By ASCENT For Review Only and Reuse Strictly Forbidden.: Autodesk Inventor 2016 For Experienced 3D CAD Users

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Autodesk® Inventor® 2016
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for Experienced 3D CAD Users

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Student Guide
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Revision 1.0
Cover Page
May 2015
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Authorized Author
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ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®
Autodesk® Inventor® 2016
for Experienced 3D CAD Users
Revision 1.0
Prepared and produced by:
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ASCENT Center for Technical Knowledge
630 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Suite 175
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Charlottesville, VA 22911
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866-527-2368
www.ASCENTed.com Copyright
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ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge is a division of Rand Worldwide, Inc., providing
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custom developed knowledge products and services for leading engineering software
applications. ASCENT is focused on specializing in the creation of education programs that
incorporate the best of classroom learning and technology-based training offerings.
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We welcome any comments you may have regarding this training guide, or any of our products.
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To contact us please email: feedback@ASCENTed.com.
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© ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge, 2015
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All rights reserved. No part of this guide may be reproduced in any form by any photographic,
electronic, mechanical or other means or used in any information storage and retrieval system
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without the written permission of ASCENT, a division of Rand Worldwide, Inc.
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The following are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the
USA and other countries: 123D, 3ds Max, Algor, Alias, AliasStudio, ATC, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD, Autodesk, the Autodesk
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logo, Autodesk 123D, Autodesk Homestyler, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Streamline, AutoLISP,
AutoSketch, AutoSnap, AutoTrack, Backburner, Backdraft, Beast, BIM 360, Burn, Buzzsaw, CADmep, CAiCE, CAMduct,
CFdesign, Civil 3D, Cleaner, Combustion, Communication Specification, Constructware, Content Explorer, Creative
Bridge, Dancing Baby (image), DesignCenter, DesignKids, DesignStudio, Discreet, DWF, DWG, DWG (design/logo),
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DWG Extreme, DWG TrueConvert, DWG TrueView, DWGX, DXF, Ecotect, ESTmep, Evolver, FABmep, Face Robot, FBX,
Fempro, Fire, Flame, Flare, Flint, FMDesktop, ForceEffect, FormIt, Freewheel, Fusion 360, Glue, Green Building Studio,
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Heidi, Homestyler, HumanIK, i-drop, ImageModeler, Incinerator, Inferno, InfraWorks, Instructables, Instructables (stylized
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robot design/logo), Inventor LT, Inventor, Kynapse, Kynogon, LandXplorer, Lustre, MatchMover, Maya, Maya LT,
Mechanical Desktop, MIMI, Mockup 360, Moldflow Plastics Advisers, Moldflow Plastics Insight, Moldflow, Moondust,
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MotionBuilder, Movimento, MPA (design/logo), MPA, MPI (design/logo), MPX (design/logo), MPX, Mudbox, Navisworks,
ObjectARX, ObjectDBX, Opticore, Pipeplus, Pixlr, Pixlr-o-matic, Productstream, RasterDWG, RealDWG, ReCap, Remote,
Revit LT, Revit, RiverCAD, Robot, Scaleform, Showcase, ShowMotion, Sim 360, SketchBook, Smoke, Socialcam,
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Softimage, Sparks, SteeringWheels, Stitcher, Stone, StormNET, TinkerBox, ToolClip, Topobase, Toxik, TrustedDWG,
T-Splines, ViewCube, Visual LISP, Visual, VRED, Wire, Wiretap, WiretapCentral, XSI.
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All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
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General Disclaimer:
Notwithstanding any language to the contrary, nothing contained herein constitutes nor is intended to constitute an offer,
inducement, promise, or contract of any kind. The data contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not
represented to be error free. ASCENT, its agents and employees, expressly disclaim any liability for any damages, losses
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or other expenses arising in connection with the use of its materials or in connection with any failure of performance, error,
omission even if ASCENT, or its representatives, are advised of the possibility of such damages, losses or other
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expenses. No consequential damages can be sought against ASCENT or Rand Worldwide, Inc. for the use of these
materials by any third parties or for any direct or indirect result of that use.
The information contained herein is intended to be of general interest to you and is provided "as is", and it does not
address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Nothing herein constitutes professional advice, nor does
it constitute a comprehensive or complete statement of the issues discussed thereto. ASCENT does not warrant that the
document or information will be error free or will meet any particular criteria of performance or quality. In particular (but
without limitation) information may be rendered inaccurate by changes made to the subject of the materials (i.e. applicable
software). Rand Worldwide, Inc. specifically disclaims any warranty, either expressed or implied, including the warranty
of fitness for a particular purpose.
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Preface .......................................................................................................... xiii
In this Guide .................................................................................................. xv
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Practice Files ................................................................................................ xix
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor ........................................... 1-1
e EN1.1 Getting Started ................................................................................ 1-2
My Home........................................................................................... 1-2
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Project Files ...................................................................................... 1-4
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Opening Files .................................................................................... 1-5

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1.2 Autodesk Inventor Interface........................................................... 1-6

Interface ............................................................................................ 1-6
Modeling Tools................................................................................ 1-10
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Accessing Help ............................................................................... 1-12

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Autodesk A360................................................................................ 1-13

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1.3 Model Manipulation....................................................................... 1-14

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Model Orientation............................................................................ 1-14

Model Display.................................................................................. 1-19
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Object Selection .............................................................................. 1-20

Suppression .................................................................................... 1-21
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1.4 Model Information ......................................................................... 1-22

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Model Measurements...................................................................... 1-22

Model Properties ............................................................................. 1-25
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Practice 1a Open and Manipulate a Part ............................................ 1-29

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Chapter Review Questions................................................................... 1-48

Command Summary ............................................................................. 1-52
Chapter 2: Sketching Geometry .................................................................. 2-1

2.1 Creating a New Part File ................................................................. 2-2
Using the Default Template............................................................... 2-2
Selecting a Template ........................................................................ 2-3
Origin Features ................................................................................. 2-5
© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® i

Autodesk Inventor 2016 for Experienced 3D CAD Users
2.2 Creating a Sketch............................................................................ 2-6

Setting an Origin Plane as Default .................................................... 2-8
Grid and Axis Display........................................................................ 2-9
Slice Graphics ................................................................................. 2-10
2.3 Sketch Geometry........................................................................... 2-11
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Main Sketching Commands ............................................................ 2-14
Additional Sketching Commands .................................................... 2-16
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Tangent Arc Using a Line................................................................ 2-18
Tangent Line Between Two Circles/Arcs ........................................ 2-19
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Construction Entities ....................................................................... 2-19
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Fillets and Chamfers ....................................................................... 2-20
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2.4 Constraints .................................................................................... 2-22
Reviewing Existing Constraints....................................................... 2-23
Reviewing Degrees of Freedom...................................................... 2-24
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Over Constraining Entities .............................................................. 2-30
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Deleting Constraints........................................................................ 2-30
Constraint Settings.......................................................................... 2-31
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Relax Mode ..................................................................................... 2-34
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2.5 Dimensions.................................................................................... 2-35
Sketching Scaling using a Dimension ............................................. 2-35
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Automatic Dimensions .................................................................... 2-36
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Driven Dimensions .......................................................................... 2-36

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Creating General Dimensions ......................................................... 2-37

Modifying Dimensions ..................................................................... 2-40
Deleting Dimensions ....................................................................... 2-40
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2.6 Additional Sketching Tools.......................................................... 2-41

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Trim ................................................................................................. 2-41

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Extend ............................................................................................. 2-41

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Split ................................................................................................. 2-42

Mirror............................................................................................... 2-42
Offset............................................................................................... 2-43
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Move, Copy, Rotate, Scale, and Stretch ......................................... 2-44

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Copy and Paste............................................................................... 2-46

Using AutoCAD Data in Inventor..................................................... 2-46
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Practice 2a LBracket ............................................................................ 2-48

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Practice 2b Sketched Geometry ......................................................... 2-52

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Practice 2c Apply Constraints ............................................................ 2-59

Practice 2d Sketch Editing Tools........................................................ 2-65
Practice 2e Copy and Paste a Sketch................................................. 2-69
Command Summary ............................................................................. 2-77
ii © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Contents
Chapter 3: Creating Sketched Features ..................................................... 3-1

3.1 Extrude Features............................................................................. 3-2
3.2 Revolve Features ............................................................................ 3-9
3.3 Sweep Features............................................................................. 3-13
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3.4 Loft Feature ................................................................................... 3-18
3.5 Editing Sketched Features ........................................................... 3-28
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Show Dimensions ........................................................................... 3-28
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Sketch Visibility ............................................................................... 3-29
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Editing Commands.......................................................................... 3-29
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Practice 3a Extruded Base Feature .................................................... 3-31
Practice 3b Create Sketched Extrusions ........................................... 3-35
Practice 3c Create a Sketched Revolve ............................................. 3-42
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Practice 3d Share Sketch .................................................................... 3-46
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Practice 3e Creating Swept Geometry I ............................................. 3-49
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Practice 3f Rail Lofts............................................................................ 3-54
Practice 3g Center Line Loft................................................................ 3-57
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Practice 3h Loft Creation (Optional)................................................... 3-59
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Command Summary ............................................................................. 3-69

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Chapter 4: Creating Pick and Place Features ............................................ 4-1

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4.1 Edge Chamfer.................................................................................. 4-2

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4.2 Constant and Variable Fillets......................................................... 4-6

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Continuity ........................................................................................ 4-10

Additional Fillet Options .................................................................. 4-11
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4.3 Face Fillets..................................................................................... 4-14

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4.4 Full Round Fillets .......................................................................... 4-16

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4.5 Straight Holes................................................................................ 4-18

Linear Placement ............................................................................ 4-21
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Concentric Placement ..................................................................... 4-22

From Sketch Placement.................................................................. 4-22
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On Point Placement ........................................................................ 4-23

4.6 Threads .......................................................................................... 4-26
4.7 Editing Pick and Place Features.................................................. 4-28
Practice 4a Add Pick and Place Features .......................................... 4-29
Practice 4b Create a Coaxial Hole ...................................................... 4-37
© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® iii

Practice 4c Add Fillets ......................................................................... 4-40

Command Summary ............................................................................. 4-49
Chapter 5: Work Features ............................................................................ 5-1
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5.1 Work Planes..................................................................................... 5-2
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5.2 Work Axes........................................................................................ 5-7
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5.3 Work Points ................................................................................... 5-10
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Practice 5a Using Work Features to Create Geometry I ................... 5-13
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Practice 5b Using Work Features to Create Geometry II.................. 5-17
Practice 5c Using Work Features to Create Geometry III
(Optional) .............................................................................................. 5-22
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Command Summary ............................................................................. 5-32
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Chapter 6: Additional Features ................................................................... 6-1
6.1 Face Draft......................................................................................... 6-2
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6.2 Splitting a Face or Part ................................................................. 6-11

