User Interface: Inventor Add-in
An introduction to the menus, icons, commands, and other controls used when working with Autodesk Informed Design within Inventor.
Informed Design Ribbon
When the Informed Design add-in is installed, two tabs are added to the Inventor ribbon:
- The Informed Design tab provides the tools to author product definitions and publish them as product releases in the Autodesk Construction Cloud.
- The BIM Definition tab provides tools to incorporate metadata and behavior into the Revit Families that Informed Design will generate from the published Informed Design product. The Behavior, Category, and Family classification required for Informed Design publish are managed in the highlighted BIM Properties panel. To learn more, see BIM Definition Add-in.
Product Definitions
The Product definitions list provides access to new and existing product definitions. This list includes the product definitions created from the active Inventor model only.
New Product Definition button – Click on the New product definition button to create a new product definition for the active Inventor model.
Edit product definition button – To reopen an existing product definition and make changes, select it in the list then click on the Edit (pencil) icon button.
- Note: If a product definition has been published to Autodesk Construction Cloud projects already, we strongly recommend that you do NOT edit and overwrite it when making changes. Instead, duplicate the product definition then reopen and edit the duplicate; this will preserve the version history for your product releases.
Duplicate product definition button – To make a copy of an existing product definition, select it in the list then click on the Duplicate (files) icon button.
Delete product definition button – To delete one or more existing product definitions, select their checkboxes in the list then click on the Delete (trash can) icon button.
- Note: Since deleted product definitions can't be restored, we recommend that you only delete product definitions that are unreleased (ie. have not yet been published to an Autodesk Construction Cloud Project.)
Product Definition Name – This name is defined on the Source Content tab and is used to identify product definitions associated with the active Inventor model. It is NOT visible in the Informed Design Add-In for Revit or on any output files.
Parameter Count – This is the number of parameters that are adopted for the product definition (ie. selected) on the Parameters tab.
Last Publish Location – This is the Account, Project, and Folder location in Autodesk Construction Cloud that was used most recently when the Product definition was published into the project as a product release. If the product definition has not yet been published, it will be listed as Unreleased.
Last Published As – Indicates whether this product definition was set to Static or Configurable for its most recent published release. This will be empty if the product definition has not yet been published.
Product Name – This is the Product name that was defined on the Publish location page just prior to publishing into the Autodesk Construction cloud project. The name in this column corresponds to the location listed in the Last publish location column.
- Note: Release numbering is based on the Product name uniqueness in the specified publish location. If two different Product definitions are released into the same project with the same Product name, they will be listed in the Informed Design Add-In for Revit as releases 1 and 2 of the same Product. If these product definitions are released into the same project with two different Product names they will be listed as two separate products, both as their respective product's release 1.
Last Saved date and time – Lists the most recent date and time the product definition was saved. This could be when it was last published, since publish prompts an auto-save.
Informed Design Web Portal link button – Click on this button to open the Informed Design Web Portal in a new browser tab.
Information – the question mark icon button provides access to the following resources.
- Terms and Conditions: General Autodesk terms and conditions
- License Attributions: Autodesk licensing attribution credits
- Version Information: Provides the version information for your Informed Design add-in
- Online Help: Opens the Informed Design Help site in your web browser
Source Content
After creating and naming a new Product definition, identify the source content.
Product Definition Name – Each Product Definition requires its own unique name. You can't use the same name for multiple product definitions as this would overwrite the existing product definition.
Configurable Toggle – Product Definitions are set to Configurable by default. Switch the Configurable toggle Off to publish a static product. Turning off the Configurable toggle simplifies the Product Definition authoring process, since non-configurable (ie. static) products include only one configuration and do not require conditional logic.
Base Model – This read-only field identifies the active Inventor model with which this product definition is associated.
Root Folder – We recognize that the root folder for Inventor files may vary, so be sure to select the root folder location containing all the necessary dependent files such as parts, drawing templates, and the ipj.
- Note: The Inventor root folder and files must be saved locally on your machine. Autodesk Informed Design does not work with files saved in Autodesk Vault or files not saved locally.
Inventor Project – Identify the Inventor project (ipj) file related to the associated components.
Thumbnail – This product thumbnail view will be displayed with this product release in the Informed Design Add-in for Revit. It comes from the Inventor file's last saved view.
Update Thumbnail Button – The thumbnail comes from the Inventor file's last saved view. Use this button to refresh it as needed.
