InventorView - file icons for .ipt, .iam, .idw

[Anonymous]

Hello everybody,

Do you happen to know how set up Inventor file icons for .ipt, .iam, .idw into InventorView application?

User has PC without Autodesk Inventor, he has only AutoCAD LT and he needs to view some
Inventor files sometimes. It's a little confusing work in InventorView without icons and in Windows7 explorer too.
I can't find any guide how to manage it.

Thank you for any advice you can provide.

Enjoy your day.

[ampster40]

just a guess since I believe there is nothing you can do with just Inventor View installed - if at all possible, install Inventor on the users pc but don't activate it (assuming you may not want to allow another user to use up a possibly needed license). The thought here is the install of Inventor would load what it needs to into the registry so the icons appear as you desire. I've never explored just setting up Inventor View on a pc by itself, so I am not sure if it's suppose to associate the normal icons or not regarding the different files types.

[mcgyvr]

How do the icons show on this users computer?

I don't seem to remember any problems with icons when we actually used INV Viewer..

The ONLY problem I had with Inventor viewer is that if the users computer didn't have tons of RAM that it was just about useless..

So it didn't work well on typical "business" computers.. 

[Anonymous]

Hello ampster,

Thank you for your entry. PC with InventorView uses a project engineer that don't need the Inventor.

I've thought that there has been some simple way how to get Inventor file icons into viewer.

So, there's no point in finding the solution. It seems it is too complicated.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Enjoy the rest of this day.

[Anonymous]

Hello mcgyvr,

Thank you for your report.

That PC is quite new PC workstation.There can't be a problem with RAM.

The InventorView wants to use the Inventor icons and this program is not on that PC.

I've thought the adding Inventor icons to the InventorView will be simple process, it seems it isn't.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Have fun today.

[ampster40]

nothing really complicated with installing software and then not using it. Other than the time it takes to install. It would be worth the test to me, especially if someone has become accustomed to browsing thru Windows Explorer to locate files to open. I've disciplined myself over the yrs concerning cad files themselves to first open the respective cad app and use the open command from with there. But for someone browsing thru Windows Explorer, I'd want to see correct icons too. Your call.

[mcgyvr]

Its clearly a language issue but I'm not really even sure what the problem is..

This is confusing me..

The InventorView wants to use the Inventor icons and this program is not on that PC.

What do you mean it wants to use the Inventor icons?

and then.. I really aren't sure what you mean by this either..

I've thought the adding Inventor icons to the InventorView will be simple process, it seems it isn't.

Can you post a picture showing what the problem?

Do mean you just need to associate Inventor files with the Inventor viewer (so the files are opening in something else instead of the Inventor viewer) ? If so 

Set your default programs for a specific file extension..

1. Open Default Programs by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Default Programs.
2. Click Associate a file type or protocol with a program.
3. Click the file type or protocol (iam/ipt/idw) that you want the program to act as the default for.
4. Click Change program.

[Anonymous]

Hello mcgyvr,

well, that user has problem with file identification on his PC. There are AutoCAD LT, Inventor viewer on the users PC workstation only.

User can't easily resolve the file type, i.e. mainly Autodesk Inventor files .ipt, .iam, .idw. His is a project manager and he need to open

Autodesk Inventor file sometime. File preview is well in this case, so that he uses Autodesk Inventor viewer.

See the pictures in attachment, please. You can see how icon type paints the Windows 7 operating system.

We try to find the way, how Inventor icons uses on his PC  (in the Inventor viewer).

Thank you for your cooperation.

[ampster40]

Your screenshots is what I expected, you only have Inventor View installed - which I suspect does not load the correct icon bitmap for each file type. Simply install the full version of Inventor, but don't bother setting it up to be able to use it - ie, do not bother with setting up the license for it. Assuming you do this, the correct icon bitmaps will be loaded and Inventor View (rather in your case, Windows Explorer) will display the correct icon bitmaps for each file type.

[mcgyvr]

---

@ampster40 wrote:
Your screenshots is what I expected, you only have Inventor View installed - which I suspect does not load the correct icon bitmap for each file type. Simply install the full version of Inventor, but don't bother setting it up to be able to use it - ie, do not bother with setting up the license for it. Assuming you do this, the correct icon bitmaps will be loaded and Inventor View (rather in your case, Windows Explorer) will display the correct icon bitmaps for each file type.

---

I'm almost positive that the INV Viewer loads the correct icons if correctly installed.. We have loaded the viewer on computers here in the past and never had this problem.

Wonder if its a registry problem.. Maybe installing as admin would help..

Of course installing Inventor should fix it too I'd think.. 

[ampster40]

I used one of our test pc's which never had an installation of Inventor installed and installed just Inventor View. The icons are not present, I am only getting blank white icons for both ipt and iam. Installed with "Run with Elevated Privileges" - an option provided by a software package called "Avecto Privilege Guard" which is basically a software solution to control administrative privileges. On the OP's issue, I would suggest as mcgyvr did and try installing as administrator perhaps. Locate the install file, right-click on it and choose "Run as Administrator" and see if that produces anything different on your end.

[ampster40]

digging further into this using a suggestion from this thread: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-general-discussion/file-type-icons/td-p/5398121 it appears the file stated thru FileTypesMan for Inventor View .ipt file types is missing completely. The file FileTypesMan reports Inventor View is to be using for file icons is C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor View 2014\Bin\DTRes.dll, but I cannot locate that file in that location. I will try using the file mentioned in the link above, even though it's for the full version of Inventor, I can find that particular file in the Inventor View folder, SrvRes.dll. I'll report back what I find out.

