Autodesk Inventor Publisher - If You Don't Write it Down, It Didn't Happen

“Real programmers don't document. If it was hard to write, it should be hard to understand.”
Unknown

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!

On the Road Again - Autodesk Inventor Publisher Viewer

“We are in or are entering TWO cycles instead of one — broadband Internet and mobile.”
Mary Meeker

 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!

I'm On Vacation this Week

Good morning, everyone!

Once again, I'm delaying this weeks blog post.

It's Independence Weekend in the U.S., and I took a snowboarding vacation to Mammoth Mountain. 

That's right, snowboarding in July, in the Northern Hemisphere! 

I'll be putting something up a little later, in the meantime, I've got one more day to go enjoy the slopes.

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!

This Week's Blog Post Delayed

I'm afraid that I have to delay this weeks blog post for a bit due to visiting friends and family. 

Yes, even I have them! 

I'll be posting later this week, so watch the Twitter feed for my announcement! 

Talk to you all later this week!

Hiding the Skeleton Part in Your Inventor Frame Generator

“If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”
George Bernard Shaw


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!

Publishing a Downloaded Valve to Inventor's Content Center

“The biggest difference between time and space is that you can't reuse time”
Merrick Furst

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?

Setting Default Project in Autodesk Vault 2012

“Instruction does not prevent wasted time or mistakes; and mistakes themselves are often the best teachers of all.”
James Anthony Froude

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!

This Week's Blog Post Delayed for the Holiday

This weekend is Memorial Day in the United States. 

So we're taking a long weekend to honor those who served the country over its history.    

As a result this weeks post will be pushed back a few days (it'll be up by mid week, check my Twitter feed for the announcement).

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

And as a final note, thanks to all those soldiers how served, and thanks to all those soldiers from other countries, who have stood as our allies. 

The famous "Missing Man' formation.  Image courtesy of David C. Copley

Using Positional Representations in Autodesk Inventor Drawings

“Painting is the representation of visible forms. . . The essence of realism is its negation of the ideal.”
Gustave Courbet

For this week's blog.  I decided to continue last weeks blog! 

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!

Here's the video!  Happy Inventing!

The Updates Have Arrived - Service Pack 2 for Autodesk Inventor 2011

Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.
~Suzie Wagner, 1998

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!

Using Positional Representations in Autodesk Inventor

“Everyone is jockeying for position in a rapidly changing world and industry.”
Jeff Kagan

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.

Planes of Fame Airshow - Blog Delayed.

“Lady, you want me to answer you if this old airplane is safe to fly? Just how in the world do you think it got to be this old?.”    ~ Anonymous

This weekend I spent nearly every waking moment at the Planes of Fame Airshow, getting my warbird fix.  

Which means after one heck of a cool weekend, I don't have much of a brain left for blogging. 

 Look to a little later this week for my technical post.  It's coming.  But until then, enjoy some pictures from the show!  

Two Corsairs flying in formation

A rare WWII PV-2 Harpoon

A collection of Douglass aircraft from over the years, an SBD Dautnless, an AD Skyraider, and an A-4 Skyhawk

Two P-40 Warhawks

The N9MB Flying Wing.  The only one of its type flying.

Two F7F Tigercats and two P-51s in the twilight after the show was over.

How's Your Form - iLogic Forms in Autodesk Inventor 2012

“I know it may seem surprising to people, but learning dialog that has a conversational flow to it is not that difficult.”
Deidre Hall

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!

New for Autodesk Inventor 2012 - Rotate Sketch with View

 “You can't do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh.”
John Singer Sargent

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.

Changing Your Options - Changes to "Select Other" in Inventor 2012

“Don't think of it as being outnumbered, think of it as unlimited target selection”
Anonymous

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.

So with that, here's a video to compare the two! 

Happy Easter - Off the Topic

"She was a Stradivarius of an airplane..."
Colonel Robert Morgan, pilot of the Memphis Belle

My next technical blog will be put off a day or two, since this was a busy Easter weekend for me.

But every once in a while I like to do something "off the page".  Plus, I got to experience something so exciting I can hardly contain myself.  :-)

Those who follow my blog know that I get a kick out of old airplanes, and that I volunteer at Planes of Fame in Chino, Ca. 

This weekend EAA sent their  B-17 Flying Fortress, named Aluminum Overcast to visit the museum, giving rides to visitors. 

Aluminum Overcast - A gorgeous example of a B-17 Flying Fortress

Seeing how myself, and most of us live our lives in technology, it always amazes, and inspires me to see how it was done 70 years ago.  No CAD software, not even a calculator.

With just drafting boards and slide rules, they produced a machine that borders on an art form.

Just imagine what those designers would say if they saw the tools we have today.

I got to experience the process of "pulling the props", the process by which the engines are checked to make sure that any oil that collects in the lower cylinders is clear before startup. 

That was a lot of work.  It's not nearly as easy as it looks.

Then, I got to stand next to this magnificent machine, watch it start up, and take off.  Simply amazing to see this 70 year old machine start up and do what she was intended to do.

It's an amazing tribute to those who designed it, without having tools we take for granted today, then for those brave souls who flew it.

So to share the experience, here's the video of the startup and taxi.  It was exciting to be so close I could touch it.

Seeing it is an amazing tribute to those who designed, built, and ultimately flew these incredible machines into combat. 

