You don’t expect all this from a point release.
If you are new to the Autodesk release schedule, it starts with the major new versions in early spring. Then, throughout the year, they sprinkle in updates. Minor updates address bugs and performance issues. Point updates, however, not only address bugs but add new features and improved functionality.
Autodesk has released the first point release for Inventor 2024. You will find Inventor 2024.1 in your Autodesk Account (online) and in Autodesk Access (the new Desktop App).
Like with most midyear point releases, this update focuses on improving and extending existing features. You will be happy with the tweaks and changes, especially if they have updated your favorite features.
We starting with a fan favorite, the new “Use nearest model point for Orbit” application option.
In the past, you would zoom into the model, start orbiting the view—and find it rotating right out of view. No longer will this happen. Instead of orbiting about the model’s 3D bounding box, it now rotates around the model point, which is the position of the cursor.
For those with AMD microprocessors, decals and threads now render with GPU ray tracing. This feature is in “pre-release,” meaning Autodesk may not be finished testing it. GPU rendering now supports standard lights with image-based lighting (IBL).
Although we have been able to rename the origin work features, these names did not carry over into the features that can use the origins. This is no longer the case. Features like Mirror, Derive and Pattern now recognize renamed origin features and allow you to use them.
Custom iProperties were previously outliers, but with the 2024.1 update, you can copy and paste them between documents. This is much more efficient than recreating them when needed.
Working with other CAD program data is a constant treadmill of keeping up with changes. Inventor 2024.1 brings us support for importing CATIA R6 – V5 – 6R2023 and NX 2212 Series and for exporting CATIA R10 – V5 – 6R2023.
The Inventor 2024.1 update mentions that Autodesk’s development team is listening to their users with its “Just Do It” initiative. Indeed, Autodesk has addressed many annoyances, some that have existed for years, all with our hearty approval.
- Double-click the constraint icon to access the edit dialog.
- Add multiple participants to an assembly feature even by window selection.
- Delete drawing Origin indicators.
- Export only the information inside the sheet border.
- Use Delete Face, which remembers the state of Heal Remaining Faces (even when canceling the command).
Have you used the Mark feature only to find that Export Face As ignored these features? Inventor now preserves Mark Style layer settings even when you are exporting faces to DXF. This is a big bonus for keeping standards.
You can now cancel a sketch. What is this, you might ask. After you create a new sketch or editing an existing one, Cancel Sketch will undo all operations occurring in the sketching environment. I admit to thinking this is not a big deal, but many users were quite excited about this capability.
Finish
Introduced in Inventor 2024, use Finish to specify appearances and the manufacturing process.
Have you started using Finish? If so, you will appreciate the new eyedropper. Use this to copy the settings of existing finish features.
Just a Few More…
- The new Export all Finish Parameters option exports the parameters as Custom iProperties.
- Finish Features are now configurable with iParts and iAssemblies.
Inventor now displays a message if Finish’s source file is invalid or missing. It’s no longer a hard stop; you can work with the model’s existing finishes. However, you cannot apply any other finish type until you locate or fix the source file.
Assemblies, Parts and Sketching
Available in other commands (like Extrude), Sweep now includes the choice of keeping the sketch visible. This is helpful when you are planning to use the sketched path for multiple operations.
When pasting sketches within the same document, use the new “Paste with formulas” option. This includes the associated parameters without duplicating them (as Inventor did in the past).
The default radius is now available for all tube and pipe styles. It defaults to 2 times the nominal diameter. Changing this radius affects new custom bends. It also updates the existing custom bends using the default radius.
The Inventor Content Center is its own beast of setup, configuration and usage. Think of it as its own oasis within the Inventor ecosphere. It is always good when Autodesk enhances it and 2024.1 does this via iLogic and the new Capture Current State for Content Center parts.
Instead of capturing the Designation, this new option captures the component’s current state. No longer do you need to combine values into one Designation value, as it provides key values and the code with a name-value list.
3D Annotations
2024.1 has minor tweaks to the 3D annotation (3DA) workflow.
- The right-click menu option to change the annotation plane is now labeled Change to Next Candidate Plane.
- Add and Delete Vertex are now on the right-click menu for those annotations with a leader.
- As with constraints, you can double-click an annotation browser node to edit the note’s values.
New to 3D annotations and model-based definition (MBD)? Or on the fence about implementing them? Engineering.com has many resources related to 3DA, MBD and digital threads, including How MBD and MBE Can Fix Your CAD Models.
In Conclusion …
In little over 3 months after the debut of Inventor 2024, Autodesk has given us a point release with 32 customer-driven enhancements. This is on top of the release’s bug fixes and performance improvements. For those still on Inventor 2024, what are you waiting for?
