196724776 autodesk inventor 10 manual

Getting Started

52710-050000-5000A

February 8, 2005


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Ltd. 1999-2005. HLM © Copyright D-Cubed Ltd. 1996-2005.
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COPRA MetalBender © 1989-2002 data M Software GmbH. All rights reserved.
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introducing Autodesk Inventor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Data Files for Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Application Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Document Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Styles and Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Using Short Cut Keys and Hot Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Viewing Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Zoom Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Look At . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Shaded, Hidden Edge, and Wireframe Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Ground Shadow Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Orthographic and Perspective Camera Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Importing and Exporting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
AutoCAD Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Autodesk Mechanical Desktop Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
SAT Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
STEP Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
IGES Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Learning Autodesk Inventor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Using the Design Support System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Autodesk Inventor Launchpad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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Help for AutoCAD Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Tutorials and Show Me Animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Advanced Productivity Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Feedback Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Skill Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Chapter 1

Creating Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Understanding Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Sketch Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Sketch Coordinate System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Using Model Edges as References for Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Precise Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Creating Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Create a Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Create Profiles with Tangencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Drag Sketch Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Tips for Sketching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Constraining Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Add Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Open Data Files for Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Add Constraints to the First Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Show All Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Add Constraints to Existing Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Delete and Add Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Tips for Constraining Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Dimensioning Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Place Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Automatic Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Dimension Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Dimension Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Delete and Add Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Tips for Creating Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Modifying Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Patterning Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Delete Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Learning about 3D Sketches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Chapter 2

Working with Sketched Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Parametric Part Modeling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Part Modeling Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Base Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

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Adding Sketched Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Extrude Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Revolve Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Sweep Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Loft Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Coil Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Rib and Web Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Modifying Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Chapter 3

Creating and Editing Placed Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Adding Placed Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Hole Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Fillet Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Chamfer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Add Chamfers and Fillets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Thread Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Shell Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Creating Pattern Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Rectangular Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Suppress Pattern Occurrences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Circular Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Mirror Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Patterns Along Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Suppress Pattern Occurrences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Analyzing Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Create a Zebra Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Create a Draft Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Chapter 4

Creating and Editing Work Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Defining Work Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Work Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Work Axes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Work Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Grounded Work Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Modifying Work Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Chapter 5

Using Projects to Organize Your Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Learn About Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
The Default Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Set an Active Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
How Referenced Files are Found . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

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Setting Up Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Project Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Set Up Folder Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Read-only Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Creating Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Set Project Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Creating and Opening Files In Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

Chapter 6

Managing Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Assembly Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Assembly Design Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Assembly Coordinate System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Assembly Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Assembly Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Managing Component Locations with Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

Use Efficient File Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
Working with the Assembly Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
In-Place Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
Visibility of Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Assembly Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Restructure Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Browser Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Graphics Window Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Producing Bills of Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Tips for Working with Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Chapter 7

Placing, Moving, and Constraining Components . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Placing Components In Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
Sources of Placed Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Drag Components into Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
Enabled Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
Grounded Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Moving and Rotating Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Constraining Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
Place Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
Viewing Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
Editing Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Tips for Managing Assembly Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158

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Chapter 8

Creating Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Creating Assembly Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Parts In Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Projected Edges and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Subassemblies In Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Creating Component Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Creating Assembly Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Use Assembly Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Using Work Features in Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Replacing Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Mirroring Assemblies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Copying Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Chapter 9

Analyzing Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Checking for Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Checking for Degrees of Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Unconstrained Drag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Constrained Drag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Constraint Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Drive Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Animating Assembly Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Selecting Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Chapter 10

Setting Up Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Creating Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Edit Model Dimensions in Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Formatting Drawings with Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Use Styles In Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Share Styles Between Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Use Styles Available In Drafting Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Create New Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Object Defaults Styles and Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Using Drawing Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Sheet Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Edit Default Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Format Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Drawing Borders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Title Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Hole Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Parts Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Tips for Creating Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Contents

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vii


Chapter 11

Creating Drawing Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Learning about drawing views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Drawing View Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Editing Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Creating Multiview Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Base Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Section Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210
Auxiliary Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
Detail Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214
Broken Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Draft Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Modifying Views and Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Delete Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Align Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
Edit Hatch Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Rotate Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
Move Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
Use Overlay Views to Show Multiple Assembly Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
Tips for Creating Drawing Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223

Chapter 12

Annotating Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Annotation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
Using Styles to Format Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
Creating Dimensions in Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
Change Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
Place Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
Controlling Dimension Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
Copy Dimension Styles with Style Library Manager . . . . . . . . . . . .232

