I can think of something to describe why "the go between Inventor and AutoCAD is so poor": They're both Autodesk products!

All sarcasm aside, I was wondering the same thing.  I recently translated some SolidWorks files to AutoCAD with none of the issues that I see in Inventor.  It is irritating that a package won't translate well into it's "little brother" package.

Air cooled, belt fed, gas operated machine gun firing from the open-bolt position

I realize that Autodesk products SUCK!!!! and that Solidworks ROCKS but I still need to use Inventor... can anyone help?

Personally I think Solidworks sux, but to answer the question: Could some of data be as odd colors? Using a window select the entire drawing. Switch to Bylayer, colors and possible line types and line weights. I have noticed my Inventor is set up to save certain data to AutoCAD as odd colors which are hard to see.

aepeszel,
the problem is that items are missing ie section lines, hatch patterns, dimensions etc...  I haven't noticed odd layer names or colors.

thus far I have observed the following
Autodesk products:
Tools that never work as they should and never seem to get improved from one version to the next (autocad)
programs that don't utlize system resources well (inventor)
poor support from autodesk or their resellers

Solidworks:
Program that uses the system resources 1000000x better
Great customer support
Tools that get improved from one version to the next and if things don't work as well as they should Solidworks listens to their users to improve upon it.

Panzer,

Which version of Inventor are you using?  This could have an effect.

Also, by your post, am assuming you mean a drawing and not a solid that you're x-ferring to Acad?

If so, which format/process are you using to X-fer?

Hinterneder,
Yes, I mean 2D Inventor to 2D AutoCad.
To answer your questions about the software versions, currently we are using Inventor Series 7 & Autocad 2000i.

I am having the same problem.

In ProE I can export a .dxf and it looks great......just like the ProE drawing that I made it from.

In Invewntor the output to .dwg or .dxf is unusable.

Is there an easy way to fix this?

It's a shame ProE can get it right but the guys who should have this nailed don't.

Bill

"It's a shame ProE can get it right but the guys who should have this nailed don't."  I was thinking the same thing...but substitute Solidworks for the words Pro-E...

does anyone have a fix?

One question is: are you using the detailed drawing in Inventor too? I have had no problems exporting the geometry of the assembly or parts and then detailing in autocad. You loose the auto-update that way, but it solves some of the frustrations with the translator. The dimensions/hatching/section lines/title blocks....seem to be the main problem. Everyone has been screaming pretty loudly about the issues, so I hope they get a fix pretty soon. I agree that they are both Adesk programs and this issue should be second nature?? Sorry, but I must say that after tying SW for 8 weeks I think it sux too, it really depends upon what you do and how you learned it. The newsgroup is a great place to get good tech help, and there are some other great web sites for little add-ons and iparts to make you life much easier. I could e-mail you some good links if you are interested (and don't already have them)

"One question is: are you using the detailed drawing in Inventor too? I have had no problems exporting the geometry of the assembly or parts and then detailing in autocad. You loose the auto-update that way, but it solves some of the frustrations with the translator."

For some strange reason the powers that be in my company only moved half of the department to inventor (don't ask cause I don't why they did this).  Anything created in inventor will need to be moved to autocad eventually.

"I agree that they are both Adesk programs and this issue should be second nature??" cut'n'paste is missing too...Solidworks has this

I already know of www.cliss.com for parts are there any others?  Preferably like 3D Content Central from Solidworks (drag and drop from your MS Internet Explorer screen right into your assembly pretty slick! now you can't say that this sucks?)


I don't really know of any user groups other than the Eng-Tips forum... can you post the links here?


All in all there some ok things in inventor but I found Solidworks much more user friendly and alot easier to use (not to mention it is alot faster than inventor)

These will get you to most everything that I have found.

Newsgroup: post tech questions for autodesk and user support (and search)
For some reason I can't post the link to get you directly to the discussion group?? sdotson and cbliss have live links if you can't get there from this one

http://discussion.autodesk.com/WebX?

Drag and drop Inventor content: You can get here from the “HELP” menu – “autodesk online” tab straight from Inventor

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=2982576&linkID=3016127

www.cadregister.com from many different suppliers (not all 3D) I have always had the best luck with acis.sat files.

Great tutorials, add-ons, parts and many other links at
www.sdotson.com


Other content
http://www.cadalog.com/
http://www.traceparts.com/en/online/index.asp
www.smcusa.com (helps to know a part#)
www.ascovalve.com  ;(helps to know a part#)
www.mcmastercarr has some of their catalog modeled
model  sharing:
http://www.3dmodelsharing.com/
 
download from here as .sat file

http://www.solidworks.com/pages/products/3dpartstream/index.html

Well gang, I have been following the thread patiently, waiting on tenterhooks for Joe Inventor to step out from behind the tree, wave his magic wand and endow each of us with a retort to this most confounding predicament.

My guess is that it just aint going to happen until we have all been sucked dry on useless upgrades.

I cant offer much to this conversation other than to say that my problem is that I need to translate ALL the detail views, geometry hatch marks and annotations in to AutoCAD 2000. Well, I get what I want, but the dimensions end up in paper space when I need them in model space. Sounds harmless, but for obvious reasons the dimensions will need to be scaled unless my geometry in paper space is actually a 1:1 scale. That doesn’t happen very often.

For years, our company has dimensioned in model space and no one is excited about changing an old standard.  It works-so why fix it. I did go through some painful learning experiences before I realized that the dimensions and many annotations where very dark colors that couldn’t be seen with a black screen.

Still, that is only half the battle. I still have to re organize all the views in model space and re-do all the dimensioning if I want to share the files (nine times out of ten I must). What a pain in the old AutoDesk.

One more thing-what’s with all the dimension styles any way. Has any one noticed that even the simple Inventor drawings translate into A-Cad with at least 14 different dimension styles? And one more thing-why do the dimension and extensions lines as well as the dimension text, all have to have different properties?

Arghhhhh!

Thanks for letting me vent-I don’t feel any better though.

Will

The new release of Inventor (R8) has a much improved drawing output, and claims to be able to keep a "live" link between autocad and Inventor parts. If this actually works as claimed, you can model in Inventor, and do the part detailing in autocad. Change the model and the drawing will update. I have R8 and love the new features, but have not tested this new functionality. (you need the latest autocad which comes with it "2004DX"). I can say the the "save as" .dwg is much improved.

I can confirm what Mike is saying.  DWG ot is much improved (but not perfect) in R8.  The DX option might be right up your alley as well.

Sean Dotson, PE
Inventor Tutorials & More
www.sdotson.com

i noticed that the new verison of inventor is much better bu the the hatch patterns are set on a color that no one can see on a black background.  one needs to use the object filters and change the object properties to a color that is more visable.  all in all r8 is better but it still doesn't come t close to Solidworks...

This works great - and I'm using Inventor 5.3 ! (still considering switching to SolidWorks)  (I found the following post on the Autodesk website, and left the original owner's name on it)

Re: DWG Export
Save As dwg, but in options export to Paperspace only using ACAD/M layer names. DO NOT create a
full blown Acad/M dwg, it's only the layer names.

Open the drawing, cut and paste geometry from Layout to Model, scale accordingly, Purge All,
ISAVEPERCENT set to 0, Audit, save.

This should give you a nice small DWG file that they will have no problems with.


John Bilton
--

Hope this helps,
Kaizer 7

This link will bring you direcly to the AutoDesk decussion forums. http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=12311...

From what I have seen in the above forum the AutoDesk employees actually answer quetions.

BBJT CSWP