Autodesk Inventor Standard Tutorial

7/21/2019 Autodesk Inventor Standard Tutorial

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INVENTOR STANDARD

Computer Aided Design-CAD is defined the use of information technology (IT) in theDesign process. A CAD system consists of IT hardware (H/W), specialised software

(S/W) (depending on the particular area of application) and peripherals, which in certainapplications are quite specialised. The core of a CAD system is the S/W, which makes

use of graphics for product representation; databases for storing the product model anddrives the peripherals for product presentation. Its use does not change the nature of thedesign process but as the name states it aids the product designer. The designer is the

main actor in the process, in all phases from problem identification to the implementationphase. The role of the CAD is in aiding him/her by providing:

Accurately generated and easily modifiable graphical representation of the product.The user can nearly view the actual product on screen, make any modifications toit, and present his/her ideas on screen without any prototype, especially during theearly stages of the design process. Perform complex design analysis in short time. Implementing Finite Elements

Analysis methods the user can perform: Static, Dynamic and Natural Frequency analysis, Heat transfer analysis, Plastic

analysis, Fluid flow analysis, Motion analysis, Tolerance analysis, Designoptimisation Record and recall information with consistency and speed. In particular the use of

Product Data Management (PDM) systems can store the whole design andprocessing history of a certain product, for future reuse and upgrade.

The technique initiated in the MIT from Ian Sutherland, when the first system the Sketchpadwas created within the SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) research

project. The automotive and aerospace industries were the first users and the forerunners

of development of CAD technology.The first system were very expensive, the computer graphics technology was not so

advanced at that time and using the system required specilised H/W and S/W which wasprovided mainly by the CAD vendors. The first CAD systems were mainframe computer

supported systems, while today the technology is for networked but stand alone operatingworkstations (UNIX or WINDOWS based systems). AUTODESK was the first vendor tooffer a PC based CAD system the AUTOCAD (beginning of 1980). Today WINDOWS is

the main operating system for CAD systems.The first applications were for 2D-Drafting and the systems were also capable of

performing only 2D modelling. Even today 2D-drafting is still the main area ofapplication (in terms of number of workplaces). Later, (mid-1980), following the progressin 3D modelling technology and the growth in the IT H/W, 3D modelling systems are

becoming very popular. 3D modelling are at the beginning wire frame based. Aerospaceand automotive industries were using surface modelling systems for exact representation

of the body of the product. At the same time solid modelling was recognised as the onlysystem, which could provide an unambiguous representation of the product, but it was

lacking adequate support for complex part representations. Today we are experiencing amerge of solid and surface modelling technology. Most solid modelling systems arecapable of modelling most of industrial products. Systems sold today (especially for

mechanical applications, which are the majority of systems sold world-wide) are

characterised as NURBS (Non Uniform Rational B-Sline) based systems, employing

solid modelling technology, and they are parametric and feature based systems.The use of CAD systems has also been expanded to all industrial sectors, such AEC,Electronics, Textiles, Packaging, Clothing, Leather and Shoe, etc. Today, numerous CAD


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systems are offered by several vendors, in various countries.

Originally the technique was aiming at automating a number of tasks a designer isperforming and in particular the modelling of the product. Today CAD systems arecovering most of the activities in the design cycle, they are recording all product data, and

they are used as a platform for collaboration between remotely placed design teams. Most

of its uses are for manufacturing and the usual name of the application is CAD/CAM. Theareas of application of CAD related techniques, such as CAD, CAEngineering andCAManufacturing is shown in Fig.1. On the left side of the figure we have a simplifiedrepresentation of the design cycle and on the right side the use of IT systems. Each of the

above functions is not accomplished by a single system and it is quite often for acompany to use more that one system, especially when we have CAD and CAEapplications.CAD systems can shorten the design time of a product. Therefore the product can beintroduced earlier in the market, providing many advantages to the company. In fig.2,

there is a representation of the product development time and of the product useful lifespan. The shortest the development time, the earliest the product is introduced into the

market and it may give a longer useful life span, if the built in quality is correct.

As mentioned above, the first applications of CAD were 2D drafting applications, whilenow most of them are 3D solid and parametric representations of the real part. Complete

assemblies can be modelled and a full analysis of a virtual prototype can be performed.The 3D representation can be exported to other platforms and it can be the

communication medium between groups of people from various departments of acompany-organisation.CAD systems enable the application of concurrent engineering and can have significantinfluence on final product cost, functionality, and quality.

It has been reported in many case studies performed in several sectors, that the design


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process contributes by a small fraction towards the total product cost, fig. 3. The designtime varies with the product and for the aerospace industry can reach up to 40%.

Distribution of actual operating costs incurred by various departments .

However during the design stage we can forecast the final product cost, as shown infigure 4. The x-axis represents the various stages of the design process and in the y-axisthe product cost. The two solid curves represent the product cost: the lower one representsthe cost as they are incurring, the actual cost of the product as it follows its development.Conceptual design and detail design contributes only by 20% to the final cost, whilemanufacturing has the greatest influence. The other curve, the committed costs, indicates

that most of products cost is fixed early in its life cycle, before the original design cycle is complete. It is obvious that significant cost is committed during the design stage. Thisimplies that we should consider various aspects of product life cycle at the design stage.The dashed curve indicates the degree of easiness to incorporate changes into the product.In early stages it is very easy to test various alternatives solutions, but at later stages the

modifications are very difficult.

CAD systems have the ability to provide a digital prototype of the product at early stagesof the design process, which can be used, for testing and evaluation. Many people fromvarious departments can share it, they can express their opinion for the product at earlystages, in order to complete the design in less time and with the least mistakes. Most

researchers accept that having the digital prototype in early stages allows more effort tobe spent on the definition stage (early stage) of the design process and not in redesigning

an already completed design, as shown in fig. 5.


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Distribution of product development time. The earlier a new product definition is

introduced the least redesign is required to the final design.

In addition, the more time we spend on product design and on refocusing efforts in theprediction of the quality of the final product, less time will be required for fixing themistakes. When a fault is detected during the production stage, then the effort is directedin mending the symptoms of the fault and not the cause generating it.

Description/Structure of the methodology/ alternative solutionsThe range of systems related to the product development cycle is quite extensive. A

typical classification is as follows:1. Concept Development or Industrial Design Products

These are mainly surface modelling systems for mechanical products, with very goodrendering capabilities. The process usually starts with a rough sketch of the product, fig.7(a), you can apply colour and texture to it, fig.7(b), create the 3D model from the 2d

sketches and then use advanced photo-realistic rendering and animation to furtherevaluate, present and sell the concepts, fig. 7(c).

Computer Aided Industrial Design systems are applied to many industrial products,


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ranging from every day consumer products, sports-ware, computers, equipment, andcomplex parts such as automobile, see fig.8.

They are usually integrated products capable of taking you from the initial concept to thecreation of manufacturable objects. They combine: digital sketching, enabling experimentation which is not possible using traditionaltools.

free form surfaces modelling with highly flexible modelling tools. Unprecedented realism in visualisation for design, evaluation, review and approval. Quality, accuracy and precision required for integration with engineering andmanufacturing processes. Reverse engineering tools, which transform data from digitisation to 3D digitalmodels.

Data transfer to CAD systems.

CAD Systems

Current systems, especially for mechanical products are 3D systems and they arespreading now their dominance to the other sectors. 3D modelling can be Wire Frame,

Surface or Solid Modelling. Most of the mid-range mechanical sector CAD systems are

Parametric and Feature Based Solid Modelling systems.Wire frame modelling was the first attempt to represent the 3D object. The representation

was inadequate with many drawbacks in terms of precision, adequacy of therepresentation, etc. In simple terms a 2D-wire frame model is built by forming the

skeleton of the part, consisting only of edges. This technique is now an intermediate stepfor building a surface or a solid model.With a surface model we are modelling the skin of the part. Early systems were based onFergusson and Bezier type of curves, while current systems are using mainly NURBS,which are capable of modelling nearly every industrial part, such as aeroplane surfaces

and automobile surfaces (characterised as Class A surfaces), shipbuilding, plastic partsand packaging in general, metallic parts, shoes, etc. They are the most capable types of

system for representing industrial parts. Its use is not an easy task and it requires

significant knowledge of the NURBS mathematics. They allow creating surfaces, whichare not currently available from solid modelling systems. They are created by general

sweeps along curves, proportionally developed shapes using 1, 2 or 3 rails lofted bodies,blends (fillets) with circular or conical cross sections and surfaces that smoothly bridge

the gaps between two or more other bodies. Most of them have the ability to form shapesdefined through a mesh of curves/points or through a cloud of points, technique suitablefor reverse engineering tasks. Model editing is done by modifying the defining curves, by

changing the numerical values of parameters or through using graphical or mathematicallaws controlling the created shapes. The systems also include easy-to-use tools for

evaluating the shape, the size and the curvature of complex models. Surfaces createdthrough a free form surface module can be integrated into a solid model. Typical parts

modelled with a surface modelling system are shown in Fig.9. These systems are notcapable (or not suitable) of modelling artistic parts (such as jewellery), or organic formssuch as action figures, human bodies and faces, etc. Special systems are developed forsuch applications, such as the Paraform, SensAble Free Form, and Simagrafi fromGraphitek, etc.

Solid Modelling systems are considered to offer the most full representation of a part.They combine modelling and topology. Early systems were based on primitives for

representing the space, forming the Constructive Solid Modelling (CSG) systems. Current


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systems are of Boundary Representation (B-Rep) type. CSG and B-Rep are used to modelthe topology data base of the part. During the 1990s all solid modelling systems offered

are characterised as Parametric and Feature based systems

With parametric technology the user assigns parameters for defining dimensions,

relations between parameters and relations between parts (in terms of position and size).

Therefore, he/she can define a new part by assigning new values to the parameters ordefine a whole family of parts through a table of dimensions. With feature modelling theuser has access to higher level of expression for modelling (or he/she can define his ownfeatures). These features have built-in a number of properties including form, dimensions

and position.Usual operations integrated inside the solid modelling systems are, 2-D and 3-D wireframemodels, swept, lofted and revolved solids, and booleans as well as parametricediting. They are employing variational sketching tools for quick and efficient conceptualdesign as well as tools for more general modelling and editing tasks. With feature

modelling the user can create a variety of holes, slots, pockets, pads, bosses, as well as afull set of cylinders, blocks, cones, spheres, tubes, rods, blends, chamfers and more.

He/she can also hollow out solid models and create thin walled objects. User defined

features can be stored in a common directory and be added to design models.

A strong characteristic of Parametric and Feature based solid modelling system concerns

the assembly modelling capabilities, which provide a top-down or bottom-up, concurrentproduct development approach. Parts are mated or positioned and are associative. Someof them allow extremely large product structures to be created and shared by a designteam. For these assemblies a number of special systems are used which take a dataloading control for quick response to user commands. These systems are suitable for the

digital mock-up process for layout of complex products, allowing fast clearance checkingand rendering of shaded and hidden line views.

Most systems integrate a module for sheet metal design, enabling the designer to defineand simulate manufacturing sequences, unfold and refold the models and generateaccurate flat pattern data for downstream applications.

Parts created in solid modelling system can be exported to drafting systems for drawingsproduction. This module creates dimensions that are associated to the geometric model,ensuring they are updated on a model change and reducing the time required for drawingsupdates. Automatic view layout capabilities provide fast drawing layout for all views,sections and projections, etc.

5. Solution for the unknown at the nodes6. Interpretation of the result

A number of software packages for engineering analysis have been developed that arecapable of covering a wide range of applications. These applications include: Static

analysis, Transient dynamic analysis, Natural frequency analysis, Heat transfer analysis,Plastic analysis, Fluid flow analysis, Motion analysis, Tolerance analysis.


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5. Rapid Prototyping Tools and Machines

Rapid prototype allows to "print" three-dimensional models of designs as easily asprinting them on paper. It is a fast and cost-effective way to improve the way a designer

communicates his/her ideas, both inside and outside the organisation. It revolutionises thedevelopment process, helping the design team to take advantage of more opportunities,

more profitably than ever before. It's benefits help them win greater understanding -andfaster approval- of their ideas, create superb models quickly and inexpensively, start

building immediately -without training- and dramatically improve the way they dobusiness.

The technology is used for Concept validation Design intent communication

Customer and vendor feedback Bid packages 3-D faxes Master patterns for castingThe method was first presented in 1987, and today many technologies are in the

development phase. The main technologies used are: Stereolithography

Solid Ground Curing

Selective Laser Sintering Laminated Object Manufacturing Fused Deposition Modelling Three dimensional Printing

Most CAD system can provide output for Rapid Prototyping machines in the STLformat.Some of the above technologies are shown in the following figures


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The Selective Laser Sintering method


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(A )

(B) The Laminated Object Manufacturing method

Its About the DesignWhen people use Autodesk Inventor, they dont use it for the sake of using

Inventor. Its used as a means to create the products that they and their employer

will build. In this way, the design software is simply a tool. Traditionally, books

about a software package have focused on the softwares tools rather than how

theyre used as part of the process creating a product.

In this book, I want to introduce tools that are needed to build components asyou need them. Because of the type of product youll be building, Ill introduce a

number of tools a little later that most books would teach fi rst. Other tools are

often used at the beginning of a part, but Ill instead use them to add detail.

When defi ning your assembly, the fi rst component you place in the assembly

should be the component you would typically grab off the shelf and attach things

to. This component is referred to as the base component. Its possible to change

the base component of an assembly, but more often than not your choice of the

base component will be from your experience and therefore correct. If you keep a


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realistic assembly process in mind, the functions that Inventor uses to defi ne the

relationships between parts will be easier to understand and perform more reliably

as you edit the assembly. Sometimes, using planes or axes that run through

the part is the easiest way to properly locate an object. This is particularly useful

if youre using a technique referred to as middle-out to defi ne a component that

connects two or more parts youve already placed in the assembly.

Most users dont create individual parts; they create assemblies of parts. Thatis why Autodesk Inventor was written with the assembly in mind. The size and

complexity of assemblies may vary, but at their core theyre collections of components

that are fastened, welded, or in some other way stuck together.

With this brief introduction, lets begin the process of building your fi rst component

and developing a design in Inventor.

Sketching ToolsJust as assemblies are made up of components, components are made up of features.

There are two types of features:sketched andplaced. A sketched feature is

the fi rst feature you place in a part. Its generally made up of a 2D sketch on a

face or plane that you convert into a 3D shape. Examples of sketched featuretools include Extrude, Revolve, and Rib.

Placed features are placed onto other features. Examples of placed featuretools include Fillet, Chamfer, and Face Draft. Features that are placed or that

use the faces of other features as a foundation are said to be children of the features

theyre built on, which are calledparent features.Your fi rst component (and pretty much any part) will start by using a sketch

to defi ne its basic shape. This sketch is different than the type of sketch you maybe used to creating in a 2D CAD package. The lines, arcs, and circles that make

up these sketches can be modifi ed by changing a dimension value. They can also

be related to one another to limit their size or location.By default, when you create a new Part fi le, Inventor assumes that you want to

create a sketch. Figure 2.1 shows the Sketch toolbar as it appears when you start

a new part. In this case, its a sheet metal part.

F I G U R E 2 .1 Sketch tools displayed in the Ribbon

Most of the tools in the various panels of the Ribbon will be familiar. As you

build the various components of your product, youll use a lot of these tools.

Because Inventor has a very consistent workfl ow from tool to tool, you should

easily be able to incorporate any of the tools you dont use into future work.

Lets dive right in and start using these tools. I think youll fi nd that its a simpleprocess, so relax and get ready to enjoy using Inventor.

In this exercise, youll create a sketch that defi nes the basic shape of the housing

for a fan. When youre creating a sketch for a feature, its best to try to defi ne

as much of the feature or component in one simple sketch as possible. Follow

these steps:

1. Close any fi les you have open in Inventor.2. Make sure NER Inventor 2010 is the active project fi le.3. Select the New File icon under the large I icon of the Application


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menu at upper left in the Inventor interface.

4. Select the English tab in the New File dialog.5. Click the Sheet Metal (in).ipt template and click the OK button,or double-click the icon of the template fi le to create a new sheet

metal part.

A new fi le opens in Inventor. The differences between a standard part and asheet metal part are subtle but important. Behind the scenes in a sheet metal

part, Inventor creates a number of named values that control the thickness ofthe material, the size and shape of reliefs where the material is bent, and the

radius of the bend. The sheet metal part also presents a different set of tools;they will be offered on the Sheet Metal tab when youre fi nished sketching.

For learning purposes, you arent going to draw your fi rst sketch as well as

possible. Although its important to draw your sketch nearly perfectly, not doingso can be fi xed as well:

6. In the Draw panel of the Sketch tab, select the Line tool.7. A message at lower left in the status bar prompts you to Select startof line, drag off endpoint for tangent arc. Inventor is asking you to

pick a place to start your line. Near lower right in the design window,

click and release the mouse button to start the Line tool.8. Drag your cursor to the left. As you do so, Inventor displays a glyph ofa horizontal line when your line is horizontal, as shown in Figure 2.

Creating a horizontal line segment


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9. When your line looks similar to Figure 2.2 and is horizontal, clickagain to create the fi rst segment.

When you create a line segment that has a glyph showing whether

its vertical, horizontal, perpendicular,or parallel to another object,

that segment will keep that property. This is known as a constraint.

Inventors sketching environment includes a number of constraintsthat make life a lot easier when you need to modify your part.

10. Even though youve created a line segment, Inventor continues usingthe Line tool. Move your cursor toward the top of the screen, with the

Perpendicular glyph displayed. See Figure 2.3. Note that if you moveleft or right far enough, the glyph disappears; it reappears as you

near vertical. Click to place this line in the sketch.

Adding another segment perpendicular to the first

11. Move your cursor to the right. Youll notice a glyph displaying twoparallel lines not only near your cursor but in the center of your fi rstline segment. This shows that Inventor is trying to create a relationshipbetween the segments that will keep them parallel to each other.

Dont click your mouse yet.

12. Move your cursor over the second line you created, and move thecursor up and down without clicking.

13. Move the cursor back to the right. Inventor now wants to create arelationship to your second line rather than the fi rst (Figure 2.4).


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This is calledscrubbing orgesturing on a sketch element; it allows

you to change the way the sketch is constrained.

Gesturing over sketch elements can reprioritize constraints.

14. Move the cursor slowly so that your new segment preview is stillperpendicular to the last segment. As your new line nears the samelength as the fi rst, you should see a dotted line indicating that the

endpoints are aligned. When you see this (see Figure 2.5), click toplace the new segment.

Now youre going to make a mistake. The last segment wont

create a rectanglewhich is kind of correct, because your fi rst partdoesnt need a closed shape. But youll make other errors that youll

correct, including the fact that presently, the sketch is nowhere close

to the proper sizesomething you wont normally want.

15. Move your cursor near the fi rst point, but place the endpoint aboveand to the right of the beginning, as shown in Figure 2.6.

16. After youve selected the endpoint for the fourth segment, Inventor isstill ready to create more. You can right-click your mouse and select

Done [Esc] from the context menu that appears on your screen, or

you can simply press the Esc key to end the Line tool.


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When points are aligned, a line of inference appears onthe screen.


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The

initial completed sketch

17. For now, youre fi nished sketching. At the right end of the Sketch tabis the Exit panel, and in it is the Finish Sketch icon. Click this to end

your sketch.

As soon as you select the Finish Sketch icon, Inventors Ribboninterface changes, as explained in Chapter 1. Now, you see the tools

that are available to create sheet metal components. Take a momentto notice that the placed features like Flange, Cut, and Corner Round

are grayed or dimmed and arent selectable. As discussed earlier in

this chapter, these tools depend on having an existing feature tobuild onand right now, all you have is a sketch.

18. Find the Save icon on the Quick Access Toolbar at upper left on thescreen. Click it, and save the new fi le as Housing.ipt in the Parts

folder of your Workspace (Figure 2.7).


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Save your part file to c:\Data\parts.

The constraints that are placed on the sketch while youre using tools like

Line are just the beginning. Understanding these tools and being able to control

them is the key to creating components that can be edited and behave predictably.

Lets take a little time to review the tools that are available for constraining

the sketch.

Sketch ConstraintsYou can place a number of types of constraint in a sketch. Figure 2.8 shows theconstraints available for sketching, as displayed in the Constrain panel on the

Sketch tab. Its worth taking a little time to review them:

The Sketch tabs Constrain panel

Coincident This constraint is by far the most common. It can be placed betweenendpoints, between midpoints, and even between a point and a curve or line. If

you want a point to maintain a relationship with just about anything, Coincidentwill do it.

Collinear This simply tells lines to be aligned with one another.Concentric For a Concentric relationship to be placed, you need to have at leastone arc and one circle. Two arcs or two circles will also work. This is essentially

a specialized Coincident constraint used only for the centerpoint of a radius.

Because an ellipse also has a centerpoint, it will work with that shape as well.


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Fix The Fix constraint enables you to hold a position on a point. It can be usefulfor positioning critical points while others are allowed to move freely around

them. Fixing a point is sometimes referred to asgrounding the point. You canalso use Fix on lines, arcs, circles, and so on.

Parallel This constraint is also commonly applied while sketching. Like allconstraints, its maintained until its removed. If one of the members of the constraint

relationship changes direction, the other does as well.Perpendicular This constraint creates a relationship between line segmentsthat keeps them at 90 degrees. Its commonly placed automatically while

sketching.

Horizontal and Vertical These two constraints can occasionally catch you offguard. Its important to remember the orientation to the coordinate system.

Vertical relates to the Y axis of the active sketch, and Horizontal relates to the

X axis. These constraints are used for far more than keeping lines oriented. You

can constrain a point to be vertical or horizontal to another point. This can aid

in aligning critical points as you develop around them. A keyboard shortcut is

available for the Vertical constraint: while in a sketch, pressing the I key starts

the constraint placement.

Tangent You can create this condition between lines and arcs, arcs and splines,

and circles and other circles.

Smooth This constraint is similar to Tangent but with a deeper mathematicalmeaning. Rather than a simple relationship that affects the points where two

entities meet, Smooth causes splines to change downstream from the connection

point to maintain the continuity of the curve. This constraint isnt placed

automatically in a sketch.

Symmetric This constraint is often overlooked but is very powerful whenyoure working on symmetrical sketches whose size is in fl ux. As with Parallel,any change made to one member affects the mirrored or symmetrical member

of the constraint.Equal Using the Equal constraint can create a lot of interesting relationships.You can keep any two (or more) like entities at the same value. Two lines canmaintain the same length, and two (or more) arcs can maintain the same radius.

This helps reduce the number of redundant dimensions that may be placed in asketch otherwise. The = key is the keyboard shortcut for this constraint.

Two additional options control how or whether constraints are placed automatically

in the sketch. The default is to have both options turned on so theyappear as engaged buttons:

Constraint Inference This controls whether Inventor recognizes conditionssuch as Parallel or Perpendicular in the sketch. With the option off, tools such

as Line still appear to follow horizontal or vertical, but no glyph is displayed.

If you build a shape, any Coincident constraints are automatically added to

the sketch.Constraint Persistence Turning this off prevents Inventor from capturingany conditions in the sketch. With Constraint Inference on and Constraint

Persistence off, you can draw using parallelism and so forth; but when you fi nish

your sketch, no actual constraints (other than coincidence) will be included

in the sketch. You cant have a condition where Constraint Inference is off and

Constraint Persistence is on. Shutting off Constraint Inference automatically

disables Constraint Persistence.

You can tell Inventor to ignore inference and persistence momentarily by


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holding the Ctrl key while sketching. Coincidence is still captured, but everything

else is ignored.

To review the constraints that exist in an entire sketch, right-click in the Design

window and select Show All Constraints from the menu or press the F8 key. If you

want to review the constraints placed on an individual geometry piece, select the

geometry segment, right-click, and select Show Constraints.

Sketch DimensionsSketch constraints create specifi c relationships between parts of the geometry.

When you need to be able to defi ne a relationship based on a size, thats when

you need asketch dimension.

Sketch dimensions have slightly fewer options than the dimensions you place

on drawing views but follow the same basic rules. Unlike many 2D CAD tools,only one Dimension tool is used for defi ning a sketch in Inventor. You can use

this Dimension tool to place different types of dimension simply by gesturing on

the geometry that you want to control. You also have some context-menu options;but for the most part, picking the sketch elements will do the trick.

You can change underconstrained sketch elements by dragging them withthe mouse.

Inventors sketch dimensions canalso simplify creating geometry with different

units. If youre working in inches but need to size something based on a


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known metric measurement, you can input the value and the units. If you dont

specify the units, Inventor uses the default units of the template from which you

started the part. Inventor does the calculations for you and maintains the units

that you specifi ed in the background.

One school of thought says you should dimension part sketches so that the

dimensions can be reused. I believe you should dimension your sketches in

whatever fashion allows you to change your part in a predictable way; if theyhappen to be reusable for detail dimensions later on in the drawing, great. If

they cant be reused, then its easy to create new dimensions in the drawing.

Some companies dont allow sketch dimensions to be reused in a drawing.

Inventor is installed by default with the ability to update a 3D part by modifying

a sketch dimensions value in the 2D drawing. This option can be set duringinstallation; but rather than risk a mistake, many companies discourage or bar

the practice of reusing sketch dimensions in drawings.

BASIC

Before you start a design, determine the most efficient workflow. A top down workflow is

often the most efficient way to create a design. In a top down workflow, you design your

components in the context of other components. This method can greatly reduce errors in

form, fit, and function.

Some examples of a top-down workflow are:

Create new parts or sub-assemblies in the destination assembly.

Create multiple solid bodies in a part file and then save the individual bodies as unique

parts.

Create 2D sketch blocks in a part file to simulate a mechanism. You can use the sketchblocks to create 3D components in an assembly that is controlled by the layout.

Following are questions to consider before you start:

Which view of the part best describes the basic shape?

Is the part a sheet metal part?

Can this part be used as a part factory (iPart) to generate multiple parts?

Can a spreadsheet control one or more parts?

Can I create the part automatically by using a Design Accelerator?

If the part is a component in a structural steel frame, can I use Frame Generator to

create the entire frame?

If the part is a common library part, does it exist in the Content Center or other library?


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The following image shows a multi-body part file saved as individual parts in an assembly.

Individual bodies in a multi-body part file can share features with other bodies such as fillets

and holes.

Documents

Autodesk Inventor Standard Tutorial