Autodesk Inventor: Publisher's checklist for Informed Design

PaulMunford

Autodesk Informed Design helps Autodesk Inventor users publish configurable models for use in Revit.

Revit users access products that have been shared with them via Informed Design. The Revit users can then configure the published model within the options defined by the publisher and insert a Revit family of the product variant.

When the design is complete, the Revit project can be assessed, and manufacturing outputs automatically generated for all variants.

Learn more about Autodesk Informed Design.

A checklist for preparing Inventor models for publishing to Informed Design

You may already have an Inventor model that you’d like to publish to Informed Design. In this article, we’ll take you through some of the requirements, best practices, and tips when preparing your model for publishing to Informed Design.

All files are in the Root folder (including content center components)
Materials copied into Part Files
No add-ins
(Optional) Model State(s) added, Model State scope set to ‘Factory’.
BIM properties > Category and Family added
(Optional) BIM properties > Hosting set
(Optional) Family definition > Orientation added
Design Doctor errors fixed
(Optional) Additional Parameters for use in the Form added
iLogic: Application API calls removed
iLogic: Calls to open UI elements (including iLogic forms) removed
iLogic: Model State snippet added to all rules
iLogic: Drawing update on file open rule added

Root folder

The Root folder and Inventor project file are set in the Informed Design Product definition. On publication, Informed Design will upload all the files in the root folder.

All files required to support the design must be in the Root folder—for example, the Inventor project file IPJ, Content Center component files, and external iLogic rules.

Note: The root folder size of the selected assembly cannot exceed 500MB. Deleting ‘Old version’ folders and removing unrelated files from the Root folder helps keep the folder size down.

Best practice is to keep file and path names short and simple, because they are replicated on the server.

Tip: External iLogic rules aren’t picked up with ‘Pack and Go’. If you need to create a copy of your Inventor dataset, we recommend using iLogic Design Copy for this reason.

Frame generator, routed systems, and other add-ins.

The Informed Design service uses the Inventor Automation API on Autodesk Platform Services (APS) to configure your model and export a Revit RFA.

The Inventor Automation API only supports base Inventor, with no add-ins. The following add-ins are not supported:

Tube & Pipe
Cable & Harness
Frame Generator

Note: Static (non-configurable) Products can contain components generated by an add-in.

Read more:

Adaptive components

We do not recommend Adaptive components. Instead, consider ‘top-down’ modelling techniques, such as iLogic, or derived workflows like skeletal or multi-body modelling.

Further Reading: Five Autodesk Inventor tips for building configurable models for Informed Design

Content Center

Design accelerators that utilize Content Center components can be supported, provided the Content Center component files are stored in the Inventor project's Root folder (see Root Folder).

Design doctor

A model cannot be published to Informed Design while it has errors. Make sure there are no Design Doctor issues before attempting to publish to Informed Design.

Inventor Help: Use Design Doctor to repair relationship errors

Model States or Simplified representations

You may want to provide a simplified representation of your design for use in a BIM. The Revit user may not want the full manufacturing model, with all its nuts, bolts, washers, and tiny engineering details.

TIPS:

Set the model state to [Primary] to edit the BIM properties.
Set the model state to [Primary] before publishing.
Set the model state scope to ‘Factory’ to ensure that Parameter & iProperty value changes are applied to all Model states (See iLogic and Model states).

Further Reading: Simplified Representation and Model State best practices

A fully detailed model (Above). A simplified model (Below)

Revit category and data

The Revit category is set in the BIM properties panel. Setting the Revit category defines the Revit family template files that will be used to generate the family. The data fields available in the panel will update to reflect the standard data for the selected category.

Note: Set the Revit family category and family name in the BIM properties panel before creating a product definition.

Revit family Hosting

Elements in Revit can be ‘Hosted’. For example, a wall-hosted family can only be placed on an existing element with the category ‘Wall’. Hosting is set in the BIM properties panel.

Tip: A face-hosted family can be placed on the face of any element.

Model orientation and Insert Point

The orientation of Revit models is with the Z-axis ‘up’. If necessary, you can use the Family Definition tools in the BIM definition toolset to orient the Revit family created from your product definition and set its insert point.

Further reading: Understanding Insertion Point, UCS, and Placement Plane commands.

Informed Design sample dataset

Inventor Parameters, best practices

Inventor Parameters from your top-level assembly are ‘Adopted’ into your Informed Design Product Definition. Adopted parameters become inputs on the Form. The Form and its inputs will be used in Revit to configure the Product.

You may want to add user parameters to your Inventor model for use in your Product definition as additional inputs, or for use in Codeblock math or logic statements.

Tip: Check the parameters you want to use in your product definition as ‘Key’ to make them easy to find when adopting them in the product definition.

Further Reading: Best Practices: Inventor

iLogic best practices

Make the following checks to your iLogic code for compatibility with the Inventor Automation API and Informed Design.

Inventor Application API Calls

Use

ThisDoc.Document

in place of

ThisApplication.ActiveDocument

in iLogic rules when making Inventor API calls

Use

ThisServer

Instead of

ThisApplication

Note: ThisApplication is not supported. ThisServer does not include all the properties of ThisApplication.

Further reading: VbaApplication.ThisServer Property

Model rules (iLogic) vs Input rules (Codeblocks)

Model rules are used to configure the model. This could include changes in size, material, or appearance, as well as the suppression of features and components.

iLogic is recommended for model rules.

Input rules are used to check the validity of input values, prior to passing the input value to the model.

Codeblock logic is recommended for Input rules with Informed Design.

In Revit, the Informed Design Product Definition Form is used to enter input values before requesting a Revit family that represents the chosen options.

When the Revit user clicks ‘Generate’, the information is sent from the Form to the Informed Design service, which will open the model in the Inventor Automation API, apply the input values to the model, and generate an RFA from the resulting configuration.

They are not manipulating the Inventor model 'live' and can’t get feedback from the model.

The Codeblock input logic embedded in the form is used to define all allowable inputs and communicate this information to the Revit user.

TIP: To make existing input rules from your configurable Inventor model, desktop, and cloud compatible, you could use a Boolean parameter to set the publish mode.

Autodesk Inventor iLogic rule

iLogic calls to User Interface (UI) Elements

The Inventor Automation API is a ‘headless’ version of Inventor running in the cloud. It does not have a user interface; therefore, calls to user interface elements will not work.

This includes MessageBox, InputBox, or InputlistBox iLogic functions, as well as Inventor API calls to Interface (UI) elements such as file dialog boxes.

TIP: To make UI element calls in your existing configurable Inventor model desktop and cloud compatible, you could use a Boolean parameter to set the publish mode.

Autodesk Inventor iLogic rule

iLogic Forms

iLogic forms are also a UI element and therefore aren’t supported on the Server. It’s OK to include an iLogic form in your model if it isn’t set to open automatically.

iLogic Rules that Set Materials

To avoid missing materials, it’s recommended to copy the required materials into the components that need them.

iLogic rules and model states

Include

iLogicVb.MemberEditScope = kEditAllMembers

at the top of each iLogic rule. This works similarly to setting the model state scope to ‘Factory’, ensuring that parameter and iProperty value changes are applied to all Model states.

iLogic Rules and Drawings

Set an iLogic rule in your drawing using the event trigger ‘After Open Document’.

After your Inventor model is configured in the cloud with the Inventor Automation API, associated drawings will be opened to generate outputs.

The iLogic rule will run as the drawing opens, ensuring that the drawing is up to date before generating the output (IDW, DWG, or PDF).

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