Everything you need to know about Inventor’s configurable hardware library, from setting it up to publishing your own parts.

Autodesk Inventor’s Content Center is a hardware library. It is a collection of standard parts, including fasteners, shaft parts, sheet metal items, structural shapes, piping and other parts like clamps and drill bushings. You can also add your own component families.

The Content Center is standards-based. This means parts are sized based on international standards like ANSI.

It does not have the components pre-built, but is a database with the recipes to create the parts. The first time you use a particular configuration, Inventor generates the actual part file (.ipt).

Setting up the Inventor Content Center

The Content Center libraries are a separate installation. You have control to install just the standards you choose. As a stand-alone user, you can install the desktop content. However, if multiple users will access it, consider adding the Content Center libraries to your Vault server.

Regardless of the host, you need to configure the Application Options. Start with the Content Center tab and set how you will access the libraries.

When Content Center creates a part, it first searches the previously used content location. This improves performance as it can reuse as opposed to generating new.

The default save location is set in Application Options. On the File tab, change the Default Content Center file’s location to where you want to save the Content Center-generated parts (.ipt). This can be a network location so that everyone on the team can use the same set of files and not create duplicates.

You can override this default location in the project, which is only useful when you want all files related to the project in one location.

Typically, you want to use the default as it reduces duplication and promotes reuse. If using Autodesk Vault and following the one master project practice, then the Application Options set default is sufficient.

You can configure the libraries available for each project. This can improve performance (less data) but also limit access for the project to selected standards.

You can create user libraries and then publish your own content. This includes copied content from a standard library that you tweak or new user-published parts.

Placing parts in Inventor Content Center

The Content Center stores its content by family. Each family consists of members that share the same parameters and properties. Each member is a different variation of the part. 

In an assembly file, select Place from Content Center from the Assemble tab > Component panel. This launches the Place from Content Center dialog.

Locate the family whose member you want to place by browsing via the Category view section. After picking a family (you will need to double-click it), Inventor prompts you to select the desired size.

Use the Select tab to pick the size by key columns. The Table View tab lists all information and available sizes in a tabular format.

Adding the part As Standard means adding the standard read-only part that stays linked to the library. With the size selected, pick a spot in the assembly to place the part.

Use As Custom when you want a unique instance of the component, no longer read-only, and not linked to the library. As Custom parts behave as regular parts, meaning you can change them. Inventor prompts you for the new part’s file name and location.

To change existing content, right-click the component and select Change size.

To replace the existing content with a different family, use Replace from Content Center.

To locate the part in the library, right-click the part and select Find in Editor.

How to use AutoDrop

For a different insertion process, enable AutoDrop. With AutoDrop, Inventor sizes and constrains the part based on existing geometry. 

When enabled, hover over existing legitimate geometry, and Inventor finds the closest size possible to match the size of the object.

If multiple sizes are available, like the length of a bolt, a size grip appears. Drag this grip to cycle through the available choices, or double-click the grip for a menu of the choices.

Pick Accept to place the part but keep the command active to place more. Select Place to insert the part and end the command. Either way the part is inserted and mated.

When placing a bolt into a patterned hole, select Follow Pattern from the AutoDrop toolbar to place an instance into each hole of the pattern. Similarly, use Insert Multiple to place multiple instances on all matching features.

If the target geometry does not fully constrain the component, Inventor limits the preview position until you subsequently pick another object to complete the constraint.

For example, when placing a bolt, if selecting a circular edge, Inventor sizes the component and fully constrains it. When using a cylindrical face, Inventor updates the bolt size and only allows you to move the preview along the face’s axis. You then need to select a planar face for the bolt head and complete the constraint.

With components like bolts, the selected geometry does not completely define the object. After selecting the target geometry, you can drag the length of the bolt, but only through the available length options.

Content Center navigation

Families are grouped in categories. You can use the browser to navigate through the categories to find the desired family.

Opposed to using the tree, use the Back, Forward and Folder Up controls.

You can view the families as thumbnails, in a list or in a detailed list.

Add the Table view to review the available sizes before picking a family.

Use the Search to find parts matching specified parameters or properties.

History lists previously used content.

Favorites in Content Center

To shortcut the process and have quick access to oft-used parts, use favorites. The Favorites panel lists your saved categories, families and family members in an organized structure.

To add to the favorites, select the category or family, right-click, and pick Add to Favorites.

To save a specific family member (part), find the family, and within the Table View, select the desired family. Then right-click on the row and select Add to Favorites.

Within the Favorites panel:

• drag-and-drop a favorite to move it to a different location.
• Cut or Copy the favorite and then Paste it into a different location.
• Right-click Delete to remove the favorite.

Use the menu options to add new groups and folders for added organization.

Favorites is also available as a Browser Bar panel, meaning inserting library components directly and skipping the Content Center browser completely. In addition to double-clicking the family to insert, you can drag-and-drop the favorite into the graphics window to start the process.

Content filters

The Content Center can be overwhelming. There is a lot of content. Use filters to limit what is presented to specific categories, manufacturers and/or international standards.

Clicking the Filter button toggles filtering on and off. Use the menu to pick from the available filters.

Select Add/Edit filters to create your own filter groups or to change the existing ones. In the Filters dialog, select Add to create new and Remove to delete existing. We use these to filter for our created content.