Drawings – If any drawing template files have been defined, these can be selected under Output sources. This makes these documents available to include as output types in the web portal.
Update Files button – If .idw or .dwg files have been added in the Root folder since you started working on the product definition, click on this Update button to scan the folder for new files. If any are found, they will be added to the list of Output sources.
Parameters
Inventor automatically defines model parameters in sketches, assembly constraints and features. Parameters can define the size and shape of features and control the relative positions of components within assemblies.
Parameters are adopted on the Parameters tab when publishing a product definition. Adoption of at least one parameter is required for a Configurable product definition; all parameters with values to be customized should be adopted. For a Static product definition, parameter adoption is optional; nonetheless we highly recommend adopting parameters whose values are especially relevant to designers in Revit.
Parameter Types – Browse the list by All parameters, or filter the list of parameters by type (as defined in Inventor) or by selection status:
- Model
- User
- Key
- Selected
Parameter Selection – Select rows from the table to identify which parameters in the Inventor dataset you want to use on the Rules tab. For a Configurable product, parameters adopted here may be included in the form to view and customize in the Revit Add-in; they may also be used in Input Rules. For a Static product, parameters adopted here may be included in the product’s form, but their values will remain read-only in the Revit Add-in.
- Note: Data in the Value column comes from the current parameter values in use in the Inventor model. For a Configurable product, these values will be used as the default values for the product customization form. For a Static product, these values will constitute the product’s only available configuration. If you aren't satisfied with these values you'll have the option to change them using the Sync Controls on the Rules tab.
Adopted Parameters – Parameters are added to the Adopted list in the order you select them in the table. You can reorder them by dragging them up and down in the list. Initially, parameters will be listed in the product’s form in the order shown in this Adopted list.
Adopted Parameter Order – When a product definition is Configurable, the Adopted list includes this Info icon explaining the relevance of the parameter order in this Adopted list: it determines the order in which parameter values will be passed to Inventor when creating a new variant configuration, so the parameter order should take into account any dependencies that exist between parameters so the Inventor model will update correctly. Static product definitions do not have this message because they will only include one variant configuration.
Rules
Informed Design uses Google Blockly for authoring rules. Blockly is a library from Google for building beginner-friendly block-based programming languages.
Form Layout Workspace
Rules Workspace Subnavigation Tabs – The Rules tab is split into two workspaces which are accessed via the “Form” and “Input” tabs.
- The Form Layout workspace (on the Form tab) is used to customize the appearance of the form, and is available in both Static and Configurable product definitions as long as 1+ parameters are adopted.
- The Input Rules workspace (on the Input tab) is used for defining the available customization options for parameters, as well as any constraints or dependencies to be enforced in response to edits; this workspace is available for Configurable product definitions only.
Form Layout Workspace Toolbox – This workspace toolbox includes two blocks, the Parameter block and the Group block. These may be dragged and dropped from the toolbox drawer into the workspace canvas, but will remain in the Deactivated state until they are placed inside the Form block.
Form Layout Workspace Canvas – Unlike in the Input Rules Workspace, the form layout is defined solely by the blocks within the Form block itself. Blocks placed elsewhere in the canvas are Deactivated and will not be incorporated into the form layout or displayed in the Form Preview.
Trash / Recently Deleted – Drag and drop blocks from the canvas to the trash can to delete them. Blocks you delete by mistake can be restored from the Recently Deleted drawer by clicking on the trash can icon and dragging and dropping blocks from the drawer into the canvas.
Form Block – The Form block contains all the blocks used to define the form layout. It cannot be deleted.
Parameter Block – The arrangement of Parameter blocks within the Form block determines where they appear within the form by default. The dropdown menu identifies the parameter; parameters adopted on the Parameters tab are listed in this menu. The Label determines the text that will be used to label the parameter in the form. For Configurable products, this Label might just be the one that is used by default, and may later be dynamically updated by Input Rules.
Group Block – Groups may be added within the form to organize parameters into labeled sections that can be expanded and collapsed. Each group will be open in the form by default unless the ‘Open by default’ checkbox is unchecked.
Add Tab / Remove Tab – The Form block includes the option to organize parameters in your form in Tabs. Click the Plus (+) symbol on the Form block to create a new Tab. When a new tab is added it creates a new, empty area nested within the Form block; placing blocks in this area moves them onto the corresponding tab. Next to each tab’s Label field is a Minus (-) icon; click on this icon to remove any unwanted tabs from the form.
