Back to the Basics

MICHAEL DAVIS: So we're going to get the class started. Quick question, how many people are using the app for the class? All of your handout material is on that app. So make sure you guys get into that. How many people downloaded the class data? So we killed a forest.

So my name is Mike Davis, and the class is back to basics. I'm a chemical engineer, designer. I have a site called yourcad.guru. I'm also part of the expert elite program. So I'm on the forums, answering your questions, and doing things like that. So how many people are familiar with the expert elite program? So there's quite a few of us in here. They're all in the back, and that. So we're the ones that are out there answering these types of questions. And that led me to this class. I took a bunch of the questions that are commonly asked on the forum for the last year, and said, let's just do it in a class, because people apparently aren't seeing it.

So with that-- wrong way-- basically, it's a reintroduction to Inventor for people who aren't longtime users, or are long time users, and just don't know where to look for certain commands, and how to set up the application options, and things like that. So hopefully at the end of this class you'll get a better understanding of the application options, and overview of all the templates. The Style Manager and iProperties. Then we'll get into a little bit of the AnyCad, the iLogic, 3D PDFs, and Screencasts. And then, where to go for help, because there's a vast network out there of just information that you guys can use to make it easier. Instead of spending 30, 40 minutes trying to figure it out, a quick little look on a couple places. Got get used to all the buttons.

So we're going to start at the very beginning, when you download it, because it's one of the biggest issues. The virtual agent. It gets you all your files. So I would start there. That's just my personal belief on that. And if you go into the handout, all of these links are active. So you can download a PDF, and then click, and it will take you right to the page on the Autodesk site.

So here you can see-- how many people use the virtual agent to download? How many use the browser? So we'll go to the next step. We'll go in to the home page. How many people use the homepage? Come on. So within the homepage though, is everything you need, before you get into Inventor, though. And I think people are not utilizing this great tool. So I think I only saw, what? A couple hands said they use the home page. How many people always go in, and go to File, Open, and go searching for everything? Very few. So are you just familiar with the home page? All right.

We'll go into to little bit of detail then. So you all know how to go into the [INAUDIBLE] section, and set up your templates, get the advanced stuff, versus just picking the regular front ones? So within here you have an option on the side that says, Advanced. If you slide that over, or click on it. It will take you to all your templates, that you would see if you did a normal, starting a File New. So it's all right here, again, right in the front. Much easier. This came out originally in 2015 in a light version and then really got upgraded in 2016, 17. I use this, personally, every day. I find this to be the easiest way for me to get my files going.

From that section you can go over to the next, and you have your projects, your shortcuts, and your file details. You can change your IP, or IPN, project file, right here, without even getting started. That's a lot easier than always having to go in, double click, all that. Just click it right here.

The next stage you'll have is your shortcuts. Again, you don't have to go in through the explorer, and everything else. It's right here for you. And then file detail gives you the generic basic data about it. You can see what version, if you scroll down, and things like that.

And then recent documents. This is where you can set up all your searches. Old, new, file types, assemblies, drawings. You can start pinning your drawings for it. So in the recent document you have a couple different ways you can view it. You can look at it as a large model, with just the name, your typical explorer view, and more data, and detail underneath. Can't even see that side. Sorry. This is also where you can set up all your pinning. How many people pin files? You're working on a big project. How many people don't know what pinning a file is?

So let's say you're working on an assembly, and you're working on five sub-assemblies, or some parts like that. You can pin the file to your recent documents. So they're always there. It's kind of almost like when you go File open, and you see them on the side, and pin it. You can pin them here, so you don't, again, have to go all the way into the software. It's much easier. So if I'm working on these five details, I always know I'm going to be working on them for the next two weeks, I'll pin them. Makes it nice and simple. Get back to where we were.

So any questions on the home page stuff? Application options. So everybody knows how to get to the application options. They've changed in 2017. So it's just slightly a little bit different. They got rid of the big eye. And now it's under Get Started. And then, 2016 you have the other way to go from the-- right on the front page there. Now this is the basic application options. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail on every single one. But this is how the handout looks, for those that haven't downloaded it yet. So you have all your options to see what it is. And that's the link I was saying that takes you right to the AKN Page. Again, tons of information you can find for every single item on there.

