Tutorial em Inglês do Inventor 2010, Notas de estudo de Engenharia de Materiais

Baixe Tutorial em Inglês do Inventor 2010 e outras Notas de estudo em PDF para Engenharia de Materiais, somente na Docsity! Curtis Waguespack with Loren Jahraus, PE. Includes DVD MASTERING Autodesk Inventor 2010 Master Autodesk Inventor Create 3D Models for Manufacturing 2010, Inventor Professional, and Mechanical Engineering and Inventor LT” Projects ». Autodesk a Authorized PúbliSher Autodesk ized Author 4] lo SYBEX | SERIOUSSKILLS.  Mastering Autodesk® Inventor® 2010 Curtis Waguespack Loren Jahraus, P.E. Wiley Publishing, Inc. Senior Acquisitions Editor: Willem Knibbe Development Editor: Denise Santoro Lincoln Technical Editors: Loren Jahraus and Curtis Waguespack Production Editor: Angela Smith Copy Editor: Kim Wimpsett Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan Production Manager: Tim Tate Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde Media Associate Project Manager: Jenny Swisher Media Associate Producer: Josh Frank Media Quality Assurance: Shawn Patrick Book Designers: Maureen Forys and Judy Fung Proofreader: Jen Larsen, Word One Indexer: Ted Laux Project Coordinator, Cover: Lynsey Stanford Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed Cover Image: © Pete Gardner/DigitalVision/Getty Images Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN: 978-0-470-47830-1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. 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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Waguespack, Curtis, 1974- Mastering Autodesk Inventor 2010 / Curtis Waguespack. – 1st ed. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-470-47830-1 (paper/dvd) 1. Engineering graphics. 2. Engineering models — Data processing. 3. Autodesk Inventor (Electronic resource) I. Title. T353.W18 2009 620’.00420285536–dc22 2009016261 Certain images and materials contained in this publication were reproduced with the permission of Autodesk, Inc. © 2009. All rights reserved. TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, DWG, the DWG logo, and Inventor are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the U.S.A. and certain other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Disclaimer: This eBook does not include ancillary media that was packaged with the printed version of the book. Dear Reader, Thank you for choosing Mastering Autodesk Inventor 2010. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching. Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we’re still committed to producing consis- tently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available. I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at nedde@wiley.com. If you think you’ve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex. Best regards, Neil Edde Vice President and Publisher Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley About the Authors Mastering Autodesk Inventor 2010 builds on the strong foundation established by Mastering Inventor 2009, which was written by a team of Inventor experts with a diverse and expansive pool of indus- try experience. Two members of the 2009 authoring team worked on the 2010 edition to update the existing content and add new content to cover the exciting improvements Autodesk made in the 2010 release of Inventor. Here is a bit more about each of them. Curtis Waguespack served as lead author on this book. He is an Inventor Certified Expert and an Autodesk Manufacturing Imple- mentation Certified Expert. His experience designing construc- tion equipment, industrial machinery, and food service equipment, while working closely with the shop floor, has provided real-world insights into the requirements and demands of using Inventor in day-to-day design. Curtis has consulted with and supported manu- facturing and design firms whose industries range from aerospace to consumer products to industrial machinery, each using Inven- tor in a specific way to meet the demands of their particular indus- try. Aside from work, he enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors pursuing a variety of interests. Loren Jahraus, P.E., authored the chapters on Inventor design philosophy, sheet metal, assembly design workflows, functional design, and Frame Generator. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and attended the Universität Stuttgart as an academic exchange student. He has designed a variety of machinery including an optical sorter for food products, an automated system to han- dle and monitor decommissioned nuclear weapons, and equipment to test computer chips. He is an Inventor founder and has designed functionality for part and assembly modeling, drawings, sheet metal, design accelera- tors, weldments, and Frame Generator. He also volunteers extensively to help prepare the next generation of engineers. He has taught elementary-school students the SAE A World in Motion curriculum for eight years, he has mentored FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Robotics Competition teams, and he is serving on the organizing committee for the 2009 SAE Baja West Design Competition. Contents at a Glance Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxiii Chapter 1 • Inventor Design Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2 • Data and Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Chapter 3 • Sketch Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Chapter 4 • Basic Modeling Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Chapter 5 • Advanced Modeling Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Chapter 6 • Sheet Metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Chapter 7 • Part and Feature Reuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Chapter 8 • Assembly Design Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Chapter 9 • Large Assembly Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 Chapter 10 • Weldment Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359 Chapter 11 • Functional Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391 Chapter 12 • Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431 Chapter 13 • Inventor Tools Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 Chapter 14 • Exchanging Data with Other Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545 Chapter 15 • Frame Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573 Chapter 16 • Inventor Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603 Chapter 17 • Stress Analysis and Dynamic Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641 Chapter 18 • Routed Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675 Chapter 19 • Plastics Design Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701 Appendix A • The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721 Appendix B • About the Companion DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 751 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755 CONTENTS xiii Creating a Base Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Creating a Second Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Creating a Sketch-Based Hole Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Creating a Rectangular Hole Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Editing Sketches and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Repairing Features and Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Exploring the Extrude Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Extruding with Cut and Taper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Extruding with Intersect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Extruding Surfaces from Open Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Extruding Solids from Open Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Extruding with To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Extruding with To Next . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Extruding with From To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Extruding Multibodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Creating Revolved Parts and Threads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Creating Revolved Cylindrical Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Creating Extruded Cylindrical Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Creating Threaded Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Creating Work Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Work Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Work Axes and Work Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Creating Fillets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Edge Fillets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Face Fillets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Full Round Fillets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Hole Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Using the Thread and Clearance Spreadsheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Creating Holes in Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Setting Tolerance Values in Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Bend Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Chapter 5 • Advanced Modeling Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Creating Complex Sweeps and Lofts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Creating and Using Sweeps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Exploring Sweep Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Creating Loft Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Creating a Part Using Loft and Sculpt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Creating Multi-body Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Creating Derived Parts and Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Creating Derived Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Deriving a Part File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Deriving an Assembly File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Modifying Derived Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Using the Component Derive Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 xiv CONTENTS Using Nonlinear-Derived Part Scaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Working with Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Rectangular Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Circular Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Patterns Along Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Spiral Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Pattern Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Dynamic Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Setting Parameters and iProperties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Part Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Assembly Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Adding Part Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Setting Global File Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Using Standard Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Troubleshooting Failures with the End-of-Part Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Step 1: Editing the First Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Step 2: Moving the EOP Marker Down One Feature at a Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Chapter 6 • Sheet Metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Understanding Sheet-Metal Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Getting to Know the Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Starting with a Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Creating Flanges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Adding, Removing, or Deforming Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Using Sheet-Metal Templates and Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 What Are Sheet-Metal Rules? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Unfolding Your Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Working with Styles and Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Authoring and Reusing Punches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Exploring Punches and iFeatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Creating Successful Punches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 Using Alternate Representations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Placing Your Punch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Patterning Your Punch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Working with the Flat Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Exploring the Flat Pattern Edit Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Adding Manufacturing Information to the Flat Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Using the Flat Pattern Definition Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Manufacturing Your Flat Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Using Sheet-Metal iPart Factories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Consuming Sheet-Metal Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Using Folded and Flat Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Modeling with Non-Sheet-Metal Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Selecting Problematic Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Using Surface-Based Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 CONTENTS xv Working with Imported Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Setting Yourself Up for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Converting Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Annotating Your Sheet Metal Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Creating a View of Your Sheet-Metal Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Adding Bend, Punch, and Flat Pattern Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Harvesting Legacy Sheet-Metal Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Parameter Indirection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 The Hidden Tools of Harvesting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Chapter 7 • Part and Feature Reuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Working with iParts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Creating and Modifying iParts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246 Using iParts in Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Working with iFeatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Creating iFeatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Creating Punch Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Reusing Existing Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Copying Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Cloning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Linking Parameters Between Two Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Copying Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Introducing Content Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Configuring Content Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Using Content Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Customizing Content Center Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Publishing Parts to Content Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Chapter 8 • Assembly Design Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Understanding Subassemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 The Power of Subassemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Flexibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Top-Down Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Developing an Efficient Assembly Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 Layout Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Adaptivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Creating Adaptivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 Removing Adaptivity from Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 3D Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 How Constraints Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Degrees of Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Types of 3D Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 Motion Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Transitional Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 xviii CONTENTS Sharing Your Drawing Outside Your Workgroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505 Chapter 13 • Inventor Tools Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 Exploring the AEC Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 Model Simplification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507 Model Authoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508 Model Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508 Using AutoLimits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510 Creating AutoLimits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 Editing AutoLimits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514 Using the Design Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515 Using the Find Files Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517 Using the Where Used Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518 Renaming, Copying, and Replacing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519 Using Pack And Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 Using the Drawing Resource Transfer Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523 Using Style Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524 Using the Style Library Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524 Using the Style Management Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526 Exploring the Supplier Content Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528 Using the Task Scheduler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 Creating a Task for Migrating Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 Performing Sequential Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Performing Custom Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Tweaking Multiprocess Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Publishing DWF Files and Filenames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Using iProperties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Copying iProperties to Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535 Creating Expressions with iProperties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536 Working with the DA and iProperties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537 Creating Design Property Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538 Using the Measure Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539 Using Measurement Helpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539 Measuring in Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540 Participating in the CIP and CER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541 Participating in the CIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541 Participating in CER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541 Using Miscellaneous Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Using the Autodesk Multi-Sheet Plot Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Using the Add-In Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Using the Project Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543 Chapter 14 • Exchanging Data with Other Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545 Importing and Exporting Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545 CONTENTS xix DWG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546 Mechanical Desktop (MDT) DWG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 STEP and IGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550 SAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554 Using Inventor File Translators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555 CATIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556 Pro/ENGINEER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557 Unigraphics and Parasolids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558 SolidWorks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560 IDF Board Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561 Placing Components from Other CAD Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562 Working with Imported Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562 Working in the Construction Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562 Editing Imported Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566 Viewing DWF Markup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568 Publishing a DWF or DWFx File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568 Reviewing and Marking Up DWF and DWFx Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570 Accessing DWF or DWFx Markups in Inventor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571 Chapter 15 • Frame Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573 Accessing the Frame Generator Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573 Exploring the Frame Generator File Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574 Exploring the Anatomy of a Frame Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575 Inserting Frame Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576 Specifying a Structural Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576 Changing the Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577 Selecting Placement Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579 Aligning Frame Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583 Adding End Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584 Miter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584 Trim to Frame Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585 Trim and Extend to Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586 Notch Frame Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588 Lengthen–Shorten Frame Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588 Maintaining Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589 Remove End Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589 Frame Member Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589 Refresh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589 Performing Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590 Model Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590 Beam Calculation Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592 Beam Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595 Column Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596 HTML Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596 Publishing Frame Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597 xx CONTENTS Authoring a Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597 Publishing a Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599 Frame Assemblies and BOMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601 Chapter 16 • Inventor Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603 Exploring the Inventor Studio Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603 Creating and Managing Studio Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604 Exploring the Surface Styles Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605 Exploring Lighting and Lighting Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611 Exploring the Scene Styles Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617 Composing and Rendering Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621 Animating with Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626 Using Animation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626 Using Video Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635 Rendering Video or Animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639 Chapter 17 • Stress Analysis and Dynamic Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641 Introduction to Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641 Conducting Stress Analysis Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642 Static Stress vs. Modal Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642 Simplifying Your Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643 Specifying Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643 Applying Simulation Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644 Applying Loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645 Specifying Contact Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647 Generating a Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649 Running the Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651 Interpreting the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651 Using the Result, Scaling, Display, and Report Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652 Conducting Parameter Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653 Conducting Dynamic Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657 Working with Joints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657 More on Working with Joints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661 Working with Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662 Working with Environmental Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662 Running a Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 668 Exporting to FEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671 Using the Dynamic Simulation Information in Stress Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672 The Bottom Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673 Chapter 18 • Routed Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675 Tube and Pipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675 Understanding Routes, Runs, and Assembly Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675 Exploring the Tube and Pipe Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677 Introduction Autodesk Inventor was introduced in 1999 as an ambitious 3D parametric modeler based not on the familiar AutoCAD programming architecture but instead on a separate foundation that would provide the room needed to grow into the fully featured modeler it now is, a decade later. Inventor 2010 continues the development of Inventor with assembly layout, plastic parts, and other productivity tools. The maturity of the Inventor tools coincides with the advancement of the CAD market’s adoption of 3D parametric modelers as a primary design tool. And although it is important to understand that 2D CAD will likely never completely disappear from the majority of manufactur- ing design departments, 3D design will increasingly become a requirement for most. With this in mind, we have set out to fill the following pages with detailed information on the specifics of the tools, while addressing the principles of sound parametric design techniques. Who Should Read This Book This book is written with a wide range of Inventor users in mind, varying from beginning to advanced users: ◆ Beginning Inventor users who are making the move from traditional 2D CAD design to Inventor 2010. These readers will have experience with AutoCAD and an understanding of basic design and engineering concepts, as well as a desire to improve their skill set and stay competitive in the marketplace. ◆ Intermediate Inventor users who have gone through formal Inventor training during their company’s initial implementation of Inventor and are looking for more information on a specific module within Inventor. This book also targets users looking for a desktop refer- ence to turn to when they come upon an area of Inventor that they do not encounter on a day-to-day basis. ◆ Advanced Inventor users who have mastered the Inventor tools they use over and over daily but want to conquer the parts of the program they do not utilize during their normal design tasks. This book also targets advanced users who want to add to their skill set to move up the ranks within their current company or want to expand their knowledge in pursuit of a new position with another employer. Attempting to learn all the tools in Inventor can be an intimidating experience, because of the wide range of task-specific modules available. It was the goal of this book’s authors to separate these modules into easy-to-tackle chapters relating to real-world situations for which the tools were designed, while also including chapters on general Inventor tools, techniques, and design principles. xxiv INTRODUCTION What you will learn The following pages will explain the Inventor settings while teaching you how each tool functions. Just as importantly, though, these pages are filled with the tips and techniques learned by the authors while spending years using, researching, and discussing the tools that are Autodesk Inventor. You should come away from reading this book with a solid understanding of the capabilities of Inventor and a strong idea of how to tackle your design challenges in the future, as well as an abundance of timesaving tips and tricks. What you will need The files needed to complete the tutorial projects in this book are included on a DVD. Please consult Appendix B, ‘‘About the Companion DVD,’’ for more information on getting these installed. To install and run Inventor, you should consult the system requirements information found on the installation media and ensure that you have a system capable of running Inventor competently. Autodesk recommends a minimum of 512MB of RAM and 1.5GB of available hard disk space for basic educational purposes dealing with small tutorial-sized assemblies. An additional 1.8GB of hard disk space is required to install Content Center. Note that these are the bare minimums to run the program, and you might see slow performance when executing operations that require heavy calculations. We recommend a minimum of 2GB of RAM for doing production work on moderate-sized assemblies and encourage you to consider a 64-bit operating system with at least 8GB of RAM if considering large assembly design. You can find more information about workstations specs and large assemblies in Chapter 9. The Mastering Series The Mastering series from Sybex provides outstanding instruction for readers with intermediate and advanced skills in the form of top-notch training and development for those already working in their field as well as clear, serious education for those aspiring to become pros. Every Mastering book includes the following: ◆ Real-world scenarios, ranging from case studies to interviews, that show how the tool, technique, or knowledge presented is applied in actual practice ◆ Skill-based instruction, with chapters organized around real tasks rather than abstract con- cepts or subjects ◆ Self-review test questions, so you can be certain you’re equipped to do the job right What Is Covered in This Book This is what the book covers: ◆ Chapter 1, ‘‘Inventor Design Philosophy,’’ covers how to design the ‘‘Inventor way’’ when transitioning from other 2D or 3D design applications. ◆ Chapter 2, ‘‘Data and Projects,’’ examines file structures and search paths and explains project file types and configurations. ◆ Chapter 3, ‘‘Sketch Techniques,’’ explores the principles of creating parameter-driven sketches for use in modeling features and parts. ◆ Chapter 4, ‘‘Basic Modeling Techniques,’’ conquers creating parametric features and build- ing 3D parts models. INTRODUCTION xxv ◆ Chapter 5, ‘‘Advanced Modeling Techniques,’’ explores complex feature creation including sweeps, lofts, and more. ◆ Chapter 6, ‘‘Sheet Metal,’’ covers how to create accurate sheet-metal models and flat pat- terns as well as how to create documentation and set up sheet metal styles and templates. ◆ Chapter 7, ‘‘Part and Feature Reuse,’’ examines the different methods for reusing parts and features for maximum consistency and design efficiency. ◆ Chapter 8, ‘‘Assembly Design Workflows,’’ covers a thorough understanding of this key concept of Inventor design, including the use of assembly constraints, subassemblies, and more. ◆ Chapter 9, ‘‘Large Assembly Strategies,’’ explores the tips and techniques to getting the best performance out of your Inventor workstation and considers upgrade requirements for the future. ◆ Chapter 10, ‘‘Weldment Design,’’ explores Inventor’s weldment modeling environment and the weldment documentation tools. ◆ Chapter 11, ‘‘Functional Design,’’ gives you a thorough look at this collection of Inventor design accelerators and considers the difference between standard modeling and func- tional design. ◆ Chapter 12, ‘‘Documentation,’’ covers how to use the Drawing Manager and presenta- tion files to create both traditional, 2D annotated drawings as well as animated assembly instructions. ◆ Chapter 13, ‘‘Inventor Tools Overview,’’ examines this collection of Inventor utilities including AutoLimits, the Design Assistant, the Drawing Resource Transfer Wizard, style tools, and much more. ◆ Chapter 14, ‘‘Exchanging Data with Other Systems,’’ shows the available options for importing and working with solid models from other CAD packages. ◆ Chapter 15, ‘‘Frame Generator,’’ covers how to get the most out of this utility when creat- ing structural frames from Inventor’s library of common shapes. ◆ Chapter 16, ‘‘Inventor Studio,’’ covers this powerful tool set to create photorealistic images and animations of all your Inventor models. ◆ Chapter 17, ‘‘Stress Analysis and Dynamic Simulation,’’ explores the simulation tools used to analyze load stress and mechanism motion on your models. ◆ Chapter 18, ‘‘Routed Systems,’’ covers the cable and wire harness and tube and pipe envi- ronments and their uses in creating routed design layouts. ◆ Chapter 19, ‘‘Plastics Design Features,’’ explores the tools used specifically for plastics design as well as the general tools used in specific ways for plastics design. How to Contact the Authors We welcome your feedback concerning Mastering Autodesk Inventor 2010. We want to hear what you liked, what you didn’t, and what you think should be in the next edition. And if you catch us making a mistake, please tell us so that we can fix it on our errata page 2 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Figure 1.1 Top: the 2D Sketch tab; bottom: the Model tab Figure 1.2 Top: the Assemble tab; bottom: the Drawing Views tab As you can see, the tabs on the Ribbon change with every environment. With a task-based user interface, there is no need to display every possible tool. Using the Inventor Graphical Interface The Inventor graphical interface might be different from what you’re used to in AutoCAD. In Figure 1.3, you can explore the entire Inventor window, which shows an assembly file open for editing. Figure 1.3 The complete Inven- tor screen in assembly mode USING THE INVENTOR GRAPHICAL INTERFACE 3 Inventor Title Bar Starting at the upper left of the Inventor window, the Inventor button has a drop-down panel that is similar to the File menu in previous versions. The title bar now includes two toolbars: ◆ The Quick Access toolbar has frequently used commands. ◆ The Help toolbar provides access to help files and Autodesk websites. You can customize the Quick Access toolbar for each file type by selecting and deselecting icons from a list, but you can’t rearrange them. The custom part modeling toolbar in Figure 1.4 shows all the icons in the same order as they appear on the list. Figure 1.4 The Inventor button and Quick Access toolbar Table 1.1 defines all the Quick Access toolbar icons available for the different file types. The Help toolbar, shown in Figure 1.5, gives direct access to help files and Autodesk websites. Table 1.2 defines each Help toolbar icon. Figure 1.5 The Help toolbar Inventor Graphics Window Tools Inventor has two sets of tools for manipulating the graphics window: ◆ The ViewCube is used to change the view orientation. ◆ The navigation bar has tools such as Zoom and Pan. The ViewCube, shown in Figure 1.6, is a 3D tool that allows you to rotate the view. Here are some viewing options: ◆ If you click a face, edge, or corner of the cube, the view rotates so the selection is perpen- dicular to the screen. ◆ If you click and drag an edge, the view rotates around the parallel axis. ◆ If you click and drag a corner, you can rotate the model freely. ◆ If you click a face to have an orthogonal view, additional controls will display when your mouse pointer is near the cube. ◆ The four arrowheads pointed at the cube rotate the view to the next face. ◆ The arc arrows rotate the view by 90 degrees in the current plane. If you click the Home icon, the view rotates to the default isometric view. If you click the drop-down arrow, you have several options to change the default isometric view behavior. For instance, you can modify the home view to any view you like, and you can reset the front view in relation to your model so that the named views of the cube match what you consider to be the front, top, right, and so on. 4 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Table 1.1: Quick Access Toolbar Icons Icon Definition The New icon launches the New File dialog box. The drop-down allows you to create a new part, assembly, drawing, or presentation file using the standard templates. The Open icon launches the Open dialog box. It displays a location defined in your active project. The Save icon saves the file. The Undo icon undoes the last action. The Undo list tracks changes for the current Inventor session, not just the current document. If you have two part files open, this icon will undo changes that are made in both files. Undo will also ‘‘close’’ files, if your undo sequence takes you back past the point of a file being opened or created. The Redo icon restores a change that was removed with Undo. It will ‘‘reopen’’ a file that was ‘‘closed’’ with Undo. The Open From Vault icon opens a file in your Vault. The Print icon launches the Print dialog box. Drawings have a special Print Drawing dialog box with more controls. The iProperties icon launches an Inventor file properties dialog box. The Projects icon launches a dialog box to manage project files. Project files are used to help maintain references between files. You can have only one active project at a time, and you can’t switch projects when a file is open. The Return icon switches from the current environment to the previous one. For example, if you are editing a part in an assembly, Return will take you back to the assembly environment. The Update icon updates the files. For example, if you edit a part in an assembly, other parts might need to be updated because of the changes. It is grayed out unless the file needs to be refreshed. The Select icon allows you to choose a filter for object selection. The Color Override setting allows you to change the display color. This is a local override and does not change the component. For example, if you place a bolt in an assembly and change the color to Gold, the next bolt you place will still have the original color. The Design Doctor icon launches a dialog box that helps you diagnose and repair issues with a file. It is grayed out unless there is an issue. The Update All Sheets icon is used in the drawing environment to update all the sheets in a drawing at once. USING THE INVENTOR GRAPHICAL INTERFACE 7 Figure 1.9 The View tab The Visibility panel on the View tab has tools for controlling which objects are visible. When you click Object Visibility, a large list is displayed so that you can control the appearance of your graphics window. The Appearance panel has tools for controlling the way models are displayed. You can switch between orthographic (parallel model lines appear parallel) and perspective (parallel model lines converge on a vanishing point) views, display the model as shaded or wireframe, and use drop or x-ray shadows. Orthographic and Perspective: Get the Best of Both Setting the perspective options current displays the model with a vanishing point, as it would be in the real world. Using the orthographic option displays the model with points of the model projected along parallel lines to the screen. Using a perspective view may be desirable when viewing the model in a 3D view but can be distracting when sketching on a flat face or viewing the model from a stan- dard 2D orthographic view. You can set the ViewCube to Perspective With Ortho Faces so that the model is displayed in orthographic mode when one of the standard orthographic faces is active and is displayed in perspective mode in any other view. To do this, simply right-click the ViewCube. Most of the tools in the Windows panel are standard controls, such as switching tiling windows. If you click User Interface, a list of items such as the ViewCube and the status bar are displayed. The Clean Screen icon hides most of the UI elements. Only the title bar and a minimized Ribbon bar are displayed. Click the small drop-down arrow to return to the display of the tool panels. The tools in the Navigate panel are the same as those found on the navigation bar, as discussed earlier in the chapter. The Browser Pane The browser pane is a listing of everything that makes up an Inventor file. The part browser shows all of the features, the assembly browser shows all of the components, and the drawing browser shows the sheets with the views. Because Inventor files are similar to actual parts and assemblies, the browser plays an important role in navigating the files. In this section, we will explore the behavior of the browser pane when working in Inventor: 1. With Inventor open, ensure you have no files open in the current session. 2. Next click the Get Started tab, and then click Projects. This opens the Projects dialog box from which you can select the Samples project that Autodesk has provided for you as part of the installation of Inventor. 3. To set this as the active project, click the Apply button toward the bottom of the dialog box. Once the project is active, you will see a check mark next to the project name. 4. Now that the Samples project is set to be the current one, you can click Done and then close the Projects dialog box. (You’ll find a more detailed explanation of working with and set- ting up projects in Chapter 2.) 8 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY 5. To open the assembly, go to the Get Started tab, and click Open. 6. To ensure that you are looking at all the files in the Samples project (and only the files in this project), click Workspace in the Open dialog box, as shown in Figure 1.10. 7. Browse for the file called Stapler.iam, located at \Models\Assemblies\Stapler. Figure 1.10 The Open dialog box When opening your current assembly file (Stapler.iam), the Assemble tab of the Ribbon bar is active. You’ll notice that in the Model browser (to the left of the screen) all items are shown in a white background, with no portion of the Model browser grayed out. You are currently in the top level of the assembly, meaning that the uppermost level of the assembly is currently active. Turning on a Missing Model Browser Although it isn’t common to need to turn the Model browser off, you can do so. More commonly, you may accidentally turn it off by clicking the X button on the right side of the browser title bar. To dis- play it again, go to the View tab, and click the User Interface button found on the Windows panel. Most likely, you’ll want to have all the items in this list selected. Double-click the subassembly called Bottom (to do this, you simply click twice quickly on the grounded assembly icon next to the word Bottom). Note that it is best practice to get into the habit of double-clicking the icon next to the component name, rather than the name itself, because the latter may initialize an edit of the name depending upon the speed of your clicks. Double-clicking the icon will activate the subassembly for editing in place, within the Stapler assembly. Once this subassembly is activated, all other portions within the Model browser will be grayed out. USING THE INVENTOR GRAPHICAL INTERFACE 9 Controlling Component Transparency It is generally helpful to set the display settings so that as you activate one component in the context of an assembly, the other components become ghosted or transparent. This allows you to see which component you’re actively editing and yet still reference other components in the assembly. You can toggle the Transparency setting on and off by going to the View tab and clicking the Component Transparency drop-down found on the Appearance panel. With the Bottom subassembly activated, you will notice the Assembly panel is still visible. Next double-click the part icon for Bottom-Back. This activates the single part for editing. You will notice that the Ribbon bar has changed and the Model tab is active. The Ribbon bar change reflects that you are now editing a part file, and are therefore working at the part editing level of the model hierarchy, with part feature tools ready for selection. With the part active for editing, you will notice that the Model browser now shows all the features present in the active file. Examining these features within the active part, you can see the standard origin features, some user work planes, some additional features such as extrusions, and a fillet feature. You will also notice a red X at the bottom of the part signifying an end-of-part (EOP) marker. Using EOP Markers You