Jason Kelly
Autodesk’s experienced product, Inventor 2022 is now available!
This year sees many new tools and updates across the latest product, aiming to improve the following key areas:
The majority of the tools created for the latest edition are the most requested enhancements users have been asking for. These new tools, alongside general enhancements to the software, provides Inventor users with more functionality than ever before.
Autodesk has continued to transform the Inventor product by moving yet more panels to the new dockable system, delving deeper into commands such as Fillet, Measure and the new functionality. This works to improve the overall experience and feel of the product, allowing for a cleaner and more desirable experience for end-users.
Autodesk Inventor 2022 also benefits from a new workflow for users with the introduction of Model States. Model states will replace Level of Detail in this year’s edition, allowing users to break their model down into manufacturing stages, simplification levels or product families. It is important to note here that model states vary between dimensions, design features with suppressions states, components and bill of materials, iProperties and parameters. Put simply, this powerful new workflow has been integrated across the software allowing users to utilise this in iLogic and add variations in assemblies and drawings.
Shrinkwrap and Shrinkwrap Substitutes have been combined to create a more efficient and well-built tool called Simplify. Simplify incorporates all existing functionality and allows users to work with Presets, thereby generating desired standards for exporting files. The simplify tool also allows users to break models down by feature and component to export directly to a Revit file, drastically improving the connection between the two Autodesk products. With this new functionality, a new workflow for export to Revit has been devised, meaning users can now update the Revit file itself from inside the Inventor model.
Looking deeper into the collection, Autodesk has taken a look at the interoperability with Fusion 360. At this stage, another new workflow has been created to allow you to bypass the desktop connector and send files directly to Fusion from within the model. Improving these connected workflows allows users to enhance their own productivity and performance when working within the Collection.
The final new tool added to the new version is the introduction of Instance Properties. In previous releases iProperties had limited functionality, this occurs when a singular component wanted to be modified within multiple higher level assemblies. Instance properties counteract this issue as they are stored in the parent assembly file and take precedence over iProperties. This new functionality could be used to generate individual properties for content centre files, or to separate same components in an assembly for the BOM and parts lists.
Not only have new tools been added but updates and new functionality for existing tools and commands. A notable addition to the assembly environment is the constraint enhancements. New icons allow users to see under constrained components, allowing for greater control of their models. The drawing environment is another key area that has been upgraded with additions to view placement and shaded lighting styles.
Autodesk have hit there three main aims by generating new workflows and adding greater functionality to already experienced tools, creating a better overall experience for users.
