MCGInventorPlugin — Autodesk Inventor 2023 Add-in

Multi-module plugin for Autodesk Inventor 2023. Extensible architecture with module registration system.

Modules

Symbol Handler (Drawing environment)

Insert, replace and manage Sketched Symbols in Drawing documents (.idw) while preserving position, rotation, scale, leader attachment and prompt text.

• Insert Symbol — pick geometry (edge, sketch line) to attach with leader, or click empty area for floating
• Replace Symbol — single or batch replace across current sheet / all sheets, preserving leader + position
• Symbol Library — browse from file (.idw folder) or active document (Local source)
• Grid / List View — toggle display mode with search filter
• Continuous Insert — double-click or right-click to enter insert mode, insert multiple times until ESC
• Scan Sheet — highlight symbols not present in the current library palette

Requirements

• Autodesk Inventor 2023
• .NET Framework 4.8, x64
• Visual Studio Code (build via dotnet build)

Project Structure

MCGInventorPlugin/
├── Core/                       IModule interface + ModuleManager
├── Modules/                    Module registration (SymbolHandlerModule)
├── Controllers/SymbolHandler/  Flow coordination per module
├── Services/SymbolHandler/     Business logic per module (with interfaces)
├── Views/SymbolHandler/        WPF UI per module
├── Models/SymbolHandler/       Data objects per module
├── Utilities/                  Shared helpers (all modules)
├── Resources/                  Shared icons
├── Tools/                      Build & deploy scripts
└── probe/                      Runtime Inventor API reflection tool

Build & Deploy

# Build + copy DLL to Inventor Addins folder
Tools\deploy.bat

# Close Inventor + reopen with test file
Tools\resart.bat

Architecture

• Module system: IModule interface → ModuleManager handles lifecycle → MCGInventorPluginAddin delegates
• MVC + SOLID per module: Model (data) → View (WPF) → Controller (orchestration) → Service (logic + interfaces)
• Adding a new module: Create Modules/NewModule.cs implementing IModule, register in MCGInventorPluginAddin.Activate(), add Controllers/Services/Views/Models subfolders

Known Limitations

• Symbol grip display (2 green dots vs 4 yellow + 1 blue) differs from native Inventor — API limitation
• Snap point visual indicators (endpoint/midpoint/intersection) not available through InteractionEvents API