Viewing Visualization Files in the Autodesk Thin Client

The Autodesk Thin Client (ATC) is a web based application which is furnished with Autodesk Vault Professional and can be installed on as many workstations as desired.  It does not require any licensing but it does have some restrictions.  These are:

• The workstation running ATC must be able to ping the Autodesk Data Management Server (ADMS).  In other words, the workstation must be same sub-network as the ADMS.
• The user must have a valid ADMS account with necessary permissions.  This can be accomplished either with a Vault Account log-in or with Microsoft Windows Authentication.
• The workstation must have one of the supported web browsers.  I have tested four, three of which do not show DWF visualization files directly.  More on this later.
• The workstation running ATC must have a copy of the free Autodesk viewer Design Review (ADR) installed.

The Autodesk Thin Client offers a view into the Vault content non-CAD users in your company.  These users can view which files are released and their revision status, properties of files and if your company is using Vault Professional, they can view bill of materials of assemblies.  There are many other tasks that ATC offers non-CAD users.  This article is not trying to cover the uses of the Vault but will try and concentrate on the one task of viewing the CAD files contained in the Vault by using the generated DWF or DWFx visualization file created by the Vault during the CAD application check-in process.

Autodesk is dependent on the web browser and its ability to handle the necessary ADR add-in or extension to show the DWF file in full screen mode.  Currently Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) is the only current web browser that can accomplish this.  I am currently using IE version 11.  It must be configured according to the specifications shown on this Autodesk website.  If you are using an older version of Chrome or Firefox, they too can be configured to display the DWF file in full screen mode.

If your company uses a current version of Chrome or Firefox, you can use the ATC to its full potential if you modify the workflow for viewing DWF files in full screen mode.  The process to do this starts with your Vault administrator configuring the ATC to "Restrict download of file with visualization attachment" by placing a check mark in the ATC Settings dialog.

The Setting dialog box can be found from the ATC webpage at the following location.

When you log into ATC you will navigate to and open the folder containing the files you wish to view.  The modified workflow requires you to open the file and bypass selecting the "Preview" icon beside each file in the folder.  If you select this command a blank window will open in your browser stating that you are missing the ADR add-in.  Once you have opened the file left click on the "Actions" icon on any thumbnail image and then select "Download Visualization".

The next step it to decide how you want to save and open the DWF visualization file.  I will demonstrate how to make them open by default allowing you to go directly into ADR.  In Chrome you will need to save the first file you download and then right click on the Chrome download icon in the lower left of the browser window.  Select "Always open files of this type" from the context menu.

Then next time you select "Download Visualization" in ATC, it will open up ADR automatically and display the DWF file.  The only downside is that each time you do this the process will open up a new instance of ADR.

The process is the same in Firefox up to the Opening dialog box.  In the Opening dialog box verify that the radio button "Open with Autodesk DWF Application (default) is selected and place a check mark in front of "Do this automatically for files like this from now on."  Once you select "OK" it will automatically open up ADR and display the DWF file.

If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer you can left click on the any available "Preview" icon to open up the DWF file inside the web browser.  

If you would like to open up the file inside the ADR application from this view, simply right click and the image and select "Open in DWF Application" from the context menu.

In Microsoft Edge, the newest web browser option in Windows 10, the process is also the same as in Chrome and Firefox except a message box will open at the bottom of the browser asking you the operation you would like to use with the DWF file.  I could not find a way to make this the default operation.

Of course all these methods will not work if the Vault does not contain DWF or DWFx files for all checked in CAD files.  There is a "Update Visualization" icon on the file viewing page in the ATC which can be used to update or create a missing visualization file in the Vault.  Its use is dependent on the Autodesk Job Processor availability.  Check with your Vault administrator before attempting to use this function.

If a DWF or DWFx file does not exist in the Vault for the file you are attempting to view, the "Actions" icon will show the option to download the actual file itself.  This is not normally a desirable action and Autodesk is currently working on a fix to the situation.

Easy Way to Uninstall Autodesk Products

Autodesk has made the task of uninstalling Autodesk application a very easy process.  In the past you would opened up your Windows Control Panel and then the Programs and Features dialog and searched for all the various components of the Autodesk application you wanted to uninstall.  This method often left may users scratching their head on what to select.

There are various reasons to want to or have to uninstall Autodesk applications.  These vary from the uninstalling of previous old applications to the applications you may have tried as on a thirty day trial.  You may have had an installation issue and your support team has recommended that you uninstall the troublesome application and reinstall it.  The list of reasons goes on.