So we're just going to go through some of the most common ones that are asking questions on the forums, like your general. So here you can set up your name, your default text, and fonts, and size. Next, how many people know that little tool tip that always pops up, you can turn that on, off, you can adjust it from here, which is a little bit of settings? And then the homepage. If you don't like the home page, you can turn it off here, or you can set how many files you see. It could be 5, 50, 1,000. It's really up to you. But you can go from there.

The next option you have, on the same front, is import and export. How many people save their application options? How many people know you can export and import your application options? So within that, if you're going to spend all the time setting up what you use for your basic Inventor, you can take it each year, and roll it around. Or if you're a CAD manager, you can share it with everybody, and just change your names. It's much easier. So that keeps everybody on the same playing field. And as I said, we'll get into more and more of them as we go. And if you see any you have a question on that I haven't talked about, just ask me, and we'll go from there. But again, these are just the most common ones on the forum. But if you have a particular question, I'll answer it.

So the next one we're going to go into the Save Page. Everybody gets that little reminder. You can turn it on or off, or you can reset the time that you use. It's just set it defaulting at 30 minutes. The next thing we're going to go into is under File Type. How many people understand where their files are stored, and how they do it, and things like that? So half hands. Right. So from here, you can configure your templates right from here. They've made it a little bit easier in the newer versions than the past. Where you save all your stuff.

How many people know what design data is? Designed data is all of your standards, pretty much, for your dimension styles, and things like that, your XMLs that are saved. Very important that you have that, and that everybody has the same path. That's a common issue I find with CAD managing, is they'll put it up on the network, but not everybody's path to it. So somebody can dimension 3 places, but this person can't do this style, and they don't have everything exactly matching.

From there you have sketch symbols. How many people use sketch symbols? How many people don't know about symbols? So sketch symbols, we'll get more into that. But this is how you're going to set it up. And in 2016 they started the library folders. So you can start structuring your libraries of different types for different projects. Electrical, mechanical, things like that, piping. But again, we'll get more into that. But this is just how you store it. Again using the import and export, you can keep everybody on the same page. I have seen people VBA'd it, so when you start your Inventor, it automatically repaths all this. Well beyond my realm of coding, but you can automate a lot of this.

The next one is your colors. How many people adjust their colors, and know you can adjust all your backgrounds, and things like that? This is all where it is. So you have all your different choices that you can pick from. I personally use presentation, that's just me, single color. And everybody knows about the chrome, and the guy on the motorcycle. I think it was a tree, and something, parking lot before that. This is where you set your chrome, and your reflection, as well as your icons. Highlight preview, everybody knows about that, when you're highlighting and picking.

Next, we're going to get into the display. Out of the box, how many people change their application options, or do much with them? Wow I thought it would be a lot more. Within that, you have your settings. So everybody, when you come out, you get that shaded model view, and everybody wants shaded edge. One we'll get that just defaulted.

[LAUGHING]

AUDIENCE: Why are you looking at me?

MICHAEL DAVIS: I looked at Dan. I looked at Dan. Somebody pointed to you. So these guys are part of the Inventor group that-- how would you say? I wont' even get you guys thrown under the bus, yet. So right here is how set it. But there's two options that get a lot of people. Somebody had a que-- oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see it.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] Any chance there to bring the color [INAUDIBLE]

AUDIENCE: If I had my way, yes absolutely.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

AUDIENCE: My goal is to do that in a very near [INAUDIBLE].

AUDIENCE: OK. Sorry.

MICHAEL DAVIS: Thank you, I got water.

[LAUGHTER]

So back to this one. You have your final options. The biggest issue is, but I changed it. You have to set the application options, or it will only be for the document. That's the biggest issue I always get. But I changed it to shaded edge, and the next time I open the file, it's gone. No. You have to change it right there. Now, within that brings up this box. And this is where you get to pick all of your settings, and your projection. Pretty simple, easy. And now, they've also added in this year, transparency. That's really nice. Something to play with and look at. There's more of that in the book, for information. Again, I can't go into all the detail. We'll be here for four hours. And that's a resellers job.

