Better Tools for Collaborative Design in Inventor

One of the coolest new features in Inventor isn't really an Inventor feature at all. The new data mapping feature within Vault Workgroup and its related capabilities will really usher in the next level of simplicity when trying to manage the release of large design projects with multiple individuals involved. I will be covering this topic in detail during our April 9th data management user group (Sign Up Here) but here is the high level overview to wet your whistle.

Data Mapping is a powerful process to interrogate Vault information and create charts that can be interactively used in the Inventor environment.

You can now create fancy graphs and charts of Vault information, and these might be useful on their own, but they can also be utilized by Inventor. These can be used to interactively display information on the Inventor model itself. This could be coded by things like: parts pending change, make versus buy designation, current project or design status, compliance status, component cost range, weight range, design lifecycle, or other user "checked-out" status for collaborative designs.

Not only can this information be displayed on the Inventor model, but it can also be used in creating a selection set of Inventor model data as well. Stay tuned for our April Data management users group where I will demonstrate the various uses of this great new tool for Inventor.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Streamline your CAD / Vault Workflow

If you mostly use Vault to regularly check-out and check-in CAD data this tip is for you!

Find yourself constantly picking the same option when checking files out?
Always check-in your files before closing them?

Make sure you are taking advantage of the "Prompt Configuration" area of the Vault options in your CAD system (either AutoCAD or Inventor). These can set your default prompt preferences as well as to always use that preference without even displaying the dialog box if you like. This allows you to tailor your CAD / Vault experience to your particular needs.

The Prompts can be accessed from the Vault ribbon bar as shown below:


One of my favorites is to set the "On File Close" prompt to use "Yes" and "Never Prompt". This will automatically check-in any files you have checked-out to make changes when you close the file in the CAD system.






Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Great Vault Utilities Available

Just because Vault doesn't include a particular capability or feature "out of the box", doesn't mean that it can't be done. There are many niche needs when it comes to data management, and applications can be written (or borrowed from) to accomplish many feats of PDM glory.

One of the common CAD management issues I commonly get asked about is how to restore a single file that was inadvertently deleted from Vault. By default, this could require a complete restore of the entire Vault database, and if the deletion wasn't caught early enough, this would not be remotely feasible as all kinds of new data would already be added to the Vault. Another approach would be to keep a "hidden" copy of all the vault files for an administrator to access. This can be done with the Vault Mirror utility written by Doug Redmond and posted on his blog. This utility can batch process any new files added to Vault and also copy a version of the file to an alternate location. The utility and source code are included on the Vault server installation, and Doug's blog details on it are posted here:

http://justonesandzeros.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/vault-mirror.html

Another utility Doug has written allows an iProperty to be added in files to list the current Vault folder it resides in. For companies that place files in a specific folder structure depending on file name, type, or use, this utility allows CAD managers to quickly verify that new files added to Vault are in the correct locations. Simply create a search folder of all files added recently and turn on display of the "folder path" to see if the files reside in the correct locations. The utility and source code for this one is also on Doug's blog here:

http://justonesandzeros.typepad.com/blog/2010/02/the-folder-property.html

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Vault Batch Plot

One of the side benefits of using Vault Workgroup (or above) is the included Batch Plotting utility. The number one aspect of this batch plot is the ability to add all of the related drawing sheets from an inventor design. This allows you to pick a single assembly file and let Vault find all of the detail drawings related to the assembly. For large designs, this could take hours of time to search for and locate drawings manually. With this simple trick, the beginning of a large batch plot list can be generated from the simple assembly selection in a matter of minutes.

Check out a video of the Batch Plot utility HERE.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD geeks

Design portability with Autodesk Vault

One of the benefits of Vault that can improve Inventor's performance in large assemblies also makes it easier to take your work with you if you leave the office. What am I talking about...

A local working folder or "Workspace" of course. Let me fill you in on the background first: Autodesk Vault is a Client / Server application with "Checked In" data residing on the Vault Server. But data that is "Checked Out" actually resides on your local workstation's hard drive. Vault is always automatically monitoring the relationship between the server and local data and displays its status when logged into Vault.

Due to this data residing on your local hard drive, you can log out of Vault and still work on any designs that have been checked out (and thereby cached in the local working folder). Tata Technologies typically even Vaults files such as Templates and Style library data so you can work without interruption when disconnected from the corporate network.

As mentioned earlier, due to the data being local when you are working in a Vault environment, large assemblies in Inventor can be more responsive to the common tasks of opening and saving regularly as well.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

What Can DWF do for you?

