There's Been a Change or Two - Migrating Styles Libraries from Inventor 2012 to Inventor 2013

“Good as it is to inherit a library, it is better to collect one”
Augustine Burrell

When I first started working with Autodesk Inventor 2013, I thought that migrating the Styles and Standards (colors, sheet metal styles, dimension styles, etc), would be exactly the same as in 2012.

I even tried it, and everything worked fine. 

But earlier this week a KETIV colleague, Javier Chavez, asked me a question.

"Have you noticed that the Design Data folder was restructured in Inventor 2013?

I hadn't noticed the change.  But as we looked at Windows folder structure, discussed migration procedures, puzzled, and discussed some more, we found that the folder structure had indeed changed.

Notice the difference between folder structure in Inventor 2013 (left) & Inventor 2012 (right).

"That's going to make migration important."  I understated.

So I deleted my Inventor 2013 Design Data, and tried it again.  Sure enough, the process was different.

In brief, the biggest difference is Inventor 2012 (and earlier), migrated the data in place.  So you copied your old data to a new location, and migrated it there.

Inventor 2013 on the other hand takes your data and copies it to the new location, migrating it during the process. 

Source folder, destination folder, and a waiting migration button!

This was the difference I'd missed the first time.

So before I show you the video, here's one thing to always remember!

Have a backup of your Design Data folder! 

I cannot stress this enough!  If you make a mistake, you can always delete the migrated files, and try again with the backup you created. 

As a matter of fact, I did this several times testing out the migration to make sure what I thought was going to happen, was really what was going to happen.

As I was once told.  "If you think you don't need a backup.  Stop and ask yourself the following question.  When was the last time you regretted having a backup?"

In other words, make the stinking backup.  It takes a few minutes, and can save you hours of having to live in the "Purgatory of Data Recreation".

Save and Replace - Autodesk Inventor's Copy Component with a Twist

All the learning in the world cannot replace instinct.
Robert Ley

In my blog post last week, I talked about using Copy Component inside an assembly.  It's a tool I really like, and use frequently.

But if you saw the comments at the bottom of that post, there were some comments by some very astute user that spoke about "Save and Replace Component", and how they prefer it.

Save and Replace.  It's here, but hiding.

Now I'm not hear to tell you how "I'm right and they're wrong".  Why?  Because they're not wrong.  It's a fine tool!

Personally, I like Copy Component where I need to use both the original, and the copy in the same assembly. 

On the other hand, I like Save and Replace Component for those times where I need to create the copy, and swap out the copy with the original. 

The nice part about this tool?  It keeps the constraints intact.  So you don't have to recreate any constraints! 

This is where the real time savings begins.  Not to mention avoiding that monotony of having to recreate the constraints!

So here's a quick video to take a look at.  Let me know what you think about one tool, versus the other!

Have any thoughts on how you might use these tools differently?  Drop a comment!  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

P.S.  It's that time for me as a warbird geek.  This weekend (May 5th & 6th, 2012) is the Planes of Fame Airshow in Chino, Ca. 

I'm setting up Friday and breaking down Monday, so expect that my normal blog posts will be replaced by warbird pictures and geekiness until Tuesday, May 8th, 2012.

I hope you enjoy my "CAD hiatus" for the next few days.  If not, I'll see you next week, when I return to my CAD geeky self!

Until then?  Expect some tweets and maybe even a blog from the airshow! 

This will be my weekend!  Of course I can hardly wait!

It's Exactly Like That, Except.... - Copying Components in Autodesk Inventor

I am my own secretary; I dictate, I compose, I copy all myself.
Venerable Bede

Here's a quick tip on a tool I've found is sometimes overlooked.  Copy Component.

We've all been there.  A part has been modeled and used  an assembly.  But then another component is needed that's nearly the same s the one just finished.

But the functional word is "nearly".  It's not quite the same, there is a difference, perhaps slight, between two components.

So there's a dilemma.  The original can't be reused, because of it's not exactly the same.  But rebuilding the part is time consuming. 

Another option would be to go into Windows Explorer, copy the part file, and reinsert it into the assembly.

But that's a lot of steps.

This is where "Copy Component" comes into play.  A component can be quicky copied, placed in an assembly and reused.

Take this chest of drawers for example.  I've built some molding where the top meets the bottom.  The cross section of the components is the same, but the mitered cuts on the ends are different.

Why not use one part to create another!

In other words, the part is nearly the same, but not quite.

Copy Component!  Just what we need.

This is where Copy Component shows up and struts it's stuff.  A similar component can be quickly, and efficiently created without exiting the assembly model.

Using Copy Component to create a new part.

Unfortunately, it seems that this is a tool that a lot of users don't realize is there.  They're copying part files or recreated geometry unnecessarily. 

So that's why this video is here.  To "throw off the shackles" of unnecessary steps. 

Take a look at Copy Component, and use it to its fullest!

 Got a place or an idea where you used Copy Component?  Drop a comment!

Autodesk Inventor 2013 Arrives, and I'm Excited!

“Based on the feedback we're receiving, people are very excited to try something so exotic and new.”
Eitan Segal

Autodesk announced their 2013 based products today!  It's certainly like Christmas in March!

For me, I installed Autodesk Inventor 2013 immediately and read through the "What's New"!  Why?  To find out what's new of course!

Have I done an in depth study of everything yet.  Pfffft!  Of course not!   But I'm not going to let that stop me! 

What I am going to do, is list the top ten features that caught my eye.  Things I can't wait to explore some more.

I will, however, put in a disclaimer.  This top ten is based my first impressions, so I may change it as work with the features more.  Also, the order of the features isn't necessarily in order.  In other words, it's just a list!

But with that! Here goes!

Number 1: New file screen

Autodesk changed the appearance of the "New File" screen and I like it!  I think it's more sensibly organized, and will help me find the right template a lot more quickly than I used to!

It's really much clearer now!

Number 2: New Sketch Options

Previous versions let set which sketch to start on, but Inventor 2013 allows you to start a sketch, and choose the plane to work off of at this time.  It's a flexibility I think I'll really get to like!

 

Oh.. I like this.

Number 3: Set Sketch Scale by First Dimension

When the first dimension is placed on a sketch, the entire sketch scales in proportion to the first dimension.  This should help prevent me from having those "which way did it go?" moments when I make a large change in a sketch dimension.

Very smooth!

Number 4:  Center Point Rectangle

Sure I could do this with a little construction geometry.  I didn't even take long, but this is a nice little feature that just makes things run a little smoother.

Huzzah!

  

Number 5: Equation Curves

Need to make a parabolic curve to create a reflector!  Now the equation to define a curve can be entered. I can think of a few places where this one will help out!

The Algebra is Strong in this One!

Number 6: Remove Internal Voids in a Derived Component

Need to hide internal components so you don't "give away the farm" when sending components out!  I think I'll be checking this one out!

Hmm.  This will make securing intellectual property a little easier!

Number 7: Export Colors to STL

Now you can export your part colors to an STL file!  Need to send out components to a rapid prototyping house and print the component colors!  Here it is!

I see your true colors shining through!

Number 8: Import STL files

Someone sends you an STL file?  Fear not!  Inventor will import them now!

Got em coming and going!

Number 9: Purge via Task Scheduler

It's important for any CAD Manager to purge out dated and unused Styles and Materials from your files.  Now you can "Nuke the Site from Orbit" with Task Scheduler.  Instead of getting those pesky styles one at a time, you can grab a fist full of files and purge en mass!

Purging in one fell swoop!

Number 10: Default Application Options

If you've ever taken an Inventor class with me, you know that there are "settings Jon changes on any new Inventor installation".  Apparently Autodesk agrees with me on this one (at least that's what I'm going to tell myself).  But many students did agree with this, so Autodesk really has listened to all of us.

Now "Grid Lines" are automatically turned off, and "Edit Dimension When Placed" is on!  It's nice that I won't have to go and turn these off on my own now!

Nice Change in Defaults!

So these are the things that "caught my eye" out of the gate.  Does that mean this is the best?  No, just what I found on first blush.  I'll surely find more as I get behind the wheel and start driving.

Look for those posts to start coming up soon.  And yes, they'll be videos! 

Do you have your own favorites for what's new?  Post in the comments.  Here's the full list for What's New in Autodesk Inventor 2013!

Showing Total Mass on an Autodesk Inventor Drawing

May the Mass Times Acceleration Be With You.
Seen on a T-shirt

In a post a few weeks ago, I was asked "How do you show the total mass on a drawing?" 

I made some suggestions in the comments, but during a busy weekend, I decided to whip up this quick video tip. 

