When you open the application, the ribbon displays automatically across the top of the main window, providing access to a palette of commands and controls.

Overview

The ribbon is organized into tabs, labeled by task. On each tab, commands are displayed on a series of panels. Some panels contain a drop-down arrow, which indicates that additional commands are available.

You can have part, assembly, and drawing files open at the same time. In that case, the ribbon changes to accommodate only the environment of the file in the active window.

As a visual signal when you enter a specialized environment, such as Inventor Studio, BIM Exchange, or Sketch, a contextual ribbon tab displays in green. When you exit that environment, the green contextual tab closes.

You can control and customize the ribbon and panels, and export or import an xml file that contains one or more User Commands panels. Keyboard and marking menu customization settings can also be saved to the same xml file, as described in Procedures.

Get Started tab

The Get Started tab of the ribbon contains components of the Inventor Help system: Ribbon Introduction (video), Command Locator, Ribbon Tutorial, Show Me animations, New Feature Workshop, and more. The Get Started tab is available at all times.

EngineersRule.org (for students only)

The EngineersRule.ORG button provides entry to the Autodesk Student Engineering and Design Community. Students can download free Autodesk design software, check out the self-paced tutorials, student profiles, show off projects, and learn from experts. See how students in the community are taking advantage of the education resources at Autodesk.

Color Themes

You can display the icons in the ribbon in either the Amber Icon Color Theme, or the Cobalt Icon Color Theme.

You can also specify a dark or light Application frame.

Enhanced Tooltips

Most of the ribbon commands have enhanced (progressive) tooltips, which display information for interaction with commands. Initially, the name of the command and a short description display. If you continue to hover, the tooltip expands to reveal additional information.

Some tooltips contain a brief animation (ToolClip) that provides a quick overview or sample usage of a ribbon command. To see a ToolClip, view the tooltip for iTrigger, located on the Manage tab, iLogic panel.

Customize the ribbon

Change the order of ribbon tabs. Click the tab you want to move, drag it to the desired position, and release.
Create your own custom panel for each of the ribbon tabs. User-defined tabs display in the User Commands panel. The User Commands panel is created when you first create a custom panel.

Change the order of ribbon tabs. Click the tab you want to move, drag it to the desired position, and release.
Create your own custom panel for each of the ribbon tabs. User-defined tabs display in the User Commands panel. The User Commands panel is created when you first create a custom panel.

Procedures

Manage the ribbon.

Change the docking position

Right-click the ribbon tab bar, click Docking Positions, and make a selection

Minimize the ribbon (horizontal ribbon only)

On the ribbon, at the right end of the tab bar, click the down arrow next to the Show Full Ribbon button, and click an option.
- Minimize to Tabs Displays only tab titles.
  
  Shortcut: Double-click the name of the active tab.
- Minimize to Panel Titles Displays only tab and panel titles.
- Minimize to Panel Buttons Displays only panel buttons and their names.
- Cycle through All Cycles through all of the options of Show Full Ribbon.

Reset the ribbon after it is minimized

In the ribbon tab bar, right-click, and then click Ribbon Appearance Reset Ribbon.

Hide or show all controls to maximize the screen

On the ribbon, click View tab Windows panel Clean Screen

Change the ribbon appearance

Right-click the ribbon tab bar and select Ribbon Appearance, and then make a selection.

Find commands on the ribbon

At the top of the Application menu, use the search field.
In search results, click a command to see a tooltip and a path to the location on the ribbon, and launch the command.

Manage panels on the ribbon.

Show or hide panels on tabs

Right-click anywhere inside the ribbon, and in Show Panels, click or clear the name of a panel.

Show or hide panel titles

Right-click the ribbon tab bar and click Show Panel Titles.

Expand panels (with a down arrow next to the title)

Click the down arrow. To keep the panel expanded as you work, click the push pin in the bottom-left corner.

Stick panels into the drawing area or another monitor

Drag a panel off the tab and into the drawing area or another monitor, and release. The panel remains open until you return it to the ribbon, even if you switch ribbon tabs.

Move commands between main and expanded sections of panels

Right-click a command and select Move to Expanded Panel or Move to Main Panel.

Ungroup or regroup commands on drop-down menus

Right-click a command that has a drop-down arrow, and select Ungroup, or Group Commands into Drop-Down Menu.

Control the display of tooltips

Turn tooltips on or off

On the ribbon, click Tools tab Options panel Application Options.
In the Application Options dialog box, General tab, under Tooltip Appearance, click Show Tooltips.
Click OK.

Control timing of second-level tooltips

On the ribbon, click Tools tab Options panel Application Options.
In the Application Options dialog box, General tab, under Tooltip Appearance, click arrows to specify the seconds to delay the display of the second-level tooltip.
Click OK.

Control the appearance of icons and toolclips.

Control colors of icons and application frame.

