quickly Update Dimensions in Autodesk Inventor

The last few weeks have been comprised of Inventor drawings, comprised of even more drawings for me.

Part of that process included a lot of changing of decimal precision.

A common practice to change precision is to select the desired dimension and choose the dimension style from the format portion of the annotation tab.

Changing dimension style from the annotation tab.

This process works great, but if there's a lot of dimensions, it can get old fast.

Fortunately, there is an alternative to "sucking it up and dealing with it".

The tool is Copy Properties, and it does what it claims, it copies the properties of one dimension, and pastes them to as many other dimensions as you need.

To use this tool, start by right clicking on the dimension that has the formatting you want, and choose the Copy Properties tool.  

Using the properties of a source dimension.

If you  select the dimensions you want to copy the properties to, all the properties are copied.  That includes the tolerances, the style, even the text the text that accompanied the text

.

Pasting properties from one dimension, to another.

So before you select the target dimension, right click and choose Settings while Copy Properties is active.

Locating settings by right clicking while the tool is active.

This gives you an opportunity to choose what properties you want to copy from the source dimension.

The settings screen. 

Once you have the settings where you want them, choose the dimensions you want to transfer the settings to by clicking on them, and those properties are transferred!

You can pick individual dimensions, or even pick using a window!

Once you're done, just right click and choose Done, or hit escape to exit the tool.

Give it a try!

And check out the KETIV YouTube video  below to see it in action!  

Shimming Your Knowledge - Adding Parameters to Text in Autodesk Inventor

In my last post, I mentioned that I've been doing a lot of work with Autodesk Inventor drawings.

I've found that this week, the trend has continued.  And while this can be a bit monotonous, it has given me an opportunity to blow the dust off some old tricks I've learned over the years.

One common thing I've seen is inserting a certain value into a block of text, such as note text.  These values can be things like sheet metal thickness, bend radius, or any other value that needs to be stated in the body of the text. 

A typical example.  I've added the radius dimension for comparison.

\It's never hard to type these values in, but if the value is just typed, then it's static.  If the value is changed in the model, there's no way to make sure that value updates, short of using the good old Mark 1 memory and Mark 1 eyeball.  

So let's take a look at how to automate that process.  Let's make the bend radius note update automatically. 

Start by editing the text the same way you always have.  Right click on the text and choose Edit Text. 

The editing screen

Once inside the text editor, focus on the set of bars just at the top of the text editing portion of the screen. 

From left to right, here's the information each pull down contains, starting from left, and working right. 

• Component - Which component are you drawing the data from.  In this case, the model is named "Sheet Metal"
• Source - Are you calling the parameter from the Model Parameters, or User Parameters
• Parameter - The actual parameter you're placing. 
• Precision - How many decimal places does the parameter contain. 
• Add Parameter - This will actually put the parameter into the text. 
• Special Symbols - Expand this menu to see common drafting symbols to place. 

The toolbar to add your parameters in. 

Clicking the Add Parameters button will add the value to the text, but inside of a gray box.  This tells you that the value is being read from an outside source. The sheet metal part in this case. 

Using the Add Parameter tool to make the magic happen!

Click OK to complete the operation. Now when that value changes in the model, the value will automatically be saved in the text!  

But there's one more thing.  What if you want to adjust the format even more?  To do that, right click on the text again, but this time, choose "Edit Unit Attributes". 

Now you can change the format of the units, including units, precision, and format.  In this case, I removed the leading zero, and added the unit string to make sure the units fit my standard.

All that's left to do, is hit OK, serve, and enjoy!  The units and leading zeros are gone, and the value on the drawing will update should the model change! 

And once that's done, you're all set!  Take a look at this tool, and see how it can help you!

If you prefer to see this information in video form, take a look at the video below!

Shimming Your Knowledge - Associating Text and Symbols to an Autodesk Inventor Drawing View

Lately, I've been doing a lot of work inside of Inventor drawings. During that time, I was asked how to make sure that all my text and symbols will move with a view.

If you've used Inventor for a while, you may have noticed that if you put in a text or symbols next to a view, they will stay behind if you want to move the view.

Everything looks right here.

After moving the view, the symbols stay behind.

It's usually not a big deal to move the text and/or symbols later, but there's always an opportunity to make a mistake.

