Autodesk Inventor LT Technology Preview (build #254.03)
April 06, 2007

Release Notes - Readme file Autodesk, Inc. This file contains information that became available prior to releasing Autodesk Inventor LT Technology Preview or that you will find useful while using Autodesk Inventor LT. If you experience problems not covered in this Readme, please give us your feedback using the e-mail provided on the Inventor LT website on Autodesk Labs.

 

DISCLAIMER:

Files created with or files saved using a Beta version of Autodesk Inventor are not guaranteed to migrate to:

• The release version of Autodesk Inventor LT Technology Preview.
• Any of the subsequent releases.

• INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS
   
• GENERAL NOTES
   
• KNOWN ISSUES
• Drawing Manager
• DWG/DWF
• DWG True Connect
• Graphics
• iProperties
• Multi-Sheet Plot
• Part Modeling
• Studio
• Task Scheduler
• Translator
• User Interface


• LEGAL NOTICE

INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS

• Inventor LT does not support Network Deployments or Network Licensing.
• Autodesk Inventor LT Technology Preview is an English-only release.
• Installation notes:
• Ensure that there are no virus protection programs running during install. Use the default folder location, namely Program Files.
• Inventor LT does not support side-by-side installation with Autodesk Inventor 2008. Before installing Inventor LT, make sure Inventor 2008 is not installed on the system.
• We do not support running Autodesk Inventor LT from a server or virtual system because:
• Running multiple Inventor LT instances on a server for multiple users violates our license agreement.
• The Installer does not recognize or support server operating systems.
• Inventor LT is designed to take 100% of the CPU resources to give the user the best graphics performance. A server cannot allow this to happen.
• Inventor LT depends on the graphics hardware to GREATLY increase its performance. Servers typically have hardware that does not have any acceleration which results in poor performance.
1. The vendors do not build Direct 3D drivers that support multiple applications. For example, a Direct 3D screen saver takes all the machine cycles away from Inventor LT trying to run in the background causing it to freeze until the screen saver is stopped.
2. The graphics database in Inventor LT only recognizes supported workstation operating systems. Most likely, we will run in software emulating mode on any server.
• The variation of a virtual operating system has the same graphics issues.
1.  It does not have any real hardware. We detect this and change to software emulation mode.
2. Each virtual system requires its own license.

GENERAL NOTES

• CER stands for "Customer Error Report."
• Ensure that the computer is using a certified graphics card and driver combination. To access information on Graphics Card Certifications go to Autodesk Inventor LT Technology Preview Graphics Cards
• Document window title
• Autodesk Inventor LT Technology Preview follows the setting "Hide Extension for known file types" in Windows Explorer like Word/Excel.
• Styles
  How to migrate the Style Library:
  1) Back up the Style Library folder (Design Data folder).
  2) Start the Style Library Manager.
  3) Navigate to the target Style Library folder.
  4) Click [Migrate].
  After migration, make sure the styles defined in the library and in the templates are in-sync.
• Some Inventor LT utility programs, such as Task Scheduler, require Inventor software libraries to be preloaded. You can preload the libraries by running and exiting Inventor LT prior to running a utility program. This process is generally needed only one time after each computer restart. Subsequent use of the utility programs reuses the cached libraries loaded earlier in the Windows session.
• Pack and Go
• When supported Inventor LT files (e.g., .ipt and .idw) are packed, all the associated reference files are identified and packed, to include unsupported files (e.g., .iam and .ipn).
• Project File
• The project file (.ipj) and the concept of project are not supported.
• If you have multiple releases of Inventor installed, be sure to run and exit the Inventor release that matches the version number of the utility program you want to run. Running and exiting a specific release of Inventor sets a value in the Windows registry so the utility programs can detect which installation is active.
• Windows Update
• WindowsXP-KB922616-x86-ENU.exe is needed to display the Tutorials correctly in Windows XP.
• Windows XP Themes
• Microsoft Windows XP provides new themes or visual styles. In Windows XP, you can define the visual style or appearance of controls and windows from simple colors to textures and shapes. Inventor has taken advantage of this and visual themes are enabled by default for the Inventor application.
  Note: To disable XP themes for Inventor LT, access the Properties dialog box through Windows Explorer. Go to Program Files > Autodesk > Inventor LT Technology Preview > Bin folder > Inventor.exe, Right-click, select Properties, and then click the Compatibility tab. Click the disable visual themes check box, and then click OK.

KNOWN ISSUES

    Drawing Manager

• Slice views may have missing/leaking hatches.
• Hatching on isometric cut views will be OFF by default.
• Cannot edit a model sketch that is used as a section view cut line.
• Creation of cut views on bad bodies is now possible. A warning dialog box displays in such cases.
• Revision tags overridden with a sketched symbol shape, may display a gap caused by the rectangular cropping of the landing line.
• Revision tables do not currently support iProperty Sheet Property expressions "=<Sheet Number>" and "=<Sheet Size>".
• Right-click "Back" option in create Revision tag context menu does not work as leader Text does. Revision tags become leaderless and the preview of the Rev tag is incorrect.
• When two revision table types (Entire Drawing and Active Sheet) are created on the same sheet, revision tag forward creation defaults to the latest created type.
• Data inserted into a revision table through the iProperties button (or Drawing Properties dialog box) does not display as blue static overrides.
• Physical properties values in Drawing Manager Text show "N/A" in instances where the model values may not be up-to-date. This includes, but is not limited to migrated parts and recently edited models. To manually update the model physical properties go to the model iProperties > Physical [Tab] and select Update.
• To ensure Physical Properties stay up-to-date, select Tools > Application Options > General [Tab] > Physical Properties [Heading] > Update Physical Properties on Save.
• Retrieving Physical Properties data for factory-models (iPart) requires the "Update Physical Properties on Save" Application Option to be enabled. When that option is enabled, the elaborated member file has its physical properties up-to-date.