Also from this page is how you set up your cube, or your icons. I don't know how it disappears, but this is one of the common things, my UCS disappeared. This is how you turn it back on. Or your origin indicator now. Can't call it. Bless you. View cube, how to set up all of your view cube settings. Again, more detail in the book on that. I can be there for another 10 minutes on this part.

We'll move on to hardware. When we're on the forum, and you always have people having graphic issues, one of the first things we tell you is, what's your hardware setting? This is where you do it. But at the same time, they'll say, run a report. This is how you can diagnose your card issues. Very helpful tool. And usually Autodesk, or them, will ask for that log file. It's a log file, isn't it? Can't remember what the extension was. But it's pretty easy to read, and it'll tell if your drivers are up to date. So we'll ask for it a lot on the forms too. So you can see if you're up to date, or not, on everything here.

Command prompts. A whole bunch in there. So that's in the book more. I could be here for a day, but this is telling you when you have an interference, constraint issues, and all those different things. So there's a link in the page to go to that, and read about.

Next, we'll go into drawing's. Not default is retrieve all. So how many people retrieve all dimensions? I think a lot of people have stopped using that. But that's how you can turn it back on, in some of the other settings. View justification. I don't know how that gets, changed but every once in a while it does. So when you lay out a view in 2D, it shifts to the right a little, or left, it's not centered. This is your issue with it, and how to reset it. So we'll ask you about that commonly. My view just doesn't look right. This will help you.

Front page in your default. I'm going to put this again in the IDW station. How to get that set up to be an IDW, instead of the DWG. It defaults to AutoCAD drawing. I change it right away to the embedder file. But it also lets you pick, though, all of your years, so if you're saving for an older person, or an older version person. Sorry.

[LAUGHING] Or an old person. How many people use the Notebook?

AUDIENCE: Not many.

MICHAEL DAVIS: What's that? It's a little complicated. I mean, I can go into a whole lot again. But this is how to set up your colors. You can see the little tab that it makes for it, in the engineering notes. I've actually taken this now to 3D PDF for me. I put a lot of my stuff into that now.

AUDIENCE: Can I have a question on that? [INAUDIBLE]

MICHAEL DAVIS: This one?

AUDIENCE: Yep.

MICHAEL DAVIS: OK.

AUDIENCE: Is there an advantage to having that set as IDW versus DWG?

MICHAEL DAVIS: I prefer using the embedder, in Inventor. That's just me. So this is what you'll also see, and then you'll see this in the future slide, this is how you set on your homepage, and your default, where it always says AutoCAD DWG. I'll show you in a little bit that it changes to IDW. I personally like IDWs. I don't know why you would use a DWG in Inventor, when you can save it as it. But that's just my personal belief, I mean--

AUDIENCE: I mean, normally, I use, like I said, DWGs, for the simple reason I teach in mentor classes. So, you know, if a customer wants to send a file to a vendor, or something, and I just use the examples that a lot of times, maybe not as a vendor, but they have AutoCAD. AutoCAD is [INAUDIBLE] so if it's already default to DWG then they can send it off right away, versus. I mean, like you said, you could do CNS, which will not [INAUDIBLE]--

MICHAEL DAVIS: I have a--

AUDIENCE: I was just wondering what the main difference is between the two [INAUDIBLE].

MICHAEL DAVIS: Do iLogic with it. So I just have a save out for a customer. But typically, in the manufacturing where I've been, we use PDFs more, because we can lock it, and they can't edit it, or change it. It's just controlled a little bit better for me. But that's just, again, my personal belief. But I can understand where you're shipping it out. A lot of my vendors actually prefer DWFs so they can make the part, and put it into the machine. In the iLogic, when I get to that, I talk about some things. I have code, where I can send it to a DWF, DXF, all the different formats, that way, depending on who my vendor is.

So the sketch-- did I get everything on the-- yeah. So the sketch side. You have a constraint control right here, for how to do relaxed, and everything else. This is how you control all of that. A lot more, again, on the page. I can spend 20, 30 minutes just on that. But I would look at the link on the handout for this.