And it's just a pain to move the symbols back to where they were!

But there is a way you can make the text and symbols move with the view, and that's to start off by placing the text and symbols using the leader options

Use leader text, and the leader options to place the symbols

If you place the text and symbols with leaders, the move with the view that they're attached to.

Place the symbols using the text as leader, and with symbols

But we didn't want leaders, right?

But that's okay.  If you right click on the leaders, you can delete the leaders, leaving the text and symbols behind. Just choose Delete Leader.

Add caption

The best part?  Even with the leaders removed, the association remains!  If the view is moved, the text and symbols now move with the view.

Now if the view is moved....

The text and symbols move with it! 

And that's how you can make sure your text and symbols update the way you want them!

For a video of the steps I've described above, check out the video below!

Shimming Your Knowledge. Using the Assembly BOM to quickly change Properties

Every Autodesk Inventor part and assembly contain valuable properties, called iProperties by the Inventor folks.  A savvy user can place critical information into iProperties.  These properties are passed from the part, into the assembly, and ultimately into the drawing.".

This information can be critical to making sure your finished product comes together properly.

I would be the first to tell you that, in a perfect world, any Inventor iProperties you need filled out should be filled out before you place the part in the assembly.  You should also set the material as well.

But I also admit that the phrase "Perfect World" comes with an asterisk and small print that reads. "You don't live in a perfect world".

With that being said, do I diligently set my iProperties and materials at the part, long before I place it in an assembly?

That's a big fat NOOOO!

This is usually what I've done.  The assembly has been created,
but the descriptions and materials haven't been set

That's right.  I'm as guilty as anyone out there.  I may even be more guilty.  That's me, sticking it to the man, breaking the rules.

I'll fill out those properties whenever I darn well please Muhahahaha! 

Why don't I take my own advise?  Part of it is bad habit.  I always want to jump into building the models. The fun part.  Documentation?  That's just as important, but it's also boring.

Is it a good excuse?  No.  It's just part of a bad habit I haven't quite shaken yet.

That leaves me with the self inflicted challenge of having to go back and return to my models at a later date, often when they're nearly finished, to add in the properties and set the materials I need.  That task is at best tedious.  At worst, it's time consuming and painful.

But fortunately, I know a nice tool that allows me to change my properties and materials from the assembly, in one convenient dialog box.

The result is like you opened each part and subassembly individually and made these changes, but you don't actually have to do that!

Who needs a perfect world!

The tool of which I speak is the assembly Bill of Materials, which can be found on the Management tab in the assembly.

Accessing the BOM Manager.
The Bill of Materials  icon is grayed out because the BOM
Manger is already open.

Expanding the assembly in the Bill of Materials manager, the fields available to be modified appear next to their components.

But what if you don't see the components you want?

To add columns, select the Choose Columns icon and drag the field you want and place it in the title bar.

Adding a column using the "Choose Columns" tool. 

To remove a column drag it from the title bar to the middle of the screen.  Release the mouse when the "X" appears.

Removing a column from the BOM manager. 

You can add or remove however many columns you need.

Now with the columns you want configured, now you can start filling out your iProperties, as well as selecting what materials you want for your components.

That's more like it! 

This is definitely a tool worth taking a look at, if you spend a lot of time editing properties and changing materials, this should be a big part of your toolkit!

I know there's some of you that prefer video tips!  If you do, I've created another video for the YouTube channel here!

Shimming Your Knowledge - Quickly Switching Commands in Autodesk Inventor

SHIM (noun) - A thin piece of material, sometimes tapered, used for alignment or support.

In my last post, I decided to create a series of short tips.  Things that I can create quickly, but also that end users out in "the wild" can find useful in their day to day jobs.

And for this post, here's a little tip that, one could say, is "small but mighty."

It's common knowledge to most Inventor users that right clicking and choosing either the Cancel (ESC) or OK keys will exit a command.  Hitting the Escape key on your keyboard will also exit a command.

Ok and Cancel two ways of ending a command.
You can also hit the Escape key.

But did you know that's not necessary?  Did you know that you can invoke a new command from the ribbon, or hitting the hotkey for a new command will not only exit the command, but start a new one?

You can just start a new command, which will end the current command.

Try it!  It works!

