Version 26.4.1.0

Released on December 9th, 2024

Don't forget to use the Feedback command to let us know your thoughts on the new features.

New features in the main T4I app

Number of sheet metal bends in iProperties

We have extended the automatic iProperties with new sheet metal bend count properties. You can use them, for example, to speed up your quotation process for sheet metal parts.

It works similarly to other automatic iProperties. On the Auto iProperties → Sheet metal tab, select the document type (part, assembly) you want to use it for. In assemblies, it provides a summary of all bends across all components, ignoring suppressed or reference components.

Rounding of values in Custom iProperties dialogue windows

If you use a custom iProperties dialogue box (you should!), you might have noticed that some property values - particularly Inventor’s physical or geometric ones - are displayed with all the digits after the decimal point, which isn’t very practical. (iProperties created directly by T4I, for example, Mass or flat pattern dimensions, are not affected by this.)

We’ve now improved that, and you can format the values displayed as you need. Two conditions must be met (for your safety and data consistency 😉): the value must be set to read-only, and the value type format must be set to Number. Only then will a new String format field be activated.

To round the real numbers, you can use different format strings entered into the String format field. Let's illustrate this with an example of formatting the 123,456 real number.

Task
String format field value
Resulting value
Comment

Round to a specified number of digits (e.g. 2 digits)

F2

123,46

F (fixed-point format)

Round to 4 digits and always display the last digit even if it is zero (trailing zeros)

0.0000

123,4560

Also, the leading zero would be displayed in this case

Round to 4 digits and display the last digit only if it is significant (non-zero)

#.####

123,456

Leading zero would not be displayed if the integer part of the number is zero

Round to 2 decimal places, keep leading and trailing zeros, add custom text at the end

0.00 'mm'

123,45 mm

Proceed with caution when adding the custom text (e.g. units) behind the number.

The resulting decimal separator type depends on your locale settings.

Only the values in the iProperties dialog box are modified. The original (source) iProperties values remain unaffected.

There’s a lot more to explore regarding number formatting. Check out the additional information on Microsoft’s Custom numeric format strings and Standard numeric format strings pages.

New features in T4I Labs (included in the main T4I app)

Quick Command Search

We continue searching for ways to improve and speed up your workflows in Inventor. The Quick Command Search tool is a new addition to these efforts.

It will allow you to quickly search for and execute commands right from the location of your cursor in the Inventor window. Moreover, you can pin your favorite commands directly to the search command window!

The tool is not intended to replace workflows using Inventor keyboard shortcuts. Instead, it aims to seamlessly integrate into them and conveniently complement them where shortcuts are not implemented by default or would be unnecessarily complex.

You can find the command on the Be.Smart Labs ribbon, but using it from the ribbon isn't practical. Instead, assign a keyboard shortcut (Alt+X works well) so you can easily launch it whenever needed.

Read more about this tool on a dedicated Quick Command Search help page.

Time Tracker

Have you ever been asked how much time you spent working on a certain assembly or drawing to precise the quotation for your customer? Or are you simply interested in knowing how quickly you can achieve your goals in Inventor? A new Time Tracker tool is here to help you measure the time spent working on your designs.

Running in the background, it will provide you with a CSV report that can be turned into an easy-to-understand summary table or chart for visual evaluation.

The Time Tracker is disabled by default. To activate it, simply go to the T4I Labs Settings, and select True in the TimetrackerActivated field. You can also set the CSV file location or adjust the Idle Time (minutes) during which you can stay inactive without the meter being reset/paused automatically. Restart Inventor for the changes to apply.

We know the designer's job is not just about clicking around in CAD. The data provided by Time Tracker is only indicative and depends on the tool settings, the complexity of the problem being solved, or the style of work in Inventor.

Read more about the Time Tracker on a dedicated Time Tracker help page.

Bug fixes and other improvements

  • We fixed an issue where the sheet metal thickness written as a string in custom iProperties had an invalid precision. You will no longer see 1,5 mm written as 1,5000000002.

  • We’ve made some adjustments to the licensing. This should not affect you in any way.

Known Issues

  • In very rare cases, due to a bug in Autodesk Inventor, the Apply display name command may fail to change the display name for some nodes of the assembly tree. This has been registered in Autodesk as the change request INVGEN - 79037.

  • Sync or Sync2 commands may fail if the instance properties are used and the Merge Instance Rows option in Inventor BOM is disabled.

  • Open PDF file after export in T4I's publishing settings conflicts with the Inventor's PDF option Display Published File in Viewer. If Display Published File in Viewer is checked, it always overrides the settings of the Open PDF file after export. In other words, the published PDF file will always be opened in the default viewer no matter what you set for the Open PDF file after export.

  • Due to changes and updates that GitBook made to the online help structure, automatic Help translations from English to other languages using Google Translator temporarily don't work as expected ("Can't translate this page" error is displayed).

  • Limitations and known issues of Be.Smart T4I Labs' individual features are described in their respective help chapters.

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