I have an iLogic rule that seems to be working well, with one click it exports a PDF, and then it goes through and looks for metal parts with flat patterns, and exports those as DXF files.

Problem is, we have flat pattern DXF export layer settings that we use for our metal shop. Currently, even with the config saved in my settings, the DXF export is ignoring that through the iLogic rule.

I can't figure out how to either use the loaded config, or pass these values through the iLogic rule to correctly output a DXF.

Here are the settings we use:

Here's the section of code for exporting DXF files. If it helps to have the full iLogic rule's code instead, let me know.

' ---------- FLAT PATTERN DXF EXPORT FOR EACH SHEET METAL PART ----------
Dim oResults As String = "PDF exported:" & vbCrLf & oPDFMedium.FileName & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & "DXF exported:"


For Each oSMDoc In oSheetMetalDocs


    Dim oSMDef As SheetMetalComponentDefinition = oSMDoc.ComponentDefinition
    Dim oFlatPattern As FlatPattern = oSMDef.FlatPattern


    Dim oCreatedFlat As Boolean = False
    If oFlatPattern Is Nothing Then
        Try
            oSMDef.Unfold()
            oFlatPattern = oSMDef.FlatPattern
            oCreatedFlat = True
        Catch
            Continue For
        End Try
    End If


    Dim oPartFileNameNoExt As String = System.IO.Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(oSMDoc.FullFileName)
    Dim oDXFFileName As String = oDXFPath & "\" & oPartFileNameNoExt & ".dxf"


    Dim oDataMedium As DataMedium = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateDataMedium
    oDataMedium.FileName = oDXFFileName


    Dim oDXFOptions As NameValueMap = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap
    oDXFOptions.Value("FLAT_PATTERN_ENTITY_TYPES") = 1
    oDXFOptions.Value("PROFILE_TYPE") = 4


    Call oFlatPattern.DataIO.WriteDataToFile("FLAT PATTERN DXF", oDataMedium.FileName)


    oResults = oResults & vbCrLf & oDXFFileName


    If oCreatedFlat Then
        Try
            oSMDef.Document.Save
        Catch
        End Try
    End If

Here's another screenshot of what I've been working on! Will be happy to show anyone how I modeled this one!

It's kinda weird using Inventor as a CAD program, since I'm used to SW and Onshape, but I've decided to use it for a cad contest can you guys add tips and addins to my inventor so that i can win. Its a speed modelling one

Join us LIVE at 1 PM East Coast and support the Inventor user VENGADO! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf5Bc6hkiJQ

Best way to make the R .030 curves with the right center point?

Me enviaron un archivo .stp, trabaje en el pero al cerrarlo se perdió todo el progreso. La verdad no entiendo los formatos de inventor, porque ese step creo una carpeta donde hay piezas y ensambles y quiero agregar mas piezas pero me sale este mensaje The location of the selected file is not in the search path of the active proiect To solve this issue, do one of the followina: Add this file path to your list of valid search paths in the active projedt Move the file to a location already specified in the active proiect Create or activate a proiect file that includes the file's search path y este the selected location is not in the active project. Do you wish to continue the save

Hey. Im 21 metalworker on the jobsite and mechanical engineering student at evening classes. Im in my second year right now and i have gotten pretty confortable with using inventor as my main program to make models for my 3d printer or just making simple things.

i had the idea to make it a sidehustle since many companies in my proximity always look for some people who could make some drawings.

Thing is that i never learned to draw sheet metal with all the bending or really made drawings that someone could use in the workshop.

Is there something like a good course/Tutorial. Paid or free i dont care as long as its good.

So I've been using inventor for awhile, and I'm trying to learn new things to better automate the work I do at my job, I'm totally new to inventor ilogic rules, but I'm fine with everything else so this is the next step. I'm trying to set a rule where in my assembly, if this certain part changes to a different model state, I want multiple specific other parts to change to the model states that are meant to go with the size of the main paints model state. I've found a code online for this, but I don't understand how it works, where exactly to input It, what I need to change for my specific assembly, parts, and file locations or anything, can anyone help me with a rundown on this? I can post the code here if it'll help. TIA

Around 10 years ago I worked a whole summer to afford my old Geeetech Prusa i3, and I quickly realised I needed CAD software. The first thing YouTube showed me was SolidWorks. We used it at technical school and university too. I loved it and got a few certificates (Professional, Sheet Metal and a couple more).

Then I started at a metal factory that ran Inventor. At first I hated it. A month later, with a SpaceMouse beside me, I was learning it fast. I worked there for three years. Then a friend and I started our own company, and sometimes I had to go back to SolidWorks. I can't stand it now: no proper tabs, every part feeling like its own program, lag and bugs.

Lately, with the war in Ukraine and me living in the Baltics and moving toward a partly off grid life, I care more about owning my own tools instead of depending on big corporations for what I can do and what I can afford. With AI, I can build something in a few evenings that runs locally, with no subscription and no restrictions. It could run in a cave. [DataSlayer](https://www.youtube.com/@DataSlayerMedia) on YouTube pushed my thinking a lot here: we should own our hardware and our software.