With a filter group selected, use the Standardtab to set the manufacturers and standards for inclusion. Parts not in the select manufacturers or standard are removed from the view. On the Categories tab, select the categories to include in the view.

Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog. Inventor automatically applies the selected filter.

Content Center and component generators

The Inventor Design Accelerator is geared for functional design. Its engineering calculations and decision support help you select the right standard geometry or components. Where do these component generators get their parts? You guessed it, the Content Center.

Editing Content Center data

You cannot change or add to the out-of-the-box stock families. But you can copy a family to a custom library, creating a read-write version. You can change the copied family, including adding, deleting and modifying family members.

From the Manage tab, you can launch the Content Center Editor. Use this to change your content center data.

To copy a family, right-click on it, and from the Copy To menu select the destination. The copied family keeps all naming, properties and configurations as the original.

To make changes, use Edit Family Properties or Edit Family Table.

Make sure to change the Library View to your custom library first. Otherwise, the editing features will be unavailable.

Use Family Properties to change the family’s properties, the ones applying to all members. This includes the Family Name, which defines how the family appears in the list view, and the component’s description (Family Description), both used when searching. Other properties like the standard and the manufacturer are used when building filters.

The location of the content center components is set in the application options and/or by the project. Use the Family Folder Name to set the destination sub-folder within the library.

You can use the same family folder for many families. It is important to ensure all members of these families have unique filenames.

Use the Thumbnail to set an image different than the auto-generated isometric of the model.

The Family Table is the member data. Each row represents one member, and the columns the member properties. Edit cell content to adjust sizes and control properties.

A yellow cell or row shows modified (unsaved) values. Blue cells represent values set by expressions.

Red column headers indicate key columns, the attributes that appear when inserting the component into an assembly. You can adjust the Key Columns.

After selecting a row, you can add and remove members (rows). The new row is created below the selected row. You can also copy existing rows as opposed to adding new blank rows, then edit the parameters for the new member.

Click a column header to sort the table by that property. Click it again to reverse the order. Select Sort from the ribbon to open the Sort dialog. This allows you to sort by up to three properties.

To disable a row and make it unavailable, right-click on the row and select Suppress. The member appears in the family editor but does not appear when placing the component.

Add columns to add new properties to the family. You need to set the name used in expressions and the caption, which is the column name as it appears in the editor. The name cannot be changed after creating the column. It must start with a letter. 

Set the data type as real, integer or Boolean. If using real or integer, also set the units.

By making the column an expression, you can build formulas to auto-populate the value. This includes linking values from other columns. Access the variable list using the … button. Variables appear enclosed in brackets { } while static text needs to be enclosed in quotations.

Expressions can be overridden by typing in the cell. To restore the cell value back to the column’s expression, delete the contents.

Map the column for Inventor to populate the selected iProperty when it generates the component.

Use Column Properties to make changes.

Be careful with file names as each member file name must be unique within the family. Use the File Naming Options to define the file name schema. To set the members’ occurrence name, what displays in the browser, map the file name to Member.DisplayName iProperty.

Tip: When needing to change the material(s) for the family, consider using the Material Guide as it automates the material adding (or removing) process.

Use Edit via Spreadsheet to load the table in Excel. Here you can change values and add rows. With the changes complete, save the spreadsheet and close Excel to import the changes into Inventor.

Notes:

• In Excel, the first row and first two columns are hidden. Do not delete or edit these hidden cells.
• Formulas created in Excel are discarded; only the values import back into Inventor.
• Save your edits before closing the spreadsheet to not lose your changes.

Making changes to the Content Center data can cause existing parts to become out of date. Use the Refresh Standard Components command to update these parts with the latest Content Center data.

After starting the command, Inventor lists any outdated parts in the dialog. You can update all the parts or selectively choose which ones to refresh. With the refresh complete, Inventor updates the part statuses. Any issues will list in the log.

Publishing your own parts

Use Publish Part to add a part to the Content Center. You can only publish parts; Inventor does not allow you to add assemblies to the content center.

Non-iParts publish as a single-member family. This means when placing the part from the Content Center, only one size will be available for selection.

To publish a component family, convert your part to an iPart first. iParts is one of Inventor’s configuration tools and is used to create families of products controlled by a primary model.  Inventor includes all the iPart rows, which become members in your published Content Center component.

A wizard steps you through the publishing process. Step one of the publishing guide is selecting the library and language. You can only publish to your own read-write libraries. Then select the destination category.

The Category Parameters are dictated by the selected category. The ones requiring mapping are marked with a yellow background. In this example, publishing a new structural part, the length is mandatory. The other parameters are used in stress analysis and other calculations.

Next specify the family key columns. This is what Inventor presents when placing the part. You must set at least one as a key column.

Set the family properties. If the desired Standard Organization, Manufacturer or Standard is not listed you can type it into the field.

Finish the process by reviewing the family thumbnail, changing it if desired. Then select Publish to publish the part. The part is now ready for use.

The Inventor Content Center libraries include thousands of components based on standards. You can set up the libraries for individual use or to share amongst a team. Expand the available content by creating your own libraries with your custom content. The customized content can be copied from a standard library or new user-published parts.