Center Marks and Centerlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Notes and Leader Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Hole and Thread Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Thread Representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
Title Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
Working with Dimensions and Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
Turn Off Tangent Edge Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238
Format Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
Printing Drawing Sheets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
Tips for Annotating Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249

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Contents


Chapter 13

Using Content Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
About Content Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Set and Manage Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Content Center Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Working with Content Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Tips for Using Content Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Using the Publish Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Chapter 14

Autodesk Inventor Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Editing Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Resolving File Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Search for Library and Nonlibrary Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Use Substitution Rules to Find Missing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Keeping Old File Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Moving, Copying, and Archiving Design Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Zip Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Temporary Root Folders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Pack and Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Design Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Move and Copy Files Between Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Deleting Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Changing File Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
About Autodesk Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Contents

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ix


x


Introduction

In This Chapter

Welcome to Autodesk Inventor®. This book is intended
to give you the fundamental skills you need to get

■ Autodesk Inventor software
■ Using projects
■ Application settings

started using Autodesk Inventor and be productive

■ Hot keys

quickly. In these chapters, the basic features are

■ Viewing models

presented through examples and step-by-step

■ Importing and exporting data

procedures. The data files used in the procedures are
installed with the Autodesk Inventor software.

1


Introducing Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Inventor is a 3D mechanical design system that includes tools for
3D modeling, information management, collaboration, and technical

support. With Autodesk Inventor, you can:
■

Create 2D and 3D sketches, 3D models and 2D manufacturing drawings.

■

Create adaptive features, parts, and subassemblies.

■

Capture kinematic “snapshots” of assemblies in multiple positions

■

Customize views of an assembly by controlling component visibility

■

Manage thousands of parts and large assemblies.

■

Use third-party applications, with an Application Program Interface (API).

■

Use VBA to access the Autodesk Inventor API. Create programs to
automate repetitive tasks. On the Help menu, choose Programmer Help.

■

Import SAT, STEP, and AutoCAD® and Autodesk® Mechanical Desktop®
(DWG) files for use in Autodesk Inventor. Export Autodesk Inventor files
to AutoCAD, Autodesk Mechanical Desktop, and IGES and STEP formats.

■

Collaborate with multiple designers in the modeling process.

■

Link to Web tools to access industry resources, share data, and
communicate with colleagues.

■

Use the integrated Design Support System (DSS) for help as you work.

Getting Started
When you start Autodesk Inventor, the Open > Getting Started dialog box
displays the active window from your last session of Autodesk Inventor. You
can use this window to specify a project, add a new project, edit an existing
project, start a new file, and open an existing file.

Projects
Autodesk Inventor uses projects to represent a logical grouping of a complete
design project. A project organizes your data by maintaining information
about where design data is stored, where you can edit files, and maintains
valid links between them. You use projects when you work in a team, work

on multiple design projects, and share libraries among several design
projects. See “Autodesk Inventor Utilities” on page 259, for detailed
information about setting up and using projects.

2

|

Introduction


Data Files for Exercises
When you install Autodesk Inventor, a project called tutorial_files is created.
You need to make this project active so that you can locate the data files that
are used for some exercises in this book.
TRY IT: Make the tutorial_files project active
1 In Autodesk Inventor, on the Standard toolbar, click Files > Projects.
2 In the Project Editor, in the Select Project pane, double click the tutorial_files
project to make it the active project.
In the Edit Project pane, in Location, the path to the folder containing the
tutorial data files is displayed. This is the folder where the files you create and
edit while performing the exercises are saved.
3 In the What To Do pane, click Open.
The data files contained in the tutorial_files project are listed in the Open File
dialog box.
4 Click a file to see a preview of it, and double-click a file to open it in Autodesk
Inventor.

File Types
Once you activate a project, you can open an existing file or start a new file.

In the What To Do pane, click New to see the New File dialog box with
templates for a new part, assembly, presentation file, sheet metal part,
weldment, or drawing. You can choose from several templates with
predefined units.
Templates are stored in the Autodesk\Inventor(version number)\Templates
directory or in the English or Metric subdirectories. Subdirectories in the
Templates directory are displayed as tabs in the Open New File dialog box.
You can create and save custom templates in the Templates directory.
A template can contain property information, such as part and project data,
and drawing views. You can see information stored in a file by viewing its
properties.
TRY IT: View the Properties dialog box
■

With a file open, right-click a component in the browser or in the graphics
window, and then choose iProperties from the menu.

■

Click the tabs to see properties.

