Autodesk Inventor

[#1]

As an old Mechanical Desktop user, I found global variables enormously valuable in parametric modeling, both for scaling equipment sizes as well as doing "what-if" with equipment layout studies. Global variables allowed assigning a single parameter value/equation etc to drive paramenters inside a multitude of parts.

I mostly supervise engineers and designers in Inventor now, but leveraging on past experience I have been recently learing and using Inventor some myself. I would REALLY like to find some way of doing global variables. I am somewhat suprised that more people don't clamor for it...or maybe its there, and I just don't see it. Adaptive features are like a toy shovel compared to an earth mover in both power and robustness.

The parameter tutorial was a bit shallow. I know I have some learning and practice to do on parameters, but before I start digging and experimenting, is the above even possible? Would one drive the linked spreadsheets for each part with another "global" spreadsheet? Pull parameters of each part from a particular section of a particular sheet, and drive values in each section from another "master" section? Can mulitiple parts link to the same spreadsheet? Can multiple part linke to more than one spreadsheet for different sections of parameters?

Yes, am a newbie in Inventor, but would appreciate experienced feedback.

Thanks!
John

[#2]

Look into Skeletal Modeling and/or Muscular
Modeling.

Брайян Р.
Ивашкевич

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specialist

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[#3]

>a single parameter value/equation etc to drive paramenters inside a multitude of parts

Link spreadsheet.

AFAIK it's in there.

>Adaptive features are like a toy shovel

Might find documentation on Skeletal/Master/Muscular modeling techniques.
Cbliss.com augi.com au.autodesk.com as well as the Skill Builders.

>The parameter tutorial was a bit shallow.

Also look into various Inventor publications - the tutorials and help are very very brief intros.

>Can mulitiple parts link to the same spreadsheet?

Might take 5 minutes to give it a try.

>Can multiple part linke to more than one spreadsheet for different sections of parameters?

Might take another 5 minutes.

Keep experimenting and post here with dataset example when you run into trouble. There is a tremendous amount of functionality in Inventor which might be initially difficult to discover for someone new to the program.

[#4]

You can link parameters of a part or assembly to another part or assembly.
Somewhat like global parameters in MDT. (In the paramter dialog click link
and drop down the file type)
I find this easier in my workflow than linking spread sheets or skeletal
modeling.
I don't think you can link a part or sub to the assembly it's in due to
cyclical redundancy, though.


wrote in message news:6323126@discussion.autodesk.com...
As an old Mechanical Desktop user, I found global variables enormously
valuable in parametric modeling, both for scaling equipment sizes as well as
doing "what-if" with equipment layout studies. Global variables allowed
assigning a single parameter value/equation etc to drive paramenters inside
a multitude of parts.

I mostly supervise engineers and designers in Inventor now, but leveraging
on past experience I have been recently learing and using Inventor some
myself. I would REALLY like to find some way of doing global variables. I
am somewhat suprised that more people don't clamor for it...or maybe its
there, and I just don't see it. Adaptive features are like a toy shovel
compared to an earth mover in both power and robustness.

The parameter tutorial was a bit shallow. I know I have some learning and
practice to do on parameters, but before I start digging and experimenting,
is the above even possible? Would one drive the linked spreadsheets for
each part with another "global" spreadsheet? Pull parameters of each part
from a particular section of a particular sheet, and drive values in each
section from another "master" section? Can mulitiple parts link to the
same spreadsheet? Can multiple part linke to more than one spreadsheet for
different sections of parameters?

Yes, am a newbie in Inventor, but would appreciate experienced feedback.

Thanks!
John

[#5]

Thanks everyone. This IS a lot easier and friendlier than I thought. I am not sure what I was doing wrong the first go-around...perhaps the old tongue holding error...

[#6]

there are two easily used methods for utilizing global variables in an
Inventor assembly.

One method is to place the variables in an Excel spreadsheet (similar to
the way mechanical desktop did the exact same thing when you exported
the variables) in fact if you convert a mechanical desktop assembly that
has a link spreadsheet, it will move the spreadsheet over to your
Inventor assembly, along with the parameters.

My preferred method if I were starting from scratch would be to create a
empty part file within the assembly, and then store all of my variables
as parameters in that part. The part can then be linked to whatever
parts you want to control from one location.


--
Dennis Jeffrey, Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert
Attend the "It's a Duesy II " Manufacturing Revival Conference
March 17th, 2010 More Information at:
http://teknigroup.com

[#7]

I will agree with Dennis on this. I have recently started creating empty part files with nothing but variables in it and linking it to part files and assemblies depending on what I am trying to achieve. Works great.

[#8]

On 1/22/2010 7:09 PM, Dennis Jeffrey wrote:

> My preferred method if I were starting from scratch would be to create a
> empty part file within the assembly, and then store all of my variables
> as parameters in that part. The part can then be linked to whatever
> parts you want to control from one location.

Dennis, have you (or anybody?) seen a performance increase if you were
to do this method?

What I am thinking here is, as you have stated create a empty part file
with all parameters required, link that part file into every other part
file and assemblies as needed, and to control everything, just link an
external spreadsheet to your empty part file - compared to linking an
external spreadsheet to each part and assembly.

Seems like the performance would be better if the spreadsheet were only
linked to one file rather than everything in an assembly.

[#9]

I have not seen any decrease in performance on average sized assemblies.
--
Dennis Jeffrey, Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert
Attend the "It's a Duesy II " Manufacturing Revival Conference
March 17th, 2010 More Information at:
http://teknigroup.com