Expanding My Comfort Zone by Facing My Old Foe - Electric Circuits

This post is a little different from my usual posts. It's not about software, it's about a lesson I learned that to my surprise, applies to my software world.

It's about how I had to revisit an old nemesis of mine.  The Professor Moriarty to my Sherlock Holmes....  The Joker to my Batman....

The name of that nemesis is "Electric Circuits".

Circuits.... My old adversary... We meet again.

When I was earning my engineering degree way back during the last century (the 1990s to be specific), I was required to take a class in electric circuits.

I passed it adequately. If my memory is good, I think I got a B.  But I hated that class.  I remember complaining and grumbling through the whole class.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I often said "I don't do electricity", or "I don't want to be an electrical engineer".

I think I still owe an apology and a strong drink to my lab partners in that class for putting up with me!

To my lab partners.  I owe you a few of these! 

In the last few years, I've felt the compulsion to return to the technical, "hands on" side of my profession.  To put my mouse down and pursue a passion to get my hands dirty again.

This desire has manifested in the form of taking aircraft maintenance classes at the local community college.  And the experience has been rewarding.  It's made me a better designer, and has re-stoked my passion for my trade.

But this summer, I've faced against my old nemesis again.

I'm currently taking a course in electric circuits.

The relay...  I remember you...

I started out nervous and intimidated.  I thought about taking the summer off and taking the class later.

But eventually, I found myself sitting in class with my notebook and calculator at the ready, repeating "I think I can" over and over again.

I told myself not to let electric circuits intimidate me.

I will not be cowed by this electrified panel of "nope"!

As class started, I came to realize that it isn't so bad.  Naturally, there are challenges as I relearn amperage is constant and voltage varies in a series circuit, while conversely, voltage is constant and amperage varies in a parallel circuit.

And then there are series-parallel circuits that are combinations of both circuits that must be simplified into their basic components before you can completely solve them.

It hasn't been a walk in the metaphorical park though.  I've cursed myself for making basic mistakes in arithmetic.  But instead  of grumbling about how I'm not "an electrical guy", I've stuck it out and told myself "take your time and step through the circuit".  I've built relay circuits doesn't of times in the lab, using that repetition to understand what the circuit is doing.

And what did I find happened?  I started to understanding it!  I started looking at a circuit, and building it up on the simulator, and it made sense!

After that particular class session, I came home at 11PM, and sat down for a moment to wind down.  I felt energized. I was learning circuits! I was understanding circuits!  I could even explain a basic circuit to someone else.

I was befriending my nemesis!

There's a circuit breaker, and relay integrated in this circuit.
And they all worked to turn on the blue light! 

And now I'm actually looking forward to going back to class!

I had to asked myself, "Why was this so hard back when I was in college?  What changed?"

The only answer I could come up with was "I changed".

But what changed?  I'm two decades older.  I've gained a few pounds.  I've lost more than a few hairs.  Naturally, I'm also wiser and more mature.

That begs another question, "So what?"  What does this lesson that I've learned matter to the world at large?

Time and time again, I've seen this reflected in the extended technological world.  That user who stubbornly sticks to old software like a drowning man clinging to his suitcase full of his worldly possessions.  The engineering manager who proudly proclaims, "I'm not going to change what has worked since I was a designer!"  Or that CAD Manager who says "I looked at that technology five years ago.  I didn't like it then, I don't need to look at it now!"

Upgrade?  But I upgraded in 1986?!?!?

Are these users wrong?  Perhaps. Perhaps not.

It's not about making changes.  Change isn't always a good thing.  But staying safe and sound with the known can be just as costly reaching to far and coming up short.

It's about being willing to make the right changes.

Technology is changing fast.  The best of us have to aspire to be open to it, look at it positively and objectively.  We shouldn't embrace it blindly, but we also shouldn't shun it because "that's not important right now".

The Future of Making Things is like a wave.  Learn to ride it, and it will carry you far.

Step one?  Just be open to what the future has to offer.

Photo Credits:

photo credit: Opening Day 2007 - Astros via photopin (license)

photo credit: Geography Department, 1986 via photopin (license)

The Future of Making Things Roadshow at the California Science Center

Recently, I overheard an experienced designer say, " Design projects are like walking in fog.  You can only see a few steps ahead, but you have to take those steps to see what steps to take after that."

