Style Libraries are a common source of styles for projects. Style Libraries are shared between users in a manner like custom component libraries.
A style library contains the definition of individual style types. When you apply a style to an object in a document, the attributes of the style are retrieved from the style library.
By default, all styles in the style library associated with the active drafting standard are available for formatting objects in documents. Usually the style library is managed by the CAD Administrator, so that the integrity of the library is maintained across the design project.
You can use a single global library so that all designers use the same styles or you can specify a library for each project. Project style libraries are often a variation of the default library.
A style library can be specified in the project options. For more information, see the Project Editor reference.
How can I share styles across documents?
Styles are shared (or copied) among documents in two different ways:
- The styles can be exported using the Style and Standard Editor Import/Export functionality. Tip: To export a style, open a document, select a style (or styles) in the Style and Standard Editor dialog box, right-click, and select Export from the pop-up context menu. To import a style, click Import at the bottom of the Style and Standard Editor dialog box, and select the style to import.
- The style can be saved to a Style Library, where it can be reused by other documents.
What advantages do style libraries offer?
Style Libraries create a central location of styles for simple administration.
They offer users a central source for styles. Put a style library on a network so the whole project team can share the same formatting standards, materials, and so on. When changes are made to a style that all users must consume (for example, changing the precision of a dimension style), all that is needed is to save the changes to the Style Library. Changes to templates (potentially multiple templates) are not necessarily needed. Once saved, document styles are updated directly from the library.
Style Libraries are a common style source for all documents.
With Style Libraries, different document types read styles from the same source. This feature benefits parts, sheet metal parts, assemblies, and presentation files, which all use the same color and lighting styles from the library. It also means that materials can be shared between parts, sheet metal parts, and weldments.
Style Libraries can aid with large assembly performance.
Without a Style Library, each required style definition must be stored in a document. For parts, it can mean 20+ material and 30+ color styles in every file. It consumes memory though only one color and one material is used at a time. Multiplied by the hundreds of unique parts in a large assembly, it adds up quickly. By moving styles into the external style library, only in-use styles are cached in the document’s memory space, reducing the memory footprint of each document.
Style Libraries adapt to your unique needs.
Organizations can have a single, global library used by all designers, or each project can have its own specific library. This flexibility, along with a well-defined set of document templates, makes handling and encapsulation of project data manageable.
What is stored in a style library?
Autodesk Inventor provides a style library that contains a set of common materials, colors, and lighting for parts and assemblies, as well as common drafting standards such as ANSI, ISO, and DIN for drawings. Sheet metal styles include gage or sheet thickness as well as definitions for bends, corners, alternative flat pattern representations and unfolding preferences. Style libraries are a common source of styles for all documents in a design project. Each style library is a collection of .xml files, one for each style type. For example, there is a file for balloons, dimensions, layers, parts list, and all other style types.
The location of a Style Library is limited by one factor. Only one Style Library can exist in a directory. Style Libraries are stored on any local or network location.
When to use style libraries
A style library is a good way to manage styles so that they can be shared across documents in a design project. For example, material styles can be made available to designers so that all parts and weldments have access to the same definitions. Commonly used sheet metal materials, gauge or sheet thicknesses, and manufacturing preferences for corners and bends can be shared and easily accessed. In drawings, using styles assures uniform annotations, including such details as arrowheads, dimensions, leaders, center marks, and so on.
A good time to start using style libraries is when you start a new project, are new to Autodesk Inventor, or are an individual designer or work in a small group. You can use the default style library associated with the drafting standard.
To get started, you can use the default styles that are associated with each drafting standard. That is, ANSI comes with its own set of styles, as does DIN, JIS and other international standards. As your company standardizes on how to format objects, styles can be added or edited, and the changed styles saved to the style library. New documents will automatically have the styles available for formatting.
You might want to transition to using a style library later if you have active legacy projects, you work in a large workgroup, require PDM control of projects, and have need for one or more custom style libraries.