One of the central aspects of visualization with the Vault products is the usage of the DWF viewing format. You may not be aware of many of the capabilities available with DWF so I will just list some of them here:

• DWF / DWFx published by Autodesk CAD software


• 2D Viewing


• 3D Viewing


• Exploded Views and Assembly instructions


• Sectioned 3D viewing


• Measure / Markup / Print


• Overlay markup data in CAD applications


• Control amount of detail in a DWF


• Disable "Measure” and “Print”


• Locked down settings useful for customer and vendor interaction


• Integrated email transmittal


• Free Autodesk Design Review (comprehensive viewing software)


• Free "Print" to DWF (for formats other than CAD)


• Merge multiple documents into one DWF file (CAD, Specification and spreadsheet for example)
  

If you haven't seen how this viewing technology works in action, you can find an interactive overview of the free Design Review HERE.

Also... for those who missed it, I recently presented a Data Management User group and covered the topics of Vault Security and DWF if you would like a more in depth look with demonstrations included. The DWF content is in the second half of the presentation that you can access HERE.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Managing iParts and iAssemblies in Vault

iParts and iAssemblies can be a valuable tool in the Autodesk Inventor products, but anyone who has used iParts or iAssemblies in Vault might have become a bit frustrated. Due to the complex file references between all of the members in an iPart and its "Factory", it can be challenging to load these into Vault in a fully "up to date" fashion. This can lead to Inventor thinking the iPart needs to be updated and checked out each time it is inserted during regular design use.

There is a relatively simple way to keep track of the updated status of all iPart members using a container assembly. The same technique can be used with iAssemblies nested multiple levels deep. I have created a video of the technique using the Engine MKII sample data set which contains multiple levels of iPart and iAssemblies.

Check out the video HERE.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Tracking design projects in Vault

I have previously discussed the merits of saving searches in Vault for immediate reuse of any search conducted with the Vault "Find" command, but there are some interesting combinations that I have recently run across. If you are like most engineers or designers, you probably have multiple jobs or projects you are managing at the same time. This can make it really confusing to keep track of what has been completed, and what still requires additional work.

Using saved searches in Vault with a combination of folder locations and file status can be a great way to quickly see the status of your current designs.

Here is an example of a saved search that locates all of the files still checked out beneath a specific Vault folder structure (core Vault):

Here are all of the WIP files in another Vault location (Vault Workgroup and above):

So whatever level of Vault you are using, there is a search that can help you out with determining project completion, and finding that require additional work.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

iProperties Button

If you want quick access to the iProperties command, you can have an iProperties button showing in the Inventor 2010 interface at all times:

Created by a resurrected CAD Geek.

Exporting Vault File data

One of the commonly overlooked features of Vault is the ability to use file property and status data as an organization and project management tool. Any type of search or folder view can be customized to show specific property data. This might be important when browing the Vault, but it could also be critical information to be used in other business systems or project management. For these reasons, data in the file pane can be exported and used for other purposes.

Check out this video of the File-> Export command in action. The content to be exported is also dependant on the currently selected Vault pane as shown in the video as well.

Watch Video Here

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

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All my favorite videos (Autodesk Manufacturing related)

If you have been following the CAD Geeks blog, there are probably some videos on YouTube that might interest you as well.

Autodesk has its own channel with many different playlists available. A few playlists that I have learned from are listed below.

Just make sure you switch to the "Player View" in the upper right after using one of these links.

Two minute tips in Inventor: http://www.youtube.com/user/autodesk#grid/user/5F0BF9F1949DCC2A
My favorite is the Direct parameter name editing two minute tip.

Lifecycles in Vault Workgroup: http://www.youtube.com/user/autodesk#grid/user/E90F2AD408C2ED29
This gives you a good idea of the lifecycle based security in Vault Workgroup and Collaboration.

Autodesk Inventor 2010 Demos: http://www.youtube.com/user/autodesk#grid/user/FB61F87E7D0D2DB4
Assorted vignettes of Inventor in action.

Inventor Ribbon Interface: http://www.youtube.com/user/autodesk#grid/user/B2E9B7E0943ABE53
How to get your hands around the new Ribbon interface.

Inventor Fusion Technology: http://www.youtube.com/user/autodesk#g/c/FBDEE001B06DC76C
Some technology I am looking forward to.

Contributed by Ben of the CAD Geeks

Security Model example in Vault Collaboration

I have recently posted a bit about folder level security in Vault and how that can restrict people from changing data in locations they shouldn't have access to. Potentially more important is the ability to use the folder security in conjunction with Lifecycle based security.