The fog of design

That fairly simple phrase stuck with me.  Design requirements change, customer requirements change, new information reveals itself.  Many times, this happens right in the middle of the design project.

These changes often come at the torment of the designers as they're faced with accommodating those changes.  These changes may not have even been considered during the initial concept phase.

As much as we as designers sigh, and then take a long walk in the parking lot saying things our mothers would be ashamed of, these changes will continue to come.  It's simply a part of the design process.

Flexibility is the key to counter the design change.  Designers must be ready to move quickly when the need to change direction comes.

Not all design changes can be foreseen,  but good designers can adapt.

Fortunately for frazzled and frustrated designers everywhere, new tools are emerging all the time to help navigate the changing topography of the design world.

But this begs a new questions.  What tools are out there?  Which tools are right for me?  Once I answer the first two questions, how do I implement the tools I've chosen?

Additive Manufacturing, or 3D printing, is one way manufacturing is changing.

If you're in the Los Angeles area July 21st, join KETIV and Autodesk for the The Future Of Making Things roadshow at the California Science Center.

You'll have the opportunity to learn about how:

1. Cloud and mobile applications are changing how products are manufactured.
2. How new manufacturing technologies and techniques, like 3D Printing and crowd sourcing, allow "customization for the masses" and speed improving of those products. 
3. Connected smart devices are changing how we use and interact with things.

During this event, hear from the keynote speaker, Andrew Anagnost, Ph.D., Senior VP of Autodesk for Industry Strategy and Marketing. As a leader at Autodesk, he is responsible for acquiring and developing the software tools that take advantage of these trends. 

As part of this initiative, he is leading the shift away from Perpetual to Term-based, Desktop Subscription licensing. He also realizes the importance of an integrated product development strategy so that teams can collaboratively and efficiently develop a concept successfully.

After lunch, enjoy the California Science Center, and find a little inspiration about the Future of Making things.

Sign up here!  I hope to see you there!

Jon Landeros

Acknowledgements:

photo credit: Fog! via photopin (license)

"Convair NC-131H TIFS lifting off" by U.S. Air Force photo/Ben Strasser - http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/081107-F-5381S-450.jpg. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Updating Custom Content to Autodesk Inventor 2016 from a Previous Version

If you've created your own content in Inventors content center, you'll have to update it when you move to your next version of Inventor.  Fortunately, this isn't really that difficult, but it's good to know the steps.

So in the interest of sharing, here are the steps that I used to update my own content center from Inventor 2015 to Inventor 2016.

In my setup, I'm using Desktop Content Libraries, which means they're not stored in Vault   These libraries are databases stored on my local drive.  These steps are particular to that setup. 

Also, I've already copied the files to their new locations.  So really all that's left to do is update the libraries.  This will make sure they're ready to be used by Inventor 2016.

Without further delay here's how I did it.  I hope this can help you too! 

Before anything, there's that little thing about having a backup.  Custom content can mean hours of work that's been collected over the years.  Do you want to lose that?  It's worth a few minutes to make a backup.

I've never lost content during an update.  But there's no reason to tempt fate.  

The first step is to open up Inventor, and on the Get Started tab, choose Projects.  

Starting up your project

When the projects screen opens, make sure the project your working with is active, and click on the Configure Libraries icon. 

This shows the libraries available to the project.  Any libraries that require migration have an exclamation point icon next to them. 

Only one library needs migrating

To start the process, click the Update icon. 

The update button means go! 

Next, Inventor is going to ask you if you've made a backup.  If you haven't, this is your second, and last chance.  

Once you've made that backup, click next, and go to the next step.  Inventor will ask which libraries you'd like to update.  In my case, I only have one.  So that makes my job easy. 

After the update is done, You'll see a confirmation screen, Inventor will ask you if you want to create a log, if you'd like.  

After this, you're library is updated, and it's ready to start using.

No exclamation point.  It's ready to use!

Refreshing Current Content

This is great for new content that you're going to place, but what about older assemblies that have content from your previous versions?

There's a solution for that too. 

When you have an assembly that contains older content, go to the Manage tab, and look for the Refresh button on the Content Center panel. 

Refreshing content. 

A dialog box appears showing you which content is out of date.  Clicking the Refresh button will update any content in the assembly.  

