DWG files - which version of AutoCAD?

Scenario:
You have been sent a dwg to work on and must send it back in the same format it was received, but you do not know which version of AutoCAD it was last saved in.

Solution:
- Right-click on the DWG and Open With Notepad
- Read the first 6 characters and match them to the following versions:

AC1027 - AutoCAD 2013, 2014, 2015
AC1024 - AutoCAD 2010, 2011, 2012
AC1021 - AutoCAD 2007, 2008, 2009
AC1018 - AutoCAD 2004, 2005, 2006
AC1015 - AutoCAD 2000, 2001, 2002
AC1014 - AutoCAD Release 14
AC1013 - AutoCAD Release 13
AC1009 - AutoCAD Release 11, 12
AC1006 - AutoCAD Release 10
AC1004 - AutoCAD Release 9
AC1003 - AutoCAD 2.6
AC1002 - AutoCAD 2.5

You can now save back to the nearest format.

SC

Inventor Display Appearance

Display Appearance settings inside Inventor include the elements that compose the scene in the graphics area, such as visual style, ground plane, ground reflection, lighting style and shadows. By default this is set to Use Document Settings, which means that however the Display Appearance settings are configured in the file is how they will appear next time you open it, or how a file will appear from a colleage.

Vault Explorer - Open Error

After selecting a file in Vault Explorer and double clicking on it or right click > Open, you see the following message:

This can happen if another program has become associated with Inventor assembly files. In this situation, the message was caused by importing an Inventor file into Autodesk Showcase 2012, which although is not a qualifying CAD application for Vault, it is still a part of the Product Design Suite.

The workaround is to close Vault Explorer and Inventor and re-start Inventor. This will re-register Inventor with the Operating System.

This is an extract from the Cracking the Vault, Manufacturing Community Blog.