Installing & Migrating to Woodwork for Inventor V9

If you are installing a shiny new copy of Inventor 2019 with Woodwork for Inventor for the first time then you do not need to follow these steps.

Already using Woodwork for Inventor then read on…

Woodwork for Inventor v9 now uses the JSON database platform instead of the Microsoft SQL Compact Edition and the developers have built in some migration tools to help automate the transition. There are various benefits for this change and I talk about them in my What’s new in Woodwork for Inventor v9 blog post.

As with any system upgrade, two things to consider here. Are you migrating to W4I v9 from W4I v8 on the same version of Inventor 2018? or are you jumping straight to Inventor 2019 with v9?  The following will give you some guidance but always make a backup of your data before doing anything.

Make a copy of C:\Users\Public\Documents\Woodwork for Inventor and your project CAD data files.

Installing W4I v9 from W4I v8 Inventor 2018 – Auto Migration

Download your Installation executable Woodwork_for_Inventor_v9.0_2018.exe from your account and obtain your new v9 serial number.

Run the installer with Admin Rights.

Follow the prompts and W4I will auto migrate your settings.

Finally your materials & and routers will be migrated into the new JSON platform database.

Activate online by entering your new serial number. Each major release gets a new serial number. Enter your email and give your PC a name so that it can be identified should you wish to release the licence to transfer to another machine in the future. Simply submit your request.

You can shutdown Inventor and restart  your licence should now be active.

If it’s not yet active, and you try and request you will receive the following message.

Installing W4I v9 with Inventor 2019 – Will be seen as a new Installation and will require Manual Migration.

Navigate to C:\Program Files\Woodwork for Inventor 2019 v9\DataMigrator.exe and run the Data Migrator tool. Map your previous installation settings, routers and materials. This folder could also be an earlier version, for example v7.

Once migrated, you should be ready to go. Other files that may need to be copied to complete the process would be:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Woodwork for Inventor\2018\W4INV Material Library.adsklib or your custom named library

to C:\Users\Public\Documents\Woodwork for Inventor\2019\W4INV Material Library.adsklib

You should now be able to start using Woodwork for Inventor v9.

What’s New Woodwork for Inventor v9

This new version of Woodwork for Inventor v9 (available for Inventor 2017, 2018, & 2019) building on the foundation of v8, this release refines what is already a proven platform for anyone looking to improve their design to manufacture process.

It’s been just over two weeks since the launch of v9 (Officially 2nd May 2018, 13:00 GMT) and thought it was about time I’d share with you my thoughts on this new release.  V8 saw some real power functions added to the software. In this v9 release, it’s all about refinement and making a good product great!

The developers have focused on 10 key areas:

Summary of What’s New & Enhanced

1. NEW – Material Replacement
2. Enhanced – Edge Banding in BOM
3. NEW – BOM Keywords
4. NEW – Keyword Constructor
5. Enhanced – CAM Module
6. Enhanced – Pocketing Algorithm
7. NEW – G-CODE Post Processor
8. NEW– JSON Platform
9. NEW – Databases Merged
10. NEW –  Assembly Copier

1. Material Replacement

With previous versions we could access the replace material command from within the BOM Specification environment and replace the material codes and names.

Previous access to Replace Materials in V8

Now it sits alone in the ribbon as a standalone tool and can replace the material or material colour. Simply select via database or the materials in the current model.

New Material & Colour Tool in v9

Quickly configure material & colour options across an entire design

Watch an overview Video

Additionally, it can be used in Bill of Material (BOM) environment, as in the previous version. Simply select the material icon or if you wish to configure a different hardware setup choose the hardware icon.

 

The model is updated as well as the drawing bundle and any BOM specification generated.

2. Edge Banding in BOM

The user has much more options to specify the edge band legend (visualisation) in the BOM generated for the item. Now the user can request not only for the visualisation of the edge bands placed directly on the component’s edge that borders with the surrounding box, but also the edge bands that border with the edge of a surrounding box. The bordering type can also be generated: Coincident, Tangent, and Point. This makes it easier for the user to navigate the Bill of Material (BOM).

3. BOM Keywords

New keywords for Bill of Material (BOM) have been entered. It define the part’s shape and its coating. Now the user will be able to see whether the part is rectangular and if it contains holes, edge banding, etc. in Bill of Material (BOM) Specification.

4. Keyword Constructor

A new keyword prompter called Keyword constructor has been implemented.

While editing the Excel BOM or drawing templates, the user has an option to use keyword constructor which allows for generating the necessary keyword eliminating syntax errors.

These keyword strings can be copied to the clipboard and pasted into the location within the template. It reduces the time required to adjust template forms.

5. CAM Module

The automatic functioning of CAM module has been improved. Now different setting options can be configured for several CNC machines with one post-processor.

6. Pocketing Algorithm

The pocketing algorithm has been corrected in the CAM module. A correction has been made to the calculation when milling an open pocket edge.

7. G-code Post Processor

New G-Code post processor has been created. Although this post had a sneek preview in W4I v8 if you were looking in the right place.

8. JSON Platform

The Woodwork for Inventor database has been migrated to the JSON platform.  Now the data service does not require the SQL compact driver.

Performance over a shared network and database locking for editing are just two great reasons this has been implemented. It’s fast….

9. Databases Merged

Woodwork for Inventor materials, CNC machine database, and CAM behaviour settings are merged into a single database which helps facilitate certain interaction issues between Woodwork for Inventor materials and CNC machines. Also, it increases the overall operational reliability of the system.

10. Assembly Copier

The Assembly Copier function has been re-written for Woodwork for Inventor v9. Various linked files can be included in the list of copied items. Therefore, various MS Excel image-type linked files become items that can now be copied. This gives the user much more flexibility in adjusting the behaviour of the Assembly Copier.

Overall, we are now able to utilise the power of Inventor 2019 and this release seems to bark refinement & speed. Well done Woodwork for Inventor Team!