The trick: she stored the Inventor project files on the (exFAT formatted SSD) and accessed them via Parallels’ shared folders. That way, she could version-control with macOS’s Time Machine while Inventor thought it was looking at a local C: drive.
The Modern Solution.
In 2012, there was a glimmer of hope. Autodesk released a preview of . It was a standalone tool that brought direct modeling capabilities directly to macOS Mountain Lion. While it wasn't the "full" Inventor suite, it was a native olive branch. However, as the software landscape evolved toward cloud-based solutions like Fusion 360 , the dream of a fully native, standard "Inventor" for Mac faded in favor of more modern alternatives. The Bridge: Virtualization and Beyond autodesk inventor osx
Since this is a nuanced subject, it is important to clarify the current state of the software right away: The trick: she stored the Inventor project files
Virtualization is the most popular method for modern Mac users, especially those with chips. In 2012, there was a glimmer of hope