In short, create a text field, and insert the Mass property from your assembly onto your drawing.  You'll have the property and it will update when the assembly is updated.

Showing the property fields.

Supplementing the display of mass in the parts list, you can show the data in all of its forms!

So once again, here's a video to show the steps in all their glory! 

The Sum of its Parts - Adding Column Values in Autodesk Inventor

“Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be.”
Jose Ortega y Gasset

One of the questions that came up not that long ago was; "How do I add up the mass values for a component in a part list?  I want to show the total mass for several components,  instead of the mass for just one."

How to I get here?  Where the total mass of multiple components is shown.

It's not very difficult, but you do have to know where to look.  I still remember thinking, "That's it?!?" when I first saw. it.

But like so many things, you just have to know where to look.  So guess what I did?

If you're reading this, you probably can guess the answer. 

I created a video, and blogged about it.

So take a look at the video.  As always, I hope it's helpful.

And this tip doesn't just apply to Mass.  It applies to any field that might need summing up!

And before you take a look at the video, there's one more tip.  If you want to make this setting (or any parts list setting), part of your default, remember that you can add them to your Styles Library.

Perhaps I'll create a video for that as well, but that's for a later week.

Enjoy!

Using View Representations to Control Sketch Visibility in Autodesk Inventor

“We write frankly and freely but then we modify before we print”
Mark Twain

Last week, an interesting question was posed to me.  I want to show text on a part, but not on the assembly.  Can that be done inside Autodesk Inventor?

My first thought.....   O_o

My next thought?  How do we do that?

How to we turn off this sketch in the assembly, but keep it in the Part?

Then, I had an idea.  VIEW REPRESENTATIONS!

Will this work!  It sure will!

It works on camera views, component color, and visibility.....  visibility!  Why not sketch visibility! 

It's crazy..... Just crazy enough to work!

So I tried it.... And behold!  It works!

So here it is, a neat little trick that I hadn't even thought of trying!  Enjoy!

P.S.  If you'd like more information on Inventor's View Representations, check out my earlier blog posts.  It's in two parts.  So here is Part 1, and here is Part 2.

And at last, here's the video!

Creating Custom Content for Autodesk Inventor Content Center - Part 4 (Hint: Editing Family Tables)

“I won't deny there's some big changes coming down the road.”
Rick Higgins

In my last blog post on Content Center, I wrote about adding components to Content Center.  But just because the component is added, doesn't mean it's ready yet.

An image of the wood screw I placed into Content Center in my last blog

There may be fields to be added, removed, or changed.  You might want to add components to your tables, making more variations of your part available.

So this is a blog on how you can start making changes to your tables, expanding them and making them work for you .

In this video, I take the wood screw that I added to my Content Center in my last blog, and add some stainless steel variations, remove an unneeded column.

I'll also make one of the columns a "Key" column that will allow me to choose a Stainless Steel or Carbon Steel wood screw.

Placing the screw.  Nominal size, Total Length, & Material are my key columns.

I wish I could cover all the possible changes that could be made, but there's just too many to cover.  But the video should help get you started!

KETIV's 2011 Autodesk Manufacturing Academy Recordings are Out!

“Nothing has really happened until it has been recorded”
Virginia Woolf

At long last!  After much hard work, the bow tie on the 2011 edition of KETIV's Autodesk Manufacturing Academy!

The videos!  They're all up and ready for download!

So if you've attended the classes presented by the the KETIV technical team, or even if you didn't attend, and want the benefits of the course materials.  Take a swing by the session archive and download all the materials!

Click HERE for the link to download the materials!  

Fire away and start eating up some bandwith!  ;-)  You can even download the 2010 and 2009 materials too!

I hope those who attended took some useful things away!  Go

I hope to see you all, (and a few more) at the next 2012 KETIV AMA!


And as a trailer for the movie, here's a sample of the classes on Autodesk Showcase, so you can get an idea of what's available!

Special thanks to Tolar Manufacturing for providing us with some great real world samples to use in the session!

Autodesk Showcase Part 1 - Importing Models




Autodesk Showcase Part 2 - Changing Environments



Autodesk Showcase Part 3 - Assigning Materials




Autodesk Showcase Part 4 - Changing Materials




Autodesk Showcase Part 5 - Adding Lights

Creating Custom Content for Autodesk Inventor Content Center - Part 3

 “Then memorize it, practice it, personalize it and then you can easily customize it for success, ... The Boy Scouts have it right: Be prepared - always.”
Steve Walsh  

In my blog last week, I described how to setup Autodesk Inventor's Content Center Libraries so they could components could be written to it.

