The release of Autodesk’s 2016 Product line provided Inventor® 2016 users with many enhancements to the communication and interoperability tools. The enhancements included associative AutoCAD file workflows, file translator updates and the ANYCAD associative connections for non-Inventor model files. Another enhancement is the electromechanical project, which allows for a link to be created between a specified Inventor Project and specified AutoCAD Electrical Project. When this link is created the projects become associative, meaning that design changes in one product are updated through a sync process to the other product.
The Process to link the projects involves 2 steps:
- In either product, create a link file and point to the project for that product.
- In the other product, complete the link by browsing to the previously created link file and pointing to a project in that product.
Inventor Professional 2016 and AutoCAD Electrical 2016 each have a new Electromechanical tab in the ribbon.
Inventor Electromechanical Tab
AutoCAD Electrical Electromechanical Tab
The Set-up box from Inventor
The process begins by clicking the Create Electromechanical file button 
.
Then enter a file name for the .emx link file and select a share folder.
Finally in the set-up box, give priority to AutoCAD Electrical or Autodesk Inventor for syncing conflicts.
Completing the link only requires opening the same tool in the other product and browsing to the Link file created in the first step.
Another collaboration tool is The Electrical Catalog Browser for Inventor.
This tool allows users to insert 3D parts by selecting a catalog value from the AutoCAD Electrical database. The utility includes the Catalog Browser interface, the link to the AutoCAD Electrical database, and a sample set of 3D electrical parts. The default location for the sample parts is C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor Electrical Library 2016. This path can be included in a library path in the inventor project. As users download parts from vendors, or create their own parts, they can be associated to a specific catalog value using the Electrical Catalog Browser.
For more information on the Electromechanical communication tool please see:
http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2016/ENU/?guid=GUID-5CB58EF9-C3FE-4FCB-9E94-FF1B2C68EC25
For More information on the Inventor Electrical Catalog Browser please see:
http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2016/ENU/?guid=GUID-74F098FB-267C-4F5E-8740-3A283C245D0E
Submitted by Kevin Bosch, Manufacturing Solutions Engineer, Hagerman & Company, Inc.
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