- Note: If Parameter and/or Group blocks are inside the Form block when the first Tab is added, these blocks are “ejected” and moved directly below the Form block in the workspace canvas. From there you can continue adding tabs to the empty Form block, then organize Parameter and Group blocks across the form’s tabs. When a tab is removed, any blocks it contained are similarly “ejected” from the Form block into the workspace canvas so that you can reorganize them across the remaining tabs.
Tab Label – Each tab has its own customizable Label field. These labels will show up in the Form Preview after you click “Update form” to sync the latest changes.
Tab Navigation Controls – When tabs overflow horizontally within the Form Preview (due to the number of tabs, long Labels, or both) these Left and Right arrows can be used to navigate them. These controls are disabled in the Form when they are not needed.
Synchronization Controls – These are used to synchronize the form preview with the workspace canvas, the product definition’s default parameter values, and the Inventor model’s current values. "Update form" synchronizes the form preview with the workspace canvas. For a Configurable product definition (shown) this is the only sync control in the Form Layout Workspace, and all others are available in the Input Rules Workspace. For a Static product definition, this is the first of 3 sync controls.
Input Rules Workspace
Input Rules Workspace Toolbox – This workspace toolbox has a variety of blocks, sorted into these categories:
- Logic – Used to control conditional statements (what should happen if a condition is true, what should happen if a condition is false, which boolean value should result depending on how parameters compare with one another, etc.)
- Loops – Used to control whether blocks placed within their body are run (how many times the code in its body is repeated, when that code should be repeated, for how long, when to stop repeating it, etc.)
- Math – Used to construct and compare mathematical expressions, set values, and perform various calculations.
- Text – Used to contain characters (letters, numbers, punctuation, symbols, and spaces between words.) They can create and modify text, count characters, search within text, extract characters, and display messages.
- Lists – Used to create, modify, reference, search, and extract from an ordered collection of items.
- Variables – Used to set, obtain, and change a value that is referenced by name.
- Functions – Used to define groups of commonly used blocks as a single named set that can be reused to perform specific tasks.
- Parameters – Used to reference parameters adopted from the Inventor model.
Input Rules Workspace Canvas – In this workspace canvas, blocks are used to define constraints for product customization.
Blocks Contextual Menu – Ctrl + Click to access additional controls available for a selected block or group of blocks.
- Duplicate – Makes a copy of the selected block only
- Duplicate Connected – Makes a copy of the selected block and any other blocks connected to it.
- Add Comment / Remove Comment – Opens a space for you to type a comment on the block, or deletes an existing comment from the block.
- Note: Unlike Comment blocks found on the Parameters toolbox tab (see 37) these comments are not searchable by keyword.
- External Inputs / Inline Inputs – Sets the block's orientation as a top to bottom stack (External Inputs) or as a left to right row (Inline Inputs)
- Collapse Block / Expand Block – Minimizes or maximizes a block with input connections
- Disable Block / Enable Block – Prevents the block's code from running, or re-enables the code in disabled blocks.
- Delete Blocks – Erases selected blocks from the canvas. Within the same session, deleted blocks can be restored from Recently Deleted drawer
- Copy to Backpack – Saves selected blocks into the Backpack drawer for convenient reuse.
Canvas Contextual Menu – Ctrl + Click in the canvas background to access these controls.
- Export [#] Blocks – Exports all blocks in the workspace canvas to an Autodesk Informed Design Codeblocks (.idc) file.
- Import Blocks – Opens the dialog to select a previously exported Autodesk Informed Design Codeblocks (.idc) file and import its blocks into the workspace canvas.
- Clean Up Blocks – Rearranges all blocks in the canvas as a tidy top to bottom stack, as shown in this workspace.
- Collapse All Blocks / Expand All Blocks – Collapses or expands all blocks in the canvas in bulk.
- Delete All Blocks – Erases all blocks in the canvas.
Backpack – Clicking on the Backpack opens a drawer containing groups of blocks you've saved for reuse. Blocks can be dragged and dropped into the Backpack to save them, or you can save blocks to the Backpack via Copy to Backpack (see 39). Drag and drop blocks from the Backpack drawer into the canvas for reuse.
