Monday, December 28, 2009
KWiKSert_64 Updated
I have posted a update to KWiKSert_64,
here. It fixes a problem where some extruded hole selections were not being populated. Also fixes a problem on some sub assemblies where after the first insert only the selected part from the sub was being added, and not the whole sub.
For anyone that has purchased this, it should install over the top of the old version and not require any license changes. If you have any issues please contact me.
Thanks
Monday, September 21, 2009
64 Bit Addins in 2009
If you downloaded either KWiKSert_64 or KWiKInsertNFix_64 and were not able to get them to load in Inventor 2009, please try downloading the latest builds. You can find them
here
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Inventor 2010 thoughts
Inventor 2010I am finally getting a chance to get started in Inventor 2010, and thought I would share some of my initial thoughts.
First I am mostly going to sidestep the whole Ribbon Vs Classic UI debate. I do feel the Classic probably takes a few less clicks for some things, but I also realize it is going to take a while to break some old clicking habits and get used to new ones. It seems to me that Autodesk listened to the complaints in the Beta, and put a lot of effort into improving and documenting the Ribbon. I suggest going through the included Ribbon Introduction and Tutorial. The ribbon seems very customizable and has multiple display options. I am personally giving it a go, partially because I feel that the Classic option will eventually disappear, and unless we go to a whole new UI (
ala Fusion) the ribbon is here to stay.
Two things that really stand out to me in the Part Environment are Sketch Blocks and the ability to have Multi-Body Parts. Just like it took a while for people to figure out Master Sketch modeling, I think the value of these additions are going to take some time for people to understand and put to use the true power of them. I see a lot of possibilities with these tools, and am excited about them. I think they have the possibility of taking Master Sketching to a whole new level.
The Sheet metal Environment got a host of new tools. Unfold/refold has been a often wished item, and it is finally here. The interface is very easy to use and as you would expect, you can add sketches/features in unfolded states, and then refold the part. If you do sheet metal parts that require multidirectional deformations you are going to really like the contour roll tool.
In the Assembly Environment one thing I suspect many of us have wished for one time or another is to be able to do an array of an array. It would have been nice if we could have had independent instances, but it will be a big timesaver as is. You may not even notice the constraint highlighting improvements because they seem so natural.
They have finally incorporated a few of the macros that have been around almost forever, and were recently Subscription Bonus tools. Some are Rename Browser nodes , which renames using File Name, Part Number or default. Save and Replace Component. Place Component at Origin, and Ground and Root Component (I still like KWiKInsertNFix better
). Another is Degrees of Freedom Analysis, which I have wished for many times when assemblies aren't reacting how I expect them to. These can all be found under the Assemble Tab, Productivity Panel.
The little bit I have tested on new restructure it seems to work very well. This could potentially save hours when right in the middle of a project the powers that be change how they want things grouped. Time will tell, but I can see this saving some serious time on some jobs.
The long asked for Browser folders are here. They are simple to create and add parts to. This will help make browser work in large assemblies much easier. Folders can be placed within folders to make things even more structured. Standard folders can be made in the Assembly templates to standardized folder naming and usage.
I haven't had time to use the Shrink-wrap tool. On the surface it sounds a lot like making LOD substitute parts. Maybe it's just the work I do, but I have not found LOD's to be that useful or time saving even in large assemblies. There just seems to be too many little problems… i.e. “can't save, the assembly is open in another file” type of issues. I will admit it could just be my lack of clear understanding of how it is all supposed to work, but it seems like it could work a lot smoother.
The BOM dialog has had a number of new features added to it. Copy, Paste and Capitalization have been added in a right click context menu. There is also a Find and Replace tool that should speed up some processes. We now have the ability to “Lock” Item numbers to keep them from changing when doing renumbering. Selecting a item in the BOM now highlights the part in the assembly graphics and the browser. On top of that you can now display thumbnails of the parts in a BOM Column. Probably my favorite though is the ability to open a file from within the BOM editor.
In the drawing environment, we now get the same snap and alignment highlights when placing balloons as we have had when moving them. I don't know about anybody else, but I found I was often placing balloons randomly and then going back and snapping them into the position I wanted. I think this will make it much more of a one step process. There is now an Arrange Dimensions command, (ala MDT) It is much nicer and quicker than selecting each dimension and aligning it to its neighbor. Just like in the Assembly Environment we can now create our own folders within the Sketched Symbols.
File Open Options have been added to Application Options. Personally I still wish they would just display them automatically across the bottom of the file open dialog.
I have just barely touched the surface of the new Features in Inventor 2010. While I still have a lot of items on my wishlist, I think Autodesk has put together a fair amount of improvements across the board, and that most people will find a number of things that will help them get there job done quicker and better. I also think it is going to take a while for everyone, (me included) to get to the point that we can see the true value in some of the new tools. I can see the possibility of completely new workflows coming about in this release.
If you haven't done it yet, get it installed, and start working with some of the new tools. I think you will find this is one of the more Feature rich releases in some time.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
KWiKPrints 32_64 Re Released
I apologize for having to pull KWiKPrints, but some last minute changes gave me some install problems. Hopefully it is all fixed now. If you do have any issues installing, try right clicking on the install program and select Run as Administrator.
You can find the current version here.
If you had tried it before and now your 30 days has expired, contact me and I will try to get you more time to test with.
Thanks to everyone for their support.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
KWiKPrints32_64 Installation Issues
I have pulled KWiKPrints32_64 until I can track down a installation issue that has been reported. I apologize if you downloaded it and weren't able to get it to load. I will add it back as soon as I can figure out what is causing the problem.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
64 bit (finally)
KWiKPrints32_64
KWiKInsertNFix_64
KWiKSert_64
I think I am finally to the point where I can release these three 64 bit addins.
A few notes.
1. The time it is taking to maintain and upgrade these addins has gotten to be to much to continue to give them away for free. I wish I could but it has just gotten to the point where I don't have the free time like I used to. Even at the price I am charging, I doubt I will clear more than a couple bucks per hour of time invested.
2. Please, Please, test the programs until you are sure it works for your needs before considering purchasing it. All three programs will run for 30 days before they time out. If you run into bugs let me know and I will do what I can to look into them, but don't buy it and then expect bug fixes right away. That isn't to say that I won't look into issues after you buy, but I can't guarantee fixes, speedy or not.
3. These programs will install and run on 32 bit machines but the changes between the 32 bit version and the 64 bit version are minor enough that it probably wouldn't be worth the upgrade especially since the 32 bit version is still free.
4. If you have purchased KWiKPrints32 in the last 6 months, contact me, and I will allow you to upgrade to the 64 bit version for the difference in price between the two.
You can find them here
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I have been testing out a program made by INCAT called iCHECK. It is one of those programs that the more you look into it the deeper it gets. iCHECK is a quality checker. What is a quality checker? ... well I suggest you watch the video at INCAT's site for starters. You can set it up to check and report compliance with all kinds of things that your company may have as a standard. It seems like almost everything you could imagine is available to set up in the iCHECK Administration dialog. Everything from fully constrained sketches, to checking to make sure there is at least one part grounded in an assembly, to checking to make sure all the required iProperties are filled out in a drawing.
Check out the video and give the free trial a spin. I give it two thumbs up for both big and small one man company's.
Frank, at 10/17/09 8:36 AM
, at 2/15/10 2:10 AM