The interface works in a Reader mode.
This is a stand-alone reader which does not require that the Autodesk Inventor system be installed.
No CAD associativity support.
No CAD Parameter support.
This interface can be configured during Ansys installation or by using the Product & CAD Configuration Manager.
See Product & CAD Configuration Manager for usage information.
For detailed installation information about the Product & CAD Configuration Manager, see:
Support
At the time of release, detailed version support information for the Windows platform is accessible via Geometry Interface Support.
For information about post-release CAD system compatibility with Ansys Workbench, see the Platform Support section of the Ansys Website.
Document import supported by interface: Part (*.ipt) and Assembly (*.iam)
Versions: .ipt (6 — 2024), .iam (11 — 2024)
Table 4: Import Preference Support for Autodesk Inventor Reader Interface
| Import Solid Bodies | Yes | ||
| Import Surface Bodies | Yes | ||
| Import Line Bodies | No | ||
| Parameter Processing and prefix/suffix key | No | ||
| Attribute Processing and prefix | Yes – Color | ||
| Named Selection Processing and prefix | Yes – Color | ||
| Material Processing | Yes | ||
| Analysis Type |
| ||
| Associativity | No | ||
| Coordinate Systems | No | ||
| Work Points | No | ||
| Reader Save File | No | ||
| Instancing | No | ||
| Smart Update | No | ||
| Enclosure and Symmetry Processing | No | ||
| Mixed Import Resolution | No | ||
| Decompose Disjoint Geometry | Yes |
Notations
Selective Update — This interface fully supports the Selective Update feature.
Length Unit — The length unit specified in the part or assembly is automatically read from the geometry file and is transferred into Ansys Workbench. The Length Unit field in the Details will be read-only. If a unit system is not detected in the geometry file, the Length Unit field in the Details will be active, allowing the Length Unit to be specified.
Hidden Parts — Parts that are hidden or suppressed in Autodesk Inventor are skipped automatically by this interface.
Import CAD Color as an Attribute or Named Selection —
Attribute: specify the "Attributes" option and set the "Attributes Key" to "Color" or a list of specific Colors delimited by a semicolon (for example: "Color:255.0.0; Color:255.255.0").
Named Selection: specify the "Named Selections" option and set the "Named Selections Key" to "Color" or a list of specific Colors delimited by a semicolon (for example: "Color:255.0.0; Color:255.255.0").
Caveats and Known Issues
The Inventor Reader has the following limitations:
Limited support for Inventor Assembly.
Assembly attributes such as colors and layers are not supported.
Assembly level features are not supported. For example, an instance can be marked as suppressed (that is, not visible) in an Inventor assembly. Because the reader does not support reading suppressed information, suppressed instances are translated.
No Support for Sketches. — The reader currently does not support sketches from Inventor files.
Limited Entity Support for Inventor. — The reader currently does not support some specific entities resulting from advanced feature Inventor operations such as Lofting.
No Support for Layers. — The reader does not support translating layer information.
No Support for Welding Symbols. — The reader does not support Weld symbols from Inventor Files.
BREP Color Limitation. — Body colors are not supported for parts having multiple bodies with the same number of faces. No color support for files created in a local, non-English Inventor Modeler.
Material Properties Limitation.
Only isotopic material properties and metric standard units (MPa, Kg, J) are supported.
Currently material properties for default Inventor material (that is, “Generic” shown in Inventor Modeler) are not supported.
The reader translates material properties for Inventor version 2012 and later.
No Support for Free Form Surface. — The translator does not support Free Form Surface (T-Splines).
Limited Support — Non-Commercial, Education Edition, Alpha, Beta, and PR versions (even of supported official versions) are not supported.
Troubleshooting
No known issues have been identified in the CAD Integration Troubleshooting section.