Application Programming Interface (API)

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Woodwork for Inventor provides an extensive set of tools that allow you to manipulate the properties of furniture products during design and extract the information to start the furniture manufacturing process. The set of features of this system covers most of the needs of furniture design. It is true that there is a wide variety of furniture businesses in the world that dictate their own working logic in the construction of furniture and there are various ways to automate the construction processes and make them more efficient. An example of such an application would be the configuration of a piece of furniture, where it is possible to manipulate not only the dimensions of the product and its composition, but also the materials used in Woodwork for Inventor. This is done through programming of add-ons, which makes it possible to create additional software functions that make the designer’s work easier and more automated.

 

Autodesk Inventor has its own Application Programming Interface (API) ecosystem, which allows the functionality of this CAD system to be extended. Woodwork for Inventor is an example of such an extension. It is exclusively built on the Autodesk Inventor API.

 

Woodwork for Inventor provides a whole range of APIs that allow you to create add-ons to cover the needs of one functionality or another.

 

Currently, the Woodwork for Inventor API allows creating add-ons for:

1.Woodwork for Inventor material assignment, texture and oversize management. Supports programming in C#, VBA and iLogic.

2.Inserting and updating iBox components when the Skeleton changes shape. Supports programming in C#, VBA and iLogic.

3.Processing and forwarding specification information to API functions in other applications. Supports programming in C#.

4.Managing the copying and renaming of assemblies. Supports programming in C#.

 

What do I need to know to develop my own add-ons for the above areas?

1.You need to be proficient in the part of Autodesk Inventor that deals with part and assembly modeling.

2.You need to have mastered the Woodwork for Inventor application itself.

3.In general, you must have a basic understanding of programming and how to work with objects and collections of objects.

4.A good understanding of how the Autodesk Inventor API works is required.

5.You have to be familiar with the API objects and their functions in the area for which the add-on is being developed.

 

The sections below describe each of the APIs in the area:

API for material handling

iBox insertion API

BOM generator API

Renaming Schemes API