Creo View Adapter for Inventor – Subscription PTC

Overview

The Creo View Adapter for Inventor converts Inventor CAD data to the format used by the Creo View client. The conversion process is referred to as publishing. Before you can publish Inventor CAD data, you must configure the Creo View Adapter for Inventor using the inventor2pv_config tool.

You can configure the Creo View Adapter for Inventor to support either the full version of Inventor or Inventor Apprentice.

Inventor Apprentice is a free COM server that comes with the freeware Inventor View application. It gives standalone applications query access to Inventor documents. Inventor Apprentice mode does not support certain feature that are supported by the full version of Inventor. Due to the limitations, the recommended best practice is to use the full version of Inventor, however, if the limitations of Apprentice mode are acceptable, you may want to consider using this configuration.

A table of functions supported by Inventor and Inventor Apprentice appears in Functions Supported by Inventor and Inventor Apprentice.
Inventor does not support visualization of assembly features from the Windchill dynamic structures.
You can publish CAD data in any of three ways:

• Interactive publishing
• Command line publishing. This method is described in Command Line Publishing with inventorbatch.
• Server controlled publishing. The adapter runs without direct user intervention in the background as needed. This method is described in Server Controlled Publishing with inventorworker.

After a conversion is completed, the Creo View MCAD Adapter places the files into a specified directory from which you can access and view them using the Creo View client.

For server controlled publishing, the published files are automatically uploaded to Windchill as part of the publishing process.

The recipe configuration provides the administrator with complete control of the conversion process.

Prerequisites for the Creo View Adapter for Inventor

Full Inventor prerequisites

• Make sure that Inventor can be started by the user account that will be used to run Inventor in worker mode.
• The Creo View Adapter for Inventor must be supported on the operating system and meet the minimum requirements as shown in the Creo View Adapters Software Matrix.
• Your operating system must have adequate CPU and storage capacity.
• You cannot publish multisheet drawings as a single viewable DWF file with multiple sheets.
• The Autodesk Inventor base pack must be installed and licensed. Extension packs are also supported, but not required.

Inventor Apprentice prerequisites

• For Inventor Apprentice you must have Inventor or the freeware Inventor View installed.
• Inventor Apprentice requires no application license.
• Inventor Apprentice does not support Windchill file synchronization.
• You cannot publish multisheet drawings as a single viewable DWF file with multiple sheets.
• Data that cannot be opened in Inventor cannot be converted into the Creo View format.
• Inventor Apprentice loads files more quickly than Inventor does.

Configuring Multiple Non-File Synchronization Workers on a Single Machine for Inventor

The Creo View Adapter for Inventor supports multiple Non-File Synchronization enabled worker instances of Inventor on the same worker host computer. You can configure multiple workers, each with a separate setup folder and startup script. Use this strategy when your CAD application requires a unique runtime environment and configuration for each worker process.

Generating Additional File Formats for Inventor with Windchill

HW Specs

Recommended System Specification

Manufacturer’s system requirements are generally the bare minimum that you need to run the software and insufficient for effective and productive operation of the product. 

Our suggested “real world” mid-range desktop system key specifications to properly run Creo are as follows:

• CPU: Intel Core i7
• Memory: 32GB
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA QUADRO RTX4000
• Hard Drive: 1TB NVMe
• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

Novedge, in partnership with High Speed Computing, can also provide the perfect hardware for your design needs, pre-installed with your software, at a very competitive price. Contact us to discuss custom-configured workstations and laptops.

Suggested Workstation

Gold 3D Workstation CPU: Intel Core i9 Memory: 32GB Hard Drive: 1TB NVMe Graphics Card: NVIDIA QUADRO RTX4000