Trash / Recently Deleted – Drag and drop blocks from the canvas to the trash can to delete them. Blocks you delete by mistake can be restored from the Recently Deleted drawer by clicking on the trash can icon and dragging and dropping blocks from the drawer into the canvas.
Form Preview – The form preview lists the adopted parameters as well as any layout customization defined in the Form Layout workspace. Unlike the Form Preview on the Form tab where parameter values are NOT editable, values in the Form Preview on the Input tab can be entered and edited in these controls to test and preview behavior enforced by rules in the canvas.
Update Form – The first of the four synchronization controls (from left to right.) Synchronizes the form preview with the workspace canvas.
Reset to Defaults – The second synchronization control. Resets the values in the Form preview to the values of adopted parameters that are listed in the Value column on the Parameters tab. Values shown in the table on the Parameters tab come from either the value in the Inventor model at the time of parameter adoption or the value in the Inventor model when “Get model values” was last clicked.
- Note: For Static product definitions, this control is available on the Form subnavigation tab, since the Input tab is inaccessible.
Get Model Values – The third synchronization control. Attempts to fill Form preview controls using parameter values from the Inventor model. If these values are valid per the code blocks or if there are no code blocks yet, the Inventor model’s values become the product definition’s new default values. If these values are invalid per the code blocks, the code blocks rules will auto-correct them in the Form preview, and these corrected values become the product definition’s new default values as described in Reset to defaults.
- Note: For Static product definitions, this control is available on the Form subnavigation tab, since the Input tab is inaccessible.
Set Model Values – The fourth synchronization control. Reconfigures the Inventor model using parameter values in the Form preview. This facilitates testing the rules with the Inventor model to confirm that it reconfigures and updates as expected.
Outputs
Several output types can be included with each product to be published. Revit outputs are required; at least one Representation must be switched on (Available) to publish. All other output types are optional..
Revit Outputs
The Product definition’s read-only Category and Family fields display the last-saved values in the Inventor model’s BIM Properties panel in the BIM Definition ribbon.
Category – In the BIM Definition’s BIM Properties panel, the Revit Family Category is set to Generic Models by default. To use a different Category, change the selection in the Revit Family Category dropdown menu in BIM Properties and save the Inventor model.
Family – In the BIM Definition’s BIM Properties panel, the Family name is set to the active Inventor file name by default. To use a different Family name, edit the Family Name field in BIM Properties and save the Inventor model.
Representations – For Revit outputs, the table includes a row for each representation (ie. model state) that exists in the Inventor model.
Output Availability controls – For Revit outputs you can specify output availability for each representation (ie. model state) that exists in the Inventor model. The output type for a Revit family is a loadable RFA.
Model 3D
All Representations – When native Inventor model outputs are generated in the Informed Design Web Portal, the resulting data set (uploaded in Docs or Fusion Team) will include all model states that were present in the Inventor base model at Publish time.
Exclude Intellectual Property – When this box is checked, it means that the native Inventor model outputs will not include any of the iLogic that may exist in the model, to safeguard your business's sensitive intellectual property.
- Note: Currently this control is selected and disabled. If you would prefer to include iLogic with your native model output results, add (or upvote) this request to our IdeaBoard.
Output Availability controls – For native 3D models, availability is switched On or Off for all representations. The output file type is .ipt if the base model is a part. If the base model is an assembly, the resulting data set will be uploaded in Docs or Fusion Team as a compressed folder (.zip) containing the top-level assembly (.iam) and all of its parts and subassemblies.
Drawing 2D
Preview Selection Control – Output sources you selected on the Source Content tab are listed here. If multiple files were selected, you can change the selection in this menu to control which file is shown in the preview below.
Preview Thumbnail – The file selected in the control above is shown here.
Current Preview Icon – This visible (eye) icon indicates which drawing file in the table is currently being previewed.
File Name – For 2D drawing outputs, the table includes two rows for each file selected in Output sources: one for the file itself (either an IDW or DWG) and another for the PDF export version. The Output source file is identified by name.
Type – This column identifies the file type as either IDW, DWG, or PDF.
Output Availability controls – For 2D drawings, availability is switched on and off per file type for each Output source file.
Exclude Intellectual Property – When this box is checked, it means that the 2D drawing outputs will not include any of the iLogic that may exist in the drawing templates, to safeguard your business's sensitive intellectual property.
- Note: Currently this control is selected and disabled. If you would prefer to include iLogic with your 2D drawing outputs, add (or upvote) this request to our IdeaBoard.