Now with the custom component created, I'll take the next step and show how you can publish an iPart to the read/write library that was created earlier.

An example of a part that's been published to Content Center

When published to Content Center, a custom component places into Inventor just like a component that shipped "in the box" with the product.

Placing a custom part into an Autodesk Inventor Assembly

This can help centralize components, keeping things manageable from one place instead of several.

Special thanks to Charlie Bliss's website.  Where I got the iPart I used for this example.

When creating these components, I would recommend one thing.  Make sure that you test the library out a couple of times before you "release it into the wild".  I've found that I'm never 100% happy with my first result, and make a couple of changes before I'm ready to let it go.

So double check, it's a lot easier to fix it before you let other designers get their grubby little hands on it!

And to get all the details, here's a video for you to check out the steps!

And don't forget to click here for the final part of this series, Part 4!

Creating Custom Content for Autodesk Inventor Content Center - Part 2

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
Jorge Luis Borges

In my last post, I talked about Content Center.  Mostly what Content Center is, particularly with respect to Desktop Content Center versus Content Center running through the Autodesk Data Management Server Console.

But the long term goal of this series of blog post is to publish content to a custom library of our own creation.

So for our next step, I'm going to create a short blog post on creating those custom libraries.

The libraries that come with Autodesk Inventor are Read Only.  So you can only use them, you can't modify them, or add to them. 

In order to be able to make additions and modifications, you need to create a Read/Write Library.

The first thing to know, is if you're using Desktop Content, or Vault Content.  The libraries are created in different places for each.

I'm using Desktop Content Center

With Desktop Content, go to the "Get Started" and choose "Projects".

Choose "Configure Content Center Libraries.  A new screen will appear that will allow you to configure the libraries for your project.

Now you're ready to create a Read/Write library

Select "Create Library", and a new Read/Write Library will be added with the name you enter

Creating the Read/Write Library

Important!  Make sure the new library is checked!  If it's not, the library won't be available to the project!  This, needless to say, makes the whole point of creating it moot.  

Custom Library Created.  Note that it's checked! This makes it available for the project to use!

I'm using the Autodesk Data Management Console (Server)

We'll need to access the server, and have administrative rights to the Autodesk Data Management Server, so be ready to bribe the I.T. staff or Cad Manager if necessary.

Once you've gained access to your server, right click on the Libraries folder and choose "Create Library".

Creating the Library Folder

A new Read/Write Library will be added with the name you enter.

New library selected!

Note that just like above (with Desktop Content), you'll need to make sure the library is checked in the project!  If not, it won't be available!

Make sure you make the libraries available! 

So that's getting the stage set to create the read/write library for your Content Center.  Now we're ready to start adding data to the Content Center!

That will be the next post here!  Creating Custom Content for Autodesk Inventor Content Center - Part 3

Creating Custom Content for Autodesk Inventor Content Center - Part 1

“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt”

I haven't spent a lot of time with Content Center in Autodesk Inventor.  It's just one of those things I always told myself I'd get into, but like so many projects and intentions, it was set aside for more pressing matters.

But during the holiday break, I found the need to dive into Content Center, and start peeling back it's layers and start creating some custom content.

One of the things I found, was once I got into it, was it's not as intimidating as it might look at first glance.  Once I dug into it, I found that, dare I say, it began to make sense.

So I decided to start sharing what I've learned (and I'm still learning).  I hope you find it helpful.  These are just my thoughts on what I've seen so far.

Since there are so many facets to working  with Content Center, I found the prospect of doing it in one big blog post pretty daunting.  So I decided to break it up into smaller bits that might be easier to digest, and yes, it's going to be a lot easier for me to write! 

So for starters.  Let's talk about this Content Center thing.

To get started, what exactly is Content Center?  

Content Center is a series of libraries that generate standard components when you place them in an assembly inside of Inventor.

Now that's not to say that you can open up your Inventor media, and find a series of folders full of Inventor *.ipt files and copy them locally.

This is a misconception I sometimes hear.  That on that media, is a whole bunch of *.ipt files you can get to.

