Autodesk’s Christmas Gift for Inventor Users: v2023.2

Likely the last “dot” update in the 2023 cycle with Inventor 2024 on the horizon.

Not only does the latest update of Inventor have the bug fixes and performance improvements, but the 2023.2 update also reflects Autodesk’s continued focus on customer-driven enhancements. The 2023 update is aimed at improving design workflows, reducing repetitive tasks and enhancing the user experience. Use it to increase the time you spend on design.

Home

The redesigned home page provides a consistent start experience. This is not just in Inventor but across most of Autodesk’s desktop products. Now, whether starting AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor or other products, you are presented with the standard home page. In fact, a preview feature in Fusion 360 makes its landing page look just like Inventor’s.

Autodesk continues to tweak the home page experience. Version 2023.1 added the Vault status, iProperties, recent document searching and filters. With 2023.2, you can remove files from the Recent list and search by name, location and iProperty strings. You can use the new configuration to manage the visibility and order of the columns.

General

Inventor 2023 introduced a new GPU ray tracing pr-release display feature that makes use of the hardware ray tracing found in modern graphics chips (graphic processing units, or GPUs). This GPU-based ray tracing supplies the potential for higher performance and quality compared to the existing CPU-based option.

The GPU ray tracing preview now supports decals, ground shadows, reflections and section views. When there are overlapping decals, the model tree position sets the display priority. Note that AMD graphics cards currently do not support the decal enhancements.

The Browser

The browser has been a staple in 3D modeling applications for decades, yet these CAD vendors keep finding ways to make it better. With the 2023.2 browser, use the new AutoScroll feature for selected objects to scroll to the top (for quicker identification). Hovering over the filename icon now presents a tooltip with the file name and path details. You are now able to reorder assembly features in the browser (like you could do previously with part features).

Sketching

Inventor 2023.1 added the ability to hold the Shift key to switch between the horizontal and vertical 2D constraints—a small but extremely useful update!

In 2023.2 you can now Window Select when projecting geometry. Again, this is a minor enhancement, but think about the ability to select objects individually. Compare that to selecting a group of objects in one pass and it highlights how extremely useful this enhancement is.

In addition, sketch names appear in the Select Other selection filter, which makes it easier to find where an object belongs.

Other highlights include:

  • Copied sketch objects now insert at the cursor location when they are pasted.
  • Sketch dimensions now stay in position relative to the associated geometry.

Parts and Assemblies

Long-time AutoCAD users will love this. Inventor now has Purge! In the same way that it removes unused elements in AutoCAD, the new Purge feature removes unused work features and sketches. Note that unlike with AutoCAD, there is no Purge nested items choice, meaning you may need to run the feature multiple times to remove all the unused elements.

Use the Origin axes to quickly set up rectangular and circular patterns. The origin features cannot be removed, making it one of the most reliable aids available. 

Flat pattern sketched text now exports as text objects, including parameters and property values used in the text. This makes for less post export editing. Even better, you don’t need to worry about forgetting to post export edit.

Inventor 2023 introduced the Mark feature. Use this to create laser marking, etching and engraving features. 2023.1 brought this feature in line with other part modeling features by adding breadcrumbs (switching between the sketch and feature) and prompting to create a sketch (when a sketch does not exist). When errors occur with 2023.2, you can use new options to edit the sketch from the error dialog.

2023.2 restores the ability to toggle the visibility of all Content Center library components.

Other highlights:

  • Use the new Lock Rotation option to lock fastener position when inserting via AutoDrop. This mimics the lock option added to Insert constraints in a previous version.
  • Use the new incremental numbering with copied or mirrored components.
  • Search Vault for an iFeature to place into a sheet metal face. This is a new Punch Tool from Vault command.
  • Export multiple faces at once with Export Face As. When choosing coplanar faces, the export option appears in the right-click context menu.

Drawings

You can now place a base view with the current model view orientation. Select Current View Orientation from the ViewCube drop-down menu.

Inventor 2023 added the ability to edit Detail View properties. Now the Detail View settings are persistent, meaning they stick until they are changed.

When creating Break Out views, if there are no existing sketches, Inventor now creates and activates one for you automatically. If the existing sketch profile is an open loop, an error message appears. However, the new workflow puts you in edit sketch mode, where you can fix the sketch before making the view.

Continuing with Break Out views, select whether components within the cut-away will be displayed using the new View participation option.

The dimension sets workflow is improved. Click Continue to place the set but keep choosing members. You can press Esc to end the command. Undo now tracks a record of each new member.

Previously, you had to remove title blocks or borders before inserting desired versions. Now, you can replace the current title block or border using Insert.

Other updates:

  • You can retrieve 3D model annotations in assembly drawing views.
  • The Parts List dialog is now modeless, that is, while working in the dialog, you can pan and zoom in the drawing.

Translators

As with most Inventor updates, Autodesk updates the built-in translators to work with the latest versions. With this update, Inventor now imports Alias 2023, CATIA V5-6R2022 and NX 2206 Series. Both the JT and QIF exports now support circular and rectangular datum target symbols. OBJ opening time is significantly improved.

With this version, you can define the Output Location for imports, as in where to save files. Choose a location by using the Source Path, User Path or Workspace.

In Summary

For all existing Inventor 2023 users, the 2023.2 update is a must-have. Not only does it have bug and performance fixes but it also enables you to see a slew of new and updated features. There are perhaps no jaw-dropping new features but plenty of enhancements to make your life easier.

Long-time Inventor users should appreciate Autodesk’s just-do-it enhancement strategy. Small but useful update fixes improve and finish the workflows of existing functionality.