Document For Inventor Based Force Diagram

Generation
This document will highlight the process you can use to generate a myriad of force diagrams
using Inventor CAD software.
1. Open Inventor and create a new assembly.
2. Once the assembly is open, navigate to the design tab in the top taskbar.

3.
option.

4. After selecting the Beam/Colum Calculator option, the program will prompt you to save
the assembly file. Once saved the following menu will open. In this menu, one can change
the beam parameters such as length. Additionally, under the Section dropdown menu
indicated through the red triangle in the image below, one can select the type of beam
cross-section.
5. Once you defined the appropriate type of beam, navigate the Beam calculation tab in the
top taskbar of the current pop-up menu indicated by the green rectangle in the image
below. In this menu, one can select the types of loads and supports you wish to add. This
document will define a simply supported beam, with radial, axial, bending moment and
distributed load types.

Support types:
 Types of loads:

Here is an example of a defined distributive load, the other loads are defined in a similar
way. Note that the blue rectangle indicates where the load starts to act on the beam, the
Pink rectangle indicates the sign of the load and the magnitude of the load. The red
rectangle sets the length of the distributive load.
6. Once the loads and supports have been adequately defined, navigate to the Beam Graphs
tab. Once selected a diagram of the beam and all accompanying loads and supports will
appear, as shown below. Here one can change the type of graphs displayed and see the
loads and forces that are acting at the supports.
Here please note that the menu outlined on the left by the orange rectangle will change
the type of diagram plotted in the area defined by the green rectangle. Further, the green
rectangle contains the sketch or diagram of your beam and the menu on the right in pink
records the forces at the supports of the beam.

Additional comments

Type of Load Sign diagram key

Bending L
moments

or
Torque