Getting Started

|

3


Application Options
You can change the look and feel of Autodesk Inventor using settings on the

Application Options dialog box. On the Standard toolbar, select Tools >
Application Options and then use the tabs on the Options dialog box to
control the color and display of your Autodesk Inventor work environment,
the behavior and settings of files, the default file locations, and a variety of
multiple-user functions.
Application options remain in effect until you change them.

Document Settings
In addition to application options, you can control settings in individual
files. On the Standard toolbar, select Tools > Document Settings to display
the Document Settings dialog box. Click the tabs to view and specify settings
for the active document, such as indicating the active styles, units of
measure, sketch and modeling preferences, bill of materials, and default
tolerance.

Styles and Standards
You select a drafting standard when you install Autodesk Inventor, and it
includes a default set of styles that control most objects used in documents,
such as balloons, dimensions, text, layers, parts lists, symbols and leaders,
materials, and lighting. Usually the default styles are enough to get you
started, but you can used the Styles and Standards Editor to create, modify,
and purge unused styles.
By default, actions such as creating or modifying styles affect only the current
document. You can choose to save the style to the style library, a master
library that contains definitions for all available styles associated with a
drafting standard. Usually, the style library is managed by a CAD
administrator so that the style definitions, which are used by all documents
that use the drafting standard, are not accidentally replaced by a custom style.
Style libraries make it easy to share formatting conventions across projects
because they contain the definitions of formatting objects. Likewise, they

make it easy to update a style for all documents, such as revising the arrow
heads of dimensions, simply by editing the style and saving the revision to
the master style library. All documents that use that drafting standard have
access to the library and any new or changed styles that are added to it.

4

|

Introduction


TRY IT: View the Styles and Standards Editor dialog box
1 In Autodesk Inventor, click File > New and select the drawing template.
2 On the Standard toolbar, click Format > Styles Editor.
3 In the Styles and Standards Editor dialog box, click Standard in the Style Type
browser, and then double-click a listed standard.
4 Click the General tab to see the values controlled there, and then click the
Available Styles tab to see the list of styles. As you click through the style type
list, you may notice that most names are checked. If the check box is cleared,
that style is not available for use in the current document.
5 In the left pane of the Styles and Standards Editor, click the Dimension style,
and then click one of the dimension styles to display it in the right pane.
Click through the tabs to see the values set for units, alternate units, text,
tolerance, and other settings. Click a different dimension style to see if any
of the values differ.
6 In the top right corner of the dialog box, click the Filter list and change the
filter type. Notice how the list of available styles changes if you select All
Styles, Local Styles (for the current document), or Active Standard.
You may notice differences in the lists because the local styles may have had

some unused styles purged to make the file size smaller.
7 Click Done to close the dialog box. Any values you may have changed are
discarded.
If you click Save to preserve changes, the changes are saved only in the current document.

Using Short Cut Keys and Hot Keys
Autodesk Inventor provides hot keys to help you perform certain tasks more
quickly. It’s important to remember that some hot keys are active in specific
environments only.
TRY IT: View a complete guide to short cut keys
1 Open Autodesk Inventor.
2 On the Standard menu, click Tools > Customize > Commands tab. For each
category, there is a list of the command name and its associated shortcut if
one exists.
3 Click through several categories to see the associated commands.

Using Short Cut Keys and Hot Keys

|

5


The following is a list of some of the commonly used hot keys.

6

|

Key

Result

F1

Displays Help for the active command or dialog box.

F2

Pans the graphics window.

F3

Zooms in or out in the graphics window.

F4

Rotates objects in the graphics window.

F5

Returns to the previous view.

F6

Returns to isometric view.

B

Adds a balloon to a drawing.

C

Adds an assembly constraint.

D

Adds a dimension to a sketch or drawing.

E

Extrudes a profile.

F

Adds a feature control frame to a drawing.

H

Adds a hole feature.

L

Creates a line or arc.

O

Adds an ordinate dimension.

P

Places a component in the current assembly.

R

Creates a revolved feature.

S

Creates a sketch on a face or plane.

T

Tweaks a part in the current presentation file.

ESC

Quits a command.

DELETE

Deletes selected objects.

Backspace

In the active Line tool, removes the last sketched segment.

ALT + drag mouse

In assemblies, applies a mate constraint.

In a sketch, moves spline shape points.