can use the EOP marker to insert a feature anywhere in the model tree, where the new feature should have been created. Since part features are created sequentially, the EOP marker allows you to figure out how a part was constructed. Dragging the EOP marker to the top and then dragging it down one feature at a time re-creates the part. In addition, dragging the EOP marker to the top of the part file reduces the overall part size significantly, similar to zipping a file. If you encounter a blank file in your modeling session, be sure to check the Model browser to make sure the EOP marker has been dragged to the bottom of the part file. To return to the top-level assembly, you can simply double-click the filename (Stapler.iam) at the top of the Model browser, or you can click the Return icon at the top of your screen. Each click of the Return icon will move you up one level in the assembly. Regardless of which method you use, you will notice that the Ribbon bar returns to the assembly tools (from the part feature tools) once you are back to the top-level assembly. As demonstrated in this quick tour of a typical assembly structure, the Inventor Ribbon tabs are unique and intuitive to the environment you are in at the time. In the next example, you will explore the changes encountered in the Styles Editor located on the Format tab. Task-Based Dialog Boxes In addition to the Ribbon bar updating based on the current environment, as described in the previous section, some Inventor dialog boxes are also task-based. Instead of containing every control needed for every environment, the dialog box displays only the controls necessary for the current task. Follow these steps to see an example of this: 1. While in an assembly file, with either the top-level assembly or a subassembly active, select the Manage tab and then select Styles Editor, as shown in Figure 1.11. 12 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Moving further down the browser tree, you’ll encounter another folder called Origin. Each part and assembly file contains an Origin folder. In this example, the first Origin folder you encounter is the assembly origin. The assembly origin folder contains basic YZ, XZ, and XY work planes, work axes, and the origin center point. These work features comprise the origin of the assembly file, and it is this origin that provides the starting point for placing files within the assembly. These work features in the origin plane are defaults and cannot be deleted; however, you can change the visibility of these work features as required by right-clicking them. Next in line in this example is the first file that was placed within the assembly file. In this case, it is another assembly called Bottom. An assembly placed into another assembly is typically called a subassembly. You will notice that there is a pushpin icon next to the filename. The pushpin represents a grounded component, which means that the component is currently set to its current X, Y and Z coordinates and cannot accidentally be moved. The first file inserted into an assembly file is always automatically grounded. The grounded status of a component can be turned on and off, and in fact all or none of the parts in an assembly can be grounded. However, it is best practice to ensure that at least one component is grounded in order to prevent problems generating orthographic views in the 2D drawings. You will notice that the same Representations and Origin folders exist in this grounded assem- bly and in all other parts and assemblies that exist in this file. The relationships between origin planes in each of the files provide a permanent reference for downstream modifications, including 3D constraints and editing of individual parts. In the subassembly called Bottom, there are additional files: Bottom-Back:1, Bottom-Front:1, Lower Mount:1, Spring:1, and Bottom-Anvil:1. Each of these files represents a separate part within the subassembly. The 1 that follows each part represents the first instance of that part name within the assembly. If a second identical part name is inserted within the same assembly, the number would be incremented according to the number of times that part is instanced within the assembly. In the browser, note that two of the parts, Lower Mount and Bottom-Anvil, have a red-and-green icon preceding the part name. This icon tells the user that these two parts are set to be adaptive, meaning that these two parts will automatically adjust to changes in the part they reference. Right-clicking the Adaptive icon will display a context menu, allowing the user to turn adaptivity on or off. Next to each part name within the subassembly is a small plus sign, signifying that the part or subassembly can be expanded to show more of the contents of that specific part (see Figure 1.15). When the part or subassembly has been expanded, the plus sign switches to a minus sign, which allows the user to compress the part or assembly back to a smaller state and save room for review- ing other items within the Model browser. At the bottom of this section within the browser, you will see the words Flush and Mate. The Flush and Mate references are two of several 3D constraints used to ‘‘assemble and constrain’’ various parts. Right-clicking a constraint in the browser allows the user to locate the other part to which this part is constrained within the assembly. Learning the File Types in Inventor In AutoCAD, you might be used to having the DWG file format as your main file format. Inventor, on the other hand, follows the structure common to most other 3D modelers in the engineering field today. Instead of placing all information in one file, the data load is distributed into many dif- ferent files. Placing the data in multiple files permits higher performance, promotes file integrity, and vastly improves performance on large designs. As you’ve already explored, having different file types allows you to have environment-specific tools for working with each file type. LEARNING THE FILE TYPES IN INVENTOR 13 Figure 1.15 Expanded contents in the Model browser The payoff of multiple file types is exemplified in the comparison between the way that Auto- CAD handles model space/paper space and the way that Inventor handles the same tasks. To put it simply, in Inventor the part and assembly files represent model space, and the drawing file is in effect paper space. Using multiple file types to handle the separate tasks required for modeling vs. detailing simplifies the interaction between both tasks, and as a result, the headaches of managing model space and paper space in AutoCAD are eliminated in Inventor. Here are the primary file formats commonly used in Inventor: ◆ .ipj: Inventor project file ◆ .ipt: Inventor single part file ◆ .iam: Inventor assembly file ◆ .ipn: Inventor presentation file ◆ .idw: Inventor 2D detail drawing file ◆ .dwg (Inventor): Inventor 2D detail drawing file ◆ .dwg (AutoCAD): AutoCAD nonassociative drawing file ◆ .xls: Excel files that drive iParts, threads, and other data Although this list may seem intimidating, once you get used to using Inventor, having many different file types will be less of a concern. The benefit of using multiple file types to have fully associative, automatically updating designs is a cornerstone of most 3D parametric modelers. Per- formance and stability in the use of Inventor require good data management principles, including storing the saved files in an efficient and organized manner. We’ll introduce this subject later in this chapter and expand upon it in Chapter 2. 