Next, you have the auto project. How many people have used the auto project, or turned it off right away? A lot of people turning it off to look at a sketch? I use Origin Point, myself, and the curve. Now, the next stage you have-- I think I did it in this one. No. In-- this is the older one-- 2017 R3, you now have look at in assembly. That was just added. So how many people got R3 now? So if you turn it off in the part, you're going to want to turn it off in the assembly. So pointing that out in a little bit as well.

Part file. How many people know how to set up their UCS's that come on right away? This is where you'll do it. This is where you can pick No Plane, or you automatically default. Again, this is where application options are very helpful. You can set up a plane here, for everybody, so all your parts are constantly on the same plane. I can't count how many times I get one guy who draws a job in this one. Next one up, backwards.

This is what helps you, by sharing and using your application options. It's probably one of the biggest things that I just see people pull it out of the box, put it in the computer-- well, no longer a box. But they download it, and just, they run with it. I think a lot of people would find quickness to it, if they had every set up the same, and utilized the tools that are really here, that I don't think anybody really knows about.

From there we're going to go to the sketch. Ah, I did bring it in. So this shows you now, how they did the new 17. I was able to squeeze that in right before. It's not in the handout. The handout was due before the powerslide. So the last thing is, we're going to come into the iFeatures. Who uses iFeatures. Still again, only a few. Who knows what an iFeature is?

So any sheet metal people? For punches, and things like this. This is where a lot of your stuff could be stored, or your standard different types of holes. So you can make an IDW for a whole, different things like that. So if you're using a common pattern, you can just bring it in, every single time. Or an extrusion, a bossing, louvers are very common. There's a guy who has a website. Very, very old, cbliss.com Anybody know about cbliss.com. I would write that one down. c-b-l-i-s-s dot com. Charlie Blissit. You have to get past his cats first, pictures in the front. This page has been around, god, since the early 2000s. He has everything. Everything you can kind of imagine. Gears, bearings, IDWs, punches, louvers. Anything computer related. iMike is on there. Power transmissions, the gearchain I use, still to this day, from that old Excel spreadsheet. Check out cbliss. That'll get you your IDWs, and sheet metal punches, and things like that. Great site. Underutilized tool.

I think there's something we haven't talked about-- wasn't there something in R3 for IDWs? IDs, I mean. Something was done recently, with an upgrade.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] 27 [INAUDIBLE].

MICHAEL DAVIS: Was it?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE].

MICHAEL DAVIS: That's it.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE].

MICHAEL DAVIS: Next we'll jump over to the assembly page. This is where you can set up your defer updates. Now, one of the biggest ones that I've seen of a problem on the forum. Who uses Content Center? Certain features in Content Center, you couldn't slice, or section, unless that was clicked. By default, that is not clicked. So people are like, oh my god. It's not working. My slice won't go through the part. This is what you have to click to save it, or make it work.

Second option, place in ground, first component, and origin. A very useful tool. You bring in your first one in, grounds, it does everything for you. How many people use that? Or do you go in, and just drop a part in, and constrain it to the UCS's, or the planes? Grounded origin. So much easier to use. And so much better. I liked the planes. This gets you started the right way, in my opinion, because if you aren't grounded, and you undo something, you can corrupt your constraints very quickly. Always ground at least one thing. I can't count how many times I've helped on assemblies, it keeps moving. Is anything grounded? What's grounded? Does everybody know what grounded is? Hands really quick, so I can see that we all know what grounded is. All right. I just wanted to make sure.

AUDIENCE: Is there a quick way of knowing if all of your components have all the degrees of freedom [INAUDIBLE]?

MICHAEL DAVIS: You can look at the bottom. I'd have to turn Inventor on, but at the bottom there is a degree of freedom button. And it'll tell you everything that's still loose.

AUDIENCE: It shows those red indicators?

MICHAEL DAVIS: Red and blue indicators for all the different pointing directions. Yep.

AUDIENCE: There's an idea on the ideas form that is asking for the browser [INAUDIBLE] screen, or--

AUDIENCE: It would be a nice feature. But the problem with it is to put that information on browser all the time live, I'd have to slow down every assembly [INAUDIBLE]. I don't know how much yet, I just know it will be a little difficult. Because we do an incremental [INAUDIBLE]

MICHAEL DAVIS: How many people will use the Express Mode? Or know what the Express Mode is? Who knows what Express Mode is? All right. Let's say you in a large assembly, and it takes 15 minutes to open, normal. Or you have a sales guy who is constantly going in, and needs to show the model off, use Express Mode. If you have to do any changes to the model, and I believe it defaults on when you install Express Mode design. I turned it off. If you have to do any work in that assembly, turn it off, because you're going to have to load it full after the fact. But it's great if you just need to open a big model to share with sales, and the boss, and things like that, and not get too entailed with it.

