Inventor 2009 vs. 2010

[Nathan]

I have the option to use Autodesk Inventor Professional 2009, or 2010. Which edition do you guys prefer?

I've been using the 2009 version for just a week or two, I'm very new to Inventor. So changing to the 2010 version isn't a big deal if it's worth it. I'm not sure I'll like the ribbon interface though, I hate the new UI in Microsoft Office.

So what do you guys think?

[Allison]

I use the Inventor Suite (Inventor and AutoCad) at work and we are on subscription so we get upgraded every time there is a new version.

If you are very anti ribbon there is an option to return to the layout of 2009. I was unsure about this at first but when you get used to where everything is located I find it easier to use, this could be due to my usage of a rather small monitor for CADing (not having to always be scrolling to find commands saves me time). A lot of this is preference, none of our engineers have inventor set up the exact same way, the more you use it the more you will customize it to your exact needs.

The content center has been expanded and sheet metal gets better with every new release.

The new plastic tools look nifty but I haven't gotten a chance to play with them seeing at I work mostly with metal though I'm sure I will enjoy working with it when we make parts on our FDM machine next year during build season. There are a few other new features like shrinkwrap that should come in handy for robotics but I have no use for with my job.

In short if the only thing hold back from upgrading is the ribbon UI you can always switch to classic. Especially if you plan on trying to design sheet metal parts I would upgrade.

Just my opinion of course.

Allison

[Molten]

I still have to go with the Inventor from 2006. That was the last one that didn't crash the school computers.

[R.C.]

As a Solidworks user since 2006, I loved it when Solidworks went to the ribbon type format. It makes it easier to get parts and I like the workflow Solidworks has with the new layout.

I have tried using Inventor but have found myself scrolling and scrolling to find features and other stuff (can't remember exactly what I was doing). The new Inventor resembles Solidworks so I personally like it. Also it makes for sense to me where to find the tools I need.

-RC

[Nathan]

Allison, very interesting. I didn't know you could revert back to the old interface. With that in mind, I don't really see any downsides to using the 2010 version. And who knows, maybe I'll end up loving the new interface once I get to know it

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Nathan

Allison, very interesting. I didn't know you could revert back to the old interface. With that in mind, I don't really see any downsides to using the 2010 version. And who knows, maybe I'll end up loving the new interface once I get to know it

I don't use Inventor (I'm a Solidworks guy), but 2010 will have the disadvantage of bugs, at least until a service pack or two comes out.

I always stay one revision behind what is current, or sometimes more for that reason.

[Molten]

Originally Posted by Cory

I don't use Inventor (I'm a Solidworks guy), but 2010 will have the disadvantage of bugs, at least until a service pack or two comes out.

I always stay one revision behind what is current, or sometimes more for that reason.

True, also consider that every new version has additional features that generally increases stress on your system. If you aren't going to use these features, you are probably better off without them. Even if your computer can handle these features, it will still slow things down. I have to agree with Cory on this one. I'd go with the 2009 version. And yes, I have experience with Inventor.(started with it in 2004 and have tried about 4 different versions since)

[Nathan]

So I've installed the 2010 version of Inventor. One thing that I'm noticing is that when I switch between open files (using ctrl + tab) there's a delay, and the view pane kind of flickers. This did not happen with the 2009 version at all, switching was instantaneous and flicker-free. I don't think it's because of lack of resources on my computer either. I have an excellent graphics card, and when switching the processor is barely being used (according to the task manager icon in the system tray) and I have over a GB of memory not being used.

Anyone else had this annoying problem?

[R.C.]

Originally Posted by Nathan

So I've installed the 2010 version of Inventor. One thing that I'm noticing is that when I switch between open files (using ctrl + tab) there's a delay, and the view pane kind of flickers. This did not happen with the 2009 version at all, switching was instantaneous and flicker-free. I don't think it's because of lack of resources on my computer either. I have an excellent graphics card, and when switching the processor is barely being used (according to the task manager icon in the system tray) and I have over a GB of memory not being used.

Anyone else had this annoying problem?

As Cory stated above, the newest and coolest version always has bugs. Companies release many service packs and Inventor has just released the NEW "Ribbon Toolbar". So you may have to wait till service pack 1 or 2 to get it fixed (if it is a software problem).

I remember the first version of 2009 Solidworks had some random bugs but they were fixed in SP2.

-RC

[Rion Atkinson]

Originally Posted by Nathan

So I've installed the 2010 version of Inventor. One thing that I'm noticing is that when I switch between open files (using ctrl + tab) there's a delay, and the view pane kind of flickers. This did not happen with the 2009 version at all, switching was instantaneous and flicker-free. I don't think it's because of lack of resources on my computer either. I have an excellent graphics card, and when switching the processor is barely being used (according to the task manager icon in the system tray) and I have over a GB of memory not being used.

Anyone else had this annoying problem?

I am currently downloading Inventor 2010 so I'm not sure if I will have the problem. Seeing as the system requirements are 2 GBs of RAM, which is what my computer has. I probably will. Seeing as I have a GeForce 9800 GT in my system and 2009 can run slow at times, which also requires 2 gigs of RAM. Which leads me to assume that the cause of the problem is a lack of RAM and not your video card.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Formerly Famous

I am currently downloading Inventor 2010 so I'm not sure if I will have the problem. Seeing as the system requirements are 2 GBs of RAM, which is what my computer has. I probably will. Seeing as I have a GeForce 9800 GT in my system and 2009 can run slow at times, which also requires 2 gigs of RAM. Which leads me to assume that the cause of the problem is a lack of RAM and not your video card.

RAM, harddrive speed and CPU speed all go into it. Change your settings in drawing mode so it doesn't show too much detail while sketching and drawing, that way it'll be faster while doing almost everything except rendering.

[AndyB]

I'm not loving Inventor 2010 too much. It seems to run slow in comparison with 2009 and I really don't like the ribbon. I've searched a little bit for how to turn it off and go with the 2009 style menus but haven't found anything yet. If anyone has figured this out, I'd love some help. I've also noticed the flickers and have experienced a few bugs with it. I can't open files within Inventor or place components into assemblies. I have to open files and drag part files into assemblies from Windows Explorer.

However, it may not all be Inventor's fault. When I was running 2009, I was on XP with a single 8600GTS graphics card. With 2010, I'm running Windows 7 with two 8600GTS's in SLI.

[Jeff 801]

Originally Posted by AndyB

I'm not loving Inventor 2010 too much. It seems to run slow in comparison with 2009 and I really don't like the ribbon. I've searched a little bit for how to turn it off and go with the 2009 style menus but haven't found anything yet. If anyone has figured this out, I'd love some help. I've also noticed the flickers and have experienced a few bugs with it. I can't open files within Inventor or place components into assemblies. I have to open files and drag part files into assemblies from Windows Explorer.

However, it may not all be Inventor's fault. When I was running 2009, I was on XP with a single 8600GTS graphics card. With 2010, I'm running Windows 7 with two 8600GTS's in SLI.

To revert back to the old version go to Tools>application options> colors tab and under the color section there is a drop down that says Ribbon UI change that to Classical UI and save settings and restart Inventor and it will be back to normal

[AndyB]

Originally Posted by Jeff 801

To revert back to the old version go to Tools>application options> colors tab and under the color section there is a drop down that says Ribbon UI change that to Classical UI and save settings and restart Inventor and it will be back to normal

Thank You!

Never would have thought to look in the colors tab...

[tgg901]

Can someone tell me if Inventor 2010 files can be saved as Inventor 2009 files? Some company created some 2010 files for us and told us that they can't save as 2009 and we must upgrade to use the file. I find this real hard to believe.