The Problem
Inventor's Model States feature is powerful for managing design variations (e.g., painted vs. unpainted, folded vs. flat, simplified vs. detailed).
But switching between states to understand what's different can be confusing — especially in large assemblies or shared team environments.
Currently, there's no quick way to visually compare multiple model states side by side or track which features change between them.
Proposed Feature: “Model State Visual Compare Mode”
Upgrade the Model State Explorer with a new Compare Mode, allowing users to:
View two or more Model States side-by-side in a split-screen window
Highlight changed geometry (e.g., suppressed features, different dimensions, color changes)
Generate a quick difference report listing what has changed between states
Toggle synced rotation so you can rotate both states simultaneously
Optionally export side-by-side preview images for documentation or review
Why It’s Valuable
- Makes it easier to understand design intent and changes
- Saves time in review, documentation, and client presentations
- Helps prevent errors due to overlooked differences
- Great for QA teams, collaborators, or anyone managing product variants
Optional Advanced Ideas
- Allow annotations within each state view
- Include versioning meta-tags (e.g., “Prototype A - April 2025”)
- Integrate with Drawing environment to auto-generate comparison views
Model States are amazing — but understanding them at a glance should be just as smart.
If you’d find this feature useful, please upvote and share your use cases in the comments.
Let’s bring more clarity and confidence to design variants in Inventor!
