Open Inventor 2013 .ipt in Inventor 2012

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have a relativly basic ipt file in 2013 that I would like to open up in 2012 on another machine. I'm wondering if there's anyway I can open it up and edit it? It's kind of crucial and I assumed I'd be able to since the part used nothing besides the rudimentary tools that have been in inventor since the beginning...

Right now, I'm getting a "Database schema...which is newer than this version".

Thanks!

[stanislav.sedlak]

Hi,

this is Limitations. "As stated previously, once a file is saved using a particular version of Inventor (for your example, Inventor 2013), that file cannot be read by an earlier version of Inventor (for yuor example, Inventor 2012)." For more informations visit this link.

Regards

Stanislav

[JDMather · Accepted solution]

File>Save Copy As type STEP (*.stp) to open in 2012 or earlier.

[kwilson_design]

Why would you expect a file once migrated or created in a new version would be backwards compatible to an older version? Basic geometry and tools or features used has nothing to do with a version of a file. IIRC, I don't believe Inventor has ever been backwards compatible (or many other programs) for a slew of crucial reasons. Your only option is as JDMather suggested and that's to export out as STEP or IGES then open the file in 2012 (or older version of Inventor). Fair warning though, your file will lose all parametric history and will become a 'dumb model' for the lack of a better phrase. Yes you can use Feature Recognition to help rebuild some of the intelligence , but that will still require you to edit at sketch level if you care to fully contrain your part (which you most definitely should lol). In a nutshell, it's not wise to work in suich an evironment using different versions of Inventor. The only exception would be a test/beta environment and never work on 'live' files.

[Anonymous]

Inventor is made by Autodek, and made AutoCAD to be able to save into older formats. I am a 8+ year user of AutoCAD, and have only used Inventor for 4 months, but it seems like everything that is loved about AutoCAD, Autodesk decided to not use these when they created the Inventor software. This save as older file is very crucial, and well as Offset the autocad offset, not the Inventor offset. If a company goes to buy a 3D modeling software, why would one buy Inventor, when Solidworks kills Inventor hands-down. AutoCAD is a lot easier to use than any of the above. The more I use Inventor, the more I absolutely hate this Very Inferior product. AutoCAD has a lot off issues, but with the level of issues Inventor has, it made AutoCAD look like the best software on the planet, that is how bad Inventor is, and yes I have already completed my first of two inventor classes in college, it's still no different. Inventor is a baby that needs to be babysat all the time.

Edited by
Discussion_Admin

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

This save as older file is very crucia

...why would one buy Inventor, when Solidworks kills Inventor hands-down.

...., it made AutoCAD look like the best software on the planet

and yes I have already completed my first of two inventor classes in college....

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And of course you are aware that Solidworks does not save to older version either.
Post data-set that demonstrates SolidWorks kills Inventor hands-down.

I don't know any Inventor Professionals that would make this statement.

Post example Inventor files that you completed in your college classes.

Based on your statements I can only guess you missed a few classes.

Did you attend McCann? http://www.mccann.edu/

[Anonymous]

    I just started my first of three classes on Solidworks, haven't gotten to the save in older format of solidworks yet. I used it several times in AutoCAD, we always did business with companies with year 2000 or 2002 year versions. Post Inventor drawings from school, these models all together encompass 18 MB in size, they are the exercises and tutorials in Sham Tickoos Inventor 2012 for Designers Book, I am currently working on chapter 9 of 18. Once done with this semester and chapter 18, I'll never touch it again. I already have an architectural drafting degree, and went back to learn Solidworks years later, they won't teach you Solidworks unless you learn it in another degree, this degree requires learning Inventor with Solidworks even concurrently. Why they would design  software that can't be saved in older versions is beyond me. Btw, they do not want these models posted to the internet from schoolwork, no idea why. After copying this to the website, and I can see you're being derogatory, the email sent to me mailbox, only listed a couple of your statements. I didn't miss a single class of Inventor and got an A in Inventor as well, actually you oughta hear everyone in class this second and last class of Inventor cuss and hollar, cause Inventor wouldn't do what it's supposed to, but after you do it 10x it finally decides to work. Yet first day of Solidworks, the software worked from the first try. I find it hard to believe anyone would love Inventor, Upon completing Inventor I won't be listing Inventor on my resume, I'd hate to babysit the software while attempting to get work done. One of the other stdents that hates Inventor is a 2 year user of Solidworks, since he knows what Solidworks can do effortless, it's quite upsetting to do the same tasks in Inventor and Inventor won't complete, even though you're done the same task several times before and it actually worked if after 10x.

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

    I just started my first of three classes on Solidworks, haven't gotten to the save in older format of solidworks yet....

Why they would design  software that can't be saved in older versions is beyond me. ...

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That should have been covered in your Inventor class.  If the reasons are beyond your understanding, I suspected maybe you missed that class.

Hopefully your Solidworks instruction will be better.  Be sure to ask the instructor to explain why the SolidWorks you will be learning doesn't save to earlier version.

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

..... it's quite upsetting to do the same tasks in Inventor and Inventor won't complete, even though you're done the same task several times before and it actually worked if after 10x.

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Post examples.

