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Before you start
Make sure you have the following:
Autodesk® Inventor® Professional 2025 or 2026 is installed.
One Click LCA account and license with the Business features or higher to be able to import data.
One Click LCA project created. See how to create a project here.
About the Autodesk® Inventor® Professional Integration
One Click LCA users can now leverage Autodesk® Inventor® Professional integration to import model data and quantities directly from Inventor into One Click LCA. This integration allows you to use your Inventor 3D models as the basis for carbon and life-cycle assessments, as well as to generate Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
How do you set up the Autodesk Inventor integration?
How can I access the integration?
You can download the integration installer (Windows) directly from the bottom of this page.
How do I install it?
Download the ZIP file from the bottom of this page.
Unpack (extract) the contents of the ZIP file.
Copy the folder OneClickLCA.Inventor to the following location:
%AppData% \Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins
If prompted, allow Windows to overwrite existing files.
Open Autodesk® Inventor® Professional and load an assembly project. The add-in should now appear in the top ribbon under the One Click LCA tab.
You might need to enable the plugin using Inventor’s Add-in Manager.
How to use the Autodesk® Inventor® Professional Integration?
The integration allows you to export the Bill of Materials (BoM) from Autodesk® Inventor® Professional to the One Click LCA platform.
How it works:
The add-in supports exporting data from “standard assembly” (.iam) files.
The exported BoM is based on a “Parts Only” Inventor’s bill of materials.
The “Parts Only” BoM view is considered the source of truth for data extraction. All key properties, such as material, mass, volume, and custom parameters are read from this view. You can review and modify these properties directly in the “Parts Only” BoM before exporting to One Click LCA to ensure accuracy. If your assembly does not have a “Parts Only” view created or enabled, the add-in will automatically generate one (if the assembly configuration allows it).The add-in converts all units to the metric system.
The BoM includes properties such as preassigned One Click LCA class, material name, mass, part number, description, volume, number of elements and the user-added columns.
The primary quantity used for LCA data import is mass. If mass is unavailable, the add-in uses the number of elements instead. Volume is also exported as an additional quantity.
Step-by-step guidance:
Open Autodesk® Inventor® Professional and check that the add-in was installed:
After installing the integration, open Inventor. You will see a new tab labelled “One Click LCA”.
Preparing data for export
Before exporting, ensure all parts in your model have materials assigned.
You can assign a material by opening the relevant part and selecting one from the Material dropdown in the Quick Access Toolbar.
Parts without an assigned material are automatically assigned the “Generic” material in Autodesk Inventor. The One Click LCA add-in will export these parts with “Generic” as their material name. To ensure accurate quantity and carbon calculations, we recommend assigning the correct materials to all parts before export.
Exporting the Bill of Materials to the One Click LCA platform
Make sure you have a project on One Click LCA platform or create a new one prior to exporting your data.
Open your Autodesk® Inventor® Professional assembly.
Click the One Click LCA button in the ribbon to start the export.
This will initiate the standard import process. For more information about the import process, please visit the One Click LCA help centre here.
FAQ
Q: I installed the integration for a supported version, but the add-in is not visible in the top ribbon of Autodesk® Inventor® Professional.
A: Possible reasons:
The add-in supports exporting data from standard assembly (.iam) files. The parts files and assemblies created by the Design Accelerator are not supported, as they are system-generated and have a locked Bill of Materials (BoM).
Add-in is blocked. Navigate to Tools>Add-ins to open the Add-in Manager to enable the integration.
Q: What units are used in the exported data?
A: By default, the add-in exports mass in kg, volume in m³ and number of elements.
Q: Can I export additional properties?
A: Yes, the plugin collects additional user-added properties.
Q: How can I ensure quantities are exported correctly?
A: To ensure accurate quantity export:
Model accurately and realistically. The plugin extracts quantities using Inventor's built-in geometry properties, such as volume and also manual changes to the Inventor bill of materials, so it's important that your models reflect the actual physical characteristics of the components.
Avoid solid modelling of hollow components such as pipes. Modelling these elements as solid blocks will produce incorrect volume readings and lead to inaccurate quantity calculations.
In cases where the geometry isn't precise enough, review and adjust the exported Bill of Materials (BoM) Excel file manually to correct any discrepancies.
The “Parts Only” BoM view is considered the source of truth for data extraction. All key properties, such as material, mass, volume, and custom parameters are read from this view. You can review and modify these properties directly in the “Parts Only” BoM before exporting to One Click LCA to ensure accuracy.