What's New in Configurator 360

[Jon.Balgley]

Hello Configurator 360 community –

Autodesk will use this thread to post information about updates to Configurator 360.  You can subscribe to this thread to be informed when updates happen.

This thread is closed to comments; if you have any questions about an update, please start a new thread.

[Jon.Balgley]

Configurator 360 Update, 23-Aug-2013

Version: 7.5.0.244

• What's new?
  • Catalog shows the product description
  • Support for improvements to iPad app
  • Image outputs are now mostly WYSIWYG
  • Detect and prohibit files that use Frame Generator
  • Better error message on Safari

• Defect fixes
  • iParts now actually work as previously documented (see below)
  • DE1325 - Better error reporting for certain circular reference errors.
  • DE1072 - Resolve errors when member file has a controlled name.
  • Problem with RFQ emails resolved.
  • DE1429 - No longer hangs on certain filenames
  • DE1383 - Fix browser resize issues
  • DE1430 - Fix header display issues
  • DE1071 - Fix issue where constraints were not respected
  • DE1273 - Better support for IE compatibility mode
  • DE1323 - Better support for FFM in Inventor
  • DE1192 - Support for Block & Torus designs in Inventor

Configurator 360 Update, 26-Jul-2013

Version: 7.5.0.241

• What’s new?
  • iParts - Can now use iLogic and ETO to change between rows (members) of an iPart occurrence in an assembly.  
    • Not supported: uploading/using an iPart factory by itself, as a single-IPT design.
    • Not supported: iAssemblies
  • New "Company Description" field (not used yet, will be in iPad app)
• Defect fixes:
  • DE1117 - Drawing notes/dimensions appear on wrong sheet (ETO)
  • DE1365 - About box and ToS dialog on Catalog page
  • DE1386 - Section view created on wrong sheet (ETO)
  • TA3116 - Changes to strings of download formats
  • DE1391 - Error when parameter name contains certain invisible characters

Configurator 360 Update, 19-Jul-2013

Version: 7.5.0.240

• What’s new?
  • “Image” outputs (JPEG, etc) now use the camera orientation in effect at the time of the request.  However, one difference still remains: the web viewer will be in perspective, and the image file will be orthographic (non-perspective).
  • Updated ‘Help’ document
• Defect fixes:
• Display issues on landing page, some of these were serious and others were cosmetic
• Add “TM” to logo in header stripe
• Issues with Inventor text parameters that used “true” or “false” as the value (instead of using a Boolean parameter)
• Minor changes to text of RFQ notification emails

[Jon.Balgley]

Configurator 360 Update, 17-Sep-2013 

• What's new?
  • Commercial launch!  Configurator 360 is now available for commercial use.  Please go here for more information.
  • iPad app!  The companion iPad app is now available on the App Store.  Go here on your iPad to get it.  Free!
  • New "Help" system
  • Improvements/simplifications to Designs tab:
    • "Access" controls available immediately (previously required a separate tab)
    • New "email link" command
    • New icons
    • "Pending" when uploading is automatically updated (everyone's favorite improvement)
  • Options tab:
    • "Access" sub-tab is removed.  Newly-uploaded designs are always in "Admins only" mode, and can be changed at any subsequent time. 
    • New "Credits" sub-tab controls certain "charging" behavior
  • End-user design page:
    • Better support for out-of-range parameters
    • Indicator for parameters that are "clamped" or changed by iLogic rules
  • Other improvements
    • "Driven" parameters are read-only by default
    • Version number is no longer shown 
    • Opening design and catalog links in a browser on an iPad will offer to install or open the app
    • Inactivity timer increased to 20 minutes on web app

• Defect fixes
  • DE1368, DE1441 - Don't hang on finding non-solid geometry
  • DE1458 - Better handling of non-supported browsers
  • DE1417 - Don't lose track of certain "driven" parameters
  • DE1296 - Better support of non-English characters in user IDs
  • DE1475 - Better interaction after timeout
  • DE1483 - Better support for "sheet metal" parts
  • DE1478 - Better support for non-English characters in uploaded zip files
  • DE1466 - Description field supports newlines
  • DE1491 - RFQ email field supports multiple entries
  • DE1493 - Fix issues with digits-of-precision
  • DE1400 - Disallow downloads when parameters are out of range
  • DE1485 - Better handling of empty Name and Description fields
  • DE1486 - "Keep me signed in" works better
  • DE1490 - Protect against adding non-existent users

[Jon.Balgley]

Configurator 360 Update, 25-Oct-2013 

• What's new?

• Performance improvements – click-to-view in some common cases take up to 70% less time - "YMMV"

• All-white tables instead of alternating gray/white.  Background of thumbnails is changed to match.  Old thumbnails will update the next time the design is opened.

• Better support for ETO models on iPad app – model and messages windows now supported.

• DXF output is supported from ETO apps
• Better warnings on some unsupported Inventor capabilities
• Improved support for updates of parts lists, model iProperties and model views in drawings that show an assembly in a custom Level of Detail.

• Defect fixes
• Many small cosmetic defects fixed
• DE1456 – Display of number of days remaining in trial is corrected
• DE1514 – Fix "a design is already open" when it wasn't
• DE1444 – update a drawing correctly (for DWF export) when it has view(s) of an assembly that is in a non-Master LOD.
• DE1431 – Fix problems with "Edit Parameters" page
• DE1375 – Fix problems with parsing email address
• US1421 – Allow entry of users with either ID or email

[Jon.Balgley]

Configurator 360 Update, 26-Nov-2013 

• What's new?
  • Performance improvements – 
    • models with large numbers of parameters will update faster
    • click-to-view time improved in certain common scenarios
    • improved efficiency for models with large numbers of faces 
  • Improvements to RFQs:
    • RFQ Setup page now fully autosaves
    • Option to delete RFQs
    • Option to mark RFQs as closed, and only show 'open' RFQs
    • Option for admin-user to download the model in RFQ as Inventor IAM, even if that is not an option for end-users
  • DWFx output is now supported for models, and drawings included with IAMs
    
    

• Defect fixes
  • Many small and/or internal defects fixed
  • DE1624 – can now use either Autodesk ID or email to specify authorized user
  • DE1627 – Certain operations are now doable immediately by brand-new users
  • DE1590 – RFQ - no longer opens uses the wrong parameter values in some cases
  • DE1610 – Changes to parameter display-names now take effect immediately
  • DE1565 – Patterned elements are now positioned correctly
  • DE1529 – Export to image now works in DEU and other European locales
    
    
    ...and my personal favorite:
  
  • DE1601 – drop-down under user-name now goes away 

[Jon.Balgley]

Configurator 360 Update, 14-Feb-2014

• What's new?  It's been a long time since our last update, and we've been busy!  We have 5 major new features:

1. "Versions" of a design.  You can upload a new revision, and keep the same URL and other settings.
2. Improved graphic display.  Transparency, textures, threads and more!
3. Settable initial orientation and thumbnail.  Put the "Z" direction up, if you forgot to do that in your model.  And there's more to it than that.
4. All 2D drawing types now supported:  IDW, Inventor DWG, Drawing DWF, Drawing DWFx, AutoCAD DWG, DXF, Drawing PDF
5. Embedding the configuration page on your own website 

For more details about all of these, plus information on defects that were fixed, read on:

---------------------

1. Design-versions.  The basic operation is: you can upload a new version of your design, and the URL remains the same.  When you upload a new version, it is NOT automatically available to all users.  Instead, you have to explicitly "release" it after you have tested it as an Administrator.  Each version is essentially independent of the other versions in the design, so you can do things like adding or removing parameters without affecting earlier versions, or even change an IAM-only design to an IAM-skeleton design.  You can have any number of versions of a given design.  