When you would try and uninstall using the Programs and Features dialog box you are faced with:

• Selecting the correct application entries to uninstall.  Some entries are installed, as a part of the original installation, that you are not sure should or should not be uninstalled.
• Selecting the wrong applications entries to uninstall.  Not all entries are labeled as being directly related to the application you want to uninstall.
• Selecting to many applications or shared applications that may lead to other Autodesk application errors or not running at all.
• Selecting the proper order of related applications to uninstall.  Some applications depend on others so it is important to uninstall in the correct order to make sure the application and sub-applications are completely removed.

All of these issues can be eliminated by using the Autodesk "Uninstall Tool".   You will find this tool under the Autodesk entry in your Windows program listing.  This the the utility from Windows 10 program listing.

After opening this utility you will be presented with a clear list of all the Autodesk applications and their sub-applications that are installed on your system.  The list may be quite long so be sure and scroll down to the bottom to see all.  In my example, I installed Autodesk Revit 2018 as a 30 day trial.  The trial period has elapsed and now I would like to uninstall it from my system.  Scrolling down the list, I find the Autodesk Revit 2018 entry and place a check mark, as indicated, which automatically selects all the sub-applications to be uninstalled.   I then simply select the "Uninstall" icon at the bottom to finish.

Using this utility assures me that all the correct associated files, folders and register entries will be removed from my system.  The best thing about this utility is that it takes all the guesswork out of the uninstall process.

When the process is complete, the check marks will be removed and replaced with green check marks to the right of the check box indicating each application and sub-application has been removed.  If you elect to watch the process, you will notice a red flashing arrow to the right of the check box indicating the sub-application currently being uninstalled.  Select "Exit" to close the Uninstall application.

I believe that, after the process is complete and you have exited the utility, you should restart your system to make sure all registers are completely purged.

Use Inventor Direct Edit on Solid Body Models Only

I believe the part modeling command "Direct Edit" was introduced in Inventor 2015 and it is a life saver when you part model is a conversion of neutral CAD format, such as SAT, Step and models exported from other CAD applications.  This article is written to demonstrate why this command should never be used on a feature rich part model.  When I see the use of the "Direct Edit" command in a normal Inventor part model it is for two reasons, the user does not know how to use Inventor or they are just plain lazy.

I can demonstrate my point very quickly by using the simple model shown below.

This part was modeled as a revolved feature so I first want to take a look at the feature sketch.  Please note the length of the larger diameter end, it is 15mm from the outside angle edge.

Now I will add 10mm to this length using the "Direct Edit" command. 

Once I apply this "Direct Edit" move the model is updated and the length of the large diameter end measures 25mm as you would expect.  

I may escape with my poor editing technique until someone who knows the correct method of editing the diameter's length attempts to edit the length using the sketch profile dimension.  When the sketch is open it still shows the length of 15mm and lets say they add 5mm to make it 20mm and update the model.  What will the length of the large diameter be when you measure it this time?  You are correct if you guessed 30mm.

The values I am using here are rather large and the error will probably be recognized but what if the changes were only 0.5mm?  No one probably would have caught the incorrect model dimension until the part was fabricated and would not fit into the assembly.

So you can visually see why using the "Direct Edit" command on a featured model is asking for trouble.  Reserve it for the solid body models where it is a life saver when you have to edit a size parameter.

Opening Mechanical Desktop Files in Inventor 2018

The need to convert Autodesk Mechanical Desktop (MDT) models to Inventor has become less of a requirement since the last version of MDT was released in 2009 but there is still the occasional need that pops up from time to time.  Autodesk has written a version of MDT 2009 for use with Inventor 2018 to make the task easy and I would like to use this article to outline the process of getting set up to do so.  One of the great features of this MDT 2009 to Inventor 2o18 version is that not only will it convert part models it will also handle MDT assembly models converting all the parts as well as sub-assemblies in one operation.  So lets get started.

The first thing you need is a computer running Windows 7 SP1 x64 operating system.  Windows 7 SP1 is required since the MDT application will not run on Windows 10.  You may try and use the Windows 7 compatibility settings in Windows 10 and get it to install and running but Autodesk does not recommend it.  If you are already running Windows 7 SP1 x64, then you are set.  If you are running Windows 10 Professional, you can use the built in Hyper-V utility to create a virtual machine and install Windows 7 SP1 x64 on it.  Hyper-V is also found in Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Educational.  I found the process of creating a Hyper-V virtual machine easy and straight forward except for the process of creating a shared folder between the host and the virtual machine.  After a little research on the internet, I overcame this hurdle also.

Once your virtual machine has been created and you have installed a copy of Windows 7 SP1 X64, you are ready to download and install both Autodesk Inventor 2018 and the "MDT 2009 to Inventor 2018" application.  You can find the process for installation of both and the MDT 2009 to Inventor 2018 application on this website.  I encourage you to read the complete process before you install either Inventor 2018 or the MDT 2009 to Inventor 2018 application.

If you have your Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 original serial number, you should use that during installation.  If you do not have it, use all zeros as the serial number, this will secure you a 30 day trail of MDT 2009.  If this is not enough time, you can contact Autodesk to secure more time.

