Autodesk Inventor

[#1]

The company I just started with started using Inventor a year ago and do all drawings in the Inventor DWG format instead of using the IDW. When they first purchased Inventor the choice was there to use Inventor DWG or Inventor IDW and they chose the DWG format (mainly because they had been using AutCad and were familiar with that file extension. There is no apparent reason at this time to do this but I'm curious as to the shortcomings in the future. Previously, I have always used the IDW format (at other companies) as the choice was not there when I started using Inventor. It appears that the DWG format files are larger on most assemblies but other than that I am looking for reasons for a switch to the IDW format. Since a number of drawing files are already completed in the DWG format I will need some reasons why this direction should be changed to the IDW unless there is absolutely no reason to change. I know you can save an Inventor DWG as an IDW but a message is displayed "The file contains data that cannot be written to the selected file format. Only native Inventor data will be written to this file." and once this is accepted then the Inventor DWG is then saved to the IDW format. As I mentioned, I am looking for some good reasons to switch to the IDW format (if any) or if any others are saving to the DWG format as well. My concern would be that Autdesk would drop the DWG from the Inventor software as it seems to have been added later to satisfy those those use both AutoCad and Inventor in their departments. Just looking for input............

[#2]

I'll give you a somewhat-official Autodesk
response, and sit back and hope some end users back me up

I think you've already discovered the pros and cons
of each file format yourself.  DWG files are a bit bigger, but can be read
into AutoCAD without having to do anything special.  If you switch to IDW
and an AutoCAD user wants to take a look at the file, someone's going to have to
convert the file to DWG (either an Inventor DWG or a translated AutoCAD
DWG).  When the DWG True Connect technology was released with Inventor
2008, we told users that if there's any chance of a down-stream consumer ever
wanting a DWG version of your drawing file, you should strongly consider using
DWG as your native drawing format.  From my point of view, there's NO
compelling reason to go back to IDW unless you're really that hard up for hard
drive space (and if that's true, then Inventor's drawing file format is far from
your biggest problem).

If there's any pros or cons beyond that, we haven't
done our job.  There should be absolutely no data or visual fidelity loss
moving between formats.  The DWG file will contain a Layer 0 and a Drawing
Resource folder for AutoCAD blocks, but that should be the only discernible
difference.

You can take this for what its worth: we have no
plans to retire either one of these formats.  There simply is no business
case for it.  We invested a LOT of resources to add DWG as a supported
native format I can't imagine why you think we would choose to drop what is far
and away the most popular CAD drawing format in the world (is there even a close
2nd?).

Hope that helps.  If anyone would care to
confirm or refute those claims, please do.

Good Luck!

--
-Andrew Faix
Product Design
Lead
Inventor Core Applications

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<cames71646> wrote in message
href="news:6141434@discussion.autodesk.com">news:6141434@discussion.autodesk.com...

The
company I just started with started using Inventor a year ago and do all
drawings in the Inventor DWG format instead of using the IDW. When they first
purchased Inventor the choice was there to use Inventor DWG or Inventor IDW
and they chose the DWG format (mainly because they had been using AutCad and
were familiar with that file extension. There is no apparent reason at this
time to do this but I'm curious as to the shortcomings in the future.
Previously, I have always used the IDW format (at other companies) as the
choice was not there when I started using Inventor. It appears that the DWG
format files are larger on most assemblies but other than that I am looking
for reasons for a switch to the IDW format. Since a number of drawing files
are already completed in the DWG format I will need some reasons why this
direction should be changed to the IDW unless there is absolutely no reason to
change. I know you can save an Inventor DWG as an IDW but a message is
displayed "The file contains data that cannot be written to the selected file
format. Only native Inventor data will be written to this file." and once this
is accepted then the Inventor DWG is then saved to the IDW format. As I
mentioned, I am looking for some good reasons to switch to the IDW format (if
any) or if any others are saving to the DWG format as well. My concern would
be that Autdesk would drop the DWG from the Inventor software as it seems to
have been added later to satisfy those those use both AutoCad and Inventor in
their departments. Just looking for input............

[#3]

>>I am looking for some good reasons to switch to the IDW format (if any) or if any others are saving to the >>DWG format as well. My concern would be that Autdesk would drop the DWG from the Inventor software as >>it seems to have been added later to satisfy those those use both AutoCad and Inventor in their >>departments.

I think file size is really the only CON, the PRO's are the ability for AutoCAD users to access them, the ability to e-mail the out as is with no need to convert, the ability to use the drawing views as blocks in model space, and the ability to use AutoCAD blocks as sketched symbols in Inventor. I really doubt that either the IDW or DWG are going to be discontinued. And you can always batch convert using the Task Scheduler as well.

>>From my point of view, there's NO
>>compelling reason to go back to IDW unless you're really that hard up for hard
>>drive space (and if that's true, then Inventor's drawing file format is far from
>>your biggest problem).

Drive space is not the big concern with the larger file size, its more about capacity and performance. I've seen DWGs that are 3X larger than the same IDW. If it's 2500 part assembly drawing with lots of views, including sections, etc. then this "bloat" becomes a real issue as load times get slow. If that's not an issue then the DWG's extra abilities are probably worth it. I'd most likely use IDW's for large assemblies, and DWG for the rest. Personally I see no reason to choose one over the other.

[#4]

IMHO (and yes it is only an opinion and I know what they say about 'em),

If anything they should drop IDW. Why actively develop and support two file formats, when one of those works perfectly fine AND makes interoperability painless.

Kind of comes back to the "We are not planning to retire Mechanical Desktop".

[#5]

The IDW file merely contains links back to the original
ipt/iam files and loayout views, and is inherently smaller than the
Inventor DWG file which includes model "blocks" and layouts ( paperspace). The
AutoCAD  ( Save Copy As AutoCAD DWG) dwg format only contains model space
views, and are lighter weight. I'm personally seeing more users move to the DWF
format for even more universal viewing compatibility. I have to agree with
Andrew, that it's more of a case of "to each his own...."

--
Dennis Jeffrey, Autodesk Inventor Certified
Expert
Autodesk Manufacturing Implementation Certified
Expert.
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
AIP 2008 SP3, AIP 2009-SP1
PcCillin AV
HP zv5000  AMD64 2GB - Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185
XP
Pro SP3, Windows XP Silver Theme

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[#6]

>
>
I can't imagine why you think we would choose to drop what is far

and away the most popular CAD drawing format in the world (is there even a close

2nd?).






Close 2nd = DXF

[#7]

It's a LOT more expensive to maintain an entire
software application than an additional drawing format.  I'm pretty low on
the totem pole, but from my perspective, IDW isn't going anywhere. 

Cheers,

-Andrew

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<RonnieWilkins> wrote in message
href="news:6141593@discussion.autodesk.com">news:6141593@discussion.autodesk.com...

IMHO
(and yes it is only an opinion and I know what they say about 'em), If
anything they should drop IDW. Why actively develop and support two file
formats, when one of those works perfectly fine AND makes interoperability
painless. Kind of comes back to the "We are not planning to retire Mechanical
Desktop".

[#8]

When I save copy as DWG from  IDW, what I got is a ZIP file inseated of DWG, Why????,

[#9]

If you are saving as an Autocad dwg, check the options and make sure pack and go is not checked.

[#10]

" DWG files are a bit bigger"

Maybe if you do small assemblies and parts.

Our company can't use the dwg format because the file size goes to 40-50 mb (inventor dwg) instead of 1-2mb (if I save as dwg from idw)

Most of our models are 1-5k parts with alow of duct and pipe, I'd hope to see autodesk research making the inventor dwg file size smaller.

A jump of 20 times the file size is more than just a bit in my opinion.