(I know this is vague but...) I am in trouble and apparently, I need ".nc1" files...

[jeanchile]

I have a new client and a new fabrication shop that is about to start manufacturing the last three projects I have completed (all three done specifically for this company). Their "production control" department left a message for me today that said (in a panic) that I didn't send them the most important part of the whole project, and if I don't get it to them before EOB today, their shop is going to be severely impacted (they can't start all the parts, which causes a progressive "hole" rippling through their entire facility and puts the schedule for all three projects in jeopardy).

It turns out the overwhelming majority of the work they are doing is all on automated machinery that utilizes an ".nc1" file, and without those, they can do nothing.

I've been frantically looking into how to get those to them and apparently there is no way to get these from Inventor. Are you telling me that the "leader" in design and manufacturing technology has design and manufacturing technology that hasn't kept up with the pace of design and manufacturing technology? Solidworks, and every other design software I've looked at this afternoon has this capability already included in their design software, but I'm being told that my only solution is to pay an additional $4k a year to some other company for their product that produces results that "hit and miss" (according to the internet) and then hastily download, install, and learn how to get their software to do what is needed (and, for the record, the software being suggested is more expensive than a seat of Solidworks). I refuse to believe that Autodesk doesn't have a workflow for me to use here (my collection is called the design and manufacturing  collection, it's got have stuff to do the second part of that, right?).

I have been a faithful user of that Product Design and Manufacturing collection from Autodesk since 2009 (well, Inventor that long anyway, the "collections" all came later) and other than Inventor I've got ~10 other software solutions that I never use. I'm praying one of these will get my weekend back. Can someone please help me find a solution to this major issue, using the tools I have? The software I have is this:

• Inventor Professional 2024
• Inventor Nesting
• Inventor CAM Ultimate
• Inventor Nastran
• Inventor Tolerance Analysis
• Inventor Factory Design Utilities
• Recap Pro
• HSMWorks - Ultimate
• Navisworks Manage
• AutoCAD Raster Design
• AutoCAD MEP
• AutoCAD Map 3D
• AutoCAD Mechanical
• AutoCAD Plant 3D
• AutoCAD Electrical
• AutoCAD Architecture
• AutoCAD
• 3ds Max

Please God, tell me there's a workflow here that will get these guys taken care of before 6:00AM CST, Monday morning. And, I'll certainly take suggestions from anyone more local (than God is what I mean), so if one of you can direct me towards the right workflow with all of this software I have I would be eternally grateful. Honestly, I don't even know what half of this stuff in my "collection" is for, so it's possible I'm in possession of the wrong "collection". I guess it's also possible I'm in possession of the wrong software company.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide and I apologize if this message sounds "short" and "frantic" and "disrespectful". I am freaking out here but I don't mean to direct that at the fine users on this forum.

[jeremy_wasserstrass]

I had to look it up since I couldn't remember where I last saw that extension, but it comes from MasterCam. So does your customer want you to provide the CNC programs for them? If so then either Inventor CAM ultimate or Fusion 360(not on your list but you should have it) is what you want to use. If not then their CAM software of choice should take a .stp file with no problems.

[blandb]

Was this format disclosed prior to doing business that these files were needed as part of the deliverables for MFG? Or was this a "SUPRISE" we have to have because others do this for us? In my time, I have never had to supply this to any fab shop. But maybe our shops are stuck in the past?

[jeanchile]

I've definitely seen, and been asked to provide, the ".nc1" file-type before, but it was for some much smaller projects than the three being fabricated now so they just completed the projects without them.

And, I've looked around. Almost every machine I've looked at that does this kind of work, produces all their output from an ".nc1" file. They've been around forever and I'm being told it's so prevalent that they are commonly expected as a "deliverable" from anyone having fabrication done at a steel fabrication shop.

A quick look was all I had to do to see that every Inventor competitor natively produces this file type (with a bit of file management and an "output" process anyway).

I'm also being told that Autodesk's Advance Steel program (that was a program they bought and "bastardized" into an Autodesk product that everyone hates compared to something like Tekla) will output ".nc1" files for me, but it won't import from Inventor to then export the files I need. I would need to re-do everything I've done using the software I have into that program, and that program is unable to perform the work I do in Inventor.

How is it that AUTODESK doesn't have a solution here?!?! I'm dying. I thought they were the industry leader in all things "design and manufacturing"?

[jeanchile]

I guess what I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around here is that... they've given me software in the "design and MANUFACTURING" collection that can render out an animated cork popping out of a champagne bottle with fancy labels and ray-tracing, but I can't get a steel wide-flange shape cut and drilled properly?

Like, why? I'm sure someone can use everything on my software list above, and that's fine but, who is picking what goes in each software package? And, how come in the "manufacturing" collection I don't have tools to have things "manufactured" out of steel? I haven't checked but, the last time I heard anyway, steel was a material that a couple people other than me have used to build stuff. Surely there's a couple of people who want/need to use steel, right?

[blandb]

I assume you have looked into this (INV to ADVANCED STEEL, also REVIT workflows)... Just a thought.

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-import-an-I... 

[jeanchile]

Ya' know... I hadn't thought of Revit actually. That's an excellent suggestion, thank you. Not excited about having to buy  a copy of Revit, just to export a file but, if it takes care of my issue like, right now, I'm on it.

Off to investigate, THANK YOU!

[blandb]

You could look into a trial??

[karthur1]

Unfortunately, Inventor does not provide the conversion to NC1 format, as you well know.  The NC1 (and DSTV) is a format that alot of German machines use to process structural steel.  There is a company that called StrucSoft that will convert the Inventor files to NC1 format.  Its not free, but they do offer a trial.  You might could check them out.

Unless it was part of your contract to provide them supplier with NC1 files, I don't see how they could ask you to do that at the last minute.  We have vendors that asks us to send them DXF files (which we don't have a problem doing) of profiled parts. They will then convert these into whatever format their machines require.  This is called post-processing and is usually machine dependent.

I know this doesn't help with your immediate need, but this has been discussed before.  As far as I know, all this has fallen on deaf ears.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-forum/cnc-machine-file-format-dstv/m-p/8250145

Hope it works out for you.

Kirk

[pcrawley]

Hi @jeanchile - Sorry, late to the party as usual, but you'll be able to export .nc1 from Advance Steel.  

30-day trial will get you through the initial backlog: Advance Steel | Get Prices & Buy Official Advance Steel 2023 (autodesk.com)

The only downside is that it only comes as part of the AEC Collection... so it's not a cheap solution.  I guess you can subscribe to it monthly - that's a "less bad" bad option 😉

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Here is an article sharing some relevant information about exporting to DSTV, NC, NC1.

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-manage-DSTV...

Many thanks!