Inventor Copy Feature

Today we'll look at a basic option that has been around, but I am unsure of it's widespread usage. The Copy and Paste of features in Inventor. Seems like everyone uses it in every other application, why not use it when you are designing? If you have a feature (or features) that was generated from a sketch, you can easly re-use that in another part by placing an orientating it to the right position. Let's take a look.....

WATCH VIDEO HERE

I'm always one for shortcuts, hopefully you can use this as well.

John with the CAD Geeks

Configuring Default Comments in Vault Lifecycles

One of the hard things to remember when using Vault is to fill in the comments box whenever a milestone is reached with a document. In daily use, it may not be important to fill in a comment, but if a file is transitioned to a Released state it could be critical.

With the Vault Workgroup and above solutions, you can now predetermine comments for any change in Lifecycle on a Vaulted file. This is done in the Lifecyles configuration area of the Vault Administration options.




After being configured, there will always be the default Comment when changing lifecycles. The comment can also be manually edited...




Or an alternative can be selected from a drop down list:




Contributed by Ben of the CAD Geeks

Electrical Adding Part Numbers to the Catalog

Today we will take a look at adding new entries into our catalog database. Not only are we adding just a new part number but also a new manufacturer at the same time. One item to point out is that in my video I did not do a save so my new manufacturer I created will not show up in my manufacturer list next time I go into it, so remember to always save. Next week we will look at adding Assemblies into the catalog.

Take a Look!!!

http://www.screencast.com/t/IJCGTOVfb8

Created by Dave one of the Cad Geeks

Sheet Metal - Square to Round

Today we are going to look at the square to round functionality in sheet metal, as well as the rip command. By using these to functions, you are now able to easy create a sheet metal part that transitions from a square shape to a round or vice-versa. This functionality has been highly requested in the past and I think you'll agree that it is quite easy to accomplish what you need.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

John with the CAD Geeks

Grouping folder data in Vault

Have you ever looked in a Vault folder and become overwhelmed by the sheer number of files in it? Maybe you just need to see the files you have been working on yourself? Take a look at the "Group By" option in Vault to make sorting folder data as easy as a drag and drop. The attached video will show examples of sorting by the user that created the file as well as the file's lifecycle state. There is also an example of creating a multiple condition grouping.

Take a look at the video:

Watch Video Here

Contributed by Ben of the CAD Geeks

Finding My Way.....

Sometimes you need a way to find things in your browser quick and easy. It can be quite difficult to peck through all of the items to find what you want when you have a large browser tree. A tool exists for searching the browser that I seldom see people taking advantage of. It offers some pretty powerful ways of locating what you want, when you want it.

Let's Take A Look

John with the CAD Geeks

Working with Wire Types AutoCAD Electrical

Today we are taking a look at working with wire types in the area of renaming column headers for our wire type dialog boxes which leads into the tools for creating new wire types and layers also converting existing wires in our design. The reason for the post is to be able to easily create additional information in our projects we work on. When thinking about wires we may need to know if the wires we are using are in stock, long lead items or even a special order. These are just some of the ideas I came up with for column headings. I am sure all of you have many different ways you may customize your charts. I would love to hear about them please post some ideas to the linkedin Electrical User Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1798916&trk=hb_side_g

Take a Look!!!
http://www.screencast.com/t/b50uor45V

Created by Dave one of the Cad Geeks

DWF's take too long with your large designs?

Have you ever checked a large assembly into Vault and had to wait a while for all of the DWF files to be published into the Vault. One of the additions to the 2010 Vault Collaboration and Vault Manufacturing products in the inclusion of the new "Job Processor" feature. This allows users to queue up publishing jobs as another process on any computer with the Vault Collaboration client software installed. Here is an example of a DWF file being published "behind the scenes":

Another capability of the Job Processor is to update properties of files in the Vault. In many cases users may want to edit file properties directly within the Vault, but these changes still need to be reflected in the title blocks of drawings as well. The Job processor can update any file properties, and then publish the DWF file whenever a lifecycle state changes (to released for example). Here is an example of a "Rev Number" file property that will automatically be updated when the process below completes:




As a user adds a lot of work to the Job Processor, a Queue is maintained to allow management of the update and DWF publishing progress:


This will allow us to track the progress of any large publishing jobs.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Solids in Alias

In this weeks post I will show you how to work with solids in Alias.

Click HERE to watch the video

Created by Aaron... your Alias CAD Geek!

