Community
Inventor Forum
Welcome to Autodesk’s Inventor Forums. Share your knowledge, ask questions, and explore popular Inventor topics.
cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Best Practices for the Inventor CAD Manager

14 REPLIES 14
Reply
Message 1 of 15
Anonymous
1150 Views, 14 Replies

Best Practices for the Inventor CAD Manager

Hi,
I am trying to create a streamlined best practices guide for the Inventor
CAD Manager to be delivered with the next release of Inventor. If possilbe I
would like to create a Quick Reference guide for the CAD Manager, so that
the CAD Manager can quickly understand how to make the company more
productive.

CAD Managers: Can You give me your top 5 real world tips/suggestions that
should become part of this content?

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly may you wish to discuss
further.

Thank you,
Jeanie Wayker (Autodesk)
248.449.2162
14 REPLIES 14
Message 2 of 15
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

1. Project (.ipj) setup. Make a plan at the very beginning before modeling a
single part:
* What the file naming convention is
* Strictly enforce where the files are stored
* How to handle revisions

2. iProperties for all files

3. Constrain sketch to Origin & train users to constrain parts in assemblies
to Work Geometry.

4. Use a central style library & make sure all parts are assigned
appropriate material

5. Check In files when finished.


Mike


"Jeanie Wayker (Autodesk)" wrote in message
news:5635886@discussion.autodesk.com...
Hi,
I am trying to create a streamlined best practices guide for the Inventor
CAD Manager to be delivered with the next release of Inventor. If possilbe I
would like to create a Quick Reference guide for the CAD Manager, so that
the CAD Manager can quickly understand how to make the company more
productive.

CAD Managers: Can You give me your top 5 real world tips/suggestions that
should become part of this content?

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly may you wish to discuss
further.

Thank you,
Jeanie Wayker (Autodesk)
248.449.2162
Message 3 of 15
djohnson1976
in reply to: Anonymous

1. Folder Structure and File Naming Conventions

2. Styles Placed on Network

3. Templates Placed on Network

4. Template Titleblocks Driven from iProperties (in preparation for property mapping in Vault / Productstream)

5. Affective Vault Setup
Message 4 of 15
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

I would love to see a default project file that installs right out of the box that is set up according to Autodesk Best practices.

And I'd like to see the same thing for Vault.

That way when a new user or company installs and doesn't know how to do all of that Autodesk has set them up on the right foot right out of the box.

Then if they want to change things later they can, but at least they hit the ground running.
Message 5 of 15
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

1. Define a library file structure and naming convention that allows for
hundreds or thousands of different types of hardware.
a. A good starting place for file structure is a McMaster Carr catalog.
b. A good starting place for naming is Keyword(s)_Mfr_MfrPN
2. Don't let users add parts to the library without reviewing them for
adhereance to standards.
a. This is especially important with iParts and iAssemblies
3. If you don't assign part numbers to all parts define a part naming
convention.
4. Define rules for skeletal & muscular modeling.
5. Implement vault even if you only use it to track file relationships.
Message 6 of 15
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

Default project - hard to do for a generic fix. Most of these have been
mentioned by others.....

1. Create a good data management structure that supports Single project
structure, multiple libraries and different jobs.
2. Create a single project to support the above Data structure.
3. Create a shared location to support templates, design data, and content
center.
4. Enforce standardized part naming when created, rather than renaming files
after the fact.
5. Organize libraries by discipline and part type. Eliminate all duplicates.
6. One part = one part file = one drawing. Drop detailing of multiple parts
in an assembly IDW.
7. Require frequent training to keep everyone on the same page. Once/twice a
month for a couple hours in house or with a pro trainer.
8. Enforce drawing and tolerancing standards. Implement GD&T if the
application demands it.
9. Use Vault, Productstream or another PDM system. Everyone seems to hate
the control, but it saves hours....
10. Concentrate modeling on preserving design intent.

Hey, I know I was supposed to stop at 5, but please understand, David
Letterman is from Indiana..... 🙂


--
Dennis Jeffrey, AICE, MICE
260-399-6615
Instructor/Author/Sr. App Engr.
AIP 11SP2, AIP 2008
HP Pavillion Zv5000 (Modified)
Geforce Go 440, Driver: .8185, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2, Windows Classic Theme
http://www.design-excellence.com
wrote in message news:5635960@discussion.autodesk.com...
I would love to see a default project file that installs right out of the
box that is set up according to Autodesk Best practices.

And I'd like to see the same thing for Vault.

That way when a new user or company installs and doesn't know how to do all
of that Autodesk has set them up on the right foot right out of the box.

Then if they want to change things later they can, but at least they hit the
ground running.
Message 7 of 15
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

1. Centralised Template and Design Data Folder.

2. Edit templates so that certain iProperties are set to most commonly used
values, and part material set to your most commonly used material as opposed
to Default (water).

3. Use a single project file with a logical folder structure organised by
project number/product range with library folders configured in a Vault
friendly manner for ease of transition to Vault/PS. Most AutoCAD users have
something similar apart from the library folders/CC storage location.

