Convet IDW to DXF Without Inventor

[coreyparks]

Is there any way to convert an Inventor IDW to a DXF file without using Inventor or any other several thousand dollar program?  Looking into it in case our machinists need to get a file at night and no one is around from engineering to save it out for them.  Right now DXF is what they use for programing parts, thanks.

[dave.anderson · Accepted solution]

Inventor is the only application that can do this type of conversion. They could use Inventor View (free download) to view the idw file, but it cannot convert file formats.

I also toyed with using Inventor.dwg and opening it in AutoCAD. From there the Inventor.dwg can be converted to DXF, but the model geomerty does not come across. If that was successful using an alternate dwg-->dxf converter may have worked but no luck. There are other file format conversion programs, but they are also expensive.

Have you considered converting to a Network License type? It would allow Inventor to be installed on multiple machines, but only one user can run it at a time. This way the shop could have access to an Inventor license without having to purchase another seat.

[kstate92]

Total shot in the dark, but could they have a CAM program already that might open the (assumed) ipt file directly?  Even just to then save out as a DXF?

[coreyparks]

     Dave thanks for the reply.  That's pretty much what I had come up with as well.  Just needed to do a little research in order to report back to my boss in case I was missing something.  In the case of the network license we have that already but I did not want to suggest it if there was some other, shall we say, less lethal way to do it.  He prefers to keep the design software solely in the hands of the designers to prevent anything from getting changed inadvertently. 

[coreyparks]

     I wish we did have a cam program that opened them directly then we would have no issues.  Alas what we use can only handle dumb solids and dxf.  For most of our parts DXF is easy enough for them to get what they need, we just need to create the files.  I much prefer something like edge cam that handles Inventor files directly and parametrically so any revs get caught before machining the parts.  Not too mention smart features like taps carry that data over to the cam software then as well.

     On a side note is that truely Inventor series 11 and not 2011?  I'm not laughing, but if yoiu listen real hard you may hear a chuckle and some exclamations of disbelief.

[kstate92]

Yup: ye olde 11.  Even worse, we really don't use it other than really complicated parts or assemblies.  Our other sister companies use Pro-E or have moved over to SW, but we mainly use plain AutoCAD 2007 with a small amount of MDT parts as well.  Part of the hesitation is 30 years of legacy data and our sole remaining detailers' expertise (very good but still uses a digitizer).  But we're not rocket scientists, and a 40-part assembly is big to us.  We will be getting Win 7 64-bit before years' end so I hope we can go with 2011 soon (we've always been on subscription).

I wonder if there's a way to autopublish dxf files like dwfs...

[brian.cranston]

You can get the geometry from an Inventor DWG.  These methods are based on Inventor and AutoCAD 2010.

Method 1:

Open the Inventor DWG in AutoCAD and do a 'Save As', then select 'Save Layout as a Drawing'.

Method 2:

Each view is stored as a block.  Insert the desired block, then you can edit geometry.

-Brian Cranston

[coreyparks]

     We could autopublish them or a least have a button to print them when finished with the drawing but we don't want them saved as they are just a snapshot in time and there are no gaurantees that they are up to date with the drawing.  We delete them after they are a week or 2 old, long enough for them to make their program.

[coreyparks]

       Inventor does not use drawings!  Inventor uses IDW's to document the models that are created.  DWG is an AutoCAD file type and I broke from AutoCAD years ago and they can't force me back, ever.  I mean ever la la la la la la la can't hear you la la la la la la la la. 

      Seriously though we don't use Inventor DWG's and I don't see us changing the file type as it gets too confusing which software you need to look at what, since we have a lot of old AutoCAD data here as well.  Also my whole idea was to use something free or very cheap in order to do the conversion, AutoCAD is neither.  Thanks though.

[Anonymous]

also Inventor DWGs tend to be considerably larger in file size.

Also why do some of thes post say: 'Re: Convert DID to DXF Without Inventor' rather than IDW?????

[brian.cranston]

Maybe the engineering department uses a floating license of Inventor, then the machinist could run it for free when no one in engineering would be there?  You would install it on the machinist's computer for use during their shift.  Should be okay license wise, as long as everyone is in the same country.

-Brian

[Anonymous]

this might help:

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Inventor-Customization/Automate-DXF-creation/m-p/2374852/high...