To add or manage versions for a particular design, use this button on the Designs page:

On the Manage Versions page, use this button to upload a new version:  

Only the Administrator can see unreleased versions (for testing):

When you're ready, select a specific version as the "released" version:

The design's display-name, description and parameters are all settable on a per-version basis.  The thumbnails are automatically updated for you.

2. Improved graphic display.  After Configurator 360 loads the 3D model into the viewer, it follows that with a more complete rendering of the model.  This rendering corresponds to Inventor's "Realistic" viewing mode but without ray-tracing.  You will be able to see transparency, textures, threads, decals, and welds.  In addition, you will see limited "ambient" shadows.  Other non-solid geometry is also displayed, including surface bodies and client graphics.  Per-occurrence appearances are respected.  Work-geometry and sketches are always disabled from the view.  Performance is proportional to the size of the window.  This feature also works in the Configurator 360 companion iPad app.

Some samples are shown below.  In each case, the initial rendering is on top, the updated rendering is shown on the bottom.

#1.  In this example, you can see the use of textures and shadows.  The updated rendering corresponds to Inventor's "Realistic" rendering mode, without ray-tracing.  Note that textures are rendered slightly differently between Inventor's "shaded" mode and "realistic" mode.

#2.  In this example, you can see many aspects of Inventor visualization:  The green widget is translucent.  There is a decal on the top face of the block.  There are threads on the rod and in the hole.  The sides of the box have textures, and the one in front is a texture that includes transparency.

#3.  This example shows multiple occurrences of the same part, with occurrence-specific appearance-overrides.

3. Settable thumbnail and orientation.  As an administrator, you can use the new "camera" button in the upper left corner to create a new thumbnail for your design, exactly as oriented in the viewer at that time.  All thumbnails are shown on the new "Image Album" page, which is accessible from the Designs page.  The selected thumbnail is also used for the initial camera orientation.  In addition, you can upload an external image to use as the thumbnail.  In that case, you get the default camera position.

Camera button:  

Use this button to grab the current view as a potential thumbnail in the album.

Image Album button: 

This is on the Designs page.  It takes you to the Image Album page for that design.


Image album page: 

Add external images from image album page:  

This might be useful if you have actual photographs of the real product.

4. All 2D drawing drawing types are now available:  IDW, Inventor DWG, AutoCAD DWG, DWF, DWFx, DXF and 2D PDF.  You can upload either Inventor IDW or DWG files, and all of these formats can be available for downloading.  On the "Options / Downloads" page, you can select the types you wish to make available:

5. Beta feature: Embedding.  This allows you to embed the Configuration page inside your own web page.  Only the first phase of this feature is complete, but we can provide instructions to you if you want to experiment with it.  Please contact us at configurator360.support@autodesk.com if you are interested in using it at this early stage.

Plus a few other things:

• Improvements to the companion iPad app:  (will take a few days before this appears in the App Store)
• Parameter-changed indicators, similar to the existing functionality in the web app
• Parameter pane is hidden if there are no parameters
• Improved graphics, per above
• Other minor improvements and fixes
• Performance improvements – 
• Certain redundant downloads are now avoided; most noticeable on large assemblies.  
• Models with large numbers (hundreds) of parameters are now fast enough. (DE1680)
• Don't make a large model worse, if it's already at or below the acceptable performance level.  (TA4265)

• Defect fixes
• Fix certain cases where you had to close the browser before Configurator 360 would let you open a design.  
• Configurator 360 no longer offers drawings as outputs ... if there are no drawings in the design.  DE1759
• The POST mechanism (embedding-like mechanism that opens the configuration page in a new tab) now works for non-ETO apps.  DE1769
• For IAM-skeleton apps, the skeleton part can now be in any folder.  DE1709
• ETO apps can use standard Configurator 360 output actions
• Certain characters such as "#" in filenames are now handled correctly. DE1762
• ...and my personal favorite: Downloaded files now use the name of the design as the filename, not "Configurator360".  DE1856

Whew!  Thanks for reading all the way to the end!