Where are we at-- looking at time. So in the next one-- wrong way. From there, we're going to go over to the Content Center. This is how you set up your Content Center. Again, I saw only a few people use it. Who uses Vault? This is where you'll set up your Vault Server content center, if you want to do it on the network. Any questions on the application options at all?

AUDIENCE: Is there way to lock that?

MICHAEL DAVIS: Lock what?

AUDIENCE: If you import the steps, [INAUDIBLE] lock somebody out of it.

MICHAEL DAVIS: I don't think you can lock here.

AUDIENCE: We're currently adding the framework to do such a thing in a future release. It's on our very near-term radar.

MICHAEL DAVIS: But again, use your application options. I mean, it's some of the best tools for you, right there for your settings. I mean, I can't say it enough. If you're a CAD manager, or oversee it, make sure everybody is on the same page, by doing the application options. If you have to do a reset utility, the application options, you want to save it beforehand, because it wipes it. So again, this is why I always save it. I think I've used one for three years straight for it.

Templates. How many people use just the standard templates out of a box? Don't get into customizing. Awesome lots of people are customizing. This is where you'll set up your templates. Again, if you're using a network, make sure everybody is on the same page. Application options, again. You can set everybody up on a network, to use the same exact location, same templates, everything. This is where I was saying you can show the difference on the front page, for the DWG, and the IDW. D-w

Next, we're going of the project folders. And this will tell you, again, how to set up all that. How many people have a lot of custom templates? Not that many. I have tons. But I'll go into those more later, because I use parameters in them all, and iProperties. So it makes everything much quicker. If you're going to constantly change something to aluminum, steel, have this shape, that shape. One of the best ways to go, is to have that already redone. You can have a table driven for a pipe. I have every pipe size in there, so I can just pick and click. And my guys are 10 minutes faster each job. All I did was make a template though.

Hard work in the beginning, pays off in the long run. You have a channel. I have concrete blanks from my floors, because they got tired of making a floor, every single time. Two pipe, flat stock, English, German. I do German as well, so we have German ones. I have all my different materials. Again, anything that can save you a minute or two a drawing, in the long run, will save you 10 to 20 minutes on a job, and everybody's consistent. That's the biggest issue. Keeping the consistency of the dimension styles, and all that, through the templates.

Next, standard just IPT file. How many people use the multi-body now, inside of the IPTs? Or know that you can do a multi-body? How many people know what a multi-body is? How many people want to know more about a multi-body? So let's just say you have a part, and it has-- how do I put it? Like a sheet metal box, and you're starting with the box, and you have a lid, and all these things. You can build it all in one, and save it as a multi-body part. When you're doing the extrusion-- and I didn't save it in here, because I didn't think anybody would ask about it. But it is listed in the book. You have the option, as you're creating it, there's the second icon that says, new solid. you can separate those out later into individual IPTs. So you can build up your one IPT, with a dozen parts, and make it into an assembly later. So everything matches. So you're modeling all in one IPT, that can be later a dozen different IPTs. Does that make sense?

Next, sheet metal. How people are using the sheet metal? How many people are setting up the sheet metal templates? And the gauges, and all that? How many people know about it? So within this, I'll go into a little bit of detail. You can set up your template sizes. 10 gauge, 16 gauge, 3 millimeter, 6 millimeter, five millimeter. It's already there for you. Can set up all your bend factors, your unfold factors. Again, saving you time.

Doing it so that each time your guy is doing it the exact same. It's in the template, versus, oh I'm going to go this way with this factor, and this one's doing this factor, and you're not getting the same results when the parts come in. Utilizing this all together makes everything uniform, and everybody work as a team. I keep re-pushing that over, and over. The templates, and application options are really the roots of a tree, to an inventor. If you don't have them, everything else is just going to be sturdy, and it'll die, or fall over. This is what correct a lot of your errors, and communality issues.