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6.3 Shells.............................................................................................. 6-13

6.4 Ribs ................................................................................................ 6-17
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6.5 Reordering Features ..................................................................... 6-23

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6.6 Inserting Features ......................................................................... 6-24

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Practice 6a Create Shell and Ribs ...................................................... 6-25

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Practice 6b Create Ribs with Bosses ................................................. 6-29

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Practice 6c Splitting a Face................................................................. 6-34

Practice 6d Feature Order (Optional) ................................................. 6-39
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Command Summary ............................................................................. 6-48

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Chapter 7: Equations.................................................................................... 7-1

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7.1 Equations......................................................................................... 7-2

7.2 Parameters....................................................................................... 7-8
Model Parameters............................................................................. 7-8
User Parameters ............................................................................... 7-9
Practice 7a Add Equations .................................................................. 7-13
Practice 7b Add Parameters................................................................ 7-17
iv © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Contents
Practice 7c Working with Parameters ................................................ 7-23

Command Summary ............................................................................. 7-34
Chapter 8: Duplication Tools....................................................................... 8-1
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8.1 Rectangular Sketch Patterns ......................................................... 8-2
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8.2 Circular Sketch Patterns ................................................................ 8-4
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8.3 Rectangular Feature Patterns ........................................................ 8-6
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8.4 Circular Feature Patterns ............................................................. 8-13
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8.5 Mirror Parts or Features ............................................................... 8-17
8.6 Manipulate Patterns and Mirror Features ................................... 8-19
Suppress Patterns........................................................................... 8-19
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Edit Pattern ..................................................................................... 8-19
Delete Patterns ............................................................................... 8-19
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Practice 8a Pattern Sketched Entities ................................................ 8-20
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Practice 8b Pattern Features............................................................... 8-25
Practice 8c Mirror Features ................................................................. 8-32
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Command Summary ............................................................................. 8-38
Chapter 9: Assembly Environment ............................................................. 9-1

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9.1 Assembling Components Using Constraints............................... 9-2

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Assembly Examples........................................................................ 9-13

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9.2 Content Center .............................................................................. 9-18

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Searching the Content Center......................................................... 9-19

9.3 Assembly Browser........................................................................ 9-20
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9.4 Saving Files ................................................................................... 9-22

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Practice 9a Assembly Basics I............................................................ 9-23

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Command Summary ............................................................................. 9-47
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Chapter 10: Joint Connections.................................................................. 10-1

10.1 Assembling Components Using Joints ...................................... 10-2
Practice 10a Assembly Basics II....................................................... 10-14
Practice 10b Assembly Basics III...................................................... 10-35
Chapter Review Questions................................................................. 10-39
Command Summary ........................................................................... 10-42
© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® v

Chapter 11: Manipulating Assembly Display ........................................... 11-1

11.1 Moving and Rotating Assembly Components............................ 11-2
Moving Components ....................................................................... 11-2
Rotating Components ..................................................................... 11-3
Updating the Assembly ................................................................... 11-4
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11.2 Suppressing Constraints ............................................................. 11-5
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11.3 Component Display ...................................................................... 11-6
Visible Components ........................................................................ 11-6
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Enabling Components..................................................................... 11-6
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Isolating Components ..................................................................... 11-7
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11.4 Section Views ................................................................................ 11-8
11.5 Design Views ............................................................................... 11-10
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11.6 Selection Options in Assemblies .............................................. 11-14
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Practice 11a Assemble Components ............................................... 11-16
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Practice 11b Section and Design Views (Optional)......................... 11-25
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Command Summary ........................................................................... 11-37
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Chapter 12: Design Presentation and Animation .................................... 12-1

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12.1 Exploded View Presentations ...................................................... 12-2

Creating a Presentation View.......................................................... 12-3
Adding Tweaks................................................................................ 12-5
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Modifying Tweaks ........................................................................... 12-7

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Trail Lines Visibility.......................................................................... 12-8

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Deleting Tweaks.............................................................................. 12-8

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View Rotation .................................................................................. 12-9

Animating a View .......................................................................... 12-10
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Practice 12a Create an Explode Presentation ................................. 12-13

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Practice 12b Animate an Assembly.................................................. 12-18

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Command Summary ........................................................................... 12-25

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Chapter 13: Assembly Tools ..................................................................... 13-1

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13.1 Replacing Components ................................................................ 13-2

Replace Components...................................................................... 13-2
Save and Replace Components ..................................................... 13-2
13.2 Restructuring Components.......................................................... 13-3
Promote........................................................................................... 13-3
Demote............................................................................................ 13-4
Assembly Folders............................................................................ 13-5
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13.3 Driving Constraints....................................................................... 13-6

13.4 Contact Solver............................................................................... 13-8
13.5 Interference.................................................................................. 13-10
13.6 Error Recovery ............................................................................ 13-12
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Practice 13a Using Assembly Tools................................................. 13-13
Practice 13b Replacing Components ............................................... 13-18
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Practice 13c Restructuring the Assembly ....................................... 13-22
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Practice 13d Controlling Assembly Motion ..................................... 13-25
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Command Summary ........................................................................... 13-34
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Chapter 14: Assembly Parts and Features............................................... 14-1
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14.1 Assembly Parts ............................................................................. 14-2
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14.2 Assembly Features ....................................................................... 14-5
e EN Participant Parts.............................................................................. 14-5
Practice 14a Creating Parts and Features in an Assembly .............. 14-7
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Command Summary ........................................................................... 14-20

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Chapter 15: Assembly Bill of Materials .................................................... 15-1

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15.1 Create Virtual Components.......................................................... 15-2

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15.2 Create Bill of Materials ................................................................. 15-4

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BOM Structure ................................................................................ 15-7

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Quantity........................................................................................... 15-9
Equivalent Components .................................................................. 15-9
Material ......................................................................................... 15-10
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Column & Row Organization......................................................... 15-10

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Item Numbering............................................................................. 15-11

Part Number Merge Settings......................................................... 15-13
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Practice 15a Bill of Materials............................................................. 15-15

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Command Summary ........................................................................... 15-25
Chapter 16: Working With Projects........................................................... 16-1

16.1 Project Files................................................................................... 16-2
Activating a Project File................................................................... 16-3
Loading a Project File ..................................................................... 16-3
Creating a New Project File ............................................................ 16-3
Project Tree Customization............................................................. 16-5
Search Sequence............................................................................ 16-7
© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® vii

16.2 Resolving Links............................................................................. 16-9

Practice 16a Creating a Project File ................................................. 16-12
Command Summary ........................................................................... 16-20
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Chapter 17: Drawing Basics ...................................................................... 17-1
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17.1 Creating a New Drawing ............................................................... 17-2
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17.2 Base and Projected Views............................................................ 17-4
Base Views ..................................................................................... 17-4
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Projected Views .............................................................................. 17-7
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Raster Views ................................................................................... 17-8
17.3 Additional Drawing Views .......................................................... 17-10
Auxiliary Views .............................................................................. 17-10
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Section Views................................................................................ 17-11
Detailed Views .............................................................................. 17-13
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Overlay Views ............................................................................... 17-14
e EN Draft Views.................................................................................... 17-15
Break Views .................................................................................. 17-16
Break Out Views ........................................................................... 17-17
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Slice Views.................................................................................... 17-18
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Crop Views.................................................................................... 17-19

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17.4 Manipulating Views..................................................................... 17-21

Delete Views ................................................................................. 17-21
Suppress Views ............................................................................ 17-21
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Move Views................................................................................... 17-22

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View Orientation............................................................................ 17-22

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Transparent Components ............................................................. 17-22

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View Alignment ............................................................................. 17-22

Change View Scale....................................................................... 17-23
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Editing View Labels....................................................................... 17-23

Replace Models ............................................................................ 17-24
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View Properties ............................................................................. 17-25

Editing Sheets ............................................................................... 17-25
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Practice 17a Create a Drawing I ........................................................ 17-26

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Practice 17b Create a Drawing II (Optional)..................................... 17-37

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Command Summary ........................................................................... 17-45
Chapter 18: Detailing Drawings................................................................. 18-1

18.1 Dimensions.................................................................................... 18-2
Model Dimensions........................................................................... 18-2
Drawing Dimensions ....................................................................... 18-4
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Editing Drawing Dimensions ......................................................... 18-10

Dimension Styles .......................................................................... 18-12
18.2 Drawing Sheets ........................................................................... 18-14
18.3 Parts List...................................................................................... 18-16
Creating the Parts List................................................................... 18-16
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Editing the Parts List ..................................................................... 18-18
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18.4 Balloons ....................................................................................... 18-21
Placing Balloons Individually......................................................... 18-21
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Placing Balloons Globally.............................................................. 18-22
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Manipulating Balloons ................................................................... 18-22
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18.5 Styles and Standards.................................................................. 18-24
Standards...................................................................................... 18-25
Styles ............................................................................................ 18-26
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18.6 Hatching....................................................................................... 18-28
Practice 18a Detailing a Drawing I .................................................... 18-30
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Practice 18b Detailing a Drawing II (Optional)................................. 18-41
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Command Summary ........................................................................... 18-51
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Chapter 19: Drawing Annotations............................................................. 19-1

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19.1 Text................................................................................................. 19-2

Modifying Text................................................................................. 19-3
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Adding Model or User Parameters as Text ..................................... 19-4

Adding Properties as Text............................................................... 19-5
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19.2 Symbols ......................................................................................... 19-6

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19.3 Hole and Thread Notes ................................................................. 19-8

Creating a Hole or Thread Note ...................................................... 19-8
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Adding Text to a Hole Note ............................................................. 19-8

Editing a Hole Note ......................................................................... 19-9
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Hole Quantity in Notes .................................................................... 19-9

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Hiding Hole or Thread Note Values .............................................. 19-10

19.4 Chamfer Notes............................................................................. 19-11
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Creating Chamfer Notes ............................................................... 19-11

Editing Chamfer Notes .................................................................. 19-11
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19.5 Center Marks and Center Lines ................................................. 19-13

Center Marks................................................................................. 19-13
Center Line.................................................................................... 19-13
Center Line Bisector...................................................................... 19-14
Centered Pattern........................................................................... 19-14
19.6 Hole Tables .................................................................................. 19-15
Editing Hole Tables or Tags.......................................................... 19-16
© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® ix

