Publish designs

Digital prototype data can be published to various formats in Inventor. This data can include parts, assemblies, drawings, in any combination, depending on the file type selected. To publish, use the Save Copy As command and select a file type, or use the various Export commands. Supported file types include:

• 2D and 3D DWF files
• CAD file formats including Parasolid®, Pro/ENGINEER®, and STEP
• 2D PDF files
• Image files including BMP, JPEG, PNG, or TIFF

DWF files are an Autodesk file type that can contain 3D data, 2D data, and bill of materials information. You can view DWF files in Autodesk® Design Review, a free download that contains commands to view, print, and mark up DWF files.

Files published to DWF format

Viewing and sharing data is an important tool when communicating with vendors, customers, and marketing.

Autodesk Digital Prototype data can be published in DWF (.dwf or .dwfx) format and viewed using Autodesk Design Review. You can also view DWFx drawing content natively in Internet Explorer 7.

Note: Only 2D graphics display when viewing DWFx files in Internet Explorer 7.

Anyone can use published DWF files, even if they do not have Autodesk Inventor installed. You can open and view the highly compressed files quickly, and you can share them through email.

Publishing from Autodesk Inventor creates DWF files that maintain design data such as line weights, scale, and mass properties for 2D and 3D files and can be in one file.

When you publish the file, use the Autodesk Design Review to view and print it.

Note: To publish a large file and output a small file size, choose the Express Option and disabling Enable measure in the Publish dialog box. The quality of the resolution of the output file diminishes, but the process is fast. Using the other publishing options (Complete or Custom) can increase the time it takes to create the DWF and also generate a larger file size and improve the visual quality.

Tip: You may not need (or want) to share the full 3D model. Use the 2D Snapshot option in Express mode to publish the current view of an assembly, part, or presentation (*.iam, *.ipt, *.ipn) as a 2D DWF.

Note: The program identifies quality difference only in 3D model publishing. Publishing options do not affect the quality of a 2D drawing. For 3D models, the measurement on the file published using Express mode is less accurate than the measurement on a file published using Custom/Complete mode. In most cases, the quality of publishing result looks almost the same between Express mode and Custom/Complete mode. Edges of 3D model are the only exception.

About Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks guide you through published sheets and their content in the DWF file. The program adds hyperlinks to the sheets to connect them to the associate views, drawings, 3D models, or other data such as parts lists or bills of materials.

For example, a geometry hyperlink on a 2D sheet can link to related views and back, even when on other sheets. Views also can have links right to the 3D model all within the same DWF file.

When you move the cursor in the canvas area and the hyperlink is present, the cursor changes. A tooltip appears showing the destination of a hyperlink connection and instructions for following it. Clicking a hyperlink displays the linked 2D content.

Note: In the viewer, you cannot change the hyperlinks.

In the Views palette of the Design Review, click the Published views item to display the list of views, published title blocks, tables, parts list, and revision tables. Click to display the item in the canvas area of the viewer.

Objects containing hyperlinks:

• drawing views - section geometry views, auxiliary view geometry to the appropriate views. View labels contain links back to the parent view. Includes links across sheets.
• Drawing tables - hole tables, parts lists, revision tables.
  Published tables contain links to appropriate objects. Hole tables are linked to the hole tags, parts lists are linked to the balloon callouts, and review tables are linked to the revision callouts.
• The Bill of Materials cross-highlights the components in the viewers canvas.
• Revision tables - Autodesk Inventor provides a link from the revision table to the revision tag that helps you to find the change described in the table. Click the Revision History item in the Views palette of the Design Review to display the revision table. Click the revision tag to navigate back to the revision tables.

Posted in: inventor 2014, publish design, tutorial cad