About the Plugin

The Simscape™ Multibody™ Link plugin provides the primary interface for exporting CAD assemblies into Simscape Multibody models. The plugin is compatible with three CAD applications: Autodesk Inventor^®, Creo™ Parametric, and SolidWorks^®. If you use a different CAD application, you can still export CAD assemblies using the Simscape Multibody Import XML schema.

Enable the Plugin

Once you have downloaded and installed the Simscape Multibody Link plugin, you must enable it on your Autodesk Inventor application. To do this, at the MATLAB^® command prompt, enter smlink_linkinv. A Simscape Multibody Link menu appears in the Inventor menu when you start or open a CAD assembly.

If your computer has more than one Inventor application, the smlink_linkinv command adds the Simscape Multibody Link plugin to all installations simultaneously. However, you must select the Simscape Multibody Link check box in the Add-Ins dialog box individually for each installation you want to export CAD from.

Updating the Plugin

If you are updating your Simscape Multibody Link version, you must disable the current version first. You do this by entering smlink_unlinkinv at the MATLAB command prompt. Then, after downloading and installing the new plugin version, follow the procedure for enabling the plugin on your Inventor application.