19.7 Revision Tables and Tags .......................................................... 19-18

Editing the Revision Table Format ................................................ 19-18
Revision Tags ............................................................................... 19-19
Practice 19a Adding Text and Symbols ........................................... 19-20
Practice 19b Notes, Center Marks, and Centerlines ....................... 19-28
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Practice 19c Adding a Revision Table and Tags............................. 19-34
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Practice 19d Adding Hole Tables...................................................... 19-39
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Command Summary ........................................................................... 19-45
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Appendix A: Sketching Options..................................................................A-1
A.1 Sketch Geometry Creation Options ..............................................A-2
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A.2 Sketch Editing Options...................................................................A-5
A.3 Sketch Constraint Options.............................................................A-6
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A.4 Dimension Type Options................................................................A-7
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Appendix B: Customizing Autodesk Inventor ...........................................B-1
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B.1 Application Options ........................................................................B-2
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General Tab ...................................................................................... B-2

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File Tab ............................................................................................. B-2

Colors Tab......................................................................................... B-3
Display Tab ....................................................................................... B-3
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Drawing Tab...................................................................................... B-3

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Prompts Tab...................................................................................... B-3

Sketch Tab ........................................................................................ B-4
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Part Tab ............................................................................................ B-4

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Assembly Tab ................................................................................... B-5

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B.2 Document Settings .........................................................................B-6

Standard Tab .................................................................................... B-6
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Units Tab........................................................................................... B-6

Sketch Tab ........................................................................................ B-7
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Modeling Tab .................................................................................... B-7

Bill of Materials Tab........................................................................... B-8
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Default Tolerance Tab....................................................................... B-8

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Drawing Tab...................................................................................... B-8

Sheet Tab.......................................................................................... B-8
B.3 File Properties .................................................................................B-9
B.4 Changing Part Units......................................................................B-11
B.5 Command Customization.............................................................B-12
Ribbon............................................................................................. B-12
Keyboard......................................................................................... B-13
Marking Menu ................................................................................. B-15
x © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Contents
Practice B1 Customizing File Properties ........................................... B-17

Chapter Review Questions...................................................................B-22
Command Summary .............................................................................B-24
Appendix C: Additional Practices ...............................................................C-1
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Practice C1 Turntable Assembly .......................................................... C-2
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Practice C2 Assembly Parts and Features .......................................... C-7
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Practice C3 Drawing Creation I ........................................................... C-13
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Practice C4 Drawing Creation II .......................................................... C-14
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Practice C5 Drawing Creation III ......................................................... C-16
Appendix D: Autodesk Inventor 2015 Certification Exam Objectives .....D-1
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Index ...................................................................................................... Index-1
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© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® xi

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xii © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Preface
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The Autodesk® Inventor® 2016 for Experienced 3D CAD Users training guide is
intended to provide accelerated introductory training in the Autodesk® Inventor®
software. This training guide can be used in a 3-day introductory training class
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and is designed for users that have 3D modeling design experience with other 3D
CAD software packages (e.g., CATIA, Pro/ENGINEER, Creo Parametric, NX,
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SolidWorks, etc.).
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By leveraging the experience users gain in working with other 3D modeling
software packages, this hands-on, practice-intensive curriculum is developed so
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that new users in the Autodesk Inventor software can benefit from a shorter
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introductory level training guide. The new user is taught how to find and use the
modeling tools associated with familiar modeling strategies that are used in other
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3D CAD software. Users of this training guide acquire the knowledge required to
complete the process of creating models from conceptual sketching, through to
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solid modeling, assembly design, and drawing production.

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Topics Covered:
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• The Autodesk Inventor software interface

• Obtaining model information
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• Creating sketch and pick and place features

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• Work Features
• Creating equations and working with parameters
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• Model geometry and model display manipulation

• Feature duplication techniques
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• Placing and constraining parts in assemblies

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• Assembly component display

• Presentation files (Exploded views)
• Assembly tools
• Creating parts and features in assemblies
• Creating and editing assembly Bill of Materials
• Working with projects
• Creating and annotating drawings and views
© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® xiii

Note on Software Setup
This training guide assumes a standard installation of the software using the
default preferences during installation. Lectures and practices use the standard
software templates and default options for the Content Libraries.
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Students and Educators can Access Free Autodesk Software and
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Resources
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Autodesk challenges you to get started with free educational licenses for
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professional software and creativity apps used by millions of architects,
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engineers, designers, and hobbyists today. Bring Autodesk software into your
classroom, studio, or workshop to learn, teach, and explore real-world design
challenges the way professionals do.
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Get started today - register at the Autodesk Education Community and download
one of the many Autodesk software applications available.
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Visit www.autodesk.com/joinedu/
Note: Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user
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license and services agreement that accompanies the software. The software is
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for personal use for education purposes and is not intended for classroom or lab
use.
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xiv © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

In th is Gu id e
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The following images highlight some of the features that can be found in this
Training Guide.
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The Practice Files page tells
you how to download and install
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the practice files that are

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provided with this training guide.

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FTP link for practice files

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Chapters
Each chapter begins with a brief
introduction and a list of the
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chapter’s Learning Objectives.

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Learning Objectives for

the chapter
© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® xv

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Instructional Content
Each chapter is split into a
series of sections of
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instructional content on specific
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topics. These lectures include
the descriptions, step-by-step
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Side notes procedures, figures, hints, and
information you need to achieve
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Side notes are hints or
additional information for the chapter's Learning
the current topic. Objectives.
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Learning Objectives
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for the practice
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Practices
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Practices enable you to use the

software to perform a hands-on
review of a topic.
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Some practices require you to

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use prepared practice files,

which can be downloaded from
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the link found on the Practice

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Files page.
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Chapter Review Questions

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Chapter review questions,

located at the end of each
chapter, enable you to review
the key concepts and learning
objectives of the chapter.
xvi © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

In this Guide
Command Summary
The Command Summary is
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located at the end of each
chapter. It contains a list of the
software commands that are
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used throughout the chapter,
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and provides information on
where the command is found in
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the software.
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Appendix
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This appendix includes a list of
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the topics and objectives for the

Autodesk Certification exams,
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and the chapter and section in

which the relevant content can
be found.
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Icons in this Training Guide

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The following icons are used to help you quickly and easily find helpful
information.
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Indicates items that are new in the Autodesk Inventor 2016 software.
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Indicates items that have been enhanced in the Autodesk Inventor 2016
software.
© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® xvii

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xviii © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Chapter
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Introduction to Autodesk
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Inventor
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Understanding how Autodesk® Inventor® models are built and how they react to
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change is fundamental when designing robust and intelligent models. In addition,
learning the working environment is important. The environment consists of many
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different components, including toolbars, panels, and menus. Learning to interact

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with all of the components increases your modeling efficiency.

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Learning Objectives in this Chapter

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• Load and activate a project file.

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• Open existing Autodesk Inventor files.

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• Navigate the software interface to locate and execute commands.

• Use the model orientation commands to pan, zoom, rotate, and look at a model.
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• Assign Visual Styles to your models.

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• Use object selection techniques to efficiently select objects in your models.

• Simplify the appearance of a model by suppressing features.
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• Use the measuring tools to measure the length of entities, angle between entities, length of a
closed loop, or an area of a face.
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• Set the physical properties for a model.

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• Set material appearances and overrides.
© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® 1–1

1.1 Getting Started
My Home When you launch the Autodesk Inventor software, the My Home
dashboard displays as shown in Figure 1–1. This default layout
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enables you to create a new file, activate a project file, or open a
recently used file.
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Figure 1–1
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The My Home dashboard can be set to display alternate

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information. The available options for the My Home panel

include:
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The tools in the Home

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dashboard are also • (Home) displays a dashboard that provides options for
available in the Get such things as creating a new file, activating a project file, or
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Started tab, Quick opening a recently viewed file. It is the default dashboard and
Access Toolbar, or is displayed when the software is launched.
Application Menu.
• (Team Web) displays a dashboard that provides access
to a customizable page. It can link to an HTML page, internal
help topics, or web tutorials.
1–2 © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
• (Help) displays a dashboard that opens an embedded
version of the Help files. Using (Back) enables you to

return to the previous Help screen.
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The default view for My Home is the Home dashboard which
displays the New, Projects, Shortcuts, File Details, and Recent
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Documents areas. You can use this Home dashboard as follows:
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• The New area enables you to create new part, assembly,
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drawing, and presentation files using the default templates
provided with the software.
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• The Recent Documents area lists previously opened files for
the active project. When you hover the cursor over a file in
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the Recent Documents area, the following three buttons
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display, as shown in Figure 1–2:
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• : Opens the document. Alternatively, double-click on
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• : Removes the document from the Recent Documents

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area. This does not delete the local copy of the file.
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• : Access the options shown in Figure 1–2.

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Figure 1–2
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• Use the search field in the Recent Documents area to locate

files.
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• Use the filters on the left of the Recent Documents area to

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refine the files are that displayed in the list. You can refine
based on project, file type, recently modified, etc.
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• With a file selected in the Recent Documents area, the File

Details area displays the details for the file (e.g., file type,
location, modification date, etc.).
• Click to add a recent document to the pinned list so that

they are listed at the top of the Recent Documents area.

• Use the Projects area to activate any preloaded project by

double-clicking on the project’s name
• Use the Shortcuts area to create a link to a folder or web

page for easy access.
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If you are using the The Home view can be customized to refine how the default
Autodesk Vault areas are displayed and used in the My Home dashboard. You
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software, a file’s status can alter the display of the dashboard as follows:
in the Vault is displayed
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in the Recent • Resize the areas of the My Home dashboard by dragging
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Documents area. each area’s border to reposition it.
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• Change the layout of the available areas using the buttons at
the top of the dashboard:
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• Flip: Moves Recent Documents to the top, and the New,
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Projects, Shortcuts, and File Details areas to the bottom.
• Maximize Recent: Closes the New, Projects, Shortcuts,
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and File Details areas and only displays the Recent
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• Reset: Returns the My Home dashboard display to the
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default configuration.
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• Change the display style of the recent documents (i.e., tile,

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large, small, or list).

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Project Files If you work as part of a design team, managing access to the
shared Autodesk Inventor data is crucial. Incorporating project
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files enables you to organize and access the files that are used.
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A project file is a text file that has an .IPJ format.

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At a fundamental level, a project file specifies the locations of the

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files in the project and maintains all of the required links to the
files. When you open a model, the paths specified in the active
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project are searched to find all of the referenced files. At a more

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advanced level, project files can specify library locations and set
many options.
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Project Files are Use the following steps to load a project file:
discussed in more depth
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later in this training 1. Use one of the following methods to open the Projects dialog
guide. box:
• In the Get Started tab>Launch panel, click (Projects).

