Mod the Machine

Inventor API Virtual Training Videos

We recently finished presenting the first set of API virtual training sessions.  It seems they were a success since those attending want us to continue with the rest of the material.  The sessions were presented by myself and members of the Autodesk DevTech team.  They’re the guys that support the members of the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN).  If you want to get serious about developing with Inventor, or any Autodesk product, it’s worth investigating if a membership makes sense for you. 

Here are links to the material from the classes presented so far. 

Module 01 – Basic concepts

Module 02 – Common Document Functionality

Module 03 – Part Documents

Module 04 – BREP

Module 05 – Sheet Metal

Module 06 – Assembly Documents

Module 07 – Drawing Documents

Module 08 – .Net Add-Ins

Module 09 – User Interface

Module 10 – Events

If you’re interested in this series continuing contact Gary Wassell (DevTech manager) and let him know.

API Wishlist Survey

It’s time again for the latest API wishlist survey.  This survey provides an opportunity for us to get some information about who’s using Inventor’s API and what issues you’re having.  This information is very important in helping us to determine what to spend resources on for the upcoming releases.

Please take the time to think about any issues you’re having with the API; what functionality that you need is missing or what tools or documentation would make your life much easier.  This years survey is more open than it has been in the past to allow you to describe your specific issues rather than feel limited to choosing from a predefined list.

You can access the survey here: Autodesk Inventor® Survey. 

The survey will remain open until May 30th, 2010.  Thanks in advance for your input.

If you use other Autodesk products and their API’s, there are also API surveys for them.  You can find more info about all the surveys at Kean Walmsley’s Through the Interface blog.

Autodesk University Class Proposals (Last Call)

You have one more week to submit your proposals for this years Autodesk University.  They’re due May 14th.  I’ve been dragging my feet and just submitted mine this morning.  More information is available at the Call for Proposals site.  Hopefully I’ll see you in Las Vegas this November, either as a speaker or an attendee.

Learning About New Functionality in Inventor 2011

For those of you in the US and Canada there’s a free virtual event for you to learn more about the new features in the latest release of products.  Here’s the brief description I was given.

It’s here — your chance to preview all the new ways that Autodesk 2011 software can help you transform your business challenges into new opportunities.  Attend Autodesk’s free Seize the Opportunity Virtual Event.

Monday, April 19, 2010
7:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. PT

Get access to exclusive sessions and live demonstrations, including:

• How to achieve greater speed, power and flexibility using AutoCAD 2011 software
• Going beyond 3D to Digital Prototyping with Autodesk® Inventor® software
• Delivering building projects more economically and with minimal environmental impact using Autodesk® Revit® software for building information modeling (BIM).
• Delivering transportation and environmental engineering projects faster with AutoCAD® Civil 3D® software.
• How Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation software can open new opportunities for creativity and give you a competitive edge.

Explore all the new opportunities that Autodesk 2011 software can offer you. Register for the free Seize the Opportunity Virtual Event today at www.autodesk.com/seizetheopportunity

Sorry to those of you in other countries.  I assume there will be similar events for you.

Manufacturing DevCamp 2010 and DevLab

Registration is now open for the Manufacturing DevCamp on June 2-4, 2010 in Portland, Oregon.  You can register here and get more information here. DevCamp is a three-day conference for both beginners and experts interested in learning more about extending the capabilities of Autodesk Inventor through its API. The day before the conference begins and throughout the rest of the week, we’ll also be hosting a DevLab.  A DevLab This is a great opportunity to bring your project in and get advice on any issues you might be having.  (Here’s a more detailed description of what a DevLab is.)

DevCamp – June 2-4, 2010, Portland, Oregon
DevLab – June 1, 2010, Lake Oswego, Oregon

During the three days, we will have several keynote talks, (including Manufacturing Senior Vice President Buzz Kross), and will be holding more than 20 sessions on the various manufacturing related products, most of which are targeted at Inventor.  The classes will be taught by DevTech engineers (those that support ADN developers) and also some of us from the Inventor engineering team.  Here’s an overview of the classes (with a full agenda here):

Beginner

• Introduction to .NET programming for non-programmers
• Introduction to the Inventor API – parts 1, 2, 3 and 4
• Introduction to Vault programming
• AutoCAD Mechanical customization
• Working with large machines and factories?  An introduction to the Navisworks API

Expert

• Working with solids through the Inventor API
• Creating custom commands in Inventor
• The Vault client and job processor API’s
• Advanced Vault programming
• Inventor API customization case studies
• In-depth review of the Inventor 2011 API’s – Part 1 and 2

Sharing

• The Doctor is in: bring your challenges and problems and get expert advice/help
• Talk to the Inventor product managers
• Talk to the Inventor API designer and developers

Business

• Teaming with the Autodesk sales team and Autodesk Authorized Resellers
• Leveraging your relationship with Autodesk to grow your business
• Understanding Autodesk mergers and acquisitions

A large portion of the Inventor development team works from an office in Lake Oswego, Oregon, (about 10 miles southwest of Portland).  This makes it possible for senior management and the Inventor engineering team to participate in the event and provides a great opportunity for you to meet them and discuss your trials and triumphs with Autodesk software.