In the Application Options dialog box, Colors tab, Color Theme, specify a color for the icons:
Cobalt Color Icon Theme

Amber Color Icon Theme

Control colors of icons and application frame

In Application Frame, specify Light or Dark.
Click Apply.

Control the appearance of toolclips

Click the Applications menu Options.
In the Application Options dialog box, General tab, use the settings in Tooltip appearance.

Customize the Ribbon

Create and add a command to the User Commands panel

On the ribbon, right-click and select Customize User Commands.
In the Customize dialog box, select one or more commands, and then click Add.
Click OK to add the selection to the User Command panel.

Remove a command from the User Commands panel

On the ribbon, right-click and select Customize User Commands.
In the Customize dialog box, select one or more commands, and then click Remove.
Click OK to remove the selection(s) from the panel.

Export commands from the User Commands panel to an .xml file

On the ribbon, right-click and select Customize User Commands.
In the Customize dialog box, select Export.
In the Save Copy As dialog box select a file location, enter a file name, and then click Save.

Import commands from .xml files to the User Commands panel

On the ribbon, right-click and select Customize User Commands.
In the Customize dialog box, select Import.
In the Open dialog box, navigate to the desired file, and then click Open..

Add a macro to a User defined panel on the ribbon

Before you begin

Click Application Options File, and in the Default VBA Project area, note the name and location of the IVB file. By default, the location is:

Windows XP: Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor [revision]\Bin\Macros\Default.ivb

Default.ivb is an empty macro file (IVB) that is created when you access the Visual Basic Editor for the first time. Any macro placed into this file is loaded on startup.

Create custom macro

To begin, in Microsoft Windows Explorer, navigate to one of the following locations and copy and extract Rotate.ivb to the location specified in the Application Options, File tab, default VBA project.
Windows XP:Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor [revision]\Tutorial files

Note If this location does not exist, create the folder as specified in the Application Options, File tab, for the default VBA project.
In Autodesk Inventor, click Tools tabOptions panel VBA Editor.
In the Visual Basic Editor (VBE), select File Load Project, and browse to the previously mentioned location. Select Rotate.ivb. and click Open.
The next step is to copy the Rotate.ivb code into the default.ivb.
In the VBE, expand the plus sign (+) next to Rotate.
Drag the icon next to Module1 (in the Rotate folder), and drop it on top of the default.ivb project.

Note You can also copy the Rotate code and paste it into the default.ivb window.

The Rotate code is now copied into the default.ivb file.
Remove the redundant code by selecting the Rotate.ivb that was loaded in Step 3, and then click File Unload Project.
Click Save to save the changes to default.ivb and close the VBE.

You can also create icons to run macros that exist in your default.ivb.

Run the macro using the Macro command

Open a part (.ipt) or an assembly (.iam) file containing graphical data.
On the ribbon, click Tools tab Options panel Macros.
On the Macros dialog box, select Rotate Camera, and click Run.

Create a macro command

You can make icons for your macros to be available from the User Defined panel on the ribbon. First, create a BMP image of the icon using a graphic program such as Microsoft Paint. Create small icons 16 high x 16 wide pixels and large icons (if applicable) 32 x 32 pixels.
Save the icons to the same location as the ivb. file (as specified in Application Options).
Name the icons using the following naming scheme: ModuleName.SubName.Size.bmp.
ModuleName is the name of the module in the macro, SubName is the subroutine name, and size is either Small or Large. For example, the .bmp file that is used for the Rotate macro is: Module1.RotateCamera.Small.bmp.

The next step is to assign the .bmp file to a User Defined panel in Autodesk Inventor.
Right-click the ribbon and choose Customize User Commands.
In the Customize User Commands dialog box, click the drop-down arrow, and select the Choose commands, Macro. The left pane displays the Macros that are in your default.ivb file.
Highlight the macro you want to add to the User defined panel, and select Add.
The macro displays in the User Defined panel on the ribbon.

NoteIf the macro displays as an infinity symbol, then the BMP is either in the wrong location, named incorrectly, or is not sized correctly.
Click OK.
Make a selection in the graphics window, and click the RotateCamera icon to run the macro.

References

Customize - Ribbon tab

On each tab in the ribbon, you can create one custom panel where you add commands that you want to use from that tab. To generate a custom panel, specify one or more commands to add.

Access:

Ribbon: Tools

Customize

Note If commands are not available for the active environment, they are disabled.

Choose commands from	Controls the display of the list of commands. Click the drop-down arrow to narrow the selection.
Choose tab to add custom panel to	Controls which tab receives the generated custom panel. Click the drop-down arrow to select a tab.
Add	Adds specified commands to the custom panel in the active tab.
Remove	Removes specified commands to from the custom panel in the active tab.
Import	Imports the user-defined panel settings from an .xml file. Click Import to display the Open dialog box. Navigate to the desired file, and then click Open.
Export	Saves the current user-defined settings in an .xml file. Click Export to display the Save Copy As dialog box. Select a file location, enter a file name, and then click Save.

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