• In the New or Open dialog boxes, click Projects.
• Expand (Application Menu), expand Manage, and

select Projects.

2. Click Browse and navigate to the location of the project file.

Select it and click Open. The Projects dialog box updates
and a checkmark displays next to the new project name,
indicating that it is the active project.
3. Click Done to close the Projects dialog box.
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Once a project has been loaded it remains listed as an available
project. A previously-loaded project can be activated by:
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• Double-clicking on its name in the Projects dialog box, or
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• Selecting the check box adjacent to the project in the Projects
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area of the My Home dashboard.
New Projects cannot be loaded using the My Home dashboard.
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Opening Files Files can be opened using a number of different methods in the
Autodesk Inventor software. Use one of the following methods to
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open an existing file:
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• In the Get Started tab>Launch panel, click (Open).
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• Click (Open) in the Quick Access Toolbar at the top of

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the interface.
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• Expand (Application Menu) and select Open, or select a

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file from the Recent Documents list.

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• In the My Home dashboard select a file in the Recent

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Documents area and click , or double-click on the

thumbnail image.
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For all but the Recent Document option, the Open dialog box
opens. Navigate to the required file, select it, and click Open.
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Hint: My Home Tab

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Once a file has been opened, the My Home tab displays at the
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bottom of the graphics window, as shown in Figure 1–3. The

My Home tab can be closed. To reopen it, in the Get Started
tab>My Home panel, click (Home).
Figure 1–3

1.2 Autodesk Inventor Interface

Once a file has been opened, the interface updates to include
additional elements. These are consistent among the various
environments. The Part environment and many of the interface
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elements are shown in Figure 1–4.
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Quick Access Toolbar Title Bar
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Tabs Panels
Ribbon
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Graphics Window
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Status My Home tab

Bar
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Figure 1–4
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Interface The following interface elements exist in the Part environment

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and the other Autodesk Inventor environments.

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Title Bar
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The title bar at the top of the interface displays the name of the
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current active file.

Ribbon/Tabs/Panels
Many commands can The Ribbon provides access to commands and settings. The
also be accessed by Ribbon is divided into tabs and they are further subdivided into
right-clicking on a panels. The tabs that are available vary depending on the mode
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feature in the model or that is currently active. All commands are listed in panels. In
in the Model browser. Figure 1–5, the 3D Model tab is active. Sketch, Create, and
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Modify are some of the panels in this tab.
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Figure 1–5
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Click to pin a panel • Commands can be hidden into either compressed panels or
open. Select a second commands. To expand hidden commands, click on the
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time to unpin it. panel or command name, as shown for the Modify panel and
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Figure 1–6
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• Only commonly accessed Panels are displayed by default. To

customize which panels are displayed, right-click on the
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Ribbon, expand Show Panels, and then select a panel, as

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shown in Figure 1–7.

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Alternatively, you can

expand (Show
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panels) at the end of

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each tab and select

from the available list.
Figure 1–7

Hint: Command Customization on a Panel

To customize how commands display on the panel, use the
following:
• Right-click on a panel and select Ribbon Appearance.
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Toggle the display of the Ribbon to control the button sizes
for all of the commands in the panel and whether the text is
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displayed with the button.
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• Right-click on a command and select Button Size to
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change the size of an individual command between a
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standard and large size.
Graphics Window
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Open files are displayed and can be directly manipulated in the
graphics window. As individual files are opened, they display
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listed as tabs along the bottom of the graphics window. Select a
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models and the My Home dashboard are open. The active model
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is Joint.ipt.
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Figure 1–8
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• Generally, maximizing each window provides the most

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modeling space, but you can also minimize and resize the
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windows or use (Cascade), (Arrange), (Tile

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Horizontally, and (Tile Vertically) which are next to the tab

names.
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Quick Access Toolbar
Commonly accessed commands are available at the top of the

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software window in the Quick Access Toolbar, as shown in

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Figure 1–9.
Figure 1–9

• Click on the right of the Quick Access Toolbar to

customize the toolbar. Alternatively, you can right-click on any
command on the Ribbon and select Add to Quick Access
Toolbar.
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• The selection filter in the Quick Access Toolbar enables you
to filter entities, features, or components so that you can only
select that type of object. For example, if you select Select
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Face and Edges, you can only select the faces or edges on
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the model. The options that display in the drop-down list vary
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depending on the current mode. Part mode options display
as shown in Figure 1–10.
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To quickly access the
filter options without
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having to use the Quick
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Access Toolbar, press
and hold <Shift> as you
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right-click in the main
window.
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Figure 1–10
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Model Browser
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The Model browser can The Model browser lists all of the features or components in your
be displayed or models, in order of creation. The Model browser is a powerful
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removed from the tool that can be used to complete any of the following actions:
interface. To control its
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display, enable or • Select features.

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disable the tools in the

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User Interface • Access commonly used options (e.g., Delete, or Edit).

drop-down list (View
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• Search for features.

tab>Windows panel).
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• Create and edit parameters.

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• Edit features.
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• Display information on features.

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• Change the order of features (click and drag).
• Open components in an assembly.
• Open drawings of components.

In the Model browser (shown in Figure 1–11), each feature is

identified by its name and a symbol that identifies the feature
type.
enables you to
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customize the display of
the Model browser.
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Figure 1–11
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Status Bar
The Status Bar displays messages that are related to the active
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command. For example, in a Sketch, the Status Bar can display

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information related to sketching, dimensioning, and constraining

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an entity, while adding a feature the Status Bar can display

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Feature information.
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Modeling Tools The Marking menu and Feature Creation Controls are commonly
used in the design process.
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Marking Menu
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The Marking menu can The Marking Menu provides alternative access to commands.
be customized using the When you right-click in the graphics window, a radial Marking
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Customize option in the menu and a vertical Marking menu are displayed. Both menus
Tools tab. provide quick access to commonly used, context-sensitive
commands.
• The Marking menu consists of eight wedges that contain

different commands. To activate a Marking menu command,
move the cursor in the direction of the command so that it is
highlighted (as shown on the right in Figure 1–12) and click it.

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Figure 1–12
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• As you become familiar with the Marking menu commands,
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you can use gesturing behavior to initiate the commands. To
gesture, click and hold the right mouse button, immediately
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drag the cursor in the direction of the Marking menu wedge
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button. If these operations are completed in 250 milliseconds,
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the selected wedge is briefly displayed to confirm that the
operation has been performed.
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• To close the Marking menu, you can start another command,

select away from the Marking menu, or press <Esc>.
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Feature Creation Controls

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Mini-toolbars are not When you create a feature, you must define a variety of
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available for all feature elements or properties. You can define these using a Feature
types. Some feature dialog box or mini-toolbar. In the example shown in Figure 1–13,
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elements are only an Extrude feature is being created and the Extrude dialog box
available in the Feature and its mini-toolbar are displayed. Options can be selected in
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dialog box. either location.

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The elements that display in

the dialog box or mini-toolbar
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vary according to the feature

being defined.
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By default, the
dialog box is
collapsed. Click the
arrow to expand the
dialog box.
Figure 1–13

Accessing Help A number of different tools are available to get help with the
software:
• In any active dialog box, click to access context-sensitive

help (when available).
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• Hover the cursor over a command name to display a tooltip,
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as shown in Figure 1–14. Some tooltips provide a video
demonstration in place of a static image.
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Figure 1–14
• If you are connected to the Internet, you can use Online Help.
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To access the Help documentation, click (Help) in the top

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right corner of the interface, or press <F1>. Use the Search

tab to enter a topic to search for or use the Contents tab to
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browse the available topics.

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• The Help documents can also be installed locally. This

installation is done in the software load point to ensure that it
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located when needed. Once installed, enable the Installed

Local help option in the General tab in the Application
Options dialog box.
• The Get Started tab in the Ribbon contains help tools,

including lessons, tutorials, and a What’s New document
which explains the new features that are available in the
latest release of the software.

• Enter text in the <Search Help & Commands> field in the title
bar to search for a keyword or phrase. The resulting list
updates as you are typing and is divided based on the type of
the result (e.g., commands, help articles, support articles,
discussion groups, etc). If you press <Enter> after entering a
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keyword or phrase, the Help files are loaded.
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Autodesk A360 The Autodesk 360 tab in the Ribbon provides access to
Autodesk A360 online services. This service is available to all
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customers, but subscription customers have more storage
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space. It permits secured document storage and sharing. To use
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this service, you must create a user account and can then
upload and share files.
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1.3 Model Manipulation

When working with Autodesk Inventor models, being able to
manipulate their orientation and display style helps you to better
visualize them. The interface elements that control this are
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Visual styles
Navigate
panel
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ViewCube
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Bar
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Figure 1–15
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Model A model can be oriented using the software’s pan, zoom, rotate
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and ViewCube controls.

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Orientation
Pan a Model
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You can also pan a The Pan command moves a model in the graphics window in
model by pressing and any direction planar to the screen. To pan a model:
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holding the middle

mouse button while
1. Click (Pan) in the View tab>Navigate panel or in the
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dragging the mouse, or

Navigation Bar.
by holding <F2> and
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2. Press and hold the left mouse button.

panning with the left
3. Move the mouse to drag the model.
mouse button.

Rotate a Model
The Orbit command rotates a model around the center of the

window, free in all directions, or around the X- or Y-axis. To rotate
a model:
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You can also press and
hold <F4> to rotate, or 1. Click (Orbit) in the View tab>Navigate panel or in the
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press and hold <Shift> Navigation Bar. The Rotate symbol (a circle) displays on the
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and the middle mouse screen. The appearance of the cursor changes based on the
location of the cursor relative to this circle.
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button.
2. Drag the cursor to the required orientation.
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• To rotate freely, move the cursor inside the circle. The
cursor appearance changes to . Click and hold the
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mouse and then rotate the model in any direction.
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• To rotate about the horizontal axis, move the cursor to the
top or bottom handle of the circle symbol. The cursor
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button and rotate the model about the Y-axis.
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• To rotate about the vertical axis, move the cursor to the
left or right handle of the circle symbol. The cursor
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appearance changes to . Press and hold the left

mouse button and drag horizontally.
• To rotate about an axis through the center of the circle
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symbol (normal to the screen), move the cursor to the rim

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of the circle symbol. The cursor appearance changes to

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. Drag the mouse to rotate. To change the center of the

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rotation, click inside or outside the circle to set the new

center.
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• To stop rotating, click again to clear it. Alternatively,

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while still in the orbit circle, move the cursor away from
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the model until displays, and click in the graphics

window.
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Zoom a Model
The Zoom command zooms in and out on the model, on a

specific entity, or on an area. The available zoom types are
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Figure 1–16
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The zoom in a model:
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You can also press and 1. Click (Zoom) in the View tab>Navigate panel or in the
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hold <F3> to zoom. Navigation Bar.
2. Press and hold the left mouse button.
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3. Move the mouse downward to zoom in and upward to zoom

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out.
To zoom to a specific entity:

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1. Click (Zoom Selected) in the View tab>Navigate panel or

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in the Navigation Bar.

