Inventor Import for AutoCAD Released

Today we released Inventor Import for AutoCAD, a product that we have been working on for some time and which I mentioned in my earlier post titled “How To Open Inventor Part and Assembly Files In AutoCAD?“. In short, this plug-in gives AutoCAD the ability to read Inventor part (IPT) and assembly (IAM) files without the user needing to have access to Inventor. The press release is available here.

At the recent Autodesk DevDays event I attended in Bangalore I asked Jim Quanci, Autodesk’s ADN Director, why AutoCAD had dismal data exchange capabilities. I pointed out that Autodesk’s Import command lets a user import WMF, DGN, 3DS and SAT and nothing else. I found it odd that AutoCAD could read antiquated 3DS files but not MAX, the native file format of 3ds Max. Same goes for native file formats of other Autodesk products like Revit, Maya, etc. Jim’s reply was not very convincing. But I liked the part where he said, “That’s why we have partners like you“.

On a related note, a while ago, an anonymous commenter asked me why I was “pushing” my software products on this blog. He was of the opinion that since I was a member of the press I should restrict myself to talking about general topics covering the industry and write like an independent blogger.

Actually, I found the comment quite amusing. First off, there is no way that I can have partnerships with all these CAD vendors and remain completely independent. I just know that I am not too close to any single CAD vendor. And that’s good enough for me to speak my mind whenever and however I feel like.

Secondly, this blog is a place where I write my thoughts on the CAD software industry, my company’s partnerships with CAD vendors, my products and services and just about any damn thing that’s on my mind at that particular point in time. It is not my fault that people have started treating me as press, let alone independent press. I don’t even have a publication, an ezine, a newsletter. Nothing.

I call things as I see them. At times it may seem as if I am marketing someone else’s or my own products and technologies. At times it may seem as if I am bringing up an issue that needs to be discussed. So be it. If that is what is on my mind on that day and if I find the time I will write about it.

Bottom line, I will write whatever the hell pleases me on this blog. The blog is mine, after all. 😉