Create an Inventor HSM API

[al.whatmough]

We are starting to work on delivering an API for Inventor HSM. This will be made available as a COM library, similar to Inventor’s own API. We are very interested in your feedback regarding what kinds of things you’d like to be able to do in an Inventor-based API.

Initially, we would likely support capabilities along the lines of those supported in the APIs within Fusion 360 and HSMWorks, for example:

• Access to the list of operations in a document
• Generating/regenerating toolpath data
• Checking availability of toolpath data
• Post processing
• Setting model geometry

We expect to be able to leverage an API in Inventor HSM to be able to enable interesting iLogic-based workflows. We’d love your feedback of what you’d do with such a capability.

[Anonymous]

YESSSSS!!!!! <3333

[al.whatmough]

@Anonymous do you have examples of where / how you would like to use this?

[Anonymous]

@al.whatmough The first thing that I will use it for is getting tool assemblies into BOM cleanly. Right now I have some work-around ideas that I'm hoping will work out the way I imagine. Stock in the BOM is another one. I have a method for that now but it's not ideal, especially when I know how nice the stock box creation tools are in HSM. My method for making sure stock gets in the BOM is time consuming and a little painful.

Those are just two that jump out at me now. I'm sure I would find other great uses for tighter integration between CAD and CAM, or at least the ability to create new integrations.

[Anonymous]

Having access to HSM data in general and getting it into properties which I can search for or filter by in Vault would be amazing.

[GeorgeRoberts]

@ArjanDijk, you'll like this one!

[scottmoyse]

I love that Eric is part of this community now... He thinks like I do for how HSM and Inventor should integrate. 😛

@ArjanDijk will be doing back flips

[scottmoyse]

I'm so stoked this is on the way @al.whatmough.

If You're going to enable seeing model Geometry, we should be able to set stock, fixture and chuck Geometry as well.

It would be handy to expose some of the WCS controls as well, so you could tie the origin and axis to objects generated in ilogic or an Inventor addin.

Passing model Geometry from ilogic or an add-on through to Setting model Geometry in a toolpath would be amazeballs. 

[scottmoyse]

Support for creating and setting Manual NC options would be sick.

[ArjanDijk]

Wow @al.whatmough. Really happy to hear this. Have been waiting for this for years. Can't wait to make adjustments and custom solutions.

@eric_hagenaars would also be very happy to hear this.

[ArjanDijk]

Hi to add some ideas how to use an API:

• use the stock definitions to create a solid that you can constrain to a vice 
• use hole information to automatically add a center/drill/tap operation to a hole
• use a product configurator and automatically generate toolpath/nc files.

Will add lots more, but this is what comes to mind now.

[Anonymous]

Much love @scottmoyse! Happy to be here 😃

[Anonymous]

Also, I don't save NC files anywhere. They are always posted or re-posted as-needed. So I would like to be able to (via HSM API) choose a file to post, where to post it, and what to name it. When a new work order is created in ERP, released programs related to the parts on the order should be automatically posted so they are ready for operators to use, without bothering the programmer to post the files. 

[scottmoyse]

Ooooh that's a nice idea!

[Anonymous]

Thanks @scottmoyse, these types of things have been dreams of mine for quite awhile.

Another idea I just thought of goes back to the Vault search-ability. There is another thread here talking about probing and workarounds for getting the probe to hit in a specific location. Surely guys are doing workarounds now for things which later will likely have a clean native solution. Being able to go into Vault and generate a list of all programs which use a specific type of operation (e.g. probing), and filter by a "modified before" date would be great. That info can then be used to generate a change order so when there is some free time, a programmer can go back and replace old workarounds with proper solutions. This could also apply to a company which uses standard tooling across many programs, but at some point decides to change the standard. A search could be made for all programs which use a tool with XXXX id number, then replace manually or ideally with a script with the new standard tool.

I'm very excited for this! Please keep us posted on the progress of the API 😃

[scottmoyse]

Those Vault related ideas are excellent, but probably lie with the Vault/Inventor/HSM teams working together to implement support for those properties/attributes within Vault's Inventor Add-in. As in I think it should be supported natively rather than within the API.