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2. Select the entity.

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• When zooming to an edge or vertex (not a surface), the order

in which you select the entity and toolbar icon is important.
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Clicking the icon, and then clicking on a point on the entity

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positions the entity in the center of the screen, and maintains

the current zoom level. Selecting the reverse (the entity and
then clicking the icon), causes the software to zoom to the
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selected entity. When zooming on a surface, the order of

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selection does not have an impact.
To zoom to an area:
1. Click (Zoom Window) in the View tab>Navigate panel or

in the Navigation Bar.
2. Select a location on the model using the left mouse button to
define the corner of the bounding box zoom area.

3. Drag the mouse to draw a box over the area to zoom.

4. Press or release the left mouse button when the box has
been drawn.
To refit the model:
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Click (Zoom All) in the View tab>Navigate panel or in the
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Navigation Bar. The view returns to its default zoom level and the
model is centered in the graphics window:
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Look At
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To orient a face parallel to the screen, click (Look At) in the
View tab>Navigate panel or in the Navigation Bar, and select the
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face. The model reorients and displays the selected face parallel
to the screen. In the example shown in Figure 1–17, a face was
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selected and was reoriented using this command.
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Select this surface

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to be parallel to
the screen.
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Figure 1–17
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ViewCube
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To display the As an alternative to the Look At command, you can use

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ViewCube settings, ViewCube functionality to orient a model face parallel to the

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right-click on it and screen. By default the ViewCube displays in the top-right corner
select Options. The of the graphics window, as shown in Figure 1–18.
ViewCube Options
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dialog box enables you

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to control the location,

size, default ViewCube
orientation, etc. The
orientation enables you
to select two parallel Figure 1–18
Origin planes to define
the orientation.

The ViewCube enables the following:
• Select any of the sides of the cube to display the parallel view
that is associated with it (Front, Right, Bottom, etc.). Edges
can also be selected on the ViewCube to reorient the model.
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• Set the type of view to Orthographic, Perspective, or
Perspective with Ortho Faces by right-clicking on the
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ViewCube and selecting the required option.
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• Return to a Home View by clicking , which displays at the
top-left of the ViewCube when you hover the cursor over it.
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Initially the Home View is the default isometric orientation.
• Set a new Home View for your model by right-clicking on the
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ViewCube and selecting Select Current View as Home.
• Select and drag a surface on the ViewCube to rotate.
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The Full Navigation Wheel, as shown in Figure 1–19, provides
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an alternative to the View tab and Navigation Bar commands for

zooming, panning, and rotating. The Rewind command on the
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wheel enables you to navigate through previous views.

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Figure 1–19
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In addition to the Zoom, The Full Navigation Wheel moves with the cursor to provide
Orbit, Pan, and Rewind access to the navigation tools. Complete the following to use the
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commands, other more tool:

advanced tools are
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available in the Full

1. Enable the tool by clicking (Full Navigation Wheel) in the
Navigation Wheel that
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View tab>Navigate panel or in the Navigation Bar. The Full

are not covered in this
Navigation Wheel displays attached to the mouse.
training guide.
2. Press and hold the mouse on a command (e.g., Zoom).
3. Move the cursor to change the view as needed.
4. Release the mouse button to end the navigation command.
5. Click or the x in the top right corner of the tool to close the
Full Navigation Wheel.

Model Display By default, new models are displayed as Shaded with Edges.
However, other visual styles can be assigned. All visual styles
are available in the View tab>Appearance panel as shown in
Figure 1–20. The ability to use many of the styles depends on
your computer’s graphics hardware.
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The Realistic setting is
dependent on the color
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and lighting settings that
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are applied in the
model.
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When using the
Realistic style you can
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also incorporate Ray
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Tracing to further
enhance model display.
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The watercolor and
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illustration settings
provide artistic,
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hand-painted, and
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drawn representations
of the model.
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Figure 1–20
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Figure 1–21 shows some examples of the available visual styles.

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Shaded Shaded with Edges Shaded with Hidden Edges

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Wireframe Wireframe with Hidden Edges Wireframe with Visible Monochrome

Edges Only
Figure 1–21

Object There are several ways to select sketched entities for editing.
Consider using any of the following:
Selection
In the default color • To select an individual object in a sketch, select it using the
scheme, unselected left mouse button.
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objects are displayed in
dark blue, • To add additional objects to the selection set, hold <Ctrl> or
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pre-highlighted objects <Shift> and left-click additional objects.
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are displayed in white,
and selected objects in • Select and drag a boundary box from left to right around
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light blue. objects (as shown in Figure 1–22) to select them. Only
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objects that are entirely enclosed in the window are selected.
This is called the Window Selection technique.
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Window: 1st point
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on left side.
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Window: 2nd point All enclosed entities

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on right side. are selected.

Figure 1–22
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If you drag a boundary • Select and drag a boundary box from right to left around
box in the wrong objects (as shown in Figure 1–23) to select them. Objects are
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direction (i.e., start a selected if they are entirely enclosed in the window, or if any
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window instead of a part of the object crosses the sketched border. This
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crossing) select a technique is called the Crossing Selection technique.

second point so that the
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sketched area is empty, Crossing: 1st point

and start again. on right
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Crossing: 2nd point All enclosed and crossing

on left side. entities are selected.
Figure 1–23
• To clear objects you can hold <Ctrl> or <Shift> and
individually select entities, or use the window or crossing
techniques to select entities. To clear all of the objects, click
in a blank space in the graphics window.

• To select hidden features, hover the cursor over an object

until a drop-down list displays. The drop-down list displays all
of the shown and hidden features based on the current
cursor location, as shown in Figure 1–24. Scroll through the
drop-down list and select the required entity when it is
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highlighted.
You can also use the
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middle mouse button to
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scroll through the shown
and hidden features.
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Figure 1–24
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Suppression
e EN You can simplify the appearance of a model by suppressing a
feature to make it temporarily invisible. To suppress a feature,
right-click on it in the Model browser and select Suppress
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Features, as shown on the left in Figure 1–25. If you suppress a
feature, all of its dependent features are also suppressed.
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Suppressed features (and any of dependent features) are

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displayed in gray and crossed out in the Model browser, as

shown on the right in Figure 1–25.
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Rule-based suppression
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of features is possible
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by right-clicking on the
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feature and selecting

Properties. Use the
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options in the
Suppression area to set
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the appropriate options

for suppressing the
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feature.
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Figure 1–25
To unsuppress a feature, right-click on the feature in the Model
browser and select Unsuppress Features. Any dependent
features that were suppressed are also unsuppressed.

1.4 Model Information
Model The measurement tools enable you to measure distance, angle,

loop, or area and displays the calculated value in a dialog box.
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Measurements These commands are shown in Figure 1–26 for part and
assembly files.
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Inspect tab for a Part file Inspect tab for an Assembly file
Figure 1–26
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e EN Measure Distance or Length
Use the following steps to measure a distance or length:

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1. Select the Inspect tab>Measure panel, click (Distance).

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2. Select the geometry to measure. The following describes the

selections that you need to use to obtain the required result.
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In some cases you need • Select an edge to measure its length

to hover until the Select • Hover the cursor over a cylindrical face or circular edge
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Other tool displays to until a diameter line displays and click to measure its
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select the correct diameter.

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reference or right-click • Place the cursor over a cylindrical face or arc until a
on the reference and radius line displays and click to measure its radius.
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select Select Other.

• Select a point to measure its location (X, Y, and Z) relative
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to the active coordinate system.

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• Select two points to measure the distance between them.

A value and the X, Y, and Z delta values are displayed.
• Select two edges to measure the distance between them.
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• Select an edge and place the cursor on a circular edge

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until a green dot displays at its center to measure the

distance between an edge and a circular edge’s center.
• Hover the cursor over a midpoint of a linear or arc entity
and select it. Select another point or midpoint to measure
the distance between them.

Measure the Distance Between Components
Use the following steps to measure the shortest distance

between two selected components in an assembly:
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1. Select the Inspect tab>Measure panel, click (Distance).
2. Change the filter option to (Part Priority).
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3. Select two components to determine their minimum
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separation.
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Measure an Angle
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Use the following steps to measure an angle:
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1. In the Inspect tab>Measure panel, click (Angle).
2. Select the required geometry to measure the following
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angles:
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the two lines or faces.
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• To measure the angle created by three points, select the
first two points that define a line and then select the third
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point that defines the angle.

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• To measure the distance to a midpoint of a segment,

hover over the midpoint until a yellow dot displays and
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then select it.

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Measure a Loop
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Use the following steps to measure the length of a closed

boundary:
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1. In the Inspect tab>Measure panel, click (Loop).

2. Select a face or loop to measure.
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Measure an Area
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Use the following steps to measure the area of a closed

boundary:
1. In the Inspect tab>Measure panel, click (Area).

2. Select a face or a closed loop to measure an area.

Add to Accumulate
To determine the sum of multiple measurements, select Add to

Accumulate from the drop-down list, as shown in Figure 1–27.
Use Clear Accumulate and Display Accumulate to reset the
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stored value to zero and display the current value, respectively.
Restart a Measurement
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To take a new measurement, select Restart from the drop-down
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list, as shown in Figure 1–27.
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Adjust the precision of
the results using the
Precision option in the
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drop-down list.
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Figure 1–27
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Context Sensitive Measurements

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If an object is preselected, you can right-click and select

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Measure in the marking menu, or in the expanded Measure

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options in the shortcut menu, as shown in Figure 1–28. If the

preselected objects can provide a measured value, the results
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are displayed.
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Figure 1–28

Using Measure when Entering Required Values
In most cases, if a dialog box requires you to enter a value, you

can use the Measure option (shown in Figure 1–29) to access
and use the measuring tool to conduct a measurement on the
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model that is automatically populates the value field.
The Measure option is
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also available in feature
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dialog boxes associated
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with value fields.
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Figure 1–29
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Model By assigning a specific material to a model, you can calculate
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the physical properties (e.g., volume, mass, center of gravity,
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Properties etc.) of the model based on that material.
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iProperties
The physical properties of a model are listed in the model’s

iProperties dialog box. To access this, right-click on the model
name in the Model browser, select iProperties, and select the
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Physical tab. To assign material, select a type in the Material
drop-down list, as shown in Figure 1–30. The values in the dialog
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box are automatically calculated based on the material selected.
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Alternatively, you can
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expand
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(Application Menu)
and select iProperties
to open the iProperties
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Select the
dialog box.
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Material type
from the
The physical properties
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Material
are not available in drop-down list.
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iFeature, presentation,
or drawing files. In an
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assembly file, the
material cannot be
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changed.
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Figure 1–30
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• The Requested Accuracy field sets the degree of accuracy

for the calculations. Low accuracy calculates faster, but is
less accurate.
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• Click Update to recalculate the physical properties of

changes to part features, or to recalculate the physical
properties of an assembly after changes are made to it.
• Click Clipboard to copy the physical property information to

the Windows clipboard for pasting into a text editor.