The files actually contain the databases that build the components.  So when you place a component in an Inventor assembly, Content Center builds that component and places it into the assembly for you.  The functional word is "building".

The Place from Content Center Screen.  This is what's talking to your libraries

Content Center using the following procedure to build the parts.

1) A part is requested from the Content Center databases
2) It checks to see if the part has been published already.
3) If the answer is yes, it retrieves the part and places it in your assembly
4) If the answer is no, it builds it and puts it your Content Center directories, so it will be available for the next time.

So that's what they are?  But where to we keep them? 

There are actually two different answers to this one.  There's the Content Center stored locally (Desktop Content Center) or Content Center managed via your Vault Server Console.

Desktop Content Center works great for single users, or users who don't want to install the Autodesk Data Management Server on a network server for some reason.

The advantage is that this is a pretty simple model to work with, since everything resides locally on your machine.

The disadvantage is that only the machine the Desktop Content is installed on can use the libraries.  There's no sharing across machines.

So if you have several machines that are using Content Center, and you want to use Desktop Content, each machine will need to have it's own copy of the libraries.  This may not be too bad, but what happens when you start customizing your libraries?

The Desktop Content Libraries in their folder.

It can be tricky to manage indeed!

Content running through your Vault Server is intended for a central Content Center shared among several users.  Even if you're not using Vault, you can run Content from the Vault server.  You just don't use the "Vaultiness" of Vault.

The advantage of this model, is your Content is managed from one location.  The bad side?  You now have a server, network connections, and possibly even I.T. to work with.  So it can be a little more involved getting started.  Although since everyone is now on the same set of libraries, it can be easier to maintain.

Vault content (I only have two libraries right now)

So these are the two options we have available to us.  You'll have to decide which to use in your own application and install the appropriate one.

In Inventor, you can tell Inventor which it's using by going to Tools>Application Options, and choosing the Content Center Tab.

Selecting which content center your running.

That will choose where you're accessing Content Center from.  

Wow, that's a lot of writing!  So I'll save the rest for later.  Next, we'll talk about creating custom Content Center components!  

If you're wondering, I use Desktop Content.  Why?  It's actually, it's for a reason that is completely different than most will encounter. 

I'm constantly uninstalling and reinstalling Vaults.  Far more than the user in the "real world"  for that reason, I run a Desktop Content Vault.  That way I don't have to worry about which Vaults have what Content attached!  It's as simple as that!

Click here for Part 2: Creating Custom Content for Autodesk Inventor Content Center

ADDENDUM

Thanks to Paul Munford at The Cad Setter Out for pointing out that I overlooked a third way of using Desktop Content.

The third way would be to place the libraries on a server, and point the Desktop Content to that location in Application Options.  This would allow multiple users to access the same set of libraries, without having to install Vault on the server.

I've not used this way myself.  But this can be yet another way to organize your Content Center data! 

Using View Representations on an Autodesk Inventor Drawing

“Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of permanence.”
 Henri Matisse

First of all, Happy New Year and welcome to 2012 everyone!

Wow, another year over!  Where did 2011 go!

And now.... My first post of 2012!

In last week's post, I talked about how you can create and reuse a View Representation in Autodesk Inventor.

As a continuation of this, I decided to show how you can reuse those View Representations on a drawing.

Selecting the View Rep when placing the view

It's actually not that difficult.  There's just a few tricks to be aware of.

I like to use it when I need to consistently turn off certain parts, as well as bring colors from the assembly onto to the drawing.  Usually when I'm drawing up a woodworking project, where I want a reasonable facsimile of the wood grain.

I also used it on a project where an enclosure was having several internal components being made visible & invisible as design changes were being made.

I admit, it took some getting used to, but view representations made it much easier to control the visibility of components on several different drawing sheets.

View Reps Doing their thing

Personally, I think it's one of those items that can really help someone, but is often overlooked.

So here we go with the video that continues what we started last week!




And for us old timers out there!  Who remembers what a View Representation used to be called?  Place an answer in the comments!

View Representations in Autodesk Inventor Assemblies - The Right Point of View

“Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings.”
Agnes Martin

A few years ago, I created a blog post on using View Representations in Autodesk Inventor.  But this holiday weekend, I thought it might be worth redoing.  After all, I'm starting to get the hang of these videos!  (at least I think so).

You can see that text only post HERE. 

I also think that it's one of those things that is pretty useful, and is worth revisiting from time to time!

