In the last big post, we saw how we could adjust timing to get our time line to show the details when we need it. Now in this post, we see how to add annotations to the post, so we can make sure we include as much key information as possible.
By using annotations, value can really be added to files you export out to the end users!
Here's the video to go with it. Happy Inventor Publishing everyone!
This weekend was a busy weekend composed of my usual volunteer gig at Planes of Fame on Saturday, and taken technical test for the new 2012 releases.
I love exams! Don't you?
So instead of forcing out my next post at this late hour and putting out something half baked, I've decided to hold it back a day or two and make sure it's up to par.
Look for the announcement on my Twitter feed, or just check the blog a little later! The next post will be on creating annotations in Autodesk Inventor Publisher!
Of course, this is the first step of many we can take. We might intend to place these in a document format for a technical manual, or perhaps create a video that can be put on the web or a mobile device.
But before we send that data to whatever it's final destination is, why don't we use the storyboard to add as much critical information as possible, as well as make sure that the assembly shows all the information it needs as it comes apart and goes together.
The Inventor Publisher Storyboard
So in this week's video, we see how to add descriptions, and adjust timing in our storyboard!
I'll admit, I always thought Autodesk Inventor Publisher was a just a "cool program". The power of being able to create documentation was impressive, but I asked myself the question, "What does it do that I can't do using presentation files?"
Trust me. Creating exploded views are just the start!
I told myself, "I'll have to look into it's capabilities later on".
Then, time marched on. I found myself working on Vault, on Inventor, on Showcase. Every once in a while, I'd stick my head up and say, "I need to get back into Inventor Publisher." Then I'd put my head back down and carry on as I had before.
Nearly a year ago, I saw a presentation on Inventor Publisher's capabilities, and I finally "got it". I understood the power of being able to create documentation directly from your 3D model. It can create in in 2D pdfs, publish to a mobile device, you can even use it to create Flash movies! I get it! I get it!
I really facepalmed myself for not seeing it sooner.
Now, at long last, I've found the time (alright I'll come clean, I made the time) to take a deep look at Inventor Publisher.
The more I use it, the more I like it.
So I've decided to create a short series on Inventor Publisher. Here's the first installment, inserting a 3D model and creating a timeline in Inventor Publisher. We're just getting started. I'm going to add more in the up coming weeks!
I just got back from my July Snowboarding Trip. That's right, July snowboarding.
Even up there, I couldn't complete stop thinking about CAD, so between runs, while sitting at the watering hole, enjoying the sun reflecting off the slushy snow, I was thinking about CAD.
I wonder if there's a support group for that....
That's me, on the 4th of July at the top of Mammoth Mountain
What I'm going to blog on today isn't exactly earth shattering. I'm talking about Autodesk Inventor Publisher Mobile viewer.
First, what is Autodesk Inventor Publisher? Inventor Publisher let's you create technical documentation, from a 2D instructions in a traditional format, or in 3D interactive formats.
If you've never seen Inventor Publisher before. Rob Cohee does a nice job describing it here.
If you've heard of Inventor Publisher, then you probably have heard of the mobile applications Autodesk Inventor Publisher Viewer, available at no charge on the Apple Store and Android Market.
Once again, I'll rely on Rob Cohee's excellent work. It would be a shame for it to go to waste, and I didn't get a chance to create my own, being on vacation and all!
Wonderful! If you have Inventor Publisher, you can publisher them to your mobile device. The Coefficient of Really Cool pegs the meter at a 9+.
But now we get to the part of the story where I thought things got interesting.
I was talking to someone about Inventor Publisher Mobile, and they stated, "I'm not giving our shop, iPads. They're too expensive and we can't afford to have them get broken."
Fair enough! I think of how long an iPad would last in the restoration hangar at Planes of Fame. Probably not long.
Could you picture an iPad or Droid plummeting to its death off the top of this Avenger? I can.
But that doesn't mean that the mobile apps are immediately not an option. How many technical folks out there have personal Android phones, iPhones, or iPads we carry around?
I'm on a Droid!
I'm on an iPad!
Sure if you make components with "some assembly required", you can make the files available on your website. But what you don't do that?
To put it simply. I told this user to keep their options open. The shop is just one place you can use the mobile applications!