Refreshing the Content

After a short update, the content will show that things have been successful.  

Congratulations, this content is updated! 

And on a couple of final thoughts, you can also update content via Inventor's Task Scheduler.  This let's you update several assemblies at once! 

Updating via Task Scheduler 

Another alternate, although I haven't used this one much personally, is to go into Application Options, and select Refresh out-of-date Standard parts on Placement.  Checking the box will refresh content as it's placed. 

Out-of-date content can be updated as it's placed.  

Use one, or use them in conjunction!  Either way, these all are here to help you make sure your content is up to date! 

Creating a Rivet Hole Chart in Autodesk Inventor.

In my adventures taking aircraft maintenance classes at Mount San Antonio College, I've learned a lot of things.  Not the least of which, is how much I have to learn!

Another piece of knowledge I'm grateful for, is how to drive and set solid rivets.  I'm not the best at it, but I can do it, and practice will make me better.

A sample rivet plate

One thing about riveting has been indelibly etched in my brain.  Rivets require precise holes to be properly fitted.  So much so, that a rivet is often referred to by the drill used to make the hole it fits in. 

For example, a "30" rivet is a 1/8 diameter rivet, and  uses a #30 drill for it's pilot.  A "40" rivet is 3/32 in diameter, and uses a #40 drill for it's pilot.  

A sample of the hole size for standard Imperial Rivets.
From EngineersEdge

If you're inclined to read about it in detail, you can find the specs at Engineer's Edge here, or in the Advisory Circular AC43.13 from the FAA here (start at page 4-14)

Merging that knowledge with my Autodesk Inventor knowledge, I found myself thinking, "How can I capture that knowledge?". 

My thoughts turned to the clearance hole table, which is maintained by an Excel file named Clearance.xls, can contain the new information I wanted to add.

I thought I'd share the steps I used for adding these holes.  Perhaps this is something you can use to adapt your own special clearance holes.

There are two types of clearance holes, the universal rivet, and countersunk rivet.  Basically, that means I need a countersunk hole, and a straight hole. I won't be using counterbores for rivets.

Universal Head Rivet
From Aircraft Spruce

A countersunk rivet
From Aircraft Spruce

So let's get started.

The first step?  Close Inventor.  This will make sure that when you place a hole, you're reading in the latest clearance table.  I also ran into errors when I tried placing holes with the clearance table open.  Something to do with Excel locking the file.

Locate the clearance.xls file.  It's location can vary, but it's set either in the Design Data location in Application Options, or Design Data in the Project.  Remember that if the path is set in the Project file, it will take precedence over the Application Option setting.

The Design Data location set in Application Options. 

The Design Data location set in the project. 

When you find the location, look for the ...Design Data\XLS\en-US sub directory.  It will have the Clearance.xls file you're looking for.

Before doing anything else, make backup of the original Clearance.xls file.  Just in case it gets go horribly wrong, the backup provides a safe haven to go back to and try again.

The location for Clearance.xls.  Notice I've also got a backup Clearance.orig.xls

Next, it's time to edit the Clearance.xls file and add in the new values.

Looking at the sheet, there are several columns, and it goes without saying that each does something. Some will be more obvious than others.

A sample of one of the charts in the Clearance.xls chart.

From left to right, here they are.

1. Fastener Type - This is a description of what type of fastener you're using the hole for.  This is the value you select in the hole dialog box. 
2. Size - This can be called the "nominal' name for the clearance hole.  In other words, if you're describing this fastener or clearance "in the shop" what are you asking for?
3. Shaft Diameters - This includes diameters for Loose, Normal, and Close fits.  Very typical diameters for many fasteners. 
4. Head Dimensions - This is broken down in to three columns that require clarification on their own. 
1. Diameter - The diameter to accommodate a fastener's head. 
2. Depth/Angle - This is the depth required to clear the head, or if a countersunk fastener, the angle of the head. 
3. Head Type - What type of fastener this is.  The number "2" designates a countersunk head.  A "1" designates a 'standard" head. 

Armed with that knowledge, it's time to setting things up!

The easiest thing I found to do is copy one of the existing sheets.  It can serve as a template to create the new table.

Copying the Excel table

So now the table is copied, we understand what the columns do.  It's time to start editing.

