This is called a " Project File." A project file created in say Autodesk Inventor 2012 cannot be opened by any previous version of Autodesk Inventor say Autodesk Inventor 2010. So our hypothetical project might be saved in your file system (or hard disk) as Gas Cooker Design.ipj. If your designs require image or spreadsheet files, you could also store them in sub-directories of the project directory.Ī project definition is stored in a file whose file extension is ".ipj". It is also advisable create sub-directories for parts, assembly, drawing, and presentation files in your project directory.
You would set up a new project that is probably called "Gas Cooker Design." You would assign the project location to a sub-directory of your "My Documents" directory called "Gas Cooker Design." (As you would see soon, Inventor helps you create directory with the same name as the project.) This way, all files generated during the design phase are stored in this "Gas Cooker Design" directory.
Project file information is used to locate referenced files."Īs an example, you might have been given a contract to design or re-design a gas cooker unit. This organization is easily done through the concept of "Projects."Ī project is simply a group of settings that "defines the locations of all files associated with a project, including where design data are stored, where you edit files, how many versions of the file are retained when you save a file, Content Center configuration settings, and the project type. For Inventor to able able to easily locate or reference files, related files must be properly organized and linked together. TOPIC: CREATING AND MANAGING PROJECTS AND PROJECT FILES IN AUTODESK INVENTOR® INTRODUCTIONĪs a digital prototyping application, Autodesk Inventor is, quite often, used for large-scale designs that might involve hundreds of separate design files including part, assembly, presentation, and drawing files.