What if you have someone off site, in a different facility somewhere. Maybe they aren't "on the floor", but they need a quick reference of an assembly? Perhaps they don't have Inventor Publisher itself, and dealing with your laptop's boot time is a nuisance (I've been known to put something off because I didn't feel like waiting for my laptop to boot).
Then Inventor Publisher Mobile becomes an option. It's quick and it's interactive. You can zoom in on parts and inspect the assembly operations up close.
So the morale of the story? Don't limit yourself. Inventor Publisher Mobile applications just aren't for the shop. They're for anyone who can take advantage of them!
Okay, this post didn't quite come out at the end of the week like I promised. Last week got busy, with trips to Fresno, demos, and a million other little things taking up most of my time.
So finally, here's the post I've been promising.
In my last blog post. I showed how to hide the skeleton component when using Frame Generator. In that video, I used a phantom component to do so.
A very astute reader, Piou2fois, pointed out that even though the skeleton has been made a Phantom component, it's mass is still added to the overall mass to the assembly. This can result in an erroneously high number if you're using a solid as your skeleton.
Piou2fois pointed out that by using a Reference Component instead of a Phantom component, the skeleton's mass will be removed from the calculations and you'll get an accurate result for your overall mass.
Many a blog post has been inspired by a simple question. This post is definitely one that came out of the "How can I get rid of the skeleton model used for Inventor's Frame Generator."
Since the skeleton is part, by default, Inventor counts it as a component when we use it to make a frame with Frame Generator. Every frame created using Frame Generator has one.
This leaves us with an extra part, one that Inventor uses for it's purposes, but will never exist in the real world.
Wouldn't it be great if we could make that component a "ghost" component? Maybe like a "phantom"?
I'm playing on words, Inventor does have phantom components, and just like their name implies, they're intended to help us build our assemblies, but may not be part of the "real world" design.
In short, you can edit the Bill of Materials from the Assembly tab in your Inventor assembly, and change the BOM structure there.
First, edit the Bill of Materials
Then you can change the structure
Naturally, there has to be a video to go with it. So here it is! Enjoy!
And by the way! If your new to Frame Generator, Rob Cohee has some nice videos HERE on how to use Frame generator!
This weekend I was put forth the challenge to "Build a valve from this website, then use it in an Inventor Design".
I went to the website to get the specifications, and found that the company had already published their content for you to download, which is becoming quite common these days.
The downloaded valve
So why rebuild it? I'm sure you could make a case for having full control over the model, since you decide how it's built. But then again, why spend your time, and money, building another company's part if they've already supplied it? It might take you a couple of hours to build it, when you can download it in a few minutes.
So I decided to go ahead and download the part. Then show how you can publish it to content center, straight from the website. And many times, the part has all the accuracy you need for it's proper integration in the design.
So the next time you think about building a vendor part, make sure they haven't done the heavy lifting for you.
After all, isn't good engineering about not reinventing the wheel?
Like so many of us, I'm guilty of ignoring instructions.
When I installed Autodesk Vault 2012, I used the same migration procedure I've used for the last few releases. Surely nothing could change, right?
Wrong! I used Vault quite happily for the first couple of days. Then I needed to use the Copy Design tool.
Poof! I get this new error I've never seen before.
Hello. What's this?
Projects? I need to set a default project? Since when?
I finally break down and read the directions. As your typical male. This is difficult for me. As a matter of fact, I may deny this at a later date.
Well, since the new version of Vault allowed us to enforce a default project! If I had read the directions, I would have learned that!
So what does the default project let us do? It allows us to choose a project that is going to run our Vault. It helps prevent us from having file associations get confused, as can happen when multiple project files exist in Vault, and makes sure all our users are on the the "same page" as it were.
It can be set in Tools>Administration>Vault Options
Setting the Default Project at an administrative level
Now that it's set, I like this tool. It helps me keep things more consistent, and predictable. But the first time I saw that error, it was unnerving indeed!
So what is the moral of the story! Read the directions! You'll avoid surprises!
Here's a video on my experiences with this particular function!
Last week I showed a video on how to create Positional Representations in an Autodesk Inventor Assembly. But did you know that you can also show those Positional Representations on a drawing as an overlay view?