View Representations in the Assembly

So what is it that View Representations do that I think makes them so useful?

View representations remember three things about your Inventor assemblies:

1. Component Color
2. Component Visibility
3. Camera Angle

This can come in real handy when you need to represent components with different finishes, turn off several components repeatedly, or look at an assembly from a specific angle.

For example, I've often used to "omit components for clarity".  That condition that some parts must be hidden to show other parts underneath.  Particularly when I was working on some pretty complicated electronic enclosures a while back.

Uses for View Representations are many.  There are those who probably won't use them.  It's a slick tool, but as with every tool, not everyone has a use for them.  But there are also bound to be those who as; "Where have you been?"

So here's the video.  Take a look, and decide for yourself! 

Happy Holidays as we say our goodbyes to 2011, and head for 2012!

And for one more tip!  Check out the right click menu!  You have more options that just creating View Representations!  One I like is Copy.  If you need to create a new View Rep that's almost like one you already have, then just copy it, and make the changes!

Copy to Reuse a View Representation!

Getting Things in Gear - Exporting Gear Tooth Geometry in Autodesk Inventor

“You should always know when you're shifting gears in life. You should leave your era; it should never leave you.”
Leontyne Price

Earlier this week, I was asked, "How do you export accurate spur gear geometry from Autodesk Inventor's Design Accelerator."

I found myself frustrated.  Why?  Because I used to know exactly where it was, but it had been years since I'd be asked about it!  In that time, it had faded into the shadows of time. 

The set of gears "as generated" in Design Accelerator

Before I get too far along, I should make some distinctions about how Inventor creates gear geometry.   These are things I've picked up in my "sojourn through technology."

 The gears "as generated" from Design Accelerator are approximations.  If you zoom into the tooth profiles, their not the precise involute profiles that "proper gears" have.

Now that there's been a collective gasp of horror from the internet, don't fret!   For the purposes of laying out and specifying which gears to use, the gears as generated work just fine.  Critical items like ratios and center distances are accurate in this form.


But what if you want to make the gear?  Especially if you're running a test where you may make the gears in a rapid prototyping machine?

This is where exporting the accurate tooth geometry becomes important.

Now back to me scratching my head, trying to remember where I left that "Export Tooth Geometry" button!

So I hunted and conducted internet searches.  And low and behold!  I found it again!

All I had to do was right click on the "Spur Gears" icon in the browser!

There it is! Right click on the Design Acclerator icon!

Now that I've found it, I told myself I'd commit it to memory better this time.  And what better way to do it, than to create a video, blog it, and share it amongst cyber space!

Not to mention there may be those who like myself, have wondered if this is possible as well.  Perhaps they gave up searching for it, thinking that it doesn't exist.

Well it does!  So here's a video to show how it's done!

Enjoy!

Never Take a Tool For Granted - iMates in Autodesk Inventor

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
Oscar Wilde

iMates in Autodesk Inventor.   I would often joke that the only time I used them was when I showed them in a class. (Click here for the Autodesk Wikihelp on iMates)

That was because I rarely, if ever used them.  I thought they were great for "plug in play" types of applications, where a finite pool of components was used to create a larger assembly.

Sure, there was the occasional exception, but they were specialized, and very few.  I only encountered one or two in my travels.

Over the years of using Inventor, iMates slowly crept into the back corner of my dusty mental attic.  A curiosity.  A footnote.

But one evening a few weeks ago, I had a wood working book open on my desk, and was taking some plans for a small table and recreating them in Inventor (with some additional details I wanted), and it happened.

I hit the case that made me run up to my mental attic and blow the dust off my old iMates.

The table, as rendered in Autodesk Showcase

Dowels were going to be used to pin the legs of the tables to the aprons.  I wanted to put the dowels in, so I could have an accurate bill of materials.

But each leg required four dowels, for a total of 16 dowels.  Placing 16 insert constraints was going to get old quick!  Especially when each insert constraint had to be flipped to provide the alternate solution.

So what did I do?

I created an iMate on the end of the dowel, building in the flip that was going to be necessary to get the dowels to position correctly.

Creating the iMate.  Notice the dialog box is nearly identical to the standard constraint (it's missing the "2" button)

When I placed it in an assembly, I could hold down the Alt key, and click on the iMate glyph with the left mouse button.