Electrical 2010 Active Drawing Audit

Many items have change in the 2010 release of AutoCAD Electrical the big one of course is the new user interface. Besides that the other changes consist of:

• Workspaces
  
• Green Design
  
• Power Feed Support
  
• Improved Productivity
  
• Motor Control of One-Line Circuits
  
• “No Wire” Numbering for Wire Layers
  
• Electrical Audit

Today I will take a look at what’s new within the Electrical Audit tool. The Active Drawing option will allow you to Display the audit information for the active drawing only. If a different drawing becomes active, the display updates for that drawing. If the active drawing is not part of the project, the Active Drawing control is disabled and the Project control is selected. In past release we were only able to see the entire project. This new feature should save you time when working within the Audit Tool.

Take a Look!!!

http://www.screencast.com/t/3qP1CnVC

Created by Dave one of the Cad Geeks

Inventor Tip of the Day

If you are reviewing documents and would like a more "presentation" look to Inventor, there are a couple of ways to clean up the screen so that just the graphics show. From the "View" tab, you can select "Clean Screen". This maximises the graphics window and minimizes all of the toolbars and browsers. You can also use the keyboard shortcut "ctrl-0" (zero) to quickly switch between screens.

John with the Tata CAD Geeks

i Check it for AutoCAD Inventor - Part 4

The last few weeks we have looked at i Check it for Autodesk Inventor, the only standards/quality checker integrated into the product. If you would like to do the following, i Check it is for you:

• Build, implement and enforce company 3D CAD standards


• Ensure consistent deliverables from outsourced or contract designers


• Share design data with your supply chain more easily


• Ensure quality standards


• Verify multiple file integrity in a batch process

i Check it is a low cost, high value solution to your CAD quality standards enforcement. Spend less time verifying CAD standards and more time designing. Download a free 30 day trial and get started today.

For more information visit: http://www.tatatechnologies.com/autodesk/ICheckITHome.asp?Menu=Products

John with the Tata CAD Geeks

Ahhhhh! He checked out and split again!

Has this happened to you? A coworker has a bunch of files checked out to reserve them for a project being worked on, but goes on vacation (or other unexpected absence). Now you are responsible to continue the project, but you can't even access the vaulted files they have checked out. Previously an administrator would have to reset the user's vault password so they could log in and un-reserve (undo checkout) the file. This was was all a hassle, and now there is a better way: Remove Reservation.

Here is an example of a file checked out by Ed Engineer who went MIA:

If I log in as Mike Manager (who has Administrator rights), Mike can then use the Remove Reservation option on the file pull-down menu.

Any of the CAD users can now check this out and begin working on it again:

Contributed by Ben of the CAD Geeks

Inserting Jumper Charts with Electrical

We find the need to add more visual representations into our designs all the time. One way of doing this is adding in jumper charts to help present a clear picture of our designs.

The jumper chart option is designed for placement around our terminal strips. A jumper chart is a tabular table that specifically displays the jumper assignments.

Take a Look!!!http://www.screencast.com/t/KBraGnx0cr

Created by Dave one of the Cad Geeks

iCheckit for AutoCAD Inventor - Part 3

In another segment of my icheckit for Inventor post, we are going to take a look at some of the drafting checks and how easy it is to create and configure a check. icheckit can have a tremendous impact reducing the amount of time and errors that are in your designs. I encourage you to download a 30-day trial and see how it can help you in your business practices. Let's take a look.....

WATCH VIDEO HERE

Download 30-day trial HERE

John with the TATA CAD Geeks

Autodesk Inventor Install guide Feedback Survey

On behalf of Autodesk we would like you to give feedback about the "Planning your Installation" guide that comes with the software. Please follow this link if you would like to give your feedback.

Thanks for your consideration,

Kevin with the CAD Geeks and Autodesk Inventor Users Group

SURVEY LINK

Easier property management and viewing in Vault 2010

One of the troublesome aspects of managing the previous Vault versions was the inability to differentiate between properties that originated from different sources. There is now a predominant (I) after property names for any Inventor files, and this helps out a ton with determining what I am looking at in the properties pane as shown below.

This nomenclature can also be seen in the Property Definitions dialog box when configuring the display and use of properties in the Vault Administration tools.



Now mapping file and system properties is much easier knowing when Inventor is the source property. The same concept also applies to properties extracted from AutoCAD attributes where the property is now appended with an (A).

Contributed by Ben of the CAD Geeks