Most of this is just taking the values from the standards and copying them into the tables. But I am going to use a couple of tricks to get the table to do what I want.

For starters, rivets don't have close, normal, or loose fits, there's really just one proper nominal dimension.  So I'm going to set the the values to close, normal, and loose to the same thing.  That way, no matter which the end user chooses, they get the right one.

Also, I'm not using counterbores with my universal rivets. In order to make that "unselectable", I'm going to set the counterbore diameter to be smaller than the shaft diameter.

Making the counterbore diameter smaller than the shaft diameter will force the counterbore to "error out" if someone tries to use it.  It's not fancy, I know, but it will work.   I can always change it later too!

My creation. The rivet clearance chart for Inventor

That's the big part, but now there's a couple of more details left.

I'm going to set the "Sort Order" to make sure that the tab appears where I want it.  This affects the order in which the table appears in the hole dialog box.  Just like the name describes, 1 is first, 2 is second, etcetera, etcetera.  (A guy with my haircut has to use that reference!)

I'll also rename the sheet to something meaningful to someone using it.  You know, like "Rivet Clearance".  It took me a while to come up with that one!  (sarcastic grin).

Changing the Sort Order, and renaming the table.

Once this is done, fire up Inventor, and test out your new table of date!  Now you're ready to go!  You can see where the Table Name, Fastener Type, and Size appear in the hole dialog box.

Placing the Rivet.  Notice how the names (circled) correspond to the Clearance.xls table.

Now, it's time to "serve and enjoy" your new chart.  And don't forget to make a backup of this data too!  There's nothing worse than doing it twice.

Even if you can't use it for rivets, perhaps you can adapt this for something else!

A Guest Post! Configure Open File Behaviors - New in Autodesk Vault 2016

So much has been added in the 2016 Autodesk releases, it's hard to keep track of them all.

That's where a great team comes into play.  I'm happy to share this post by Jonathan Kriek of KETIV  This post originally appeared on the KETIV blog, Side Note.

In this post, he discusses the Open File Behavior that's been added to Autodesk Vault 2016.  I'm looking forward to checking this one out myself!

So without further delay, here you go!

Configure Open File Behaviors - New in Autodesk Vault 2016
By Jonathan Kriek

A fair amount of users most likely have more than a couple versions of AutoCAD and/or Inventor installed on their system. This may be due to testing the latest version, while production requires the previous or having other business system requirements that force them to retain an older version.

My reasons are simple - providing all inclusive support to our customers by being able to troubleshoot multiple versions simultaneously. But regardless of why the fact remains that by default until now Autodesk Vault used MS Windows settings for determining which [version of a] program to open for a given file type (except 2015R2 for subscription customers which includes some early 2016 functionality).

Autodesk Vault 2016 now gives you greater flexibility in choosing which version of your Autodesk software to open.

What Autodesk software and file types are supported?

Currently "Open File Behaviors" support the following Autodesk software and file types:

• Autodesk Inventor
• IPT, IAM, IPN, and IDW
• Autodesk AutoCAD
• DWG and DXF
• Autodesk Revit
• RVT, RFA, and RTE

How do I access Open File Behaviors settings?

In the Vault Client, select Tools > Options.
Next to Open file behavior settings click "Settings".

Open File Behavior configuration options

Depending on the CAD application, you can determine whether CAD files are opened by the latest version, the last run version, or the version of the CAD Application that last saved the file.

• Last Run Version (Inventor Only):
• This option will open the CAD file with the last used version of the CAD application.
• Latest Version (AutoCAD and Revit Only):
• This option will open the CAD file with the newest version of the CAD application installed.
• Saved by Version (AutoCAD and Revit Only):
• This option will open the CAD file with the version of the CAD application that was last used to save the file.
• Default
• This option uses the current settings in Vault for opening a specified CAD file.
• Autodesk Inventor files are opened with the default application specified by Windows.
• AutoCAD files are opened with the latest version of Autodesk AutoCAD installed.
• Revit files are opened with the latest version of Autodesk Revit installed.

Example scenarios

These settings are pretty straightforward and not all options are available for each CAD application, but let's take a look at a few examples.

