Insert factory assets

The components in the System Assets library are available in both the Imperial and Metric system of units. The default system of units is based on the template used to create the Factory Layout assembly file.

User Assets content is automatically added to the Metric or Imperial directory based on the file units. If an alternate system of units is required, edit the original file, change its units setting, and publish it again.

You can navigate through the data by selecting folders or you can do a property search.

1. In the Assets Browser, enter the component name or enter a parameter value into the Search field at the top of the browser. When searching on parameter values, the Name, Author, Category, Comments, Company, Keywords, and Title parameters are searched.
2. A list of valid search terms is dynamically displayed. You can click one of the terms to populate the search field.
3. Click the Search assets button to display the component in the lower section of the Assets Browser.

Once a search is conducted, a Search results folder is added at the top level of the Factory Assets library. The folder lists the name of the component that was found. The component remains listed in the folder until the next search is conducted when it is replaced with the new search result. A component can be selected from the Search results folder and placed in the Factory Layout assembly.

While in the default Thumbnail View, the Assets Browser initially displays the System Assets content in the lower portion of the browser when a file is opened. To return to the top level to access the User Assets content library, click the Folder up button . From this location, you can double-click folders to move lower or use the Folder up button to move higher in the tree structure.

At the top of the Assets Browser, you can switch to display contents in a Tree View. You can then navigate through the Factory Assets library by expanding directories.

After locating the content you want in the Assets Browser, you can right-click over the asset to display a pop-up context menu. The context menu for a System Asset offers two options - Explore and Preview. For cloud-based content, a third option called Download Asset appears in the context menu.

Clicking Explore opens Windows Explorer and navigates to the Factory Library folder location so you can verify where the asset resides.

The Preview option launches a separate preview window displaying the selected asset.

For a published User Asset, the pop-up context menu offers a Delete option. Click Delete if you want to remove the asset from the User Asset library.

Cloud-based factory assets appear in the Assets Browser using this icon . A cloud-based asset must first be downloaded before placing it into the factory layout. To do so, right-click over the asset you wish to place and select Download Asset from the context menu. Once downloaded, the icon assumes this appearance .

Downloaded assets are stored on your local hard drive in a folder called FactoryCloudLibrary. They are then available for all factory layouts even when you are not connected to the Internet. If a newer, updated version of a downloaded asset becomes available, it appears in the Assets Browser with this icon .

System Assets and User Assets content are placed in the Factory Layout assembly directly from the Assets Browser.

1. Locate the component in the Factory Assets library.
2. Press and hold the left mouse button and drag the component into the Factory Layout assembly.
3. If multiple insertion points have been defined on the model, press the TAB key to cycle through each of the insertion points until you identify the point you want.
4. Release the mouse button.

Continue to place additional instances of the same component or right-click and select Done from the pop-up context menu to cancel additional component placement.

Return to the Factory Assets library to locate and place additional components, as necessary.

You can modify the location and orientation of components after they are placed by using the commands on the Layout Tools panel on the Factory tab.

User Assets without a defined landing surface are positioned on the factory floor in the same way as unpublished models. For more information, see the Inventor Factory Help topic: Insert Models.

For User Assets content without a defined landing surface, the component is displayed inside a bounding box. The sides of the bounding box are parallel to the component origin planes. The insertion point is the corner of the bounding box that aligns with the origin coordinate system.

Once a component from the Assets Browser is placed, you can select it and change the available Model parameters or Miscellaneous parameters.

1. In the Factory Layout design, select the component for which you want to make parameter value changes. Once the component is selected, any of the values displayed in the Properties Browser can be edited. Only the Model parameters that were specified as Key parameters when it was published are listed in the Properties Browser. Only a select few iProperty parameters are also listed in the Properties Browser. These iProperty parameters include Name, Title, Author, Company, Catalog, Keywords, and Comments.
2. Select any of the parameter values in the right-hand column and enter a new value.
3. You can restore a changed value by clicking the Refresh button.
4. To finalize the change and update the model, press the Enter key on the keyboard or click the Update button . Using the Update button enables you to update multiple parameter values at one time.
5. If you wish to make parameter value changes to multiple instances of the same component in the Factory Layout design, click the Update Other Instances button.

Occasionally, one or more pits of various geometric shapes are required to be set into the factory floor. In other instances, a raised slab, or platform, is also required. Both of these requirements are satisfied using the product-supplied pit and platform system assets.

1. Open the Architectural folder in the System Assets browser.
2. Next, open the Pit or Platform folders as required.
3. Set the appropriate snap-to type from the Snap Types drop-down menu on the Options panel.
4. For a pit placement, select the required geometric shape (rectangular, oval, round, etc.) from the Pit folder.
5. To modify the dimensions of the asset after placement (including pit solid wall thickness), edit its parameter values in the Properties Browser.