Introduction


Key

Result

CTRL + SHIFT

Adds or removes objects from selection set.

SHIFT + right-click

Activates the Select tool menu.

SHIFT + Rotate tool Automatically rotates model in graphics window. Click to quit.
CTRL +ENTER

Disables inferencing when entering precise input sketch points.

CTRL + Y

Activates Redo (revokes the last Undo).

CTRL + Z

Activates Undo (revokes the last action).

Spacebar

When the 3D Rotate tool is active, switches between dynamic
rotation and standard isometric and single plane views.

Viewing Models
Use viewing tools on the Standard toolbar and on right-click menus in the
graphics window to view a model:
■

Select one of the viewing tools in the Standard toolbar to achieve a specific
view.

■

Right-click in the graphics window, and then select Isometric View from
the menu. The view vector changes to the isometric orientation.

■

Right-click in the graphics window, and then select Previous View from
the menu. The view changes back to the previous view.

■

Press F5 to return the model to the last view.

To rotate a view in 3D, use the Rotate tool in the Standard toolbar to rotate a
view around one of the coordinate axes. When Rotate is active, press the
SPACEBAR to use the Common View tool, a “glass box” with a view vector on

each face and corner.

Viewing Models

|

7


Zoom Tools
The zoom tools are located in the Standard toolbar.

Zoom
Use the Zoom button on the Standard toolbar to enlarge or reduce the image
in the graphics window. Click the button, and then in the graphics window
press the cursor as you move it up or down to zoom the view dynamically in
or out. You can zoom the view while other tools are active.

Zoom All
Use the Zoom All button on the Standard toolbar to resize the image of a part
or assembly so that all elements are displayed in the graphics window. You
can zoom a drawing so that the active sheet fits within the graphics window.

8

|

Introduction

Zoom Window
Use the Zoom Window button on the Standard toolbar to define an area of a
part, assembly, or drawing to fill the graphics window.

Zoom Selected
Use the Zoom Selected button on the Standard toolbar to zoom a selected
edge, feature, or other element to the size of the graphics window.

Viewing Models

|

9


Pan
Use the Pan button on the Standard toolbar to move the view in the graphics
window in any direction planar to the screen. You can pan the view while
other tools are active.

Look At
Use the Look At button on the Standard toolbar to zoom and rotate the
display in the graphics window. You can position a selected planar element
parallel to the screen or position a selected edge or line horizontal to the
screen.

10

|

Introduction


Rotate
Use the 3D Rotate tool on the Standard toolbar to:
■

Rotate a part or assembly in the graphics window.

■

Display standard, isometric, and single plane projections of a part or
assembly.

■

Redefine the isometric view.

Shaded, Hidden Edge, and Wireframe Display
Use one of the Change Display tools to switch among the three display
modes: Shaded, Hidden Edge, and Wireframe. Display modes can be applied
to part and assembly models, and to views in the Engineer's Notebook.

Ground Shadow Display
Use the Ground Shadow tool to cast a shadow on the plane beneath the
model.

Viewing Models

|

11


Orthographic and Perspective Camera Views
The Camera View tool has two settings: Orthographic Camera mode and
Perspective Camera mode.
In Perspective Camera mode, part or assembly models are displayed in threepoint perspective, a visual effect where parallel lines converge on a vanishing
point. This is the way real objects are perceived by the human eye or by a
camera.

The following chart shows how the other viewing tools behave and how they
can be modified in each camera mode.
Zoom or
Pan Type

Orthographic Perspective
Keys/Commands
Camera mode Camera mode

Camera Translation Pan

Yes

Yes

F2

Camera Pivot Pan

Yes

Yes

SHIFT+F2

Camera Position Zoom

Yes

Yes

F3

Camera Position/Camera No
Target Point Zoom

Yes

SHIFT+F3

Zoom

Lens Focal Length Zoom No

Yes

CTRL+F3

Zoom

Set Perspective
Distortion

12

|

Introduction

Pan
Pan

Zoom

SHIFT+CTRL+F3 Zoom


Importing and Exporting Data
You can import SAT, STEP, IGES and AutoCAD and Autodesk Mechanical
Desktop (DWG) files for use in Autodesk Inventor. You can save Autodesk
Inventor parts and assemblies in a number of file formats, and you can save
Autodesk Inventor drawings as DXF or AutoCAD drawing (DWG) files.
The options for opening and saving AutoCAD files in Autodesk Inventor are:
■

Selection of layers.

