Nesting Utility 2019.1 - What's New??

[javiar]

Nesting Utility 2019.1 is now available and it includes some exciting new capabilities. For the first time ever, it allows users to create nests for Inventor non-sheet metal parts and assemblies. With this update, Nesting Utility can also benefit users cutting shapes out of various materials such as wood, plastic, rubber, composites, stone, concrete and more. This was one of the most popular user requests since the product launched a few months ago.

Release highlights:
1. Nesting for additional file formats
       a. Inventor non-sheet metal .IPT and .IAM files (extrusion solids and sketches)
       b. .DWG files
2. Layer mapping capability for source files. Define rules for processing geometry:
       a. Nestable/non-nestable entities
       b. Etch data
       c. Grain
       d. Junk
       e. And more…
3. Parameter support for “NestingThickness” – allows associative nest updates with model changes
4. Consistent units between nesting document and exported DXFs
5. Improved nest display control – sheet geometry, dimensions, header, text.
6. 30-day trials

While these are some of the highlights, there is much more including bug fixes and other improvements. Thank you for your patience while we continue enhancing our nesting solution in Inventor. Please keep the feedback coming and stay tuned for more updates.

For more information on available features and to download a 30-day trial, please visit the Nesting Utility product page: https://www.autodesk.com/products/nesting-utility/overview.

Additional links:
Nesting Utility Online Help: https://help.autodesk.com/view/TNNUINV/ENU/
Nesting Utility ReadMe: https://up.autodesk.com/2019/TNNUINV/autodesk_NestingUtility_2019.1_Update_readme_enu.html

[jbhigley7N64Y]

Do you have example files showing how the nesting will open an assembly of IPT parts? I tried this, and it seems it will only open a part or assembly which contains sheetmetal parts, not solids as discussed here. It would be great if this utility could just nest solid parts in their native form and not convert them to 2D. Is that ever going to happen?

Thanks!

[forrestshi]

Hi,

Below is an example about how it works with non-sheetmetal parts, where Nesting Utility will check from P1 first and if not satisfied, go to P2, lastly P3. Also, make sure your provider is set properly: Options > Providers > IPT > Inventor Part (Toggled on).

Hope it will clairfy some for you.

Thanks,

Forrest

[jbhigley7N64Y]

I am still having problems. When I go to providers and check IPT, it only takes sheetmetal parts. It won't bring in basic IPT parts.  When I go to providers and activate an assembly, I can then add an assembly to the tree but then it tells me no packaging is assigned even though I have valid materials in the list. Any suggestions?

[spencer]

I want to take this opportunity to say that the new nesting report display is absolutely wonderful, both in usefulness and readability.

This update is the first time I've used the Nesting Utility since shortly after its release, but one thing I noticed is that I was fairly sure there was an option to not automatically extract added sources, which was handy when adding assemblies with non-nestable parts (Frame Generator members usually).

While getting cut lists together, I had 2 thoughts that might be nice (And easy) for the output display.

First, when doing nesting studies with mixed packaging sizes, it'd be handy if the report had some way to say "X many sheets of Y size", "W many sheets of Z size", rather than just a strict overall sheet count

Secondly, an option for an alternate efficiency calculation would be nice. If said option is enabled, rather than calculating efficiency the current way (Which I assume is area of shaded part / unshaded sheet area), instead get efficiency as "area of part extents / unshaded sheet area", so efficiency makes a bit more sense when working with larger pieces, corner notches, and window cutouts. For example, when nesting pieces like the ones shown below, that sheet would be listed as approaching 100% efficiency, rather than the windows and corners killing the efficiency for the sheet and the overall nest.

Edit: On further inspection I found an interesting bug, and would like to make an addendum to the efficiency calculation request.

Something was going a bit goofy with some of the parts, and the Nesting Utility really wants to add some overlapping pieces, which will go back even after re-calculating the nest

Other thing I realized, rather than have an alternate efficiency calculation that looks at the extents rather than geometry, having the option to do the entire nest calculation like that would make more sense. I realized this after seeing the below nest that was calculated.

The nesting is fine itself, but fabrication wise we can't easily deal with parts nested in the concave of other parts, since a straight shear would not be able to actually separate them.

[forrestshi]

Hi,

Does your part contain at least one of the the features I just mentioned? If so, that will be odd. Is it possible to send me a part so I can have a quick validation. Thanks!

My email: forrest.shi@autodesk.com

Forrest