IV 2014, VS 2015: Unable to install Developer Tools

[Anonymous]

I'm unable to install DeveloperTools.msi, this error message pops up "Could not find any version of Microsoft Visual Studio."

I'm using Inventor 2014 Pro SP2 and i have Visual Studio Community 2015 installed.

I've googled and searched the forums but I can't find a solution, is there anyone that knows what the problem is?

[GosponZ]

Same problem here

[Mark.Lancaster · Accepted solution]

I don't think Inventor 2014 supports VS 2015.  I think you have to use an earlier version of Visual Studio.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Mark,

So developers need to install a bunch of versions of VS to make sure their project is compatible with previous versions of Inventor? That sounds strange to me. Maybe I got this backwards, is Inventor backwards compatible with Visual Studio and not the other way around as I first thought? I'm not a developer myself, I just need the EventWatcher to analyze a problem and to help me create some simple scripts.
A list such as “Visual Studio Compatibility for Inventor” would help but I can't find one. The documentation in the SDK folder states what language it supports but not which version of VS. Maybe the language version number goes hand in hand with VS version number?

HOWEVER, I got it to work 😉
I installed Visual Studio Express 2012, download available below.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=34673

[adam.nagy]

You can use any Visual Studio version for your add-in, just make sure the project is using a .NET framework that is compatible with the one the given Inventor version is using:

http://adndevblog.typepad.com/manufacturing/2015/02/which-net-framework-version-is-inventor-using.ht...

Concerning which .NET version is compatible with which other .NET versions you can find info on the Microsoft site:

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff602939(v=vs.110).aspx

Concerning the Inventor Add-In templates, they just have not been updated yet for VS 2015. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Adam,

That looks like what I expected from the first place. The block that prevents Developer Tools from installing - if the correspondings version of VS isn't installed - still forces the user to have different versions of VS, doesn't it? Couldn't the block just be removed? I don't see the meaning of it.

[YuhanZhang]

You need to have at least one of the supported Visual Studios to install the DeveloperTools.msi. Usually you can find the SDK readme(for example: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2016\SDK\SDK_Readme.htm) in the SDK folder, and it lists the supported VS versions, you should install at least one of them before installing the DeveloperTools.msi. The DeveloperTools.msi will install the Inventor Addin Wizards for the VS, if there is no VS on the machine the DeveloperTools could not find the proper folder to place the Inventor Addin Wizards files. So that is why we ask users to install at least one of the supported VS. Hope this clears.

[Anonymous]

When I try to install IV 2016 SDK to VS2015 Community I get an error "No VS found..."

Is there a newer developerTools.msi available since?

Or any hints to avoid this?

Thanks,

D

[Anonymous]

Have you tried Visual Studio Express 2012?
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.a​spx?id=34673

The readme file doesn't mention any VS version after 2012 so that might be it. I have not tried the developer tools in IV2016 yet so I'm not sure.

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor 2016\SDK\SDK_Readme.htm

[Alexrose1942]

Similar Problem Here , Inventor 2015 Developer Tools Installation Problem. Visual Studio 2015 "Community" And "Express" are installed. 

any tips?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Have you tried Visual Studio 2012? It has has been mentioned multiple times in this thread.

[smilinger · Accepted solution]

Just try to extract the files from the installer package, you will find the project templates you need, then all you need to do is copy these files to the VS project templates folder.

For example:
msiexec /a developertools.msi TARGETDIR=c:\extracted

[Anonymous]

I am using Inventor 2015 with Visual Studio Express 2015.  I have an Autodesk Inventor 2015 Addin Template working.  When I build the solution, I get no dll file, and obviously no add-in when launching Inventor.  

I have the Build Output Path set to this folder: C:\Users\sanderson\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\StampDrawing\, and I have selected Inventor for the Start external program.

Please let me know what I missed.

Thanks,

[adam.nagy]

"I get no dll file"

It does not matter how you set things up if you do not have a dll to load 😕 

You have to figure out where the dll is going when you build the project. I assume the project compilation succeeded, right?

It might have gone to a temporary folder somewhere - VB.NET (is that what you are using?) have such a thing going.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your reply.  If I had to guess, no dll is being created.  Is there a step by step guide for this, pertinent to 2015?  I do not believe the documentation with Inventor is sufficient.  I have been trying to do an add in in my spare time for the last year.  Our reseller wants $200 per hour to help us.  Please let me know your thoughts.

Note, I would be happy with a "Hello World" add-in to Inventor 2015 using Visual Studio Express 2015.

When I rebuild the project, I get an error of...

The command "call "%VS100COMNTOOLS%vsvars32" ...  I thought I fixed this when I added "windows\system32" to the environment variable, put perhaps not.

By the way, I pretty much followed this post: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-customization/inventor-add-in-templates-for-2015/td-p/523576...

to get where I am currently at.

[adam.nagy]

If you search for that environment variable "VS100COMNTOOLS" and "Inventor" then you can find this forum post that has the solution:

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-customization/visual-studio-2015-post-build-events/td-p/58336...

[Anonymous]

Hi, the Post build event included in the Inventor API template never worked for me. I always erased this manifest thing and made sure, that the dll AND the Addin file was copied into one of the autoloader search paths... In this manner I always succeeded to load my addins. Actually I use VS 2015 community and Code against Inventor 2014 to 2017. Just make sure the entries in the Addin file are correct. I can Post you some more details on this If needed.
BR, Daniel

[Anonymous]

IT does, the standard install process fails, but you can install the templates manually to use with vs 2015

[Anonymous]

Any information you have that would help me do this, for the first time (I have yet to do an add-in program) would be great!  Thanks!!!

[Anonymous]

Sorry, moved to right Account 🙂