Autodesk Previews Change Manager for Inventor Fusion

Autodesk peeled back another layer of detail about its new Inventor Fusion technology, specifically showcasing a new change manager function that unites direct and parametric modeling workflows within a single digital CAD model. The second preview, available now on Autodesk Labs, provides a first look at technology, which gives users the freedom to choose the best modeling approach for their particular task and move back and forth as necessary.

As Kevin Schneider, Autodesk product manager, explains it, the change manager function lets users edit a model in Inventor Fusion and then move it into Inventor, where the model is automatically updated if the user decides to accept the changes. Unlike other solutions, which Schneider says deliver direct modeling capabilities by adding features at the bottom of the history tree, Autodesk’s approach won’t inject inaccuracies into the CAD model, Rather, he says users will be presented with the changes made to the original parametric features and they can choose to accept or deny them as they see fit. Schneider says Autodesk is going with this approach because of feedback it heard directly from customers. “We clearly heard customers say we need changes made in a history-free way to be seamlessly represented in the model’s parametric history,” he explains.

As part of the Inventor Fusion technology preview, Autodesk also debuted a new, moderated Wiki Help site, where users can collaborate, troubleshoot problems and share ideas and references materials. The Inventor Fusion technology preview executable expires on June 1, 2010.