Autodesk Inventor Link

The Meridian Enterprise link for Autodesk Inventor provides the following features:

• Automatic management of file references.

• Automatic re-linking of replacement parts.

• The Meridian Derive command inside Autodesk Inventor.

• An add-in to Autodesk Inventor to exchange Meridian Enterprise properties to and from Autodesk Inventor iProperties from inside Autodesk Inventor.

The most important of these features are property data exchange and file reference management because they can affect the referential integrity of your assemblies. Some features, such as file reference management, are automatic and don't require any action on your part. Other features, such as the Meridian Derive command, are only activated at your discretion.

Property data exchange between Autodesk Inventor and Meridian Enterprise occurs by a link between Meridian Enterprise properties and Autodesk Inventor iProperties. If your drawing title blocks use iProperties for the title block text, that text can be synchronized with properties in a Meridian Enterprise vault (PowerUser client only). Normal Autodesk Inventor text cannot be linked with Meridian. iProperty data exchange is configured by a System Administrator as described in Configure Autodesk Inventor Link Options. iProperty data exchange is configured by a System Administrator as described in Configure Autodesk Inventor Link Options in the Meridian Enterprise Configuration Guide.

File reference management by Meridian Enterprise entails automatically detecting and tracking Autodesk Inventor references to related files regardless of where the files may reside in a vault, including local workspace. This means that Meridian Enterprise can maintain the referential integrity of files as you import assemblies into a vault, move them, create revisions, and even exchange files with other parties using briefcases. When you open an assembly in Autodesk Inventor that has file references, the Autodesk Inventor link finds the current location of the files in the vault and updates the locations of the files in the assembly. If you edit a part within the assembly, the link will place the part under change by you, if necessary. The link will even detect if the files have been renamed in the vault and will resolve them correctly in Autodesk Inventor.

The Autodesk Inventor link automatically creates and maintains Meridian Enterprise references between related Autodesk Inventor files. These links can be used to view the files that might be effected by changes to a related file and for other uses.

Together with the basic integration provided by Application Integration; assembly, part, parameter, finite element analysis, presentation, and drawing files created or used by Autodesk Inventor can be managed in a Meridian Enterprise vault. Conversely, Autodesk Inventor commands that request a file can access Meridian Enterprise vaults for document selection. For example, in an assembly, the Autodesk Inventor Create Component command lets you create local components in that assembly. With the Autodesk Inventor link installed, Meridian intervenes and offers the Application Integration dialog to store the new component. If so configured, the wizard pages will appear just as if you were creating the document in PowerUser. The Field-Path definition may automatically determine the vault location of the new component.

Some of the commands for using the Autodesk Inventor link can be found on the Meridian menu in Autodesk Inventor and some on the Accruent browser shortcut menu. Some commands are also available within the PowerUser application. The following topics describe each feature.