[Anonymous]

I surely wouldn't be against having it supported natively!

[gavbath]

I've been meaning to get to this all day today. I am super excited to hear this is getting some focus. I think one of my very first questions for the HSM team when the Inventor version was in beta, was "Is there an API!?!?!?"

So the ways I'm thinking of hoping to use it are things like this:

• Extending configurable designs, to CAM:
  • When I use iLogic to switch from Setup 1, to Setup 2 (suppressing/unsuppressing features or components,) I want to be able to also suppress/unsuppress the corresponding toolpaths. Preferably without triggering a regeneration.
  • When changing the number and spacing parameters for a feature pattern in CAD, I want to be able to link those parameters to the parameters in the CAM, so my CAM pattern stays in sync with my feature pattern.
  • If I build a part that can have many different configurations, then I want to be able to control which toolpaths are suppressed/unsuppressed with rules, depending on which configuration is selected.
  • If the API could give me access to my CAM templates, access to my geometry (CAD API) and access to toolpath data, then I can potentially even add setups and toolpaths for certain types of recognisable geometry automatically, and then go in and tidy them up manually. "Oh, this part has a feature marked "pocket" so I'll create a setup and place a face, and pocket strategy in it." Then I just have to go in and pick boundaries etc.
• Tool library:
  • If I can get access to the tool library via API, then I can write my own system for pulling tool data from wherever I like, and pumping it straight in to the library, or vise versa. Copy/paste, CSV etc. is "just so last century."
• Metadata access:
  • Along the lines of what @Anonymous said above, if we could access toolpath metadata via API (like the Ctrl-Shift-Hover") info (and hey, why not everything else too) then we could pipe that into custom iProperties, which could be mapped to Vault properties, to do all the cool stuff he was suggesting.
• Other stuff:
  • The CAM environment has some interesting tools that aren't available in the CAD side. If the API would allow a remote call to regenerate the toolpaths, and also access the data from them, then the following might be possible. Imagine a little window in a browser pane, docked next to the CAD browser (or an iLogic form), with a readout of cycle-time or material volume removed or something like that. Without switching to CAM, I could make a sketch, parameter, or geometry change in the model, and hit a refresh button, and see the impact on that data, and repeat the process ad infinitum. This could be used to help designers think more about design for manufacture. Go the whole hog and allow us to run a headless version of Inventor (like Inventor Apprentice Server) with the HSM in it, so we could have this setup running on a server, and have multiple CAD designers using the little readout above. Ok, now I'm just getting carried away.

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.

Gav

[Marco.Takx]

Very nice to hear that finally, this topic gets his attention.

• Get access to CAD parameters to use them for patterns or changing tool diameters or turning tool radius when inner radii are smaller or larger.
  In some situations, there are workarounds now but it's a lot of work.
• Getting access to the tool library, so when changing the material type in CAD the speeds, feeds, optimal load, stepover, step-downs can be changed automatically.
• Getting Feature recognition solutions should also be great.
• Posting NC file automatically to a specific location by using the specific post for that configured part incl. automatically click Post. This means a full automatically process.
• Hole information and Thread information can be used for center-bore-tapping and threading.
  But also when a hole becomes bigger or smaller the other tool can be selected automatically (Drill wizard)
• Suppressed CAD features also suppressed CAM operations.

I think there will be more wishes out there, but having the access to the above topics we have a great start.

[jeff.pek]

Thanks, all, for the comments. It's great to get such detailed suggestions. Please keep them coming. 

Obviously, it will take time to implement everything that people request -- and we likely won't be able to do everything. But, we'd definitely like to have as complete and useful API in Inventor as possible. I'm also keenly interested in supporting iLogic-based capabilities, taking advantage of this unique capability within Inventor.

You'll be able to see the beginnings of an API with the "R4" release of Inventor HSM 2018, coming in early January.

Jeff