Datasheet

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CHAPTER 1 Inventor DesIgn PhIlosoPhy
.dwg•u (AutoCAD): AutoCAD nonassociative drawing file - is used to convert an Inventor
drawing file to a standard AutoCAD file
.xls
•u : Excel files that drive iParts, threads, and other data - is used to manage tabled data,
linked or embedded in a part, assembly or drawing file
Although this list may seem intimidating, once you become familiar with Inventor, having
many different file types will be less of a concern. The benefit of using multiple file types to have
fully associative, automatically updating designs is a cornerstone of most 3D parametric model-
ers. Performance and stability in the use of Inventor requires good data management principles,
including storing the saved files in an efficient and organized manner. This subject will be intro-
duced later in this chapter and expanded upon it in Chapter 2.
Drawing Files in Inventor
Originally Inventor had just one drawing file type, the .dwg. Then with the release of Inventor
2008, the Inventor .dwg was added. Inside of Inventor the two files are almost identical. However,
the Inventor .dwg can be used outside of Inventor, in AutoCAD. This allows work to be shared
between Inventor and AutoCAD users. Just like an .idw file, an Inventor .dwg file will update
whenever parts or assemblies linked to the file are changed and updated.
Note too that if you have .idw files you want to turn into Inventor .dwg file or vice versa,
you can do so by using the Save As option and then changing the Save As File Type option.
This process can even be batched and scheduled to run overnight using the Task Scheduler,
which you can open by selecting Start  All Programs  Autodesk  Autodesk Inventor
2011  Tools  Task Scheduler.
wo r K i n g w i t h Dwgs
You can use .dwg files in a number of ways in Inventor. Although Inventor does not support the
creation of AutoCAD entities, you can utilize AutoCAD geometry in Inventor sketches, Inventor
drawings, title blocks, and symbol creation.
When creating a new part file in Inventor, you can copy geometry directly from an AutoCAD
.dwg and paste it into an Inventor sketch. AutoCAD dimensions will even be converted into
fully parametric Inventor dimensions. However, only minimal sketch constraints will be cre-
ated when doing this. Using the Auto Dimension tool within the Inventor sketch environment,
you can apply sketch constraints to the copied AutoCAD data quickly. It is important to remem-
ber that many AutoCAD drawings contain fundamental issues such as exploded or “fudged”
dimensions and lines with endpoints that do not meet. Copying such drawings into an Inventor
sketch will of course bring all of those issues along and will typically provide poor results.
Another way to use AutoCAD data in Inventor is in an Inventor .dwg file. Often you’ll have
symbols in AutoCAD in the form of blocks that you want to use on a drawing in Inventor,
such as a directional flow arrow or a standard note block. Although you could re-create these
symbols in Inventor, you can also simply copy the block from AutoCAD and paste it into the
Inventor .dwg, or use the Import AutoCAD block option to import blocks without the need to
open AutoCAD. This functionality exists only within an Inventor .dwg and is not supported in
an Inventor .idw. In fact, it is one of the few differences you’ll notice between an Inventor .dwg
and an Inventor .idw from within Inventor.
You can open an Inventor .dwg file in AutoCAD and edit it, but with some limitation. The
primary limitation is that the Inventor objects are protected from modification. AutoCAD
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