■

Window selection of entities.

■

Saving files in DWG format.

■

Support for DFX files back to version 12.

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Creation of AutoCAD® Mechanical files, if AutoCAD Mechanical is installed.

NOTE Mechanical Desktop files can be linked to Autodesk Inventor assemblies
without importing.

AutoCAD Files
You can open AutoCAD (DWG or DXF) files back to version 12. When you
open an AutoCAD file in Autodesk Inventor, you can specify the AutoCAD
data to translate. You can select:
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Model space, a single layout in paper space, or 3D solids.

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One or more layers.

You can also place 2D translated data:

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On a sketch in a new or existing drawing.

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As a title block in a new drawing.

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As a sketched symbol in a new drawing.

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On a sketch in a new or existing part.

If you translate 3D solids, each solid becomes a part file containing an ASM
solid body. Blocks are translated as sketched symbols.
When you import AutoCAD (DWG) drawings into a part sketch, a drawing,
or a drawing sketch overlay, the converter takes the entities from the XY
plane of model space and places them on the sketch. In a drawing, certain
entities, such as splines, cannot be converted.

Importing and Exporting Data

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When you export Autodesk Inventor drawings to AutoCAD, the converter
creates an editable AutoCAD drawing and places all data in paper space or
model space in the DWG file. If the Autodesk Inventor drawing has multiple
sheets, each is saved as a separate DWG file. The exported entities become
AutoCAD entities, including dimensions.

Autodesk Mechanical Desktop Files
Autodesk Inventor can translate Autodesk Mechanical Desktop parts and
assemblies so the design intent is preserved. You can import a Mechanical
Desktop file as either an ASM body or a full conversion when Mechanical
Desktop is installed and running on your system. Using the DWG/DXF File
Wizard, you can import Mechanical Desktop data, including parts,
assemblies, and drawings. The data is associative to Autodesk Inventor
drawing views and annotations.
Features that are supported in Autodesk Inventor are converted. Features that
are not supported are not translated. If Autodesk Inventor can’t translate a
feature it skips that feature, places a note in the browser, and then completes
the translation.

SAT Files
SAT (*.sat) files contain nonparametric solids that may be Boolean solids or
parametric solids with the relationships removed. You can use a SAT file in
an assembly and add parametric features to the base solid.
When you import a SAT file that contains a single body, it produces an
Autodesk Inventor part file with a single part. If it contains multiple bodies,
it produces an assembly with multiple parts. Surface data in a SAT file is also
supported.

STEP Files
STEP files are the international format developed to overcome some of the

limitations of data conversion standards. Past efforts in developing standards
have resulted in localized formats such as IGES (U.S.), VDAFS (Germany), or
IDF (for circuit boards). Those standards do not address many developments
in CAD systems. The STEP converter for Autodesk Inventor is designed for
effective communication and reliable interchange with other CAD systems.

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Introduction


When you import a STEP (*.stp, *.ste, *.step) file, only 3D solid, part, surface,
and assembly data are converted. Drafting, text, and wireframe data are not
processed by the STEP converter. If a STEP file contains one part, it produces
an Autodesk Inventor part file. If it contains assembly data, it produces an
assembly with multiple parts.

IGES Files
IGES (*.igs, *.ige, *.iges) files are a standard in the United States. Many
NC/CAM software packages require files in IGES format. Autodesk Inventor
imports and exports IGES files, including wireframe data.

Learning Autodesk Inventor
You can select a learning tool that suits your preferred learning style. Using
components of the Design Support System, you can get help for the current
task, follow a workflow in a tutorial, learn a new skill using a Skill Builder, or
click through help topics. You can gain 3D knowledge as you transition from
2D and watch animations of operations.

Using the Design Support System
The Design Support System in Autodesk Inventor integrates software tools,
knowledge, and interactive learning for assistance in specific work tasks and
to increase your productivity. The complete DSS includes:
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Printed Getting Started manual

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Online Help

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Help for the AutoCAD user

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Welcome modules and setups checklist

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Tutorials

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Show Me animations

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What’s New in Autodesk Inventor

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Feedback Links

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Skill Builders

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Notes about Autodesk® Vault

Learning Autodesk Inventor

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