So we have setup the link between AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor, our schematic has been drawn up and our 3D components have been modelled. Now, what We need to get our wiring that was created in AutoCAD Electrical into Inventor. We are able to do this through an XML file. In AutoCAD Electrical select the import/export tab. On the export, panel select the Inventor button.
The Autodesk Inventor Professional Export dialog box opens up. With this, you have the ability to export the wiring for either the entire project or the active drawing.
In Inventor you will create a harness with sections that will house the wires that you are importing from AutoCAD Electrical. Please be aware that for the wires to run from the correct components and pins you need to make sure that the naming convention in AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor is the same.
The next steps in this process is to link components from Inventor to AutoCAD Electrical. There are 2 ways to do this. You can insert from the catalog database in both Inventor and AutoCAD Electrical or you can model the component up in Inventor and afterward link it to a symbol that was inserted into AutoCAD Electrical from the Catalog database.
The Electrical Catalog Browser in Inventor allows you to search the database that is present in AutoCAD Electrical.
Once you have inserted the 3D component into Inventor you can constrain it into position as per normal. In AutoCAD Electrical you will insert the same component in from the Icon Menu. Once this is done you will see a green link symbol.
If you have created the component in Inventor you can link that component to an Electrical component in the database. This is accomplished by right-clicking on the symbol in the Location View and clicking on Assign to Existing in Assembly.