An example of a Positional Representation Overlay on a shaded view.
It comes in handy when you need to show alternate positions, such as extended vs retracted, or open vs closed. Inventor will even create the overlay as reference lines for you, and you can dimension to either positional representation, so you can show the dimensions of each position.
It's a really hand way of bringing things full circle!
I found out that Service Pack 2 for Autodesk Inventor is out today. You can download it from the link: HERE
Installing is usually pretty easy. But there are a few things to know before you get started.
There are different Service Packs for 32 bit and 64 bit installations. Make sure you download the correct one for your operating system
Autodesk Inventor Service Pack 2 is an "Incremental Update". Translation: You'll need to download and install Service Pack 1 before installing Service Pack 2
If you've installed the Subscription Advantage Pack, there's a different Service Pack 2 for you.
Don't worry, they're all located at the same link above. It's just a matter of knowing which one to get.
If you don't know the answer to any of the above questions, you can check at at Help>About Autodesk Inventor
Finding the "About" screen
You'll see this dialog box come up, and this contains a lot of information about Inventor's current "Build".
Autodesk Inventor information screen. Note the "64 Bit" & Build Numbers
I've circled the Build Number and 64 Bit areas of my screen. These are the ones worth noting.
Are you wondering which build number corresponds to which Service Pack level? Autodesk has a tech document at the link HERE. It's a great reference to help you out.
Lastly, if you try to install the service pack, and you get this error:
This isn't as scary as it looks. Typically, the "Wrong Version" or "Missing Program" the Windows Installer is referring to is caused by one of the following:
You're trying to install a 32 bit patch to a 64 bit system
You haven't installed Service Pack 1 yet
You're trying to install a Subscription Advantage Pack SP2 on a system that doesn't have the Advantage Pack installed, or vice versa.
That's it! Once you know the tricks, it's pretty straight forward!
I have discovered that I can sometimes have a memory like a steel sieve.
Not that long ago, I was teaching in class, and the question came up: "How can I show alternate positions, like fully extended and fully retracted, inside Inventor.
"Positional Representations are perfect for showing exactly that." I say. "I have a video for that!" I continue triumphantly.
Those of you who've been in a class, or in one of my presentations have probably heard me say that.
Sometimes I even imaging myself in that "Captain Morgan's" pose.
I go to locate my video, and suddenly I feel a bit sheepish.
I don't have one. I must have never created the video I swore I had created!
So, in order to rectify that particular situation, here you go, a video on creating positional representations in Autodesk Inventor.
I'm not a Visual Basic programmer. That much is apparent pretty quickly. I can create a dialog box in VB, but it can be a process of determination winning over skill.
Now, in Autodesk Inventor 2012 iLogic provides the ability to quickly create a form (read dialog box), without having to be a Visual Basic genius.
So one night, I sat down and tried creating a form on a Inventor 2011 template I created.
The template changes the joints on the end of a wooden board from a tenon (tabbed) joint, to a regular joint.
All I can say is that I was amazed at how easy it really is. I had it done in a few minutes.
I'm not joking, it really is that easy.
Here's my finished form. I'm not kidding. Less than 5 minutes!
So here's the video everyone. Don't be intimidated by it!
Subtle, but significant. I've used the term before.
I like to use it for tools that don't necessarily have a lot of flash or pizazz, but are good steady tools that are really useful when needed.
One of these 'hidden gems' of a tool is the ability to attach sketches to your drawing views, and then have them keep their orientation relative to those views, even when the views are rotated.
So did everyone get that?
It's tough to describe in a few words, so here, of course, is a video.
From the "subtle, but significant" category of Autodesk Inventor 2012, are the changes in the Select Other tool.
The "Old School" Select Other tool consisted of two arrows and a middle button to choose your option.
It worked great. It's been that way since I started way back when on Release 4.
The "Old School" Method Inventor 2011 and earlier
But now, Inventor 2012 has changed even that old standard. Now instead of the "double arrows", we see "the list".
The Inventor 2012 "List" of options
I've had some time to get used to the list now, and I'm really beginning to like it. I don't have to click on the arrows over and over again. Now I just move my mouse over the options, until I see the one I want.
For me, it makes things a little bit quicker, and much, much smoother.