From there you have your basic assembly file. How many people use the assembly file? I figured everybody would, but there are some who don't. I've actually seen it. From here you put everything together, you constrain it, model it. Still got my little note in it. Pretty much basic. Now, how many people do the convert to weldment? Use the weldment feature? Do you even know about the weldment feature, what it is? It's getting better. It's getting more utilized.

It's changed location. Now, where to set it up, used to be right in the front. You can just click on it. Now it's under environments, or you can use your own weldment, from the start. You pick your box. You pick your style. You pick the material. You can change this later. I don't know how many people don't realize, oh my god I've got aluminum. My model's shot. You can change this later. Very simple.

From here, I'm going to go into a little bit about Weldment, and how it works within the different stages, within the weldment, because I don't think a lot of people really utilize, they just throw two parts together say, and say it's a weldment, and they throw it on the weld beads. So from here, what I did is I put a preparation in. If you look at this model, it does not have the chamfered ends in it. I went in, through the preper- wrong way. Through the preparation, you're able to add features to that. And do your machining like a guy would on the floor. You can make it in almost real time to them.

From there, you can add your weld bead. This is how you do it. How many people use the weld beat? How many people are taking the Inventor certification test? You better know this. It's in the past. They're getting much better. And I'm not downplaying weldments. I use it. You can put your weld nodes built into this, right here. All of this continues through to the drawing. So it's a very useful tool if you want to set up your guys for doing it, and showing it. A lot of people have symbols, and they just draw the triangle, and point, like the old AutoCAD days do it. But you can put your nice symbols in right here.

Afterwards, in a true machining world, you would come back after the weld, and finish surfaces. You can do that under the machining feature. Again, gives you the options of what to do. This is the proper way, if you want to follow the guidelines of manufacturing. I don't think a lot of people actually do the machine this way. Does anybody really use the machine feature in this? Oh, we've actually got a decent amount.

All right, from there we're going to go into IPN files. This is 2017. In the handout, I have it linked for 2016, and 17, for you guys. So you can check it. How many people are on 17? Not as many. So I did give you 16 for the options of how to look it up. Within 17 I'm going to go into little bit more in the detail of that. You have a couple new features now. You have storyboard. They've kind of brought Publisher into the new IPN, since Publisher's no longer there.

So you would create new storyboards, or you can create new snapshots. That's what I've done here. So you can create multiple different views within the snapshots now. Kind of nice. I mean, it's a lot easier, in my opinion. It took me a while to get used to it, but I like it. You can set up all your tweaks, and scenes, right in here. You can do multiple scenes. And now it comes with animation, right? Built into it. So you can back and forth it, watch it as you're working on it, to see how everything's working.

From there we'll onto the IDW, and the DWG. They're pretty much exactly the same, just one is AutoCAD based. I really don't think there is any real difference to them, except for one's just AutoCAD. Is that about true, I'm sorry I didn't--

AUDIENCE: That blocks folder in your [INAUDIBLE] where there isn't an IDW.

MICHAEL DAVIS: OK.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] resources. [INAUDIBLE] an IDW is not [INAUDIBLE] AutoCAD blocks folder. So [INAUDIBLE].

MICHAEL DAVIS: OK. I don't use it. So this is kind of one of my weaknesses. I don't use the IDW-- I mean the DWG.

AUDIENCE: DWG [INAUDIBLE] file size.

MICHAEL DAVIS: I'm sorry?

AUDIENCE: Did you hydrolic your drawing?

MICHAEL DAVIS: Mm-hmm.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE].

MICHAEL DAVIS: Yeah. Always DWGs are larger when you save them out, and things like that. Oh there you are. Yes?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] automatic [INAUDIBLE].

AUDIENCE: Yes. Automatic Tweak was removed. I will leave it at that. I mean, I heard it's back on the Idea Station, to get it back. What happened is, I believe, they went out, and asked a lot of the IPN users, do use automatic explode, and tweak? And the answer was no. They manually do it. So they took that future out, which made other options, I believe, easier to use by doing it.

