Content Center Overview

The Content Center database contains over 750,000 parts and covers 18 international standards. Content Center parts are organized in libraries. Use the Content Center browser or Search to find a particular part.

The Autodesk Inventor installation provides a set of standard Content Center libraries. They include standard parts (fasteners, steel shapes, shaft parts, and so on) and features.

Note: Content Center features are various geometric shapes, such as cones, cylinders, and spheres, in both English and Metric sizes. Features are placed in Autodesk Inventor part files.

Use Content Center Consumer to place components from Content Center in your design documents.

You can expand standard libraries and create user libraries with your custom content. Use Content Center Editor to customize content copied from a standard library to a user library. Use Content Center Publishing to publish new parts (features) to a user library.

Content Center Tools

Use the Content Center Browser to go through the Content Center database.
Use Content Center Search to find particular components in Content Center database.
Define Filters to specify which content displays in Content Center.
Create a list of favorite components in Content Center Favorites.
Place a Content Center part in an assembly by using the Place from Content Center dialog box.
Insert a Content Center feature in a part by using the Place Feature dialog box.
Replace a part in an assembly with a Content Center part by using the Replace from Content Center tool.
Change size of standard Content Center parts placed in an assembly by using the Change Size tool.
Use Content Center parts to work with component generators included in Design Accelerator (for example to create a bolted connection or shaft).
Open a Content Center part in Autodesk Inventor by using the Open from Content Center tool.
Edit data in a Content Center library, for example family properties, family tables, family templates, or file names by using Content Center Editor.
Publish parts, iParts, or features in the Content Center library by using Content Center Publishing.

Content Center configuration

You can work with Content Center as a stand-alone user (libraries are saved locally on your computer) or as a member of a workgroup (libraries are shared on a library server).

Before you start using Content Center, set up Autodesk Inventor and Content Center libraries to correspond with your needs. The Content Center configuration is a part of Project settings and controls the internal setting of libraries within Content Center. You change the Content Center configuration in the Configure Libraries dialog box accessed from the Project dialog box.

Tip: If your Content Center libraries are stored on a server, the server administrator must set up the library server first. Use the Autodesk Server Console to configure Content Center libraries on the server.

Content Center Libraries

The following libraries are available and can be installed with Autodesk Inventor:

Inventor ANSI
Inventor DIN
Inventor GOST
Inventor ISO
Inventor JIS and GB
Inventor Other (Includes the following standards: AFNOR, AS, BSI, CNS, CSN, IS, KS, PN, SFS, SS, STN, UNI)
Inventor Feature
Inventor Parker (Standard Content used by Parker for tube and pipe fittings)
Inventor Routed Systems (Cable & Harness and Tube & Pipe standard components)
Inventor Sheet Metal (contains sheet metal (PEM brand) fasteners)

If you work as a stand-alone user, install Content Center libraries to your Desktop Content folder. To choose specific libraries to install, clear the selection of the libraries you do not use in the Select Content Center libraries dialog box.

To remove an installed standard library from the library configuration, use the Configure Libraries dialog box. To add a standard library, rerun the Autodesk Inventor installation wizard.

Tip: The Content Center database is extensive. To optimize hard disk space and enhance performance using Content Center, we recommend that you install only required libraries.

If you work in a shared environment, install the Autodesk server (without installing Autodesk Inventor) and the Content Center libraries on a computer connected to the network. Use this computer as a server for Content Center libraries. The Content Center libraries can be then shared.

You can edit and publish only to read/write libraries. The default Autodesk Inventor libraries are read-only and cannot be edited. The read-only status cannot be changed for these libraries.

Tip: If you are a stand-alone, use the Configure Libraries dialog box to create new read/write libraries. If you are a member of workgroup, use Autodesk Server Console to create new read/write libraries.

Supplier Content Center

To access Supplier Content Center, on the ribbon, click Manage tab Web panel Supplier Content Center .

The Supplier Content Center provides users of Autodesk Inventor with one central location to access manufacturer-specific content from leading suppliers worldwide.

Design products faster with online access to millions of native Autodesk Inventor models.
Reduce errors by bringing in accurate, up-to-date component models.
Build your own internal Autodesk Inventor Content Center by adding commonly used parts from your favorite suppliers.

Access to Content Center data

All accessible data are viewed as one database in Content Center. If some Content Center library families (with the same data) are available in more than one library, these families are displayed only once in Content Center.

Tip: To identify the storage library for a part (feature) family, open the Family Information tab of the Content Member Selection panel. Then view the Component Library field.

If you use a shared library and the library is updated, you can refresh the view of content in the dialog box. Use the Refresh Content option on the Tools menu of the Content Center dialog box. This option also clears the part templates and other files from the cache memory folder.

To make sure that all standard components instanced in an assembly are up-to-date, use the Refresh Standard Components command.

Structure of a Content Center library

The basic component in a Content Center library is a family (part family or feature family). A family contains family members that have the same template and family properties and represent size variations of a part or feature. A family is the ultimate target in the Content Center library and cannot be subcategorized.

Families are arranged in categories in Content Center Library. A category is a logical grouping of part types. For example, studs and hex head bolts are functionally related and therefore nested under the Bolts category. A category can contain subcategories and can contain families.

Data saved in a Content Center library

The Content Center library database contains data that is required to create part files for Content Center library parts. The data is: Parametric .ipt files (provide the graphics for Content Center library parts), values of part parameters, description texts for parts, and preview pictures displayed in the Content Center.

Parametric .ipt files, description texts, and preview pictures are common for all sizes of one Content Center library part family. The Content Center library usually contains several sets of parameter values for one part family. Every set of parameters defines one size (dimensions) of the Content Center library part.

Customized Content Center libraries

To edit a part (feature) family that is contained in a read-only library, copy the family to a read/write library. Right-click the family, select Copy To from the menu, and then select a library from the list or create a library (read/write enabled). After the family is copied, it can be edited. Edits are saved to the selected read/write library.

Note: You can edit and publish only to read/write libraries. The default Autodesk Inventor libraries are read-only and cannot be edited. The read-only status cannot be changed for these libraries.

Standard parts placed in an assembly

Placed standard Content Center parts are read-only. Use Content Center commands to edit them. You can replace the existing part in the assembly, or you can insert a new instance of the edited part. Right-click the standard part in the assembly and click Change Size or Replace from Content Center.

Use the Change Size command to open the family dialog box, and select another family member to replace the original part. Use the Replace from Content Center command to replace a part with a Content Center part selected in the Content Center dialog box.