Features

• BUILT ON AUTODESK INVENTOR
  Woodwork for Inventor is based on Autodesk’s manufacturing design 3D CAD application – Inventor Professional. Inventor Professional is 3D parametric design software, created specifically for the manufacturing market, and allows manufacturers to create geometry parts, assemblies, and drawings along with the associated data needed for Parts lists and CNC. ‘Parametric’ design simply means that the design intent can be imbedded into 3D CAD models and as a woodwork plugin for inventor, specialised woodwork industry design functionality is directly available within the Inventor application making Woodwork for Inventor probably the best software for Cabinet Makers, Furniture Designers or anyone doing modern design in wood.Manufacturers can make changes into their woodwork designs by changing the value of a Parameter and they can build in the design intent to make changes predictable. For example, by building a cabinet around parameters call ‘Overall Width’, ‘Overall Height’ and ‘Overall Depth’, they can quickly change the size of an entire design, just by typing in a new value.3D model is the ‘single source of truth’. All data are views of the 3D model. Any changes to the 3D model update in all related views, meaning that the drawings and data will always be consistent. This can significantly reduce errors on the shop floor. Inventor Professional includes additional tools for rendering, simulation, and stress analysis. Manufacturers can use the 3D model as a complete ‘Digital Prototype’ of design to ensure that all requirements have been meet before manufacturing even starts. Inventor Professional has a full set of tools for delivering Building Information Modelling (BIM) models and data for your construction projects.

• DEDICATED WOODWORK HARDWARE LIBRARY
  Woodwork for Inventor comes with an extensive library of knock down fittings, connectors and fixings, including Confirmat, Minifix, dowels and screws. Each fitting contains its own cutting data. After placing fixings from the Woodwork for Inventor library, holes can be generated for each fixing automatically. The holes are generated in both components at the same time and are co-ordinated by the fixing component itself. You can simply move the fitting and re-generate the holes. Each part can now be assessed by Woodwork for Inventor’s CNC module to create tool paths for CNC machine. The same technology can be used to add standard woodworking joints such as mortice and tenon, or grooved housings by relating joints across parts. It also allows the matching features to be easily updated – reducing fit errors in the workshop.The Woodwork for Inventor library includes approximately 150 fixings and fittings, representing over 200 hours of modelling time that you won’t have to invest in before you start using Woodwork for Inventor. The fitting and fixings library contains:- Gas stays
  – Concealed hinges
  – Minifix
  – Dowel
  – Screw
  – Confirmat
  – Stays
  – Handles, feet & Shelf pegs.You can add your own components to the Woodwork for Inventor library or download 3D models of components from your supplier’s website and include your own cutting information and data for inclusion in your Woodwork for Inventor library.

• DEDICATED WOODWORK MATERIAL LIBRARY
  Woodwork for Inventor comes with an extensive materials Library for the woodworking trades. The Woodwork for Inventor materials include information such as ‘A’ Side, Grain direction, Trimming allowance and Coating. This allows you to add information to your Autodesk Inventor Part Models, without having to physically model facings, edgings, and coatings in 3D. The material information can be extracted using the Woodwork for Inventor ‘Bill Of Materials’ (BOM) editor, which can be used for creating cut list data for core boards, facings and edge banding, along with total quantities of materials required for procurement. You can add your own materials to the Woodwork for Inventor library, including complex laminated composite boards.

• AUTOMATIC CNC TOOLPATH GENERATION
  The challenge for many woodworkers is the creation of CNC tool paths such as drilling and milling for multiple simple components. Although each individual component is simple, there are many components in a typical cabinet, and each must be programmed for CNC individually. This can make CNC programming a real bottleneck to getting your parts into your workshop for finishing and assembly. Woodwork for Inventor has an optional CAM module, which supports feature recognition and machine operation matching, to allow automated generation of tool paths for export to your CNC machine. At the click of a button, Woodwork for Inventor will automatically cycle through all the parts in your design, recognising features and generating the G-Code for output to your CNC machine. Woodwork for Inventor supports post-processors for the following systems:- Hops (.hop)
  – BiesseWorks (.cix)
  – WoodWOP (.mpr)
  – AlphaCAM (.dxf)
  – CNI Informatica (.cni)
  – AutoCAD (.dxf)
  – TpaCAD (.tcn)
  – EdiCAD (.tcn)
  – IMAwop (.fmc)
  – MasterWood (.tlf)
  – TwinCAM (.dxf)

• EXPORT TO SHEET OPTIMISATION
  Woodwork for Inventor helps calculate the minimum number of sheets of material such as MDF, Plywood or Laminate by exporting the panel data to sheet optimisation software. Woodwork for Inventor supports the export of BOM (Cutting ticket) data such as size, location and grain direction to Excel, ready for import into panel optimisation software such as Cut Rite. The panel optimisation software then works out the best way to arrange the components to get the best yield from the sheet. The optimisation software can also generate sticky labels from the Woodworks for Inventor Part numbering tool. These can be printed and applied by your CNC beam saw to help with component tracking through your production facility.

• INTEGRATION WITH ERP
  Woodwork for Inventor’s Bill of materials (BOM) manager can produce all the reports you need and export them to Excel format. Typical reports may include a parts or materials list for procurement, a cutting list for the beam saw, or a list of components to be cut on the CNC machine. The part numbering tool in the Woodwork for Inventor BOM manager can be used to generate unique part numbers for every purchased or fabricated part in your design, allowing the whole list to be imported into your ERP, MRP or PLM application. In addition, the Woodwork for Inventor API (Application programming Interface) allows you to programmatically automate the extraction of data from the Inventor model to be ‘pushed’ seamlessly into your manufacturing management database.

• INTEGRATION WITH DATA MANAGEMENT
  Woodwork for Inventor is fully integrated with Autodesk Vault, the data management application for Autodesk Inventor.Vault can be used to maintain your design audit trail, manage 2D and 3D CAD data, copy CAD designs and manage your design through the approval, production, installation and maintenance lifecycle. Vault allows you to manage access to the design data, by setting permissions per user. Vault can optionally use a web interface to allow access to design data while with a client, or on site during installation. Vault has integrated 2D and 3D CAD file view, and measuring tools allowing all members of your team access to the design data they require, without having to train non CAD users to use CAD tools.

CAD Software for Woodworking

The introduction of CAD and CAM has allowed Furniture Designers, Cabinet makers and Joiners to decrease their time to market for bespoke furniture designs. This has allowed manufacturers in the woodworking trades to increase their business value by broaching a new market. Instead of simply manufacturing a standard product line, a bespoke design service can be offered.

Design becomes the service customers are paying for. Manufacturing the end product becomes a given.

The introduction of 3D furniture design software has raised the bar. Now our customers have got used to the speed and flexibility of our design development process. Our customers’ expectations have increased. They want even more flexibility, and they don’t want to wait for their designs!

Woodwork for Inventor addresses these problems by building functionality directly on top of Autodesk Inventor’s parametric design engine allowing manufacturers add data to 3D CAD designs in an intuitive fashion, without losing the flexibility to change the design as our customer’s needs are revealed.

Woodwork for Inventor supports the automated production of downstream manufacturing information. Woodwork for Inventor includes an extensive library of fixings and materials required by the woodworking trades, along with automation tools for Cutting Ticket Creation and CNC toolpaths.