4. Use centralised ADMS for content libraries. Copy to custom library the
components that you use and modify iProperties/filenames to suit your
company stock number/part number. Not helpful for T&P, but for most
companies, they try to use a small set of "preferred" standard
fixings/fasteners/steel stock.

5. User TeamWeb for non content center standard parts for ease of use.

John Bilton
--
"It seemed like a good idea at the time..."
Message 8 of 15
KendredCooper
in reply to: Anonymous

Dennis' 1-4 nailed it. Those are the biggest issues that I've seen with most companies. The only thing that I'd add to that is:

#5. Identify and document modeling process flow of models that have similar design. This gets everyone modeling similar shapes in a similar manner - very stable for changes. So, if you make C-Clamps of varying size with only slight additions/subtractions of features, get everyone modeling the clamps using the same steps in creating features.
Message 9 of 15
djohnson1976
in reply to: Anonymous

One topic that I have had considerable frustration with is the Content Center.

Customizing it...
Using the unique filename library instead of the non-unique one that comes with Inventor...
Using it in conjunction with the Vault...without running into problems with unique filenames...

By the way, has anyone had any luck enforcing unique filenames in the Vault? This is something we are striving to achieve, but it seems highly impractical.
Message 10 of 15
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

We've been using unique file names from the beginning (about 2 years).

By the way, has anyone had any luck enforcing unique filenames in the Vault?
This is something we are striving to achieve, but it seems highly
impractical.
Message 11 of 15
brian.cranston
in reply to: Anonymous

1) Don't fight the system. You probably have some sort of existing CAD standard. You might not be able to reproduce it exactly. Everyone should be willing to yield a little to gain the improvements.

2) Keep a log of your decisions, especially if Inventor is new to your company. As you implement the software, decisions will be made on how to use certain features or address certain workflows. Six months later when another user has the same issue, you can refer back to your notes and stay consistent. It also serves as the basis for a Best Practices manual down the road.

3) Implement Styles- keep control of your CAD standard. It's a bit cumbersome sometimes, but it is worth it.

4) Centralized templates- everyone pulls from the same place

5) Use iProperties (default or custom) in your title blocks- however you'll need to write some VB to make a nice interface for editing by your users.

-Brian Cranston
Message 12 of 15
iDS!
in reply to: Anonymous

The many C's of Autodesk Inventor CAD Management...

in this order...
1. Consistency & Cleanliness
Folder Structure
File Names
Feature Names
Project Types
Libraries
2. Consideration & Cooperation & Contribution
Someone else will not do it, if you don't!!!
3. Communication & Collaboration
Talk to your peers, boss, etc…
Speak up with suggestions on how to improve things
(not every idea is good, but the one that gets missed will be the death of all)

...and if all else fails accept the CHANGE!

…also the #1 under estimated tool in most Engineering Departments...CAD
- Training
- Budget
- Maintenance
- Re-usable Knowledge (Design Intent)

…and for those that will spark up, I'm sure I missed something.

Steve Robbins
"What does not kill a man, only makes him stronger"
Message 13 of 15
swalton
in reply to: Anonymous

We enforce unique filenames with part number = filename. we keep a database of partnumbers for everything we design and pull a new one for each new component. fasteners and other hardware are from iparts and have a filename that we concatenate from the part discription and size (HHCS, 1_2-13 x 1-1_2, grade 8, zn plated). Turn on unique filenames with vault and you can't check in anything with a duplicate name. easy.

Steve Walton
Did you find this post helpful? Feel free to Like this post.
Did your question get successfully answered? Then click on the ACCEPT SOLUTION button.

EESignature


Inventor 2023
Vault Professional 2023
Message 14 of 15
fllaserjim
in reply to: Anonymous

Not to jump in and blow but I think most of the things mentioned are cad managers jobs. I think she wants more on the model end and sketches. I think file Structure and projects should be in place before you hire a drafter or engineer. So I think the Best Practice is modeling and building assemblies is what she wants. Like use feature array then a sketch array Most AutoCAD users do a sketch pattern rather then a feature pattern and this kind of stops you from using the Part pattern link to the number of holes.

I believe this is what she would like.

Or Best way to constrain a sketch. Most AutoCAD Users skip this part and the sketches are wacked. This is my NO.1 issue.

Message was edited by: Jim Letcher Message was edited by: Jim Letcher
Message 15 of 15
AnthonyPaul2010
in reply to: Anonymous

This is an old thread but thought I would bump it because I am currently looking at best CAD manager practices in our office.

 

Does anyone have any recent developments in CAD management for IV that they can add to the ones already suggested in this thread, bearing in mind this thread was started back in 2007.

 

Also can anyone recommend any good books or reading material for CAD Managers that manage IV offices?

Anthony Paul (from Cairns, North Queensland, Australia)

Product Design Suite
Inventor Premium 2012 - SP1 Installed
HP 8760w I7-740M Laptop
Windows 7 Professional 64
12 Gb DDR SDRAM
AMD FirePro M5950 Graphics Card

Can't find what you're looking for? Ask the community or share your knowledge.

Post to forums  

Autodesk Design & Make Report