I'm switching over from Solidworks and am still trying to find all the functions of Inventor. I know that in Solidworks I could insert a file into an assembly from the files that I already had open without having to go to place->browse->find the correct folder etc....it was just a lot easier. Is there any way to do this in Inventor? A good example is right now I have a completed assembly open and I am working on creating another assembly. I would like to re-use some of the parts in the completed assembly. It would be nice just to right click the part I want (in the completed assembly), open it, and then be able to insert it into my new assembly. This would take out all the steps in between of having to locate where that file in the assembly actually is. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
You have most of the steps you need to follow already written below. Right click on the part in the graphics window or in the browser and select copy. In your new assembly right click and select paste, done. If you have only a part open that you want to paste into an assembly then right click on the part name iat the top of the browser and select copy. Also highlighting the part and using the keyboard shortcuts of ctrl+c and ctrl+v work as well.
OR
Click on of the window icons at the bottom left to open all parts
Find the part you want to add to your assembly, click its name in the browser and drag onto the assembly window
You can also drag from windows explorer onto the asembly window
....or
Ctrl drag copy from one browser to the other browser. (tile windows first)
So you can Ctrl drag from Windows Explorer or from one Inventor window to another. (and no, I don't mean two sessions of Inventor - one session of Inventor with your files opened.)
Seems to me it works exactly the same in SWx?
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It's been a few months since I've used Solidworks but I don't think you have to hold control to drag it from Windows explorer or another window. I figured Inventor could do it I just needed to find out where the functionality was.
Thanks again
I've never used ctrl to drag either from Explorer or from browser. I'm not sure how JD is dragging from browser to browser. I just drag from browser to field of the assy.
@rdyson wrote:I'm not sure how JD is dragging from browser to browser. I just drag from browser to field of the assy.
Oops, you are right. I didn't quite word it correctly. But I know we do this regularly in both Inventor and SolidWorks and while they are slightly different in how it is done - it is essentially identical and easily discoverable. This is the kind of thing we see in jumping from one MCAD program to another that we need to keep an open mind and not expect it to be exactly the same but be willing to try similar techniques based on what we know about typical Windows conventions.
Half the stuff I do in AutoCAD, Inventor, SolidWorks and Pro/E I would say I don't have memorized - but quickly figure out based on similarity.
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