Then I could drag it, to the mating hole, and the iMate would take effect, and POP!  Into position it goes!


The nice part of this method, is that I can put this dowel in a library, and reuse it, and it's newly created iMate, again and again.

So what's the moral of this story?  Don't be too quick to use a tool!  While they may initially seem a curiosity, they have a way of coming back and making your life a lot easier! 

So to show the way I used iMates, here's a video with the whole process!  Enjoy!

And by the way!  This is just one way you can use iMates!  Remember that Wikihelp link at the beginning of this post?  It's got other ways you can use iMates to your advantage!

The Tips Page - A Premier

“Language is the archives of history”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I've walked through my travels in "the industry", I've found that many times, it's not always a fancy feature, with chrome renderings, animations, or mutli-core whizbangs that users like.

Don't get me wrong, fancy features are always cool.  I use them quite a bit myself!

But sometimes, it's the little things, like having an automatic coffee maker, that make the daily grind a little easier.

Ohh.. Coffee maker. Like a good Inventor tip.  You make the day bearable.

They're tricks that are like "secret handshakes".  You don't see them in documentation, you only hear about them from another users that learned them from:  Where else?  Another user.

So, this week, I roll out a Tips and Tricks page on my blog.  It's a collection of those little tricks that I've picked up over time.  Not because I'm somehow more savvy than anyone else, just because I've had the good fortune of learning them.

The page is in development, so it will nearly certainly evolve over time.  I'll add more "tricks of the trade".  I may even change the layout a bit as I learn.

But here it is, in it's earliest form. I'm starting with Autodesk Inventor, but will likely add more procucts as I go.  They're set up with the intention of being browsed through in a few minutes, with links to more "in depth" explanations where possible.

Take a look!  Let me know what you think!  And most of all, enjoy!

Take a look HERE! 

Create New Tabs in Autodesk Inventor's New File Dialog Box

“Organize your life around your dreams - and watch them come true.”
Unknown

Every time I train an Autodesk Inventor class, I mention this particular tidbit.

How to create a new tab in your New File Dialog Box in Inventor.

Where did the Woodshop & KETIV tabs come from?

It comes in handy to help organize templates.  For example, you can move commonly used templates to the front.  Meanwhile, you can move lesser used, but still needed templates to the back.

It's simple, but many times it's those simple tricks that shave a few moments from an often repeated task that show the greatest value.

It's sort of when I got my first car with electric windows.  It wasn't like it was hard to reach over to crank down the window in my old car.  But it was sooo much nicer that I could just press the button instead! 

In short, you create a subfolder in your template directory, and save a file to it.  It's pretty simple.  But here's a video to go with it!

Tricks o' Me Trade ol' boy, Tricks o' Me Trade!

Tricks of Me Trade, Boy-O.  Tricks of Me Trade!
Jack Dalton in MacGyver (Jack of Lies)

When working in an assembly, one of the tricky things can be trying to pick a narrow edge when using the mate constraint.  Murphy's Law grabs you by the lapels, then shakes vigorously like a bartender shaking a martini. 

You can pick every edge, sketch line, and point, but never get the face you want.  If you're on your forth cup of coffee, you probably can't even hold your hand still enough to use the "Select Other" tool.

So now what?  You could zoom in to the part so closely you feel like your reenacting the "extreme closeup" scene from Wayne's World.  But that can get a little irritating.

You could hold your breath, grab your mouse hand by the wrist, and stick your tongue out the corner of your mouth until you can steady yourself enough to make the pick.  But that just looks silly.

Or you could learn this trick I picked up from somewhere in my past.  I wish I could tell you who showed it too me, but that recollection has fallen to the fog of Autodesk Universities past.

What's the trick?  Instead of using Mate, choose Flush first.  Why?  Flush sees ONLY faces.  It doesn't pick edges, points, or sketches.  Only faces.  Once you have your faces selected, switch back to Mate.



It's like it's own filter!

Using Flush to filter faces.  Try saying that 5 times fast!

Give it a try.  It's pretty quick, simple, elegant, and a lot easier than you might think.

Plus, you don't have to cut back on your coffee intake!

And here's a quick video version!

Hiding the Skeleton in Frame Generator Part 2 - Using a Reference Part.

Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.
Benjamin Franklin

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.

Use "Reference" instead of "Phantom"

Thanks for the correction, Piou2fois!  Keep it up!

Here's the video showing all the steps!