Inventor: Understanding View Reps, Positions & LOD

By Gus Petrikas

Representations are sets of assembly states that can be saved and reused on demand. There are three main types of Representations:  

1. View: Controls camera angles, part colours, Visibility and whether parts is Enabled or Disabled. 
2. Position: Displays the assembly in different states and component positions. 
3. Level of Detail: Conserves computer resources by displaying only a certain amount of parts in the assembly by suppressing the rest of the components or by creating simplified substitutes for selected assemblies. 

Representations are very versatile; They can be used in Assemblies, Drawings, and Presentation files. Here are some examples on how you can use different representations in different spaces: 

Switching Level of Detail while modelling can be very helpful when working with large assemblies. Creating a new LoD and suppressing components can reduce RAM and CPU usage as well hide parts that are irrelevant to the current workflow. 

The same LoD sets can also be used in Drawing space. Different detail levels can be set up to display different materials, colours, assemblies, etc.  

Position Representations are very useful in Drawing space as well. Having two different positions of an assembly and placing them on each other can represent flexibility and movement of parts. 

Lastly, having different Position, View and LoD representations becomes handy when moving an assembly to the Presentation Environment. Different Presentation Views can be created for the same part with different Representation Options for easy switching.  

Representations are optional, but very useful tools that truly make working on large projects that much easier.