And to see a video demonstration, take a look below!

Lessons from a Simple Task - Using the Pause Command in a Batch File

Just today, I made myself work a lot harder than was ever necessary.  It started with a little bit of overconfidence, transitioned to about thirty minutes of frustration and swearing, and ended with success and a self deprecating laugh.

It started when I need to create a sample script to defragment an Autodesk Vault database.

How hard can it be, after all?  It's a short script.  It's only a few lines long anyway!

First, I grab the sample script from the Vault Help system.  You can find that in the defragment section at this link.

So now I have my command!

 Connectivity.ADMSConsole.exe -Odefragmentvault -NVault -VUAdministrator -VPadmin -S

This will fire up the command, but I still need to add my path information as well as my Vault name, I also need to add my administrator username and password.

REM - This Script Defrags the VAult Database
REM - Switch Legend
REM - Odefragmentvault ==> Command to defrag database
REM - -N Designates Vault name (this will vary machine to machine)
REM - -VU Vault user (must have administrator rights)
REM - -VP Vault password
REM - -S runs the script silently

D:\Program Files\Autodesk\ADMS Professional 2015\ADMS Console\Connectivity.ADMSConsole.exe -Odefragmentvault -NArduinna -VUadministrator -VP -S

IISRESET

So a little cutting and pasting I have the script I need.

Now, time for the test.

I run it once, it flashes on the screen and immediately disappears.

I check for syntax error, and I do find one.  Which I quickly fix.

But the script doesn't run.

I check my vault name, my administrator name.  My vault doesn't even have a password!

And for those of you with your mouse key on the comment button... I know it's bad practice not to have a password for the administrator!  But this is a personal Vault, on my laptop, which only I access.  So Thpppt! 

Finally, I have an idea.  One that I should have had a lot earlier than I did..

I add the word Pause at the end of my script.  So the script won't disappear when it finishes.

Let's take a second and think about this.

As soon as I run the script.  I see two words immediately. "Not Recognized".

I say phrases commonly found in garages, aircraft hangars, and factories everywhere.

The double quotes at the each end of the path are missing!

Wait! What? This is the problem! 

I look at my reflection in my computer screen.  "You Idiot!"  I shout, channeling my inner Ren.

It felt a little like this.
(From the Ren & Stimpy Show)

I should have known!  When running a command with spaces in it, you have to put the command inside of quotes.

If you don't , the script reaches the first space it sees, and tries to execute that.

So my batch file got to D:\Programs, tried to run that, and didn't know what to do.

In order to fix the script, I had to change the command line to look like what is below:

"D:\Program Files\Autodesk\ADMS Professional 2015\ADMS Console\Connectivity.ADMSConsole.exe" -Odefragmentvault -NArduinna -VUadministrator -VP -S

The quotes (in red) placed before D:\Program and after ADMSConsole.exe make all the difference in the world.

One more shot, and it runs fine!

So the final script looks like this.

REM - This Script Defrags the Vault Database
REM - Switch Legend
REM - Odefragmentvault ==> Command to defrag database
REM - -N Designates Vault name (this will vary machine to machine)
REM - -VU Vault user (must have administrator rights)
REM - -VP Vault password
REM - -S runs the script silently

"D:\Program Files\Autodesk\ADMS Professional 2015\ADMS Console

\Connectivity.ADMSConsole.exe" -Odefragmentvault -NArduinna -VUadministrator -VP -S

IISRESET

And that's it! It's ready to go.

Ultimately, what did I take a way from this one?

• Use the PAUSE command to help analyze scripts.  Because it was a short script, I figured if I studied it, I could find my error.  But I didn't see the missing quotes. I missed the trees because of the forest, if you will. By adding the PAUSE command, I found my error in seconds.  Literally seconds! 
• Slow down, you'll go faster.  Since this was an easy script, I thought I'd "bust it out quick".  Had I taken a little more time, and thought about my approach when I hit a snag, I may have solved it easier. 
• Pay it forward.  I made a mistake.  One I should  have been able to avoid.  Here it is for you to learn from.  Hopefully, you can use this to avoid the pitfalls I found! 

On a final note, there are several administrative commands that can be scripted using batch files in Autodesk Vault. 

Learn more about them by following the link to the Autodesk site here!