There are no special Inventor project file requirements to do conversions, you can create one from your existing company Design Data and Templates or use the default Inventor project file.  The conversion process will allow you to configure the templates and folder location for the conversions as well as other settings.  I will walk through a conversion later in this article.  Before attempting to open any MDT file in Inventor 2018 and use the conversion process, you MUST run MDT 2009 at least one time after installation.

I will now step through the conversion process.  Open up Inventor 2018 and make sure your have your project file selected.  I am using my companies Design Data and Templates so I can make sure the conversions are ready for my company's Vault and other applications.  As you can see I have a very simple folder structure on my virtual machine setup.  One folder for the MDT files to be translated and one folder for the finished translations.

Next I will select a file from the MDT Files folder that I desire to convert.  The next step is to select the "Options.." icon on the bottom of the Open dialog box and make sure the "Import" option is selected.  If you do not want to do this every time, I suggest you set it as a default by stopping the open process and select "Tools" then the "Application Options" from the Options panel.  Select the Drawing tab and select "Import" as the default for opening Non-Inventor DWG files.

The first dialog that Inventor presents is the beginning of the configuration sequence.  One thing right off the bat is to remember to save your configuration setup so you can simply select it the next time you start the translation process.  This is done at the end of the configuration settings and selected the next time at the beginning of the process.

Inventor will already recognize that you are opening a Mechanical Desktop File so select "Next" to continue.  In the Mechanical Desktop Model/Layout Import Options dialog box you can select what you want to import.  You will probably select "Parts and Assemblies" in order to import the MDT model into an Inventor model but you can also select to have one or all the available MDT layout views imported and translated to Inventor 2D drawing files.  By the way, the "Model" and "Layout" tabs can be selected as well as either view can be zoomed and panned for inspection using your mouse.  Select "Next" to continue.

The next screen is full of selections so take your time and study them.  The "Drawings with View Options" and "Mechanical Symbols"  will be grayed out unless you selected to import Layouts from the previous screen.  The settings are up to your needs but a couple I would definitely take a look at.  Under "Import Files Units" make sure the correct units have been detected from the MDT file, if not select "Specify Units" and pick the correct units from the list.  If you want to use your company templates and you have configured the selected Inventor project file to use your Design Data and Templates, you can browse and select these under the "Templates" section.  Make sure you configure them all so your saved configuration will cover all future translations.  One of the most important setting is "Destination Folder" which will be where Inventor will "automatically" save the final translation(s) including all parts and sub-assemblies if the MDT file is an assembly.   Near the bottom right corner you will see the "Save Configuration" icon.   Select this and name and save your configuration to a folder of your choice.  Select "Finish" to begin the MDT translation.

During the translation process MDT 2009 will open briefly, you may notice it in the Windows taskbar.

The translation process will create models with semi-editable features.  I say semi-editable since some feature sketches may be a little weird because of their dimension placement and feature parameters use of lot of the "Isolate" function but you can easily type over these if needed.

One last note before I end.  Autodesk on their website pages describing this application warn that this will be the "final" MDT 2009 to Inventor application so if you need it in the future you will need to use Inventor 2018 and this MDT 2009 application and migrate forward.

Using Inventor iMates with Fasteners

The use of  iMates is far from one of the most used features of Autodesk Inventor for a number of reasons.  The leading one is the time it takes to create iMates or composite iMates.  If your component is used only once or a few times, it hardly justifies the time it takes to create an iMate constraint.  

There is a great use for iMates that is often overlooked, and that is the constraining of Content Center fasteners into your assembly.  Content Center fasteners, supplied with Inventor, are all configured with predefined iMates.  When you select a fastener in an assembly the iMate icons pop up, with a lot of users scratching their heads as to their use.

The symbols you see represent the iMates assigned to this fastener.  I wish I could zoom up on them for clarity but as you will find out, you cannot.  The ones on this socket head cap screw are a mate constrain to the shoulder of the head, a mate to the centerline of the screw and an insert one one of the edges of the shoulder.  Compare the small icons to the symbols shown in the Place Constraint dialog box and you will soon easily recognize them.  They also generally appear near the feature that are attached to.

The process of using them is very easy.  First of all decide which constraint you would use to place the screw in the plate hole.  Most all users will elect to use the insert constraint since it combines two mate constraints at the same time, one between the centerline of the screw and the hole and one between the bottom of the screw head and the surface of the plate where the hole begins.

Once you decide, hold down the Alt key and left click select and start dragging the insert iMate on the screw.  It will turn green as you drag.  At this point you should let go of the Alt key but do not left go of the left mouse button.  Notice the edge of the screw that highlights and also the insertion arrow at the end of the screw.