If you haven’t been to Portland before there’s a lot to see in the area so hopefully you can spare a little more time outside the conference and do some site-seeing.

If any of you are cyclists, the Pioneer Century ride is on June 5th (the Saturday following the conference) and will let you experience some of Oregon at a more relaxed pace than a car. I’ll be riding the 100 mile option if anyone wants to join in.

Here are some links for some more things to see and do in the Portland area:

General Portland Info

Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River Gorge

Portland's Saturday Market

Mt. Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument

Mt. Hood

Oregon Coast

Autodesk Inventor 2011 New Functionality

With respect to the API, the http://www.autodesk.com/developinventor website has been updated with the information for Inventor 2011.  There is a PowerPoint presentation that goes through the new API features and also a set of demo files, including sample code, that demonstrates many of the new features.

To learn about new non-API functionality in Inventor 2011 you can attend a virtual event that Autodesk is hosting. It’s Monday, April 19th, 2010 from 7am–2pm Pacific time.  Register for this event at http://www.autodesk.com/seizetheopportunity

Autodesk University Class Proposals

The invitation to submit proposals for this years Autodesk University was sent out earlier this week.  Do you have a topic you think would be interesting to a lot of other Inventor users?  Now's the time to start thinking about it.  The deadline for proposals is May 14th.

If you don’t have an idea for a class or teaching a class isn’t your thing, what would you like to hear from others?  Remember that AU isn’t limited to those few that can attend in Las Vegas; there are the new virtual sessions that are available online and the papers from the classes benefit everyone.  So even if you can’t attend in Las Vegas you should still care about the topics covered.  If you have any ideas for API specific or general Inventor classes please let me know.  I’ll pass any ideas onto other experts that might be interested in teaching your suggested classes.  It’s always difficult to come up with new topics each year so any input is appreciated.

Material from the Free Online API Class

I mentioned before in the previous post about the free online API training class that the material would be posted online.  The material is currently available as a single zip file that contains the videos, slides, and labs for the sessions that have been completed so far.  This zip file will be added to each week with the material presented during the most recent session.  The final session is currently scheduled for May 6, 2010.  If the format or location for this delivery changes, I’ll add a new post describing the changes.

Update to Thumbnail Parts List

I’ve re-written the utility to create a parts list with the thumbnail image.  I’ve updated the original post with the new program.  The new program is an add-in instead of a VBA macro.

For those of you interested, the problem on 64-bit machines was a side effect of a limitation of COM Automation.  COM Automation is the underlying Microsoft technology that Inventor’s API is based on.  A limitation it has is that you can’t pass a bitmap between processes.  When the macro is running on a 32-bit machine, VBA is running in the same process as Inventor so when the API call is made to get the thumbnail image Inventor is able to pass it back to VBA.  VBA doesn’t have 64-bit support so in order to still provide VBA capabilities with 64-bit Inventor, VBA is run using a separate 32-bit process.  When the API call is made to get the thumbnail it fails because it can’t pass the bitmap between the Inventor process and the process hosting VBA.  Rewriting this as an add-in solves the problem because it can be 64-bit and so it can run within Inventor’s process.

Free Online Inventor API Training Class

The Autodesk DevTech team (the group that supports the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN)) is presenting a series of online Inventor API classes.  You don’t need to be a member of ADN to attend.  These classes will be approx. 1 hour and will be presented each Thursday for 10 weeks.  The classes begin on Mar. 4th.  The classes are free but you do need to register.  The full list of API classes is at:

http://www.adskconsulting.com/adn/cs/api_course_sched.php

Look for the class titled Introductory Inventor API virtual training class and click the Register link to the right.

A different topic will be presented each week with a lab provided at the end that you can work on until the class next week.  The concepts taught build on each other so you should plan on starting at the beginning and taking the entire series.

The class it being held at a time both those in Europe and in the Americas can attend.  It will be at 4pm UK time, which is 8am Pacific time (and for a brief time it will be 9am until out daylight saving times sync up).

If you have Inventor, you have the minimum pre-requisites because you have access to Inventor’s VBA that you can use.  It would be good to have had some experience with VBA or another programming language.  In addition to VBA it wouldn’t hurt to have a full development environment. If you don’t already have something I would recommend looking into one of the Express Edition languages.  They’re free and can be downloaded from Microsoft’s website.  Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition will be the easiest to transition to from VBA.

The classes will also be recorded and made available online for those that aren’t able to attend the live class.