Design Assistant Manager reference

The Design Assistant Manager provides options for managing associations between Autodesk Inventor files. You can:

• View relationships between files.
• Rename files.
• Create a copy of a single file with a different name.
• Copy an assembly with a different name to create a new assembly.

When you make changes, Design Assistant Manager updates any references in associated assembly, part, or drawing files and displays the new relationships.

Use Design Manager only for files in a single-user or a shared project. You cannot use Design Manager for files in a semi-isolated project

You cannot use Design Manager to work with links to external files such as Mechanical Desktop parts, word processing, spreadsheet, or text files.

Note: Before working with Autodesk Inventor files created in a previous release, open them in the current release to migrate the data format.

Access:

From Microsoft Windows Explorer, select an Autodesk Inventor file, right-click, and select Design Assistant from the menu. Click the Manage icon.

Note:

• If you open Design Assistant from within Autodesk Inventor or from a folder in Microsoft Windows Explorer, the Design Assistant Manager is not available.
• If you drag an Autodesk Inventor file from Microsoft Windows Explorer into an active Design Assistant session, the file in the active session is replaced with the new file. Unsaved changes in the current file are lost.

The Design Assistant Manager browser has two sections:

Top browser

The upper section of the browser displays information about the file used to open Design Assistant, and all files that it references. For example, if the file is an assembly, the browser shows the assembly file and all component files. Click any file to select it. To select an assembly and all its components, double-click the assembly. To select a continuous range of files, select the first file in the range and hold the Shift key while selecting the last file in the range. To select multiple, noncontinuous files, select the first file and hold the Ctrl key while selecting additional files.
Part Number	Displays the part number for the file. The file name is automatically assigned as the part number unless you change it. To change the part number, right-click in the cell, select Edit, and enter the new part number.
Action	Specifies the action to take for the selected file. Click in the cell and select the action from the menu. If multiple files are selected, right-click and select the action from the menu. Rename Sets the file as eligible to be renamed. Copy Sets the file as eligible to be copied. Replace Sets the file as eligible to be replaced with another file. Clear Clears all actions taken on the file since the last File Save.
Modified	Shows the status of changes made to the file during the active Design Assistant session.
File Location	Changes the file location for a file that is being renamed or copied. Right-click and select Change Path from the menu. Available only when the file has pending actions.
Subfolder	Changes the relative path for a file that is being renamed or copied. Right-click and select Change Location from the menu. Available only when the file has pending actions.
Name	Changes the name of a file that is being renamed or copied. When you change the file name, the part number is updated automatically, unless you have changed the automatically assigned part number. Right-click and select Change Name from the menu. Available only when the file has pending actions.
Revision Number	Shows the revision number of the file. To change the revision number, double-click and enter the new number. Note: The revision number is maintained on iProperties Project tab for the file. It is not the version number of the file.
Design State	Shows the status of work on the file. To change the design state, right-click and enter the new status.
Reserved	Not used at this time.
Project	Shows the Project property for the file. To change the project, double-click and enter the new project name or number.

Lower browser

Finds and displays files that reference the file selected in the top section of the browser.
Clear	Clears the list in the lower section of the browser.
Find Files	Finds files that reference the file selected in the top section of the browser. Select the file in the top section of the browser, set the file type and search subfolders options, and then click Find Files to display the list of files. When the list is displayed, click any file to select it. To select an assembly and all its components, double-click the assembly. Note: Find Files searches only in paths defined in the active project.
Include files of type	Sets filters to determine which types of Autodesk Inventor file are listed when you click Find Files. Select the check box to find files of a specific type. Clear the check box to skip files of a specific type.
		Presentation files		Assembly files		Drawing files		Part files
Search Subfolders	Specifies whether to search subfolders of the file location when searching for files. Select the check box to search subfolders of the specified location. Clear the check box to search only the specified file location.
Part Number	Displays the part number for the file. To change the part number, right-click in the cell, select Edit, and enter the new part number.
Action	Specifies the action to take for the selected file. Click in the cell and select the action from the menu. Copy Sets the file as eligible to be copied. Clear Clears all actions taken on the file since the last File Save. Update Updates the file to incorporate changes made to files which reference it. Available only when changes are pending.
Modified	Shows the status of changes made to the file during the active Design Assistant session.
File Location	Changes the file location for a file that is being copied. Right-click and select Change Path from the menu. Available only when the file has pending actions.
Subfolder	Changes the relative path for a file that is being copied. Right-click and select Change Location from the menu. Available only when the file has pending actions.
Name	Changes the name of a file that is being renamed or copied. Right-click and select Change Name from the menu. Available only when the file has pending actions.
Revision Number	Shows the revision number of the file. To change the revision number, double-click and enter the new number. Note: The revision number is maintained on iProperties Project tab for the file. It is not the version number of the file.
Design State	Shows the status of work on the file.. To change the design state, double-click and enter the new status.
Reserved	Not used at this time.
Project	Shows the Project property for the file. To change the project, double-click and enter the new project name or number.