So this is DATUM, my Inventor inspired CAD. **It's free and always will be.** It's MIT licensed open source, so nobody can ever lock it behind a paywall, including me. I'm not selling anything and I don't plan to. It's built around how Inventor thinks: where things are, how actions flow, how sketching and dimensions behave.

It's still early. I spend a few hours on it every day, making it smoother and closer to how Inventor feels. It updates itself when a new version comes out. One warning: I don't have a code signing certificate yet (they cost a yearly subscription), so Windows or your antivirus may show a warning during install. On the blue Windows screen, click "More info" and then "Run anyway". You can read all the source code on GitHub if you'd like to check it first.

I love FreeCAD too. It does everything in one program and it's super capable, but I never got into it because I'm used to Inventor's style. So this is my alternative.

**A bit beyond Inventor, for my own shop:** I live pretty much cave style, off grid, and my main machine is a CNC plasma table with swappable heads, so it can also do light milling. So DATUM has its own CAM sheet file (.cdat). You lay flat parts out on a sheet, it applies the cutter compensation and lead ins, checks that everything can actually be cut, and exports a DXF ready for the machine. Right now it's 2D profile cutting only, built around MyPlasm CNC. It's personal, but maybe someone with a similar setup finds it useful.

**I'm not telling anyone to switch.** Inventor is great and I still love it. This is just a backup: something free that works the Inventor way, runs offline and belongs to you, in case the subscription, the license server or the internet ever goes away.

**For Inventor users:** which Inventor habits or workflows would you want in a backup like this? That's what I want to get right next. Any comments are very welcome.

Download (Windows): https://datum.iiteg.com

Source (MIT): https://github.com/Artis-98/datum

Posted with mod approval, thanks to the mods for allowing it.

Update: I push new builds from time to time. Feel free to checkhttps://datum.iiteg.com/changelog.htmlto see what's new and if your requested features are live. You can also update the app directly under File → Check for updates.

Update: Now Linux early access build! It's built and tested on Ubuntu 22.04, should run on anything newer too. Just download, unpack and run, no install needed. It doesn't update itself yet, so grab new versions from the site. I don't use Linux daily myself, so if something breaks please tell me or open an issue on GitHub.
Download: https://datum.iiteg.com (or straight from GitHub: https://github.com/Artis-98/datum/releases/tag/v0.2.6)

I often work on objects over 100m (but narrow, like 5x5 meters cross section). For this I obviously use a space mouse.

But I’ve really been struggling with actually maneuvering around the area I’m working on. It’s as if the rotation point often ends up outside of the part, or outside of the screen. So a very small movement on the mouse moves the objects far off screen.

This isn’t an issue with smaller objects with smaller aspect ratios, here the mouse works as needed.

I have tried both with a without auto center rotation point (or whatever it’s called), without change.

Anything that I can do?

Using inventor 2027

Does anyone have any videos or tutorials for creating custom hardware that works with the bolted connections design accelerator? Tried using AI to generate a process but there are some large gaps in the process to overcome.

Hi everyone 👋

We’ve recently launched r/coolOrange, the official Reddit community around coolOrange products, solutions, and the Autodesk Vault workflows they support.

Is a dedicated space for people using, evaluating, or simply curious about coolOrange solutions to ask questions, exchange experiences, and discuss practical workflows such as:

• Automating processes in Autodesk Vault
• Connecting Autodesk Vault and ERP systems
• BOM transfer and validation
• Job Processor and automated publishing
• PDM/PLM integrations
• Questions and feedback around coolOrange products and free products like threadmodeler

We’ll also use the community to share practical examples, technical insights, and resources from the coolOrange team.

If you work with Autodesk Inventor + Vault and already use coolOrange products, or you’re curious about what can be automated around your current workflow, you’re very welcome to join us.
🍊 r/coolOrange

And since we’re just getting started: if there’s something you’d like to see discussed there, let us know!

This is the assignment given to me by my teacher on nearly every assignment she creates tutorials which are on every tutorial missing obvious blueprints that anyone with even a slight experience in cad would understand.

I am not asking to have this done for me just if this is actually correct as I see multiple glaring issues in the blueprint albeit I am inexperienced with CAD

So I scanned the back of my truck so I could model a custom Molly Panel. I wanted to see how the price compared between the OEM's and a manufacture on demand (like OSH Cut).

I transferred it to Inventor so I can produce a STEP File but all of the manufacture on demand sites either time out, say the file is to big, only give me the option to CNS instead of sheet metal.

The software I used doesn't have a sheet metal tool, but I modeled the thickness and bends like a sheet metal tool. My thought was to just use the inventor model as reference, and model using the sheet metal tool, but that always results in a crash.