If Revit 2015 and Revit 2016 are both installed on your machine, and you want files that were saved in RVT 2015 to always open with RVT 2016, you can configure Vault to always launch Revit 2016 for all .RVT, .RFA, and .RTE files by choosing "Latest Version".

If AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD 2015 are both installed on your machine, and you want files that were saved in ACAD 2015 to open with ACAD 2015, and files saved in ACAD 2014 to open with ACAD 2014, you can configure Vault to always launch the "Saved by Version" of AutoCAD for all .dwg and .dxf files.

Final Thoughts

The Open File behavior finally applies some adaptability to the process of opening files and determining whether CAD files are opened by the latest version, the last run version, or the version of the CAD Application that last saved the file. I hope you found this article and the new Vault 2016 Open File functionality useful!

Jonathan Kriek

Importing and Exporting Your Autodesk Inventor Settings

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to write for the CAD Setter Out.  In that post that you can find here, I wrote about some of the settings that I like to change in Inventor's Application Options.  These are settings I change on any new install of Inventor I'm going to use.

These are my settings of choice.

Not too long after writing the post, I found myself working offsite for a few weeks.  The computer I was using wasn't mine.  It was a loaner.

So I did what I always did, I set up my Inventor installation just the way I wanted.  All was good the first day. 

But when I returned the next day, after rebooting the computer, I found that my Inventor installation had returned to default.  I had to reset everything!  And while this too a few minutes, it was a nuisance. 

The IT department knew it was likely something in the windows profile, but they had their own set of challenges: 

• They were in the middle of upgrading some of their own systems, so they had limited time for me
• My issue only took a few minutes for me to fix, so it was far from a "show stopper". 
• I was only going to be onsite for a short time.  

Given those factors, it's understandable why they didn't jump on my issue.  

That meant finding a way to do the best I could with what I had. 

Thankfully, I was able to draw on a trick that made this issue much less challenging.

I thought it might be worth sharing.  I hope you agree! 

All you have to do is export your settings to an XML file.

So let's get started! .

The first step is to setup your Application Options just the way you want them.  This is just like you've likely done before.

Remember, these are found on the Tools ribbon. 

Some of my preferred Application Option settings

But now, select the Export button.  Choose a location and save the XML file with your default settings to a safe place.   In my case, I just saved it to a folder on the desktop of my machine.

Exporting the settings to a preferred location

You might consider putting it on a USB stick, or on a cloud account like Dropbox, Copy, or A360 Drive.  You could even e-mail it to yourself.  As long as it's someplace you can find later.

After my computer had restarted, and Inventor had again returned to default, I was able to go back to my application options and import my preferred settings.  In a few minutes, Inventor was set back the way I liked it!

Importing the settings back into Inventor

What's the big benefit?   You can walk up to any machine and bring your settings with you.  It can make setting you machine up much easier.

In my case, it gave me a quick way to restore my settings until the IT department was able to tweak my user profile, rendering the issue moot.

I must add one disclaimer however, or else I'd be doing you a disservice.  I've not tempted this particular fate myself, but I have on good authority that this doesn't work well for migrating customizations.

In short, new tools, ribbons, and options may exist when a new version of Inventor is released.   A settings file from a previous version may not know how to address these new settings.  As a result, they may not work correctly.

So in other words, just use it across the same version, and all should be fine.

In any case, keep this in mind in your own uses.  Any time you need to bring in your preferred settings to Inventor, have this at the ready, and you can have your preferred settings at your finger tips!

Also, if you expand the flyout under the import button, you'll see Use AutoCAD Related Settings, which will set Inventor's appearance to mimic AutoCAD, such as having a black background in the modeling environment .

There's also Use Inventor settings.  This resets Inventor to its default settings.  Good things to know if you're experimenting with settings!

Inventor's alternate settings

So take these settings and see where you can use them!  Maybe it can help you! 

Preparing Your Autodesk Inventor Project File for Inventor 2016

In an earlier post, I discussed installing your new suite of Autodesk software.  But then comes configuration.  There are things that have to get setup and configured.

After installation, on of the next things I like to do is migrate my Inventor project file to make sure it's set up for the new software release, in this case Inventor 2016.

Every installation is a little different, so first, I'm going to discuss a few things that are unique to my installation.  You may not encounter all these, so you might change a few steps based on your own installation.

It all revolves around one thing.  I have to run multiple versions of Inventor, as far back as version 2012.  That means maintaining previous versions of  template files and the Design Data folders.

In order to accommodate this, I need to use a project file for each version of Inventor I run, that allows me to point each version of Inventor to its own template and design data folders.

That means copying and pasting of template and design data directories in Windows explorer.  I also copy my custom material and appearance libraries to this directory.

And by the way, it's a good idea to make a backup copy of these files.  You'll have options to try a few things if you want, and recover from any mistakes.  "One and done" is what we aim for in a migration, but reality has a way of getting in the way of the best laid plans.

Once the design data and templates are copied, it's time to copy my project file.   I'm renaming it to Arduinna 2016.ipj so I know which version of Inventor it belongs to.

All of this goes pretty quickly.  It's just the standard Windows copying and pasting.

Once that is done, it's time to tell Inventor 2016 to start using the project.

Inside of Inventor, choose Projects on the Get Started tab.

Once the dialog box opens, browse out to the directory the copied the project file. Select it and select open.  The project will read into Inventor, and be set as the active project.

Now it's time to point the project to the locations it needs to use.

I like to set my locations with in the project, which means I start out in the "Folder Options" section of the project.

So in my case, I point the Design Data, and Template folder locations to the directories holding the files that are going to be used in Inventor 2016.

In addition to that, I want to add my Material and Appearance Libraries to the project as well.  So that means right clicking on each library, and adding the ones I want.

Once this is done, setting up the project is done.

But before we can start firing up our new project, you'll have to migrate the templates and design data for your new project.
Fortunately, the process hasn't changed from previous releases, so you can reference my posts here from last year.

Here's my post for migrating Design Data, and here's my post for  migrating templates.

And there you have the steps to migrate a project.  Don't forget that depending on your setup, you may not follow the exact same steps.  The key is making sure the steps are done for your configuration.

Don't be afraid to run a couple of tests (that backup can come in handy for that!), and make sure you cover your bases!

Autodesk Inventor 2016 - The "What's New" Trailers

For the last week and a half, I've been working full time on a customer site.  And while it's good to be busy, it's a bit tough on the blogging schedule.

But with the help of the KETIV Technologies team, I have been able to lend my voice to a few what's new videos for Inventor 2016.  

They're what I'd call "previews", but they do give you an idea of what some of the new capabilities are!

I've included them below!  And I'm still planning on creating more posts! Just give me a little time! 

But take a look at these videos for a tour of what's new in the latest release of Inventor! 

Part Modeling Enhancements 

If there's anything that gets used a lot, it's part modeling features. Take a look at some of the new ones here! 

;

T-Splines Enhancements

If you need to create organic shapes, this is the tool to take a look at! Notice how you can create symmetrical shapes with just a few mouse clicks1

;

Sheet Metal Enhancements

Tools like automatic thickness detection, zero bend radii, and multi-body support are now in the tool box for Inventor 2016 sheet metal! 

;

Presentation File Enhancements

These enhancements have been much requested!  There's a lot of improvements, from the interface, to View Representations, a lot of wishes have been answered. 

;

Home Screen Enhancements 

First introduced in Inventor 2015, The home screen has had more features added to it.  I'm a fan of the filters for recent files, but there are more enhancements than just that. 

;

Electromechanical Improvements

Better communication between Inventor and AutoCAD Electrical is the name of the game.  Here's where you can see a bit of them working together. 

;

DWG Underlay

Do you need to reuse your AutoCAD drawings in Inventor?  Do you want to maintain a link between the two?  You've come to the right place!  Check this out! 

;

Documentation Enhancements

Inventor drawings received quite a shot in the arm this release!  View creation is new and streamlined, text creation has been enhanced, and transparent parts are just cool. 

;

Assembly Feature Enhancements

Do you want to replace more than one part at a time?  Do you need to tweak your install for better performance? Or maybe you just want to zoom in to your interferences, or have a more options for component patterns.

Take a look here! 

;

Additive Manufacturing Enhancements

"Enhancement" is probably an understatement here, entire sets of tools have been added that didn't exist in previous versions of Inventor.  Everything from splitting large parts to fit in a small machines, to having envelopes for different machines available.

;

So there you go!  Your epic tour of the new features in Autodesk Inventor 2016.  

Time to start Inventing!