Good Hardware - Never Take it for Granted

 “Hardware: the parts of a computer that can be kicked.”
Jeff Pesis

I'm not the kind of guy who has to have the latest and greatest of everything.  My truck is a 2005 Chevy Colorado, my T.V. is at 5 years old, desktop computer at home is nearly 7 years old.

This isn't my home computer.  Mine is at least a third that size!

But the truck runs great, the T.V. works fine, and the computer is really only used for occasional web surfing.

Things change when I go to work.  KETIV makes sure we're equipped with some pretty serious hardware.  It's serious, top of the line stuff.  That's why my personal computer is a 7 year old fossil.  

But many times, expensive hardware is less expensive than your time.  Here's a case in point.

Not that long ago, I was uploading a large dataset (about 60GB), into Autodesk Vault.  The data had to have links repaired, and then loaded into Vault.

Trust me, it's time consuming, and tedious.  This project was expected to take a couple of weeks as scanned data, fixed links, and finally a push into Vault.

The first computer we tried it with was a Windows XP box with 2GB of RAM, it was all that was available on site.  It was adequate for the first few days.  But we had to push the data in small bites.  It mean a lot of repetition as steps were checked, doubled checked, and then repeated on dataset after dataset.

Suddenly, I started getting out of memory errors, AutoCAD and Vault begin crashing unexpectedly.  Then, without warning, everything locks up with a fatal memory error, no amount of rebooting, reinstalling, or throwing of pixie dust can repair it.

Then, the poor little computer, pushed to it's limit, collapsed and died.  We tried CPR by throwing another 2GB of RAM in it.

It spasmed and kept throwing memory errors at me.  It looks like it's breathing its last as far as data upload is concerned.
 
Finally, like a cowboy who's has a horse with a broken leg.  We put it out of it's misery.

That poor little 2GB box looked a bit like this

Next, we plug in my laptop.  64 Bit windows 7, 8GB RAM, rich Corinthian  leather (okay, not really).

I grab a grip of data, just over 4GB, and fire it up.

Hard drives spin and fans spool, and the data starts traveling into Vault.  The RAM in use settles in somewhere between 3.5 & 4.5 GB of RAM.

After plugging in my machine.

I let it chug away.  It takes several hours, but it's in.  What had taken me 3 days of sifting, repairing, and cleaning was done in less than a normal working day.

So what's the moral of the story?

Computer prices are perpetually dropping, but that doesn't mean we can all go out an purchase the latest and greatest monster machine.  If it were that cheap, I wouldn't have an old relic of a computer at home.

But even if it isn't brand new, make sure it's up to the task you're going to ask of it.

Not only is older hardware more likely to fail, you can invest far more time managing your meager resources, than investing in a newer machine and letting it "rock and roll". 

Older hardware means longer waits, more babysitting of the computer, and more importantly, less time for other projects (which can cost money), and less time for yourself

So always be aware when it makes sense to put that old system out to pasture.

So maybe someday in the future, you can ask me about it.  I'll probably be the old guy with the classic 2005 Chevy Colorado explaining to some kid how, when I was young, ALL cars had internal combustion engines!

Do You Notice a Draft? - New Drafting Tools in Autodesk Inventor 2012

“I am an obsessive rewriter, doing one draft and then another and another, usually five. In a way, I have nothing to say, but a great deal to add.”
Gore Vidal

When there's a new release of Inventor, there are always the big, flashy items that go to the top of the list.

The Marking Menus, where the buzz is at!

For Autodesk Inventor 2012, marking menus seem to be the thing that has everyone buzzing. 

But sometimes I like to go on a bit of a mining expedition through What's New, and see what I can find that maybe isn't so flashy, and hasn't got the community buzzing.

One of those is some new additions to the drafting tool.  Now, in Inventor 2012, you can:

• Create a draft feature using a parting line (2D or 3D sketch) to position the start of the draft.
• Use separate angle values above and below the parting line or fixed plane.
• With Automatic Face Chain enabled, faces tangent to the selected face are included in the draft.
• Automatic Blending is available for adjacent faces that blend with a fillet or other feature. Turn on Automatic Blending to maintain blended geometry.
• Direct Manipulation controls are included with the Draft command. 

Is it flashy environments with Image Based Lighting?  Is it fancy Marking Menus?  No, it's not.

But it is part of some solid additions that can really help your daily workflow!

Here's a video showing some of the new draft tool!

Enjoy!  Happy Inventing!

Sweeping Along an Edge - What's New in Autodesk Inventor 2012

“Sweep first before your own door, before you sweep the doorsteps of your neighbors”
Swedish Proverb

I love an improvement that just makes the day to day workflow simpler.  One of my favorite "day to day" improvements in Autodesk Inventor 2012 is the ability to sweep using an edge. 

In prior releases of Inventor you had to have two sketches, one for the profile, the other for the path.  It didn't matter if there was already an existing edge, you still had to create a sketch, and project the edge.

Autodesk Inventor 2011 & earlier required to sketches for a sweep

Now, in Autodesk Inventor 2012, you only need an edge.  So if you're sweeping a profile on an edge, you can go ahead and go for it!

Now, in Autodesk Inventor 2012, you only require an edge!

And for a more in depth tour, here's a video!

Have a great week everyone!  And Happy Inventing!