AUDIENCE: I don't think it also played well with Storyboard, right away. So yeah, use the Ideas Forum if you'd like to see that happen?

MICHAEL DAVIS: Do you guys know what that Ideas Forum is? If you'd like to see something in a software, there's a form out there called Ideas. And you can put it in there. For example-- I have a microphone, if you need it. I have a couple of ideas out there. I think I have like 13. One of them is, balloon check. I wrote an iLogic code that will tell me what's not ballooned anymore. Instead of having to double click on the build material, or on the parts list, look and see the plus marks. I get a little popup box floater that tells me what's not done yet. And that is on my website, code. So if you grab a card at the end, you can see all these extra ideas, and iLogics I've put in to my system. Anything else on the IPN? Sorry.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

MICHAEL DAVIS: What time is it, Chris?

CHRIS: [INAUDIBLE] 8:39.

AUDIENCE: 8:39? I'm way ahead. So now we're going to talk a little bit about the environment. I don't go into every detail of it, but I will give a couple of examples in here. You have your stress analysis, Inventor Studio. How many people use Studio? It's gotten a lot better. I like it. I use it a lot for publications, and for the marketing, for where I work. You have your creative mold, rivet them exchange convert to sheet metal is now in year part version this is your assembly version. So there are differences between part, assembly, and IDW. I think a lot of people miss that. So this is where you do your convert.

How many people do 3D printing? So a lot of people are familiar with using this. Do you guys go through here?

AUDIENCE: No.

MICHAEL DAVIS: No?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

MICHAEL DAVIS: That's it? You want any questions on that one? Any questions on that, Dan? If they're not using it? OK. I just saw your look, like, huh?

AUDIENCE: Put slicer in, and we'll use it.

MICHAEL DAVIS: Slicer? Put a slicer in? Again, Ideas Station, guys. Post examples, pictures, even if it's from another software. Show them what you want. They will do it. Well, they will look at it.

AUDIENCE: There's an Idea Station, or an idea forum almost every [INAUDIBLE] in the Autodesk forums to find your product. The problem is just running an idea forum under that product [INAUDIBLE]

MICHAEL DAVIS: If you look at the what's new in a lot of these, they show a video of all that. But just so you guys know, in the back of the book, is a link to all the forms, Inventor, international or American, and it tells you where the idea station is, and all that. So I've given you a lot of extra stuff in the book that I'm not showing today. So--

AUDIENCE: Just a quick though, Dan, and I, have a [INAUDIBLE] expansion team. Almost everything we do comes out of Idea Station.

MICHAEL DAVIS: Pretty much a lot of last year's, to this year's upgrades because I-- and they gave kudos to the person who recommended it. So they do show the names of that. So if you watch those, "What's New", you'll see the Ideas Station flowing in the background of that whole video. And they do pay attention to you. They do listen. You have to give them the tools that you want. Tell them what you want. I don't want to get you guys beat up too much.

I didn't go again into all the detail of dynamics, simulation, stress, and all that. How many people are using tube, and pipe, and cable, and harness. I don't trust this. Wiring and harnessing has come a long. way. And they've really done some great updates in 17, in my opinion. You now have a lot better workflows, or work points in the 3D Sketch. So if you get a chance, play with, or even look at the tutorials. It's a really neat thing, if you've got any airlines, to see if they're going to interfere, or get in the way.

Again, you have a convert to weldment on this page, and another 3D print, and your other add-ins. From there I'm just going to do a quick little update to talk about Studio one of the biggest questions we get, I rendered it, and it still looks bad. Render by iteration is defaulted to 32, from the very beginning. 137. I turned it off, until satisfied. I use high. But that's directly from there to there. If it was 32 I would have a little bit of spotting in here, and things like that. So make sure, if you want to use it, do this. You can get almost perfect, in my opinion, realistic models made by this. Unfortunately I left my job, and the best model I had, I can't use it because a confidentiality thing. And all it was, was a beautiful little scale.

