Custom Inventor Development

WIIP

Since 2008, I have been helping engineering firms and manufacturers develop custom Inventor add-ins. My goal: automate your repetitive design tasks, make your processes more reliable, improve user comfort and reduce the risk of errors.

Inventor is a powerful tool for 3D mechanical design, but its capabilities can be greatly enhanced through custom developments that integrate directly into your workflow.

Technologies

C# / .NET (Inventor API)

This is the primary technology for developing Inventor plugins. The Inventor .NET API is very comprehensive: access to the 3D model, assemblies, drawings, parameters, constraints... It allows creating custom commands, rich user interfaces and advanced automation.

It is my primary language. I use it for the majority of my Inventor projects.

iLogic

iLogic is the rule engine built into Inventor. It allows writing VB.NET scripts directly within the Inventor document to automate behaviors: parametric part configuration, variant management, automatic property updates...

iLogic is particularly suited to cases where the automation needs to travel with the document. I can develop complex iLogic rules or combine them with .NET plugins for hybrid solutions.

VBA

Inventor includes a VBA editor for quickly creating macros. As with AutoCAD, VBA has the advantage of being a familiar language for MS Office or SolidWorks users. It is suitable for simple automation or for prototyping a solution before a more complete .NET development.

Apprentice Server

Apprentice is a library provided by Autodesk that allows you to read and modify Inventor files without Inventor. It is the equivalent of RealDWG for the Inventor world. Ideal for server applications, batch processing or verification tools.

What I Can Automate

Here is an overview of projects delivered for my clients:

Complex sketch drawing — Automatic generation of parametric profiles from technical specifications
ERP connection — Bidirectional integration with systems like Clipper, Sage X3: synchronization of BOMs, properties and statuses
Dimension and tolerance collection — Automatic extraction of GD&T from drawings to generate quality control reports
Cut sheet generation — Automatic creation of cutting documents for joinery profiles

Articles and Resources

Blog Articles

Export and import iLogic rules — Put your iLogic rules under version control and edit them in a modern editor with two export/import scripts.
0x80004005 the answer to almost everything — What's frustrating about errors in Autodesk Inventor

Questions & Answers

What are the different standardization organizations found in Inventor's Content Center? — Here is a list of the main standardization organizations with their acronym, full name, and country or region.
What is iLogic? — iLogic is a rule system integrated into Autodesk Inventor that allows design automation and the creation of intelligent, parametric 3D models.
What is APS? — What is Autodesk Platform Services used for?

Do you have an Inventor development project? Contact me for a free quote, or call me at (+33) 6 46 40 75 66.