A Suite Workflow is a mechanism for exporting an engineered design from a source Autodesk product to a target product for detailed rendering or animation. Settings in the workflow automatically transform the design objects for presentation in 3ds Max Design or Showcase. For example, the 3ds Max Design as Solids workflow sends Inventor Models to 3ds Max Design as solid bodies. The Showcase Constraint Animation workflow shows a mechanical assembly in motion, converting a range of constraints into animated behaviors. You can use workflows to prepare for design reviews and to create vivid presentations.
Depending on the suite you have, the source product is either AutoCAD, Inventor or Revit. The target product is always 3ds Max Design or Showcase. The workflows supplied with a suite can vary according to the suite level (Standard, Premium, or Ultimate).
A workflow applies pre-selected settings in 3ds Max Design or Showcase to the design data from the source product (AutoCAD, Inventor or Revit). Different workflows are provided with each source product, and workflows can be optimized for specific purposes, such as high-quality rendering or lighting analysis.
Inventor (Product Design Suite) Workflows are available from the main application menu:
There will be times when you receive third party DWG's to work with or modify for use. One of the first stumbling blocks is that they are not likely to use the same Layer system as you. I.e. they will probably use different colours, line weights. So, to simplify things, use the AutoCAD Layer Translator (laytrans) to translate their Layers into yours.