[Anonymous]

Nope it wasn't covered, or hasn't been yet, I haven't missed any classes period. I emailed him about the issue before I found the post about saving to an IGS file. I just thumbed through the book, and they talk about importing from AutoCAD, Solidworks etc, and they talk about the .ipt, .iam, .ipn, .idw, dwg templates, but nothing about saving to an older format  whatsoever, and no it wasn't covered in class. It was thought that school was going to version 2013, and models from last semester were version 2012, and some of these ver 2012s are being used to make assemblies now. School is staying on 2012. I downloaded the academic 2012 for my desktop at home, and academic 2013 for my laptop cause I was completing homework away from home, and the issue arose. The IGS is the fix.

[Anonymous]

Revolve, Sweep, trying to cut a hole in a curved surface after you created a work plane that touches the curved surface at it's highest point. Trying to get Inventor to see an axis in a workplane after the axis intersects the workplane to locate the hole, so that you can create a counterbore. My partner Thursday Night had an ID Circle and an OD circle and a curve, she selected the area between them and the curve and after you see her select the area, it sweeps the ID circle as a solid. She redrew it with a new template 20x and it never worked, it worked on mine to create a hollow pipe elbow. Last semester my computer did the same thing with extruding a circle from a workplane "to the next" object. It simply refused to cooperate. The teacher and I tried this over and over for 90 minutes, which never worked period. I came home and attempted and it worked the first time. I tried to loft last semester on the final test, and it wouldn't work for 20 attempts, then the 21st time boom it worked, I didn't do anything different, but yet the 21st time it worked. It's one thing when a student can't get it to work, but it's another when the teacher scratches his head cause he can't get it to work either. It's yet another to have progressed half-way through the full class and the software does not get any easier to use. I've cussed since day one about the softwar, Thursday Night was out first day of the last semester of Inventor and everyone was very frustrated. My partner that had the ID/ OD sweep issue was the only one not cussing. I'm not sure what everyone else was having for issues, but it was one of the worst nights.

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

The IGS is the fix.

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Most recommend STEP (*.stp) rather than IGES.

You might also download Feature Recognition add-in from http://labs.autodesk.com

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

...everyone was very frustrated.

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I remember the frustration as an instructor when I didn't know how to use Inventor (or SolidWorks).

Autodesk is one of the largest software companies in the world, rest assured the software does work.

Post the file(s) for each issue as it occurs.
In my experience it is almost always a user issue (even when they think they have done something correctly).

Point your instructor to this thread.

I have been teaching Inventor and SolidWorks for more than 10 years.
Many of my students have become Inventor or SolidWorks certified professionals.

I can tell you the programs are nearly identical when used by experienced professionals.

At some point most instructors gain enough experience where they can field these frustrations with ease and show the students where the mistake was made.  And of course an experienced instructor can quickly determine when there is simply a bad install of the software that needs repair.

Again, there are many professionals who use these products. 

The products do work.

[Anonymous]

I tried the STP, but an object error occurs, then you click cancel, and the dwg appears intact, except for the tree, it's only half there. If I use the IGS file, it all appears to be intact. I'll see about adding my instructor to the thread.

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I tried the STP, but an object error occurs, then you click cancel, and the dwg appears intact, except for the tree, it's only half there. ....

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What is the error?  I don't understand what the rest of the statement means.
Attach the original file here that exhibits this behavior when saving as STEP.

This issue-by-issue solving of problems is where I really learned the software (both Inventor and SolidWorks). 

[Anonymous]

I was going to send you my file from the episode last semester, but it worked when I got home, cause it was Inventor itself on my computer at school with a hick-up, and I'm sure that was the case with my partner's drawing THursday night. I have used AutoCAD for 8 years, and AutoCAD is notorious for hick-ups, but usually these hick-ups overcome themselves, but with Inventor overcomig never happened, With my instance last semester I played with it for awhile before asking for my teacher's help, he sat down, and couldn't get ti to work either, he got up to research, and I tried it some more, we spent 90 minutes of our 4 hour class, the rest of the class had already left for the daycause they were able to get their drawing done. I told my partner about this episode on Thursday for her predicament, and even watched her 10x try and retry to sweep with my own eyes, I saw it correctly select the area betwene the ID and OD and the sweep arc, and boom it sweeped a solid of the ID circle and the Sweep arc. I'm sure that if I ask her this Thursday Night it worked just fine at home.

[JDMather]

These sound like typical episodes that beginners experience.

It should not take an experienced instructor more than a couple of minutes to determine the problem. (in Inventor or SolidWorks)

[Anonymous]

Note the length of the tree between the original 9-38 Casting.ipt and the 9-38 Casting.stp,

Autodesk Inventor Professional - Create Container Item -name of window

Exclamation point in a yellow circle Could not Insert Object.

Square with Question mark, Square with 2 note icons or the Cancel button are the three options in this window.

I click on cancel and the tree is very short.

[Anonymous]

I understand the beginner's issues, but not for 21 attempts when the majority are the same procedeure. It is basically the software just not being very user friendly. Some of these tasks I have done a fair share of times, and yet they still take several attempts when I actually know how to initiate the command. One instance was extrude cut, where I tried to remove a chunk for this cap to fit, and it took 5x for Inventor to select the area and actually do an extrude cut, I ended the command and attempted again, and after 4 more attempts Inventor got the hiccup out without ever redrawing the sketch. It's like playing Simon Says. If I had to use Inventor on the job, I'd be very frustrated. I'll attach the casting where this 5x extrude cut took place. It's the cut area for the cap  and brass bearing (not attached) to fit inside.

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Note the length of the tree

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I didn't get past the first sketch.
This is poor modeling technique (in Inventor or SolidWorks), looks like lack of 1st day training.