Take a look at the two vault interfaces in figures 1 and 2 below.

This first is a look at what an engineer or designer might see when logging into Vault:

This second image shows how a shop floor user or other viewer might see using the Vault Collaboration light weight web client:

Notice that the viewer has been configured to only display data that is a "Released" or equivalent state. This ensures that they are viewing only the correct data and at the right time in the files process lifecycle.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Backups? Vault Backups?

Autodesk Vault backups are an important part of a successful Vault implementation. Take a look at this short video walking you through creating and scheduling a Vault backup event for your local workstation or company server.

Click Here for the new Advanced Config Guide!

This tip is managed by the Tata Technologies Cad Geek Vault

Determining Change Impact with Vault

One of the reasons I hear that people initially want to use Autodesk Vault as part of their Inventor work flow is for the Copy Design tool included in all the Vault editions... But organizationally, the gem of Vault might just be the "Where Used" function. This lets an engineer or designer determine if a component is used in any other designs before making a change. This automatically takes advantage of the Inventor file relationships of files as they are checked in without having to tell the system any file relationship information.

Here is an example of a sub-assembly that is used in multiple assemblies. Any change to the 20-011.iam file would impact all of the designs and drawings listed beneath it:








Here is a short video of it in action:

Watch Video Here



Contributed by Ben of the CAD Geeks

Who renamed my assembly components?

After performing a copy design with Vault, the part names within the Inventor model browser do not match the new renamed components. Watch this quick video to find out how to find and fix the browser names within an Inventor assembly.

Contributed by a Random CAD Geek

Breaking Down the "L" in PLM

I have seen and heard all kinds of different descriptions of what PLM (Process Lifecycle Management) is. They usually end up way too complex with lifecycle being the primary hangup. Lets make it simple:

Process - A series of steps that need to occur

Lifecycle - A time based measure of the process (What steps can occur when)

Management - A way to control something

So by my way of thinking, Lifecycles are nothing more than a way to define what should happen at a specific point in time in a process.

Autodesk's Vault Workgroup and Collaboration fit into this category of engineering tools, and the Lifecycle part is a key to the latest Autodesk data management offerings. The Vault solutions allow you to configure as many lifecycle schemes as necessary for your different processes. Each lifecycle scheme can then have as many lifecycle states as you need to define a process. The great thing about a lifecycle state is that it controls exactly who can access a document and what they can do with it.

I have also heard it described as "allowing the right people to access the right documents at the right time" in reference to the latest Vault products.

Contributed by Ben of the CAD Geeks

Manage the Lifecycle of any Document

With the advent of the Vault 2010 products from Autodesk, most people have realized the potential for using Vault to manage their drawing release process. What many people don't immediately realize is how Vault can also be used to manage the lifecycle of other document types as well.





This can be a great advantage to groups outside of engineering who need secure access to data beyond CAD, and who also need to contribute their own documents relevant to a product. As an example, marketing could load a design specification document into Vault that then gets attached to the master engineering CAD data to track the relationship between these documents and any changes to either of them.


Check out this video showing the modification and addition of non-CAD files to Vault:

Watch Video Here

Contributed by Ben of the CAD Geeks

Define your own process

All the companies I deal with typically have their own process intricacies with different numbers of process states. I usually discuss design processes in terms of "work in progress", "released" and "obsolete". Sometimes companies will have their own terminology or additional process states. With Vault 2010 (Workgroup and above), you can create as many process states with their own names as required. These are referred to as lifecycle states in Vault.

Here is an example of a couple extra lifecycle states used in a file list.

Each lifecycle state can have its own security for file access as well as for transitioning between states. The security model can be created with endless possibilities as shown in the image below.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Go Beyond Sort and Scroll

Most users within a Vaulted environment use the sort and scroll method to find files within a project folder. Using built in and custom Field Filters will allow easier access to the target files. Click here for a short video demonstration.

Posted by Pete Migrin, one of the CAD Geeks

Controlling user access with folder security

In companies where Vault is being used as a central repository for everyone to edit and view files, it can be easier to navigate the Vault if only the locations that are relevant to you are displayed. The folder level security in Vault Workgroup and above allows just this type of control. Maybe the engineering and design team can view all vault folders, but maybe manufacturing and purchasing should only be allowed to view the drawings.

Take a look at this video for a quick look at configuring this basic security model.

Watch Video Here

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks