IPT and IAM are the native Autodesk Inventor® file formats for parts (IPT) and assemblies (IAM). You can import both file formats into 3ds Max.
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Application Menu > Import > Select File to Import dialog > Files of type > Autodesk Inventor (*.IPT, *.IAM)
You can import Inventor files as Body Objects. This allows geometry in the ACIS solids format to remain in that format while in 3ds Max. To output this format, use the SAT exporter.
The components of models that you import into 3ds Max retain their object naming as assigned in Autodesk Inventor and can be brought in either as editable meshes or Body Objects. Once imported, you can edit the model just as you would any other type of object that you construct. You can apply modifiers, alter materials, add lighting and cameras, create animations, and so on.
Constraint and Joint Drive animation imports to 3ds Max as baked keyframes. You can create high-quality mechanical design animation and view it in 3ds Max without having to use 3ds Max IK and rigging features.
Requirements and Limitations
Limitations of the Inventor Import feature are as follows:
- Camera animation paths are not converted to 3ds Max cameras so any animation you've set up in Inventor is lost during import.
- Any lighting from brightness and ambience settings created in the Inventor file are not imported. You will have to relight the scene once the import is complete.
- Dragging and dropping an Inventor file into 3ds Max uses the settings last set on the Inventor File Import dialog with the except for Mesh Resolution, which always resets to 0.
Material Handling
Materials and material assignments made to the original Inventor model are retained and imported along with the geometry. Materials are imported as Architectural materials or if a single object has several materials assigned to it, they are imported as a Multi/Sub-Object material.