Self-Pace Inventor API Development Guide

The Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) has recently released a self-paced guide for Inventor API development called “My First Plug-in”.  The guide is designed for those of you that are new to programming and doesn’t assume any previous programming experience.  Most of the content discusses basic programming concepts and then lets you put them into practice utilizing Inventor’s API (Application Programming Interface) to create a simple program to control the display of occurrences within an assembly.

Even for those of you that are experienced Inventor API developers, if you’ve been using VBA this will serve as a good introduction to VB.Net.  It uses Visual Basic Express, which is available as a free download from Microsoft.

Clicking the picture below will take you to the “My First Plug-In Training” page for Inventor.  There is also a similar tutorial for Revit.

Comments

[cartoner]

the guide helped me alot. i understand much more about the invertor API now.

[Aksel]

Help-me Create a ReplaceFace feature.
If Surface Then
' Create a new workplane parallel to the XY plane.
Dim oWorkPlane As WorkPlane
Set oWorkPlane = oCompDef.WorkPlanes.AddByPlaneAndOffset(oCompDef.WorkPlanes.Item(3), 53)

' Create a 2d sketch to use as one section.
Set oSketch = oCompDef.Sketches.Add(oWorkPlane)
Call oSketch.SketchLines.AddAsTwoPointRectangle(oTG.CreatePoint2d(1, 1), oTG.CreatePoint2d(98, m - 3))

' Create a profile.
Dim oProfile1 As Profile
Set oProfile1 = oSketch.Profiles.AddForSolid

' Create a base extrusion 1cm thick.
Dim oExtrude1 As ExtrudeFeature
Set oExtrude1 = oCompDef.Features.ExtrudeFeatures.AddByDistanceExtent(oProfile1, 1, kNegativeExtentDirection, kJoinOperation)

' Get the top face of the extrusion to use for creating the new sketch.
Dim oFrontFace As Face
Set oFrontFace = oExtrude1.StartFaces.Item(1)

End If

' Create the loft definition. Because one of the ends isn't planar,
' a surface must be created instead of a solid.
Dim oLoftDefinition As LoftDefinition
Set oLoftDefinition = oCompDef.Features.LoftFeatures.CreateLoftDefinition(oSections, kSurfaceOperation)

' Create the loft feature.
Call oCompDef.Features.LoftFeatures.Add(oLoftDefinition)

If Surface Then

' Create a ReplaceFace feature.
Dim oReplaceFaceFeature As ReplaceFaceFeatures
'Set oReplaceFaceFeature = oCompDef.Features.ReplaceFaceFeatures.?????

End If

[injection mold]

it is wonderful. thanks for your sharing and helping. we are a injection molding manufacturer in china , if you need, we can have a cooperation.OK/?

[Jean Pacher]

The guide helps a lot.
The material is very good to understand a little more about the Inventor API