If the mass or volume • Mass and volume properties can be overridden by entering
properties are new values directly in their fields and clicking Apply.
overridden, the other Overridden properties display with the hand symbol, as
properties in the dialog shown in Figure 1–31. To remove the override, delete the
box do not update to contents of the field(s) and click Apply.
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reflect the new value(s).
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Override
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values
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Figure 1–31
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Once the material has been changed in the iProperties dialog

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box, the Materials drop-down list updates to reflect the change,

as shown in Figure 1–32. You can use the Materials drop-down
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list as an alternative to changing the material in the iProperties

dialog box.
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Materials drop-down list

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Figure 1–32

Model Color
By default, the color of a model is based on the assigned

material’s color. To assign a different appearance to the model
while maintaining the iProperty data for the material, you can
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select an alternate appearance in the Appearance Override
drop-down list, as shown in Figure 1–33.
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By default, the materials Appearance Override
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listed in the Materials drop-down list
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drop-down list are those
from the Inventor
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Material Library. To
switch to the Autodesk
Material Library, select it
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at the bottom of the
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Materials drop-down list.
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To assign an override color on specific features in the model,
select the features, right-click, and select Properties. In the
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Feature Properties dialog box, select a feature appearance from

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the Feature Appearance drop-down list.
• Any overridden feature appearances are maintained

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regardless of any changes to the Appearance Override.

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• To clear a feature or model appearance override, in the Tools

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tab>Material and Appearance panel, click (Clear) and

select the features to clear. This option is also available in the
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Quick Access toolbar.

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Practice 1a Open and Manipulate a Part

Practice Objectives
• Open part and drawing files and navigate between them using the tabs
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at the bottom of the graphics window.
• Orient the model using the Zoom, Pan, Rotate, and Look At
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commands available in the Ribbon, Navigation bar, and ViewCube.
• Change the visual style of a model for improved visualization.
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• Change the visibility status of origin features in the model.
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• Modify dimension values and delete features associated with a model to
verify associativity between a part and its drawing file.
fo rev
• Use the Select Other drop-down list to efficiently select hidden features
in a model.
• Suppress features in the model to temporarily remove them from the
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model.
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In this practice, you will open and work in part and drawing files
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to learn the Autodesk Inventor interface. You will also manipulate
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about associativity of files between environments.
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Task 1 - Open a model.

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1. If the Autodesk Inventor software is not already open, select

Start>All Programs>Autodesk>Autodesk Inventor 2016>
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Autodesk Inventor 2016 or double-click on the Autodesk

Inventor 2016 icon on the desktop.
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2. Project files identify the folders that contain the required

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models. Use one of the following methods to open the

Projects dialog box to assign the project file:
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Project files can also be

• In the Get Started tab>Launch panel, click (Projects).
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assigned using the New

or Open dialog boxes by
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clicking Projects. • Expand (Application Menu), expand Manage, and

select Projects.
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3. Click Browse, navigate to C:\Autodesk Inventor 2016 for

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Experienced 3D CAD Users Practice Files (or the directory of

the practice files if you changed the default directory) and
select Experienced 3D CAD Users.ipj. Click Open. The
Projects dialog box updates and a checkmark displays next
to the new project name, indicating that it is the active project.
4. Click Done to return to the Open dialog box.

5. In the My Home dashboard, select the Projects tab and scroll

through the list to verify that the Experienced 3D CAD Users
project has a checkmark adjacent to it to indicate that it is
active. Once a project has been added you can use this tab
to activate different project files.
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6. Use one of the following methods to open a new file:
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• In the Quick Access Toolbar, click (Open).
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• Expand (Application Menu) and select Open.
If the file extensions do 7. Select Joint.ipt and click Open. The model geometry
not display, open displays and the Model browser lists all of the features in the
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Windows Explorer. model, as shown in Figure 1–34.
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Select Tools>Folder
Options, select the
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View tab, and clear the
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Hide extensions for
known file types
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option.
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Figure 1–34
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The model name is displayed in the header of the interface and

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at the top of the Model browser listing. Both names identify the
model as a part (.IPT) file. The model consists of solid geometry
and work features that were used as references in creating the
solid geometry. In addition to the geometry and work features,
there is a Solid Bodies node at the top of the Model browser.
This node identifies the solid bodies that are included in the part
model.

Task 2 - Zoom in and out on the model using the Zoom

command.
1. The 3D Model tab is the active tab. Select the View tab at the
top of the Ribbon interface. The options in each tab are
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subdivided into panels to help you quickly find commands.
Locate the Navigate panel. It contains all of the commands
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that you can use to manipulate the location and orientation of
the model.
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2. In the Navigate panel, click (Zoom), as shown in
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Figure 1–35. In some situations, similar commands are
compressed in a panel and you must expand commands to
access them.
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Figure 1–35
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3. Move the cursor to the graphics window, click and hold the
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left mouse button, and move the mouse downward to zoom in

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and upward to zoom out.

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4. Click (Zoom) again in the Navigate panel to toggle it off.

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You can also use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in or out.
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5. As an alternative to the View tab>Navigate panel, you can

manipulate the model display using the options in the
Navigation Bar on the right side of the graphics window.
Similar to the Navigate panel, you need to expand the zoom
options. Expand (Zoom) in the Navigation Bar and click
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(Zoom All), as shown in Figure 1–36. The Zoom All
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command is now active and the model is refit in the center of
the screen.
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Figure 1–36
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e EN Task 3 - Zoom in on an area of the model and zoom out on
the model.
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1. Expand the zoom commands in the Navigation Bar and
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select Zoom Window.

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2. Select a location on the model using the left mouse button to

define a corner of the bounding box zoom area.
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3. Drag the mouse to draw a box over the area to zoom.

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4. Click or release the left mouse button again when the box is
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the required size. The model zooms in on the sketched

bounding box.
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Zoom All to refit the model in the center of the screen.
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6. You can also zoom to a selected feature, face, or edge.

Ensure that Select Faces and Edges is selected in the Filter
drop-down list in the Quick Access Toolbar, as shown in
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Figure 1–37.
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Figure 1–37

To zoom in on a face, 7. Expand the zoom commands in the Navigation Bar and
you can also select the select Zoom Selected to zoom in on a selected element.
face first and then click Select the face shown in Figure 1–38. The model is zoomed
to the selected face.
(Zoom Selected).
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Select this
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face
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Figure 1–38
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e EN 8. Expand the zoom commands in the Navigation Bar and
select Zoom All to refit the model in the center of the screen.
Alternatively, double-click on the scroll wheel to zoom all.
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When zooming in on an 9. Expand the zoom commands in the Navigation Bar, select
edge, the order in which Zoom Selected, and select anywhere on the edge, as shown
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you select the entity and in Figure 1–39. When selected in this order, the selection
the command is point on the edge is positioned in the center of the screen
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important. and the current zoom is maintained.

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Select this
edge
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Figure 1–39

select Zoom All or double-click on the scroll wheel to refit the
model in the center of the screen.
11. Select anywhere on the same edge and select Zoom

Selected in the Navigation Bar to zoom to the selected entity.
This time, the model zooms to the selected edge.

Task 4 - Zoom in and out on the model using the Navigation

Wheel.
As an alternative to using the Zoom option (not Zoom Selected)

you can also use the Full Navigation Wheel:
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Consider trying the 1. In the Navigate panel or Navigation Bar, click (Full
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various zooming Navigation Wheel).
alternatives so that you
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can decide which works 2. Click and hold the left mouse button on the Zoom navigation
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best for you. command.
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3. Drag the mouse to change the view as required.
4. Release the mouse button to end the navigation command.
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5. Click (Full Navigation Wheel) in the Navigate panel or
Navigation Bar to close the Full Navigation Wheel.
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Alternatively, click the X icon on the Full Navigation Wheel.
e EN 6. Refit the model in the center of the screen.
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Task 5 - Pan the model using the Pan command.
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1. In the Navigate panel or Navigation Bar, click (Pan).
2. Click and hold the left mouse button.

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3. Move the mouse to drag the model.

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4. Refit the model in the center of the screen.

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Task 6 - Pan the model using the Navigation Wheel.

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You can also pan a model using the middle mouse button or the
Full Navigation Wheel:
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1. Ensure that (Pan) is toggled off, and press and hold the
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middle mouse button to drag the model.

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2. In the Navigate panel, click (Full Navigation Wheel) to

enable the Full Navigation Wheel. Click and hold the left
mouse button on the Pan navigation command. Drag the
mouse to pan the view as required.
3. Click (Full Navigation Wheel) again to close the Full

Navigation Wheel.

Task 7 - Rotate the model using the Orbit command.
<F4> can also be used 1. In the Navigate panel or Navigation Bar, click (Orbit). A
to enable rotating. circle displays on the screen. The appearance of the cursor
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changes depending on its location relative to the circle.
While you are still in the 2. Move the cursor inside the circle. The cursor appearance
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orbit circle you can also
changes to .
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disable the Orbit
command by moving
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3. Click and hold the left mouse button and rotate the model
the cursor away from freely in any direction.
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the model until
displays and then 4. Release the mouse button and move the cursor outside the
clicking in the graphics
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circle. The cursor appearance changes to .
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window.
5. Click and hold the left mouse button to rotate about an axis
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through the center of the circle symbol (normal to the screen).
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To change the center of 6. Move the cursor to the line at the top of the circle. The cursor
the rotation, click inside
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or outside the circle to appearance changes to .
set the new center.
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about the horizontal axis.
8. Move the cursor to the line at the right or left side of the circle.
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The cursor appearance changes to .

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about the vertical axis.

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10. Move the cursor over the ViewCube and click in the
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top-left corner of the ViewCube (as shown in Figure 1–40), to

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orient the model into its Isometric Home view (3D).