Use a style library when:
- You work with large assemblies and need a good way to share style information among multiple documents.
- You work in a workgroup that needs a common source of styles.
- You use document formatting changes from a CAD Administrator.
- Need to easily deploy changes to styles.
- You share formatting standards without providing internally controlled templates or documents.
Consider using a Style Library out of the box if you:
- Are starting a new project or are a new user.
- Work as an individual or in a small workgroup.
- Can probably use the Default Style Library that shipped with Autodesk Inventor.
Working without a style library
The project file (.ipj) includes a Use Style Library option that turns a style library on or off. When you turn a style library off, styles are available only in a document template. (It is the default for all pre-Autodesk Inventor 9 projects). If you change styles in the templates, all future documents will access the changes, but previously created documents will not.
Not using a Style Library has the following disadvantages:
- Updating documents to consume style changes from a CAD Administrator and sharing styles between documents is more difficult. Styles must be manually exported, and then imported into every document requiring the change, including all template files for a project.
- There are no capacity gains for large assemblies because all required style definitions are stored in every document.
If you later decide to work with the style library on, update the styles for previously created documents.
To transfer styles from one document to another, import or export styles.
Working with a style library
There are two ways to specify the style library to use. You can:
- Set up a style library that is specific to a project. In the Project Editor, turn on the style library on, and then set the project's Style Library folder option. Browse to a directory that contains the desired style library. Its styles are available to all designers who use the project.
- Specify the default style library on the File tab of the Application Options dialog box. If the Style Library folder option of the project is set to Default, this default setting is used.
The default Style Library is located in the Autodesk Inventor Design Data directory. This directory is defined by the Design Data path and is found and changed by selecting
Tools tab
Options panel
Application Options
on the ribbon. The option is found on the File tab.
When a project is created, or its Use Style Library option is changed from No to either Yes or Read Only, the project uses the default Style Library. It is indicated by [Default] as the setting for the Style Library folder option in the project file. The default Style Library is ideal for users who want to use a single style library for all of their projects.
The location of the Templates folder is by default:
Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows 8: Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor [version]\Templates.
It may be appropriate to have a Style Library that is specific to each project. For example, a contractor may need a different set of styles to match each customer’s formatting requirements for documentation.
A project is set to use a specific style library by setting the Style Library folder option to a specific path. If a Style Library exists in the specified directory, the project uses that Style Library. If the directory is empty, Autodesk Inventor creates an empty Style Library for the project.
Setting style library use for projects
When you set up a project, you specify:
- Whether to allow user edits to the style library, which you specify with the Use Style Library setting.
- Which Style Library to use? In each project, you have the option to use any Style Library that has been created. Projects use only one Style Library at a time. You specify the Style Library location in the Folder Options.
Use Style Library = Read-Write
If Use Style Library is set to Read-Write, you can edit and change the styles in the library by performing a Save to Style Library from an Autodesk Inventor document. Newly created styles can be saved to the active library. This setting also provides full sharing capability, streamlined updates of styles, and any potential capacity gain for large assemblies. All automatic management of styles is performed on all files opened under the project.
Use Style Library = Read-Only
If Use Style Library is set to Read-Only, you cannot change the Style Library using any of the Save to Style Library functions inside Autodesk Inventor. Newly created styles cannot be saved to the active library, but are still stored locally in the document. This is the typical setting to enforce standards for shared content.
How do the templates and styles interact?
Templates are the source of the default styles the document uses. When a new document is created, any styles in the template are copied from the Style Library as part of the document creation process.
When using a Style Library, styles that are in the template are refreshed to match the style library when a new document is created. If a style in a template does not exist in the library, it is added to the new document. If you want to have a specific set of styles you use all the time and you do not want all users to share a Style Library, we recommend you to use templates this way. For example, your company may have a single Style Library that all users share, containing all company-approved materials, drafting standards, and so on. However, a specific project may require a specific set of layers that are not part of the company standard. Instead of creating a separate Style Library for the project, the layers are added to the drawing template for the project.