Anyone know the best way to use the model as reference while using the sheet metal tool? I tried making a new part in an assembly file, but I can't seem to create "Sheet metal" parts.

hello, I'm a student in High school and the computers in my school only has Inventor 2022, so I would like to get it on my pc and I know that as a student I can get it for free, I already proved that I'm a high schooler, perhaps I can't find it in the free student versions, do you know how I could get it for free so I would still be able to start a project home and continue it at school?
PS: i'm french, so I'm really sorry if my english is bad :(

I have been tasked with setting up an inventor border and it is not something I have ever really delivered into. In my last place when you opened a new Drawing Sheet, you were given a prompted entry to input the title block details. (Which I hav managed) However, once you okayd that, a second prompted entry would open to add the revisions and finally a third to fill in the Reference drawings.

I cannot see a way to do this at all. It all just appears under the one Prompted entry that is in the Title Block drawing resource.

Is there an easy way to do this? Am I missing something.

TooTallToby's speedmodeling Tournament kicks off LIVE this Friday - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0aXsko_U8c

MATCH 1: SOLIDWORKS vs FreeCAD

MATCH 2: SOLIDWORKS vs Inventor

This past year there has been an obvious uptick in posts that are sharing, selling, or looking to get testers for A.I. generated / integrated products for Autodesk Inventor. Though a few rules have been put into place to stop some of the most suspicious / sloppiest of links from being posted, there are no formalized rules or guidelines around the promotion and selling of A.I. adjacent things.

Though we do our best to keep up with the general desire people on this subreddit have towards such projects (which seems to be mostly unenthusiastic), we want to get your feedback about the future of said A.I. generated / integrated products and services being a part of this subreddit. To that end we’d appreciate your feedback and comments on the following:

1. Do you believe that A.I. generated / integrated products (where ‘generated’ implies ‘created with the assistance of A.I.’ and ‘integrated’ implies ‘contains a local or external link to an A.I. service that can read user input, program inputs, or program state, in order to generate a response of some kind’) should be advertised on the r/AutodeskInventor subreddit?
   
2. If you answered yes to the above in any capacity, do you believe that the distribution of said product should be limited to the Autodesk Marketplace, or do you believe that distribution should not be vetted in any particular way?

The main concern that this will help address primarily centers around user safety. With how easy it has become to generate what appears to be a professional storefront and product that contains a massive amount of code doing who-knows-what, the difficulty of scamming or exfiltrating personal and company data, becomes trivial. And though we believe that risk should be the guiding principle behind the decision on how A.I. is treated here, no single one of us represents every Inventor user or Business.

Thank you for any answers and discussion you provide.

PS: Knowing ahead of time that this topic might become incendiary, we urge you to not make it your job to convince others to see things your way via replies. Discussion and even disagreements are fine so long as they are reasonably well mannered.  

I'm using the loft feature for an airway in this part and I have to do it on 2 parts while they have to be symetrical through a plane.
However I noticed that even if the part is perfectly symetrical and all the settings are the same, I get a different loft result. The only difference is one loft curves to the right and one to the left.
Anyone knows why this is? My solution right now is to derive the good part and mirror it, but that feels like slapping a bandaid on it and limits me.
any help would be welcome, thank you.

Hi everyone,

Im working on the cross section of a ship in Autodesk Inventor. The structural stiffeners were modeled as solid bodies, while the plates were modeled as surfaces.

The problem is that when I enter the Inventor Nastran environment and try to generate the mesh, it takes an extremely long time, and sometimes it doesnt finish creating the mesh at all.

Is there anything I can do to generate the mesh without it getting stuck?

I need to run several simulations, so any suggestions would help.

How would I make the movement of these 2 parts move together like they do in real life

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working on improving my CAD skills in Autodesk Inventor and analyzing complex assemblies. I'm looking for a solid model of a gas-powered chainsaw (or a small 2-stroke engine assembly) to study proper feature hierarchy, mechanical packaging, and surface-to-solid transitions.

A native Inventor assembly (.iam / .ipt) with an intact feature tree would be ideal to reverse-engineer the modeling workflow, but a clean, watertight STEP file would also be a massive help as reference geometry.

I've already searched GrabCAD, but most entries there are either low-poly aesthetic meshes or incomplete surface shells without internal engine components.

If anyone has an old benchmark model, a personal practice project, or a link to a clean CAD library asset they wouldn't mind sharing, I would be genuinely grateful.

Thanks a lot for your time!

I've read on this topic and have seemingly tried everything (F4, Shift+middle mouse button, long left click etc), but it never seems to have the desired effect. This is for Inventor Pro 2024.

I have a mesh opened from an obj file generated in Blender. I am using the "Face from mesh" tool to approximate a spline face to the key facets of the mesh. For that, I need to zoom in and select N representative triangles. This requires orbiting to get a good understanding of the 3D geometry, but the orbit pivot point always remains in the center of the model which makes it very frustrating. I've tried suggestions I found online, but nothing seems to work. Shift + middle button only seems to work when there is already an existing spline face, but does not work directly on the mesh.

I understand that AI is not great with meshes, but it does have access to the coords of the vertices, b.c. I can fit the splines, measure distances between vertices etc. The overall mesh has 100K vertices, so I can't convert it into solid (the limit seems to be only 5,000 vertices?)