Alternatively, you can right-click and select Home View to
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orient the model in the same way. Note that (Zoom All)
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only refits the model in the center of the screen and maintains
the same orientation.
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Figure 1–40

Task 8 - Rotate the model using the ViewCube, keyboard, or

Navigation Wheel.
As an alternative to using (Orbit), you can use the
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ViewCube, keyboard, or Full Navigation Wheel to rotate a model:
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1. Ensure that (Orbit) is toggled off, click and hold the left
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mouse button anywhere on the ViewCube, and drag the
mouse. Move the mouse away from the ViewCube to stop
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rotating.
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2. Press and hold <F4>. By keeping <F4> depressed, the
tly r
cursor behaves as it did when (Orbit) was active.
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Release <F4> to stop rotating.
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3. Hold <Shift> and the middle mouse button and drag to rotate
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4. In the Navigate panel, click (Full Navigation Wheel) to

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enable the Full Navigation Wheel. Click and hold the left
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mouse button on the Orbit navigation command. Drag the

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mouse to rotate the view as required.

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5. Click (Full Navigation Wheel) again to close the Full

Navigation Wheel. The selection of the method to use to
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rotate the model is based on user preference.

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6. Click in the ViewCube to orient the model into its

Isometric Home view, or right-click and select Home View.
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7. Click the X icon in the top right corner of the Navigation Bar to
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turn off its display.

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8. In the View tab>Windows panel, expand User Interface.

Select the box next to Navigation Bar to return it to the
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display. The remaining options enable you to control the

display of the Model browser (Browser), ViewCube, Status
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Bar, Document Tabs, and other interface tools.

Task 9 - Orient the model.
1. In the Navigate panel or Navigation Bar, click (Look At) to

orient a model face parallel to the screen. Select the face as
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shown on the left in Figure 1–41. The model orients as shown
on the right.
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id w
rb ie
fo rev
Select this
face
tly r
ric fo
st T
e EN Figure 1–41
2. Note that the ViewCube has reoriented and RIGHT is

us C
displayed. Click to orient the model to its Isometric Home

re S
view.
d yA
(Look At) can help to orient faces that are not parallel with
an b
the Origin Planes. However, the ViewCube is a more efficient

d
option for orienting into views that are parallel with the origin
ng e
work planes.
yi vid
3. Select the RIGHT face in the ViewCube as shown in

Figure 1–42. The model orients as it did previously with one
op ro
less step.
lc p
Al ple
m
Sa
Select the
RIGHT
surface
Figure 1–42

4. With the model still in a 2D orientation, move the mouse back

over the ViewCube. It displays as shown in Figure 1–43.
Select either of the rotating arrows to rotate the model while
remaining in the RIGHT view.
n. nly
de o
id w
Figure 1–43
rb ie
5. Click any of the four triangular icons in the ViewCube to
fo rev
change to a different orientation.
6. Practice orienting the model into different orientations. You
tly r
can also select edges of the ViewCube for orienting or use
ric fo
the rotation arrows on the right of the ViewCube.
st T
e EN 7. Click to orient the model into its Isometric Home view.
Task 10 - Manipulate the visual style of the model.

us C
re S
The ability of a software 1. In the View tab>Appearance panel, expand Visual Style as
d yA
to spin a shaded model shown in Figure 1–44. Note that the model display is set to
and use all of the styles
depends on the quality (Shaded) by default.
an b
of its graphics hardware.

d
ng e
yi vid
The default Visual Style

for models that are
op ro
started with a default

template is Shaded
lc p
with Edges.
Al ple
m
Sa
Figure 1–44

2. Click (Shaded with Hidden Edges) to set the view display

so that it displays hidden edges while shaded.
3. Click next to Origin to expand it in the Model browser.
n. nly
Planes, axes, center 4. Right-click on the YZ plane in the Model browser and select
points, and coordinate Visibility, as shown in Figure 1–45. The YZ plane displays.
de o
systems are features
that exist in the model
id w
by default.
rb ie
fo rev
tly r
ric fo
st T
e EN
us C
re S
d yA
YZ plane
an b
d
ng e
yi vid
Figure 1–45
To temporarily display 5. Hold <Ctrl> and select the XZ plane and Y-Axis. Right-click
op ro
an origin object, hover and select Visibility to display both the XZ plane and Y-Axis
the cursor over the in the model.
lc p
feature name.
Al ple
m
Sa

6. Return the model to the (Shaded) display. The model

displays as shown in Figure 1–46.
Y-Axis
n. nly
XZ plane
de o
id w
rb ie
fo rev
tly r
ric fo
Figure 1–46
st T
7. Turn off the visibility for the three origin objects by selecting
e EN them all again and disabling the Visibility option. Press and
hold <Ctrl> while selecting the option to select all of the
objects as one selection set.
us C
re S
Task 11 - Open a drawing of the model.

d yA
1. Use one of the following methods to open Joint.idw. The

header in the graphics window displays the name of the
an b
drawing.
d
ng e

yi vid
• Click (Open) in the Quick Access Toolbar at the top of

the window.
op ro
lc p
• Expand (Application Menu) and select Open.

Al ple
2. Note that there are now two tabs along the bottom of the
graphics window. The first tab is the model and the second
m
(currently active tab) is the drawing of that model.

Sa
3. Select the Joint.ipt tab to activate it.

Task 12 - Edit feature dimensions on the model.
To select features 1. Right-click on Fillet9 in the Model browser and select Show
directly on the model Dimensions.
you must have the
n. nly
selection filter in the 2. Double-click on the 0.010 dimension in the graphics window.
Quick Access Toolbar 3. Enter 0.05 as the new value, as shown in Figure 1–47, and
de o
set to (Select press <Enter>.
id w
Features).
rb ie
fo rev
tly r
ric fo
st T
e EN
us C
re S
d yA
Figure 1–47
(Local Update) 4. In the Quick Access Toolbar, click (Local Update). The
an b
recalculates the model radius of the fillet updates.

d
geometry. The length of

ng e
update time depends on 5. Double-click on Hole1 in the Model browser or graphics

yi vid
the complexity of the window to open the dialog box and mini-toolbar that was
change and the model. used to create the hole.
op ro
lc p
Al ple
m
Sa

6. Change the 0.25 diameter to 0.15 in either the feature’s

dialog box or the mini-toolbar. Click OK in the dialog box or
click in the mini-toolbar to complete the feature change.
The model displays as shown in Figure 1–48.
n. nly
de o
id w
rb ie
fo rev
Change the
tly r
diameter of the
ric fo
hole to 0.15.
st T
e EN Figure 1–48
In the Hole diameter example, you edited the feature by opening
us C
the Feature dialog box. Alternatively, you can right-click on the
re S
feature and select Show Dimension. This is faster for editing

multiple dimension values because the model is not updated
d yA
until you explicitly click (Local Update). Using the Feature

an b
Creation dialog box, the model is updated when you click OK.
Therefore, each is updated individually. If you are making a lot of
d
changes, the update can be more time-consuming.

ng e
yi vid
7. Select the Joint.idw tab to activate the drawing. Note how the
sizes of the fillet and hole update to reflect the changes that
op ro
were made in the model.

lc p
Task 13 - Delete a feature in the model.

Al ple
1. Select the Joint.ipt tab to activate it.

m
To select features 2. In the Model browser, select Extrusion11. Right-click and

Sa
directly on the model select Delete. The Delete Features dialog box opens as
you must have the shown in Figure 1–49. It prompts you to determine whether
selection filter in the the sketch that was used to create Extrusion11 should also
Quick Access Toolbar be deleted. You might want to delete it or you might want to
retain it for use in another feature.
set to (Select
Features).

Delete this
n. nly
Extrusion
de o
id w
rb ie
Figure 1–49
fo rev
3. Click OK to confirm the deletion of the sketches that were
created as part of the extrusion (slot cut). To retain the
sketch, clear the consumed sketches and features option.
tly r
ric fo
4. Select the Joint.idw tab to activate the drawing. Note that the
extrusion has been removed from all of the views in the
st T
e EN drawing. If it does not update, click (Local Update).
us C
Task 14 - Edit a hole diameter in the drawing.
re S
1. Right-click on the Ø.15 diameter dimension as shown in

d yA
Figure 1–50 and select Edit Model Dimension.

an b
Edit this
dimension value
d
ng e
yi vid
op ro
lc p
Al ple
m
Figure 1–50
Sa
2. Enter 0.25 as the new dimension value and press <Enter>.

The size of the hole updates in the drawing.
3. Activate the window containing the part to verify that the

model has changed.

Task 15 - Suppress features.
1. In the part model, select the View tab, change the visual style
to Shaded with Hidden Edges.
n. nly
2. Hover the cursor over the extruded cut as shown in
Figure 1–51. In this orientation you cannot directly select the
de o
cut geometry.
id w
rb ie
fo rev
Hover the cursor
over the
extruded cut
tly r
ric fo
that was created
on the back of
the model.
st T
e EN
us C
Figure 1–51
re S
d yA
3. A drop-down list displays. Expand it as shown in Figure 1–52,

and hover the cursor over each of the selections. When
Extrusion10 highlights, click to select it. The cut is
an b
highlighted in the Model browser.

d
As an alternative to
ng e
expanding the
yi vid
down-drop list to review

the other options, use
op ro
the middle mouse to

scroll through the
lc p
options.
Al ple
m
Sa
Figure 1–52

4. Right-click and select Suppress Features. Note that the

Model Browser displays Extrusion10 in gray and is crossed
out. Alternatively, you can select Extrusion10 in the Model
browser to suppress it. The previous method is more
effective when you have a model with a large number of the
n. nly
features, and it is difficult to identify the features in the Model
browser using only names.
de o
5. Activate the window containing the drawing to verify that the
drawing has changed.
id w
rb ie
Task 16 - Obtain and assign model properties.
fo rev
1. Select the Joint.ipt tab to activate the part model.
tly r
Alternatively, expand 2. Right-click on Joint.ipt at the top of the Model browser list
ric fo
and select iProperties to open the iProperties dialog box.
(Application Menu) Select the Physical tab to display the physical properties of
st T
and select iProperties the part, as shown in Figure 1–53. Click Update to update
e EN
to open the iProperties the values, if needed.
dialog box.
us C
re S
d yA
an b
d
ng e
yi vid
op ro
lc p
Al ple
m
Sa
Figure 1–53

As an alternative to 3. Expand the Materials drop-down list and select

using the iProperties Aluminum-6061. The values in the dialog box update.
dialog box to assign the
material, you can select 4. Click Apply and then click Close. In the Quick Access
Aluminum-6061 in the Toolbar, note that the Material is set to Aluminum-6061 and
the Appearance Override is set to Aluminum-Flat.
n. nly
Materials drop-down list.
5. Expand the Appearance Override drop-down list and select
de o
Canary. The model updates to display in yellow in the
graphics window.
id w
rb ie
6. Change the Visual Style to Shaded.
fo rev
Task 17 - Calculate the area of a surface.
tly r
ric fo
1. In the Inspect tab>Measure panel, click (Area).
2. Select the surface shown in Figure 1–54. The area is
st T
e EN calculated in the Area dialog box. Rotate the model as shown
in Figure 1–54.
us C
It you are have difficulty
selecting faces, select
re S
the Select Faces and

d yA
Edges filter option.

an b
d
ng e
yi vid
op ro
Figure 1–54
lc p
3. Repeat Step 2 to calculate the area of different elements in

Al ple
the part. Close the Area dialog box.

m
Task 18 - Take a series of measurements.

