What is inventor all about 2

[Impdrew]

Can someone please highlight for me what the main benefits are of inventor over the Autocad software. Is it a bit more like Pro-Eng?

I have never used it before but it is coming up in more and more of my dealings and I am just trying to find out if it is something I need to put time to.

Cheers

 

[rich942]

Here's a good place to start:

http://www.gecadnet.ro/files/Autodesk_Inventor_The_Best_Choice11_Reasons.pdf

Also, for a lively discussion regarding the relative merits of Inventor and other 3D CAD software, see this thread:

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=159721&page=2

 

[65Roses]

Rich's first link is highly debatable but the other is a good read and deals with the first link as well.

Why is my handle 65Roses?
Please visit

http://www.cff.org/aboutCFFoundation/About65Roses/

to learn why!

 

[aardvarkdw]

Impdrew,

Inventor is a 3d parametric modeler, Autocad is a 2d drafting program with 3d capabilities. In Inventor you "sketch" rather than draw. This means that rather than placing a line at a specific location at a specified length, you sketch in the general shape you want to create and then apply dimensions and "constraints" to mold the shape into your finished feature. This allows you to make a change to one dimension and, instead of redrawing or trimming your geometry to fit, the whole sketch adjusts to fit the new information.

In Autocad, once you create a feature it is stuck unless you trim parts off or add another feature to build more material on. Also, your features have no information stored with them, a hole is just a round void. In Inventor a hole is an entity unto itself. The program remembers the hole's depth, size, whether it is counterbored, whether it is threaded, etc. If you decide you want to change the hole size, you just tell it to change and it does it. In Autocad, if you want to change the size of a hole you either need to fill in the hole and start over or make a bigger hole.

When you are finished creating a part in Inventor you can take several parts and assemble them like you would on the shop floor. They are seperate entities, but are attached together into an assembly. You can then create section veiws and exploded views from these models. The veiws are created automaticly in the drawing files and annotations like dimensions from your sketches can be brought in automaticly. Remember the holes? Hole and thread notes are created automaticly as well.

The best part about it all though is the ability to change the design. If you don't like the location or size of a feature, just change the dimension. In Autocad you practically have to redraw the whole part, and then adjust the drawing dimensions. In Inventor, you just change the dimension either in the drawing, the assembly, or the part file and they all adjust to match. It takes about 10 seconds to change an M3x10mm threaded hole to an M8x2mm threaded hole and move it 20mm to the left, no trimming or redrawing required.

This is very incomplete and scattered but I hope it gives you an idea of the differences and capabilities. Basicly if you are doing mechanical design, go with a parametric modeler whether it be Inventor, Solidworks, SolidEdge, Catia, etc... If you are doing civil or architectual or you are just doing cable, PCB or other electrical drawings you are okay with autocad.

David

 

[Impdrew]

Thanks all,

Exactly what I needed.
Great off the cuff description aardvarkdw.

Looks like I have a new skill to learn.