Migration tips and tricks

1. Data Migration Preparation

• Clean-up data: Resolve any unresolved references or break the links
• Make sure to turn ON "Prompt to save for migration" in Application Options (Save tab)
• How to identify data that is not migrated:
  • CTRL+D in the About Autodeak Inventor dialog and you will see the migration flag. See Figure 1 and Figure 2.
    

    Figure 1 - Need to migrate

    

    Figure 2 - Migration is not needed

• The Inventor menu -> Manage -> MIGRATE button will be enabled.
• Design Assistant will show a list of non-migrated files
  • Open files or entire folder. In Design Assistant select View and click Customize to add a column called "Needs migrating" See Figure 3 and Figure 4.
    

    Figure 3

    

    Figure 4

Files in Design Assistant can be opened directly in Inventor

2. On demand migration vs. Task Scheduler

On demand migration - What you need to know:

On demand migration occurs when you Open, make changes and then save the file in the new release.

• Be sure to back up data files
• Migrate bottom up:
  • Migrate ipt first then iam then idw
• Avoid continuing to work in the session you are migrating in because the migration process keeps both the migrated and un-migrated data in memory.

Migration command: What you need to know:

• Be sure to back up data files
• Migrate bottom up:
  • Migrate ipt first then iam then idw
• Avoid continuing to work in the session you are migrating in because the migration process keeps both the migrated and un-migrated data in memory.

Task scheduler Migration: What you need to know

• Task scheduler automatically migrates bottom up if you start with idw
• Backup data files
• Task scheduler allows migration of entire projects which is not possible with automatic migration
  • Time considerations
  • Turn on "Rebuild all" option if you have the time
  • Turn on multi-tasking option if you don't have any time to spare

3. Migration: Design Data and Styles

• Correct the Project file folder option paths.
  • Paths in IPJ file path do not automatically point to right location.
    • Default IPJ paths are OK .
    • Hard coded IPJ paths need change .
• Migrate any custom style library.
  • Use the Inventor Style Library Manager tool.
  • Or manually export xml in release n and import the xml in release n+1.
  • Material and color styles should be migrated to Material and Appearance library from Inventor 2013. Detail information from here.
• Migrate threads.xls and clearance.xls
  • Method 1 (when many customizations exist ):
    • Use the old version Threads.xls and add new contents into old version Threads.xls from new version Threads.xls.
  • Method 2 (when few customizations exist):
    • Use the new version Threads.xls and copy the customized contents into new version Thread.xls from old version Threads.xls

4. Migration: Differences among wizards

• There are three Migration wizards under the Startup menu:
  • These are used to migrate styles or resources

• Key points to keep them apart
  • Drawing Resource Transfer wizard (idw → idw)‏
    • Move or replace borders/title blocks and symbols between drawings
    • The only one of the 3 tools that is drawing specific
  • Style Library Manager (xml → xml)‏
    • Not restricted to drawing styles (treats color and materials as well)‏
    • Moves drawing styles (xml files) between Style libraries and also creates new style libraries
    • Primarily used for migration purposes
  • Style Management Wizard (idw, ipt, iam, ipn → xml)‏
    • Extract styles from ANY Inventor file into existing or new style library
    • Purges unused styles from files
  • Limitations: None of these 3 tools make it possible to:
    • Replace a dimension style on existing dimensions in batch mode
    • Swap a title block for a title block with a different name
  Note Inventor 2013 has retired Style Management Wizard tool.