Sa
1. In the Measure panel, click (Distance).
2. Select the surface that you selected in Figure 1–54.
3. Using the Select Other tool, select the planar surface on the
opposite side (parallel to the selected surface) as the surface
to which to measure. The distance is calculated in the
Distance dialog box, as shown in Figure 1–55.

n. nly
de o
id w
rb ie
Figure 1–55
fo rev
4. In the Measure Distance dialog box, expand the drop-down
list and select Restart, as shown in Figure 1–56.
tly r
ric fo
st T
e EN
us C
re S
d yA
an b
Figure 1–56
d
5. Practice taking additional measurements.

ng e
yi vid
The Save dialog box 6. In the Quick Access Toolbar, click to save the drawing.
op ro
opens when you are The Save dialog box opens indicating that changes were
saving drawings or made to both the Model and the drawing. Click OK to save
lc p
assembly models. It both files.

Al ple
indicates whether the

associated files need to
be saved and enables 7. Close both the drawing and part file by clicking >Close,
m
you to do so. This dialog or by clicking the X button in the top right corner of the
Sa
box does not open when graphics window.

you are saving a part
model.

Chapter Review Questions

1. After editing the dimensions of a part model, you must open
all drawings referencing that part to make the same
n. nly
dimension changes.
a. True
de o
b. False
id w
2. Match the numbers shown in Figure 1–57 with the interface
rb ie
components listed below.
fo rev
tly r
ric fo
st T
1
e EN 2
6
us C
re S
d yA
5 7
4
an b
d
ng e
yi vid
3
op ro
lc p
Al ple
Figure 1–57
a. Navigation Bar
m
b. Model Browser
Sa
c. Status Bar
d. Quick Access Toolbar
e. Ribbon Panel
f. Graphics Window
g. ViewCube

3. Which of the following are valid filename extensions for

Autodesk Inventor files? (Select all that apply.)
a. .IPT
b. .IDW
n. nly
c. .IAM
d. .INV
de o
id w
4. Clicking enables you to automatically reorient the display
rb ie
of the model to its top view.
fo rev
a. True
b. False
tly r
5. Which combination of items do you select to quickly orient a
ric fo
model face parallel to the screen without spinning? (Select all
that apply.)
st T
e EN a. A surface and .
us C
b. A planar surface and .
re S
c. A surface and .
d yA
d. A planar surface and .

an b
e. A face on the ViewCube.

d
ng e
yi vid
op ro
lc p
Al ple
m
Sa

6. What is the purpose of the pull-down menu shown in

Figure 1–58?
n. nly
de o
id w
rb ie
fo rev
tly r
ric fo
Figure 1–58
st T
a. To switch back to a previous view or ahead to a current
e EN view.
b. To cycle through different objects for selection.
us C
c. To pan the view left or right.
re S
d. To zoom in or out on the selected object.

d yA
7. Which of the following best describes how to use the

Measure command to enter a required value in a dialog box?
an b
a. With the dialog box or mini-toolbar open, in the Inspect

d
tab>Measure panel, select Measure. Select the

ng e
geometrical references to perform the required measure.

yi vid
This value is automatically used in the value field.

b. In the dialog box or mini-toolbar, click the arrow next to
op ro
the value field you want to change and select Measure in

lc p
the drop-down list. Select the geometrical references to

perform the required measure. This value is automatically
Al ple
used in the value field.

c. In the Inspect tab>Measure panel, select Measure. Select
m
the geometrical references to perform the required

Sa
measure. Create the feature and in the expanded menu

for the required dimension value, select the value that
was just measured.

8. Where do you find information such as the mass and volume

of a part, as shown in Figure 1–59?
n. nly
de o
id w
rb ie
Figure 1–59
fo rev
a. Analysis Tools (Inspect tab>Measure panel)
b. iProperties dialog box ( (Application
tly r
ric fo
Menu)>iProperties)
c. Parameters dialog box (Manage tab>Parameters)
st T
e EN d. Document Settings dialog box (Tools tab>Document
Settings)
us C
9. Which of the following best describes how to change the
color of a specific feature in the model?
re S
a. Select the feature and select a material that uses the

d yA
appropriate color in the Materials drop-down list.

b. Select the feature and select a material that uses the
an b
appropriate color in the Physical tab in the iProperties

d
dialog box.
ng e
c. Select the feature and select a color in the Appearance

yi vid
Override drop-down list.

d. Select the feature and select a color in the Properties
op ro
dialog box.
lc p
Al ple
m
Sa

Command Summary
Button Command Location
Angle • Ribbon: Inspect tab>Measure panel
n. nly
• Context Menu: (Measure when object is
preselected)
de o
Application • Title Bar
Menu
id w
Area • Ribbon: Inspect tab>Measure panel
rb ie
fo rev
preselected)
Distance • Ribbon: Inspect tab>Measure panel
tly r
preselected)
ric fo
Full • Ribbon: View tab>Navigate panel
Navigation • Navigation Bar
st T
Wheel
e EN Help • Quick Access Toolbar
• Keyboard: < F1>
us C
Home View • Ribbon: View tab>Navigate panel
re S
• ViewCube
• Context Menu
d yA
• Keyboard: <F6>
N/A iProperties • Context Menu: (from Model Browser
an b
with Component name selected)

• Application Menu
d
ng e
Look At • Ribbon: View tab>Navigate panel

yi vid
• Navigation Bar
• ViewCube
op ro
Loop • Ribbon: Inspect tab>Measure panel

lc p
preselected)
Open • Ribbon: Get Started tab>Launch panel
Al ple
• Quick Access Toolbar

m
• My Home Dashboard: Recently Used

Sa
Orbit (rotate) • Ribbon: View tab>Navigate panel

• Navigation Bar
• ViewCube
Pan • Ribbon: View tab>Navigate panel
• Navigation Bar
Projects • Ribbon: Get Started tab>Launch panel
• Dialog Box: Open and New
• My Home Dashboard: Projects

Save • Quick Access Toolbar

N/A Visual Style • Ribbon: View tab>Appearance panel
Zoom • Ribbon: View tab>Navigate panel
• Navigation Bar
n. nly
• Full Navigation Wheel
Zoom All • Ribbon: View tab>Navigate panel
de o
• Navigation Bar
id w
Selected
rb ie
• Navigation Bar
fo rev
Window • Navigation Bar
tly r
ric fo
st T
e EN
us C
re S
d yA
an b
d
ng e
yi vid
op ro
lc p
Al ple
m
Sa

n. nly
de o
id w
rb ie
fo rev
tly r
ric fo
st T
e EN
us C
re S
d yA
an b
d
ng e
yi vid
op ro
lc p
Al ple
m
Sa

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By ASCENT For Review Only and Reuse Strictly Forbidden.: Autodesk Inventor 2016 For Experienced 3D CAD Users

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

n.

for Experienced 3D CAD Users

In this Guide .................................................................................................. xv

Opening Files .................................................................................... 1-5

1.2 Autodesk Inventor Interface........................................................... 1-6

Accessing Help ............................................................................... 1-12

Autodesk A360................................................................................ 1-13

1.3 Model Manipulation....................................................................... 1-14

Model Orientation............................................................................ 1-14

Object Selection .............................................................................. 1-20

1.4 Model Information ......................................................................... 1-22

Model Measurements...................................................................... 1-22

Practice 1a Open and Manipulate a Part ............................................ 1-29

Chapter Review Questions................................................................... 1-48

Chapter 2: Sketching Geometry .................................................................. 2-1

© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® i

2.2 Creating a Sketch............................................................................ 2-6

Driven Dimensions .......................................................................... 2-36

Creating General Dimensions ......................................................... 2-37

2.6 Additional Sketching Tools.......................................................... 2-41

Trim ................................................................................................. 2-41

Extend ............................................................................................. 2-41

Split ................................................................................................. 2-42

Move, Copy, Rotate, Scale, and Stretch ......................................... 2-44

Copy and Paste............................................................................... 2-46

Practice 2a LBracket ............................................................................ 2-48

Practice 2b Sketched Geometry ......................................................... 2-52

Practice 2c Apply Constraints ............................................................ 2-59

ii © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Chapter 3: Creating Sketched Features ..................................................... 3-1

Chapter Review Questions................................................................... 3-66

Command Summary ............................................................................. 3-69

Chapter 4: Creating Pick and Place Features ............................................ 4-1

4.1 Edge Chamfer.................................................................................. 4-2

4.2 Constant and Variable Fillets......................................................... 4-6

Continuity ........................................................................................ 4-10

4.3 Face Fillets..................................................................................... 4-14

4.4 Full Round Fillets .......................................................................... 4-16

4.5 Straight Holes................................................................................ 4-18

Concentric Placement ..................................................................... 4-22

On Point Placement ........................................................................ 4-23

© 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® iii

Practice 4c Add Fillets ......................................................................... 4-40

Chapter 5: Work Features ............................................................................ 5-1

6.2 Splitting a Face or Part ................................................................. 6-11

6.3 Shells.............................................................................................. 6-13

6.5 Reordering Features ..................................................................... 6-23

6.6 Inserting Features ......................................................................... 6-24

Practice 6a Create Shell and Ribs ...................................................... 6-25

Practice 6b Create Ribs with Bosses ................................................. 6-29

Practice 6c Splitting a Face................................................................. 6-34

Chapter Review Questions................................................................... 6-45

Command Summary ............................................................................. 6-48

Chapter 7: Equations.................................................................................... 7-1

7.1 Equations......................................................................................... 7-2

iv © 2015, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Practice 7c Working with Parameters ................................................ 7-23

Chapter 8: Duplication Tools....................................................................... 8-1

Chapter Review Questions................................................................... 8-35

Command Summary ............................................................................. 8-38

Chapter 9: Assembly Environment ............................................................. 9-1

9.1 Assembling Components Using Constraints............................... 9-2

Assembly Examples........................................................................ 9-13