[ampster40 · Accepted solution]

ugh, easier than it seems - sort of...just have to download FileTypesMan in order to solve unless someone else knows a way to correct this. Download and use that program, wait for it to populate all the file types. Locate the .ipt file type, right-click and choose Edit selected file type. In the next window that pops up, double check the path and use Windows Explorer to confirm where that file is. In my situation with Inventor View 2014, the full path listed was C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor View 2014\Bin\DTRes.dll,0 when in fact it had to be adjusted to C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor View 2014\Bin\en_US\DTRes.dll,0 note the addition of "en_US" which solved the .ipt file icon. Going back now to adjust the other Inventor file types. HTH

[Anonymous]

>Ampster sent this message 08-11-2015 12:34PM:
>
>ugh, easier than it seems - sort of...just have to download FileTypesMan in order to solve
>unless someone else knows a way to correct this.
>Download and use that program, wait for it to populate all the file types. Locate the .ipt file
>type, right-click and choose Edit selected file type.
>In the next window that pops up, double check the path and use Windows Explorer to confirm where
>that file is. In my situation with Inventor View 2014,
>the full path listed was C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor View 2014\Bin\DTRes.dll,0 when in fact
>it had to be adjusted to C:\Program Files\Autodesk\InventorView 2014\Bin\en_US\DTRes.dll,0
>note the addition of "en_US" which solved the .ipt file icon.
>Going back now to adjust the other Inventor file types. HTH


Hello ampster,
so, thank you very much for your message, which is on the right way to solution of this issue.
As you gave advice I've used the FileTypesMan program and for .ipt icons I've saw this "icon" way:
c:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor View 2015\Bin\DtRes.dll. But there isn't any DtRes.dll there!
I've fixed the path above to the string:
"c:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor View 2015\Bin\cs-CZ\DtRes.dll,0". After that .ipt icons are all right
in the Windows Explorer and in the Inventor View 2015 too. I've repared paths for .iam, .idw, .ipj
and I've chosen the right icons too. All seems to be all right now.
The FileTypesMan program is a very good helper.

I thing there is some problem in the "Inventor view 2015" installation program. There could be problem in the
national versions of this program. Programers forgot to put the right way to the icon DtRes.dll there.

Thank you very much for your help and time you've provided.
 
Enjoy the rest of this day.

[ampster40]

good to hear. I'm looking into how to go about reporting a possible bug back up the chain to Autodesk. Then again, it may not be a bug with the installation process from their end, it might have to do with something from the users end when installing it. Will look into this.

[Anonymous]

Hello,

It seems there are two installation error in the Inventor View program.

The first mistake -> when you install Inventor View ("IV") on the new PC, which has
only Windows7 (Windows8), the "IV" writes the error message: "...it is necessary to install
.NET Framework 4.0..."
It's strange, there could be .NET Framework 4.5 SP1 in this time.

The second one mistake is major. What is important - this mistake you can see
only when you've got "clear" PC without any Autodesk program, i.e. Inventor,
AutoCAD, etc.
After "IV" installation you can't see the file icons for the Inventor
file .ipt, .iam, .idw, .ipj in the Windows 7 explorer. You can see icons for the
text file only (white sheet of paper icon) there.

"IV" icons are in the "c:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor View\Bin\cs-CZ\DtRes.dll"
file. But links for the file icons aren't in the windows registry file. Register keys
for them (i.e. .ipt, .iam, .idw, .ipj)  are missing.

This error I've found in the 2015 and 2016 "IV", but it's possible this mistake is
in the 2014 version too.
Note: The process which I've described above I've tried.

Users have to declare icons via "FileTypesMan" program. It's the way how to solve it.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Enjoy your day.

P.S. Part of this message above I'll send to the Autodesk support team, of course.

[Anonymous]

Hello,

It seems there are two installation error in the Inventor View program.

The first mistake -> when you install Inventor View ("IV") on the new PC, which has
only Windows7 (Windows8), the "IV" writes the error message: "...it is necessary to install
.NET Framework 4.0..."
It's strange, there could be .NET Framework 4.5 SP1 in this time.

The second one mistake is major. What is important - this mistake you can see
only when you've got "clear" PC without any Autodesk program, i.e. Inventor,
AutoCAD, etc.
After "IV" installation you can't see the file icons for the Inventor
file .ipt, .iam, .idw, .ipj in the Windows 7 explorer. You can see icons for the
text file only (white sheet of paper icon) there.

"IV" icons are in the "c:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor View\Bin\cs-CZ\DtRes.dll"
file. But links for the file icons aren't in the windows registry file. Register keys
for them (i.e. .ipt, .iam, .idw, .ipj)  are missing.

This error I've found in the 2015 and 2016 "IV", but it's possible this mistake is
in the 2014 version too.
Note: The process which I've described above I've tried.

Users have to declare icons via "FileTypesMan" program. It's the way how to solve it.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Enjoy your day.

P.S. Part of this message above I'll send to the Autodesk support team, of course.

[tsarasin]

I recently had an issue after upgrading from 2025 to 2026 and after i uninstalled 2025 the file icon were generic icons. I right clicked on an ipt file, open with, choose other app, and the clicked inventor 2026, and check use "this application every time when opening this file extention. I had to do this with iam files also.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! This is likely registration related. Somehow Inventor 2026 was not properly registered. Go to CMD and type in the following command.

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2026\Bin\Inventor.exe" /install

Many thanks!