     DWG/DWF

• Opening an AutoCAD DWG that contains viewports and save copy as to AutoCAD DWG into Model space may cause visual differences compared to the original DWG.
• DWG translation when using a 32 bit Inventor on a x64 bit OS may cause problems since only a 64 bit AutoCAD version can be installed.
• Areas that are not supported when you have an Inventor 32 installed on an x64 OS are: Preview using OEM viewer in DWG translation, save copy as from Inventor idw files to AutoCAD Mechanical 2007.

     DWG True Connect

• Hatches in a view block may not always update correctly when the cut view is changed.
• Multi-line attributes in a block may not be correctly available for edit in Inventor LT.
• Standard.idw or a Standard.dwg is required in the templates folder to open an AutoCAD DWG in Inventor LT.

    Graphics

• DirectX 9
• If a driver is WHQL certified by Microsoft, it is also be considered certified by Autodesk (Green), unless it has a lesser certification from our Web site.
• Microsoft specifies a "modern" card for Direct 3D. If you have any doubt, check this Web site or the vendor¡¯s Web site.

• OpenGL
• Inventor LT doesn¡¯t support OpenGL.

     iProperties

• Density is now always shown in g/cm^3 in the iProperties > Physical tab.

    Multi-Sheet Plot

• A slight delay might be experienced while compositing Inventor DWG's using Multi Sheet Plot, if Autodesk Design Review had been run prior to running Multi Sheet Plot.

    Part Modeling

• 2D Sketches
  Referenced splines cannot participate in the Mirror command in Inventor LT. During execution of the Mirror command referenced splines will not be selectable. Referenced splines can result from the Project Geometry or Project Cut Edges command or where a sketch plane is created on a surface of a part that was created from a spline extrusion. For example, the projected spline entity cannot be mirrored. Please note however that the original spline entity can be mirrored.
  Sketch image does not get update notification whenever source is modified. User has to select update on the image by editing sketch to get the updates.
   
• 3D Sketches
  To create tapered variable-pitch 3D Helix, place one Helical curve with a pitch in one 3D sketch and place another helical curve with different pitch in another 3D Sketch, so they will solve properly.
   
• Derive
  
• Consumed derived sketches can no longer be excluded from the derived dialog.
• A derived part can¡¯t be opened if it references an assembly. However, if the reference link between the files is broken, then the derived part can be opened.
• Part Converted from Sheet Metal
  
• Sheet metal features can¡¯t be edited, but the delete, suppress and unsuppress commands are valid.
• Files referencing sheet metal flat pattern is not supported.
• iFeature
  Sheet Metal Punch iFeature cannot be edited by Autodesk Inventor LT. These files may only be viewed or placed within another part using Autodesk Inventor LT.

    Studio

• Rendering results may appear different than interactive view if the camera point of view is very close to a surface. If this occurs, move the camera away from the surface until the condition is resolved.
• Undesirable artifacts may appear when rendering soft shadows with a point light. To remedy the situation, considering using a soft shadow casting spotlight instead and set shadow quality to the highest setting.

    Task Scheduler

• Task Scheduler can only process files which can be opened by LT. And the unsupported files will be failed with notification ¡°File failed to open¡± in the log file and we recommend you to verify it manually in LT to get the failing reason.
• IGES files containing assembly data can¡¯t be imported when using the ¡®Import Files¡¯ function in Task Scheduler.
• Users migrating data on Windows Vista (any flavor) should note that after the first start of the machine, if Task Scheduler is run, the task manager may hang resulting in the task not being completed. If this situation is encountered, the task must be re-started.

    Translator

• IGES/SAT files containing assembly data can be imported, but the imported file can¡¯t be opened.
• SAT files containing both solid and surface data can¡¯t be opened.

   User Interface

• Default Inventor LT Keyboard Shortcuts and Command Aliases are different from previous releases. For example,
  a) Some of the default Shift + [ ] shortcuts may be mapped as Ctrl + Shift + [].
  b) Typing a command Alias doesn't cancel the invalid input, thus hitting [W] followed by [S] doesn't execute "2D sketch" command in Part environment.
• On some dialog boxes, text is cut off, when a non-standard DPI setting (different from 96) is chosen. Some command buttons near the bottom of command panel may not be shown according to the DPI setting.
• Online Collaboration (Meet Now) is removed from the product. You may need to launch Net Meeting manually by typing "conf" in the command line on Windows 2000/XP, or use Windows Meeting Space on Vista.
• The Open dialog box is resizable and now supports the selection of multiple Inventor files. But avoid opening too many files simultaneity.
• Initial dialog position, size, and view type are persistent within an Inventor LT session on Windows 2000 / XP
• The pin icon in roll-up dialogs has been changed to the Auto-hide command and is now located in the context menu of each dialog's title bar
• To enable "multi-character Command Aliases" by default, check this option in the menu Tools > Customize > [Keyboard] tab
• Vertical spacing between command icons on the command panel may be bigger, because of Visual Themes support. You can disable Visual Style by locating Inventor.exe under \bin folder.
  Then use the Properties context menu and check the option ¡°Disable visual themes¡± in the Compatibility tab.

LEGAL NOTICE

• Autodesk, Autodesk Inventor, DWG, Inventor, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical, and Mechanical Desktop are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. WINDOWS 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Respectfully,
The Autodesk Inventor LT Product Team.