In past years, I’ve released blog posts that showcased enhancements that may not have been immediately apparent without a thorough review of the software. Even the release notes that Autodesk publishes with each release did not highlight these enhancements. I’m continuing this tradition with 2027!
Despite there not being a lot of big changes with this release, there are two new features that you will want to know about.
Parameters Dialog Box
The Parameters dialog box is now “modeless”! This means that you can leave it open while working in the model. In fact, you can completely change windows, and the Parameters dialog box will update to reflect the parameters for the newly opened active file. To interact with it, you simply select it to activate it and start using it.
I like this because you can see all the parameter names and values as you are working and don’t have to keep going back and forth (or taking a screen capture to work alongside it). This will be a time saver for sure! Honestly, if you didn’t know this was possible, you would likely still be closing and opening it all the time.
Part-Level Browser Folders
Previously, folders could only be created in an assembly model. Now, you can create part folders and add part features to it for organization. For example, you can create a folder for all fillets or chamfers.
To create a folder:
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Right-click on the part name at the top of the Browser and select Create New Folder (as shown on the left below). This will create an empty folder at the bottom of the Browser that you can then drag and drop features into.
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Right-click on a feature you would like to move into a new folder and select Add to New Folder (as shown on the right below). This will create a folder in the Browser where the feature was, and the feature will be moved into the folder.
Keep in mind that the location of the folder is important. The model will always consider feature relationships, so you can’t simply add all features to the folder at the top of the tree if their parent geometry exists below it. When creating a folder by right-clicking on the file name, the folder is automatically added to the bottom of the tree—you do not have to worry about parent relationships. However, the End of Part marker remains below it, so if any new features are added they will be added below the folder.
Tip: Folders can be moved up and down in the tree as long as the features within it are not being moved above their parents.
Small Changes, Big Time Savings
Now that you know about these features, I hope they will help you work more efficiently with Inventor.
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