Continue with you left click drag until you hover over the edge of the plate hole you want to use as the other side of the insert command, it will also highlight.  At this point release the left mouse button to apply the insert constraint. 

With a little practice you can become very fast with this process easily placing screws, washers and nuts in your assembly must faster than using the Place Constraint command.

The one downside in the use of iMates is that you cannot edit the offset value of any iMates, the offset value when they are created is set.  Take the insert iMate I created above.  If I find it in the browser, notice the icon is a bit different than a normal insert constraint, and edit it, the offset spacing is grayed out.

You can use this method of applying assembly constraints on components that do not have previously created iMates but it will take a little more practice, especially if you want to switch the type of assembly constraint being applied on the fly.  I will not go into how to perform this task in this article but you can easily find the process in the Inventor help file.

To finish off, I wanted to post a video of the use of iMates to finish placing the screws, washers and nuts and also placement of the yellow pin, which does not have any predefined iMates.  Remember as you watch this video I am doing the same process outlined above with the Alt key and the left mouse drag.

Solving Inventor Template Style Conflicts

I have been seen many Inventor users encounter the following error every time they create a new Inventor file and simply live with it by selecting OK and moving on.

It normally is more a nuisance instead of a problem but why accept it when the solution is relativily simple.  The first thing to understand how Inventor templates and Design Data are related.  By the way, Design Data is often called the Styles Library so do not confuse them, they are identical.  Inventor templates contain certain configurations for example text styles, dimensional styles, layer settings, etc.  There are a vast number of configuration settings, especially in the 2D drawing template but I will just use text styles for this article.  Inventor Design Data also contains configuration settings for all Inventor template types.  Both of these and their location are declared in the Application Options or in the current Inventor Project file.  I am a fan of using the Inventor Project file to declare the current template and Design Data files and their location.  I have two reasons for this, one I do not want to modify the default Inventor templates or Design Data because I want to always have a clean source if I want to build a new configuration.  Sure I could backup the originals before modifying them but you know how that goes.  The second and main reason is that I can declare a different set of templates and Design Data for different project files.  This does not mean I use a different project files for each company project, I only use one project file for all company work.  Many companies often have to design work for other companies using their templates and Design Data.  If this is the case I can have a project file for each company and each project file declares the templates and Design Data for their work.

Getting back to the reason for the "Style Conflict" error.  If the Inventor template configuration does not match the Design Data configuration, you will get this error.  I will not go into the reasons it happens, I just want to tell you how to solve it.  First of all one person in the company should be in charge of Inventor templates and Design Data.  This person should create a special Inventor project file dedicated to template and Design Data creation.  This project file declares three main things, that the Style Library (Design Data) is Read-Write and the location of the Design Data and and the matching templates.  Note the screen shot of my Inventor 2018 Template Work.ipj file and the marked areas.  If you use the Vault, this project file should be a Single User type.  The red arrow is simply trying to explain that the ".\" entry for Templates location is the same as the location of the project file itself.  Make this project file active.

The next step is to open up the offending template and select the "Update" icon under the Manage tab, Styles and Standards panel. 

You will see the style that is conflicting.  In my example it is only one but there may be many more.  At this point STOP and ask yourself, "Is the Design Data configuration correct or is the template?"  If it is the template, select "Cancel" and read on later in this article.  If the template needs to be updated to match the Design Data (Styles Library) then select "Yes to All" icon near the bottom of the dialog box and then select "OK" to finish.

Inventor will give you the following message which basically says you are updating the template to match the Design Data, the cause of the error.  Select "OK" to continue.

Next, save the template and close it.  Since this is the only template I am editing I will return to the standard company Inventor project file and test my work.  If you have more than one problem template, repeat the steps for each template before switching project files.  

When you open the template file, the error message will not appear.  Congratulations, you have fix your company template file(s).

So now we want to think about what to do if you earlier decided that the template file is correct and the Design Data should be updated to match.  Instead of selecting the "Update" command, you will select the "Save" command right above it.  This will save the template configuration to the Design Data folder.

 

 

Do not forget to choose "Yes to All" before selecting "OK" to be sure you are actually writing the changes to the Design Data.  Since you have written new data to the Design Data folder, all other templates may be out of date and do not match the new Design Data. The original error will appear for them as well when they are opened.  After writing new configurations to the Design Data folder, you must open each Inventor template and follow the "Update" procedure for each outline above.  Remember all of this must be done while using the Inventor project file you earlier created for editing your templates and Design Data.

 

This may sound like a lot of work but it actually only takes a couple of minutes.  The configuration of the original templates and Design Data to match your company standards is the real work and may take you many hours.  By the way when you upgrade your Inventor version all templates and Design Data must be migrated.  The process is similar once you have migrated the Design Data using the installed Inventor Styles Manager.  That could be a new article I will try and tackle later.