Bill of Materials
Representations – For bills of materials, the table includes a row for each representation (ie. model state) that exists in the Inventor model.
Output Availability Controls – For bills of materials you can specify output availability for each representation (ie. model state) that exists in the Inventor model. The output type for a bill of materials is a CSV.
Neutral Formats
Type – Three neutral format types are supported currently: SAT, STEP, and GLB.
Representations – For each neutral format type, the table includes a row for each representation (ie. model state) that exists in the Inventor model.
Output Availability Controls – For each neutral format type, you can specify output availability for each representation (ie. model state) that exists in the Inventor model.
Save and Publish
Save – You can save the product definition at any point. If you save without publishing it will be marked in the Product definitions list as Unreleased.
Publish – Click Publish when you are finished authoring. You will then identify the project and folder in Autodesk Construction Cloud where the product is to be released.
Publish Prerequisite Checks
If these requirements are not satisfied, the Publish process will be interrupted and prevented from completing until they are resolved. For more information, see Inventor Add-in: Pre-requisites for Publishing a Product.
Publish Location
Product Name – Unlike the Product definition name you entered on the Source Content tab which is used to differentiate between work-in-progress versions and visible to you and your internal collaborators only, the Product name is a public name that is visible to all Project Members who have access to its Autodesk Construction Cloud project folder. The Product name applies to this release version in the specified Construction Cloud project; when the same name is reused in a project this creates a new release of the existing product. When publishing to additional projects you can use a different Product name in each project or reuse a Product name across multiple projects.
- Note: Product names must conform to the file and folder naming restrictions in Autodesk Construction Cloud: they can't exceed 255 characters, and they can't contain these special characters which are unsupported in Construction Cloud: (< > : “ / \ | ? * `)
Release Number-to-be – This number is determined by the Product name’s uniqueness in the Project selected below. When a Product name is unique to an Autodesk Construction Cloud project, the release number-to-be is 1. The product is new to the Project based on the name. When the same Product name is reused in an Autodesk Construction Cloud project, this creates a new release of the existing product. If the release number-to-be is 2 or higher, the release will be published as a new version of the existing Product.
Autodesk Construction Cloud Account – Identify the Autodesk Construction Cloud Account to load projects
Autodesk Construction Cloud Project – Select the project you want to use as a "catalog" to share your content for Revit usage.
Project Folder – Optionally you may use subfolders to organize products in a project. Otherwise the product will go into the Project Files folder.
- Note: Project Files can no longer be selected as the publish location for Informed Design products, since this root folder cannot be shared via Bridge.
New Folder – If needed, you can create a new folder in the Autodesk Construction Cloud project to use for the product.
- Note: If the new folder is created inside a folder with an Outgoing Sync, this child folder will inherit the Bridge from its parent, and display the same indicator icon, if “Include subfolders” was turned on when the parent folder was Bridged. If “Include subfolders” was turned off for the parent, the child folder will not display an indicator, and will not be included in the existing Bridge.
List of Published Products – This shows Informed Design products that are already published in the selected folder.
Release Notes – Optionally, use Release notes to describe the release for designers and other project collaborators. Release notes are visible in the Informed Design Add-in for Revit during browsing, and when configuring or selecting product variants to insert or replace. Release notes can contain up to 500 characters. URLs can also be included.
- Note: If needed, Project Admins can edit the release notes of published products from the Releases tab in the Informed Design Web Portal.
Edit Product Definition – If additional changes are needed, you can go back to product definition authoring.
Publish – When the name and location are defined, publish the product release to the Autodesk Construction Cloud.
Release Summary
- Publishing in Progress – A summary of the product will load as publishing is in progress.
This summary will be updated in one of two ways after completion:
Publishing Complete – If the product release is published successfully, the summary will have the title "Publishing complete" in green. When you click on the Product definitions button to return to the Product definitions list, your specified ACC location will be listed in the Publish to column. This column always lists the most recent Autodesk Construction Cloud publish location for each product definition.
Publishing Failed – If a product release fails to publish, the summary will have the title "Publishing failed" in red. The product definition is auto-saved when you click Publish, so you won't lose any of your authoring work due to a publish failure. When you click on Product definitions button to return to the Product definitions list, this product definition will be marked "Unreleased."
Product Definitions Button – When you're finished publishing, click on the Product definitions button to return to the Product definitions list.