Next, tube and pipe. If you look, I mean, a bare model can look exactly like that, and real, and nice. This is a class that's coming today at one o'clock. If you can get into it, two gentlemen in the back, Mark and Chris, are teaching it. This is what they do. This is courtesy of his company he works at. This is what they do all day. Tube and pipe has come a long way. I think there was a huge upgrade last year, or the year bef-- I'm trying to help, Dan. I mean, I feel bad. You're just whacking Dan. But it's very nice. I mean, a lot of it's already built in. And the features are there. So if you want to learn more about tube and pipe, I seriously recommend the class at one o'clock. Even if you can get off to the side, and come in late, there is a few openings. They enlarged their class. So it was full. Now they doubled it. It's a very interesting, and great class.

Next, we're going to talk about the different types of views. How many people use the different types of views? Do you typically just leave it at the view represents default? Do you guys get into positional? Anybody? I really have seen a great update in the last few years on the positional stuff. And we'll go into that more. We'll get into each of the types. Some of the advantages, I put this in the book as well, I'm not going to read them all. But there's a lot of advantages of using your view reps for certain things. Let's just use a car as an example. And you just want to look at the motor. You can set up a view rep right there, for just the motor, to use in your car. You're not going into your IDW, turn off, turn off, turn off. Set it up beforehand, again, with the view rep.

Colors. If you want different things look different, you can set colors in the view, that won't show up in the master default view rep. So if you have to do certain things, these are the areas to do it. Yes?

AUDIENCE: Is it best to set that up [INAUDIBLE]

AUDIENCE: Well it depends, because you can have sub-assemblies in assemblies. And you can then set to see certain things in the main assembly, through the smaller assembly, through the sub-assembly. So say you have, again, the car. You could set it up to turn off the motor, and certain parts of the motor in the view rep in the sub-assembly, in the masters and secondary assembly. So it's really just ending up-- go ahead.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

MICHAEL DAVIS: Can you do what?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] like level of detail, if you made mistakes [INAUDIBLE] your structure.

MICHAEL DAVIS: Well these are view reps different.

AUDIENCE: Yeah, can you do that [INAUDIBLE]?

MICHAEL DAVIS: Rename them?

AUDIENCE: Well, no. You name them the same type of link, like, automobile, then view rep the auto link.

MICHAEL DAVIS: No. Idea Station. You're going to hear that a lot from me. Go ahead.

AUDIENCE: So there's still no way to view art level like [INAUDIBLE].

AUDIENCE: That's not our longer term vision. You're basically talking about part configuration. Or you could use part configuration to do stages of machine [INAUDIBLE]. We're doing some of the framework as we speak. It's just not ready [INAUDIBLE].

MICHAEL DAVIS: Again here's the quick example, turning off all the necessary components when you're doing it. It's so much nicer when you're creating views that you just can click on it, and say, engine only, car white, wear parts. That's something I do, and I started doing recently, is I made a folder for fasteners, so I could do a fastener count. Ware parts, so I can click on that, and know exactly what all my ware items are much easier. You have no limit on what your view reps could be used for, in my opinion. And I think they could be utilized a lot more. Here's an example of it. So, I have just my standard full assembly, all my ware parts, and my fasteners. Much easier to see what you have. And it's just a click of a button. When you're placing your views, I'll get into how you can see all that.

Next, positional. How many people use the positional? Do you like it? Why?

AUDIENCE: It's not extremely intuitive for newer users.

MICHAEL DAVIS: In what way?

AUDIENCE: I can't answer that because I'm not the one to say it's hard to use. I've been doing it for a while. And I really think they're fine, making it a little tricky when you know-- like, just talking [INAUDIBLE] design use of sub-assembly within a parent assembly when you do positional reps of a sub-assembly, within that assembly.

MICHAEL DAVIS: And I'm going I get into more of the positional stuff too. My opinion, a lot of that comes from-- and please don't take it wrong-- constraint etiquette. I think a lot of people do constrain picking wrong. That's just my personal belief. But they pick one, and two wrong, and don't understand how you should be picking it. And you end up getting those negative values that flip you 180, and things like that. So it all starts with constraint etiquette.

So here's just a quick example of it in all the different views, very quick, easy. Level of detail. How many people use level of detail? How many people know what level detail's for? What do you guys use level of detail for?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

MICHAEL DAVIS: See, I would do that with view reps too. But I think there's a miscommunication a lot on that, and I'm not going to go deep into the level of detail-- go ahead.