< Rant >
Why must Inventor and 3D Studio Max both be installed on the same PC to enable importing Inventor files into 3DS. This is a major roadblock. If it was done solely on the basis to sell more seats of Inventor, then someone in marketing has their head where the sun doesn't shine. In the real world (that I have experienced), companies buy Inventor and hire drafters/engineers to use it. The drafter/engineer is concerned about form/fit/function and creating drawings for production. These same companies buy 3DS for visualization and producing pretty pictures (for marketing) and they hire graphics artists to use 3DS. The graphics artists know about colors, lights, materials, special effects etc, topics that they were taught in school. I know of no drafter/engineer that has time in their day to also do marketing and pretty pictures (there are other departments for that). But unfortunately the two departments (engineering and marketing) cannot communicate with software they bought from the same company! This is really a PITA...
Today, a graphics artist called me and asked for some models so they could do a flythru in 3DS for a very important customer proposal (we work for the same company in different departments). So I told him where the models he needed were located. But alas, he calls me back and says he cannot import because he doesn't have Inventor. Would he ever have a need for Inventor other than to import models? No, because it is outside of his field. So instead I must take time out of my busy day to save a bunch of .iams to .dwgs (oh yeah, its not easy to save an .iam as a 3D model, I first have to export as a neutral format then import into ACAD, then change orientation because Y is up in IV and Z is up in ACAD). Then the graphics designer has to spend a bunch of time importing the .dwgs and re-coloring everything.
All the marketing hype I see for Inventor is "go from 2D to 3D". ADSK, how about trying to cater to the companies that went to 3D a long time ago?
< /Rant >