As you create your assembly, you place components, create features, pattern components, create sketches, and more. The very nature of this design process can make it difficult to order your operations such that the model browser communicates design intent. It can also be difficult to understand the role that each browser node plays in the assembly, especially if you have not chosen to rename nodes from their default values. Consider the issues as your assembly models grow larger and more complex. It becomes more difficult for other users to understand how your model is composed and the original designer may even be challenged to interpret aspects of the model.
User-defined browser folders are organizational tools that allow you to group nodes in your assembly browser. You create browser folders, based on your chosen methodology, and group the appropriate browser nodes within. For example, you can create folders based on manufacturing department, vendor, materials, feature type and more. The folders serve to organize your assembly browser in a manner that can better communicate design intent and improve your workflow.
User-defined folders are represented by distinctive icons (Open Folder: 
: Closed Folder: 
) and they exhibit the same open and close behavior as other Inventor browser folders.
Tips
- As you work with user-defined folders, you may find trends in how and what folders you create. Consider the creation of assembly templates in which these common folders are already defined.
- To organize nodes that do not drag and drop freely, such as work features, virtual components, and UCS nodes, create folders adjacent to the nodes. As you design, try to group such nodes so they can be added to the folders.