MCAD Tools

Troubleshooting

Guide to the most common Inventor Tools issues.

The MicroCAD tab does not appear

Possible cause Solution
Add-in not installed Reinstall the MSI as administrator
Missing .addin file Confirm it exists in ProgramData\Autodesk\Inventor [version]\Addins\
Inventor not restarted Close Inventor completely and open it again
Incompatible Inventor version Requires Inventor 2025, 2026, or 2027
Add-in disabled Go to Tools → Add-Ins and enable "Microcad Inventor Tools"

"License is invalid or expired"

  1. Open Inventor with no document.
  2. Go to MicroCAD → Activate License.
  3. Enter a valid key.
  4. If it fails, run Inventor as administrator and try again.
  5. Check internet access to licensing.mcad.co.
  6. Contact MCAD support if the key is correct and it still fails.

Activation does not save the key

  • Run Inventor as administrator (the key is written to HKLM).
  • Check that antivirus is not blocking registry writes.
  • Verify the user permissions on the computer.

A tool does not respond or does not open

Cause Solution
Invalid license Activate the license (warning appears before the failure)
Wrong environment Open the required document type (part, assembly, or drawing)
Unsaved document Save the active document before running
Missing module DLL Reinstall the complete add-in

See The MicroCAD ribbon for which tools are available in each environment.

Auto Save does not create copies

  1. Open Auto Save and confirm Enable AutoSave is on.
  2. Check that the document type (Part/Assembly/Drawing) is selected.
  3. Verify write permissions on the destination folder.
  4. Review Config.json (see Configuration).
  5. Remember that autosave is turned off automatically when Inventor closes.

BOM to PDF fails or generates empty PDFs

"The Default Template file could not be found. The program will exit."

Cause: no BOM Import Template (.xml) is configured, and the fallback in the Inventor folder does not exist.

Solution:

  1. Open MicroCAD → BOM to PDF → Settings.
  2. In BOM Settings, click Browse next to BOM Import Template File.
  3. Select a valid .xml file (exported from Inventor or provided by MCAD).
  4. Click OK and run Generate files again.

See the full BOM to PDF guide with screenshots.

"Assembly must have a Project Number to proceed"

Fill in the Project iProperty in Design Tracking Properties of the assembly before generating.

Other BOM to PDF issues

  • Confirm related drawings (.idw) exist if Create PDFs is enabled.
  • Check output paths and write permissions.
  • For Excel export, Microsoft Excel must be installed; use CSV as an alternative.
  • Very large assemblies: wait for the process to finish; do not close Inventor.

Copy Assembly / Copy Design does not update references

  • Make sure the destination folder is accessible and has enough space.
  • Do not interrupt the process halfway.
  • If files are locked (open in another session), close them before copying.

The add-in slows Inventor down

  • Turn off Auto Save if you do not need it.
  • Feature Statistics on very complex parts can take time; use filters.
  • Drawing Generator on large folders: process smaller batches.

Get help

If the problem persists:

  1. Note the Inventor version and Inventor Tools version.
  2. Describe the exact error message.
  3. Say which tool you were using and the open document type.
  4. Contact MCAD support with this information.