14 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Using DWG Files in Inventor You can use DWG files in a number of ways in Inventor. Although Inventor does not support the creation of AutoCAD entities, you can utilize AutoCAD geometry in Inventor sketches, Inventor drawings, title blocks, and symbol creation. When creating a new part file in Inventor, you can copy geometry directly from an AutoCAD DWG and paste it into an Inventor sketch. AutoCAD dimensions will even be converted into fully parametric Inventor dimensions. However, only minimal sketch constraints will be created when doing this. Using the Auto Dimension tool within the Inventor sketch environment, you can apply sketch constraints to the copied AutoCAD data quickly. It is important to remember that many AutoCAD drawings contain fundamental issues such as exploded or ‘‘fudged’’ dimensions and lines with endpoints that do not meet. Copying such drawings into an Inventor sketch will of course bring all of those issues along and will typically provide poor results. Another way to use AutoCAD data in Inventor is in an Inventor DWG file. Often you’ll have symbols in AutoCAD in the form of blocks that you want to use on a drawing in Inventor, such as a directional flow arrow or a standard note block. Although you could re-create these symbols in Inventor, you can also simply copy the block from AutoCAD and paste it into the Inventor DWG. This functionality exists only within an Inventor DWG and is not supported in an Inventor IDW. In fact, it is one of the few differences between an Inventor DWG and an Inventor IDW. Mechanical Desktop DWG files can be opened or linked into Inventor assemblies. When the Mechanical Desktop file is opened in Inventor, options allow the translation of Mechanical Desk- top models into parametric Inventor parts and assemblies, as well as fully associative layouts into Inventor drawing files. When the Mechanical Desktop file is linked into an Inventor assem- bly, it behaves similarly to an AutoCAD XRef, and all edits will be maintained using Mechanical Desktop. Creating DWG Files from Inventor Drawings Users of Inventor may often find that they are called upon to create native DWG files from Inven- tor IDW files for use by customers or other people within the company. A user may create a DWG file by simply performing a Save Copy As and saving it as an AutoCAD DWG file. The newly created DWG file will not be associative to the Inventor part or assembly or IDW file and will not reflect any changes made to the part, assembly, or Inventor drawing file. It is common to use Save Copy As on an Inventor drawing and save it to an AutoCAD DWG just before making revision changes, thereby preserving a copy of the drawing in a static state at that revision level. Once the static copy is saved, revision edits can begin, and the original Inventor drawing will update automatically. Beginning with Inventor 2008, users have the option of creating a native Inventor DWG file in place of the IDW file. This DWG file will behave exactly like an Inventor drawing file, except that the file extension will be .dwg instead of .idw. Just like an IDW file, an Inventor DWG file will update whenever parts or assemblies linked to the file are changed and updated. Note too that if you have IDW files that were created in a version of Inventor previous to Inventor 2008, you can save those files as fully associative DWG files so that your drawing library contains one consistent drawing file type. This process can even be batched and scheduled to run overnight using the Task Scheduler, which you can open by selecting Start  All Programs  Autodesk  Autodesk Inventor 2010 Tools Task Scheduler. You can open an Inventor DWG file in AutoCAD and edit it with some limitation. The primary limitation is that the Inventor objects are protected from modification. AutoCAD dimensions and other entities can be added and will remain intact when the file is opened again in Inventor, but as a rule, objects must be edited in the application from which they were created. UNDERSTANDING PARAMETRIC DESIGN 17 Making the virtual prototype allows the designer to explore the function of a mechanism before lengthy design and engineering time is expended on a design that just won’t work. Developing the virtual prototype eliminates the part procurement and creation process, slashing the design time even further. The virtual prototype can be proven with the use of stress analysis and dynamic motion sim- ulation to find and correct weaknesses in the design, rather than just ensuring that everything is overbuilt and calling it a good design. Interference between components is also easily discovered while still in the design process. The use of functional design in the prototyping process allows engineers to properly deter- mine loads, power, stresses, inertia, and other properties before a machine is built. Weights, center of gravity, and other physical characteristics are at your fingertips during any stage of the design. Too Busy Getting Drawings to the Shop to Build Virtual Prototypes? You have deadlines to meet, and we are telling you to spend more time building models. Deciding when to build a virtual prototype depends on your business and the complexity of the design. We have all given sketches to the shop to get a part made, but no one wants to do that on a regular basis. When designing food-processing equipment, the bulk of our work was custom conveyors. We had basic designs that differed in length, width, and height. Items such as electrical panels were shown in position, but we didn’t detail the mounting brackets because the fabricators could make them more quickly than we could draw them. Core components, like the drive system, were fully detailed. Building a virtual prototype for key subsystems would save time and money because you could discover issues early when it is easier to resolve them. When working for an international manufacturer, everything we did was made in volume in several countries. Any error resulted in a lot of scrap and production delays. We built prototypes of everything before releasing anything into the system. That company would still build at least one physical prototype, but doing virtual prototyping could trim weeks or months from the development schedule. Building virtual prototypes also pays off when you do a revision or redesign. The better the model, the easier it is to verify that a replacement component will fit properly. Doing a major redesign on a product will go more smoothly if you have a solid base from which to work. Understanding Parametric Design In 2D design software such as AutoCAD or other legacy packages, including most surface model- ers or 3D modelers capable of creating static models, the ability to modify the design is typically limited. Modern 3D feature-based modelers provide the ability to easily change virtually any part of the design within the model. This ability to change or modify a design is based on constraints that control either the shape or the size of a feature. The combination of geometric constraints and dimensional constraints allows virtually any variation within the model. Most of today’s 3D modeling systems utilize the same 2D constraint manager. As a result, the 2D constraints in use today are virtually identical from one software package to another. In like fashion, the dimensional constraint systems are similar from one software package to another, and these similarities allow you to more easily learn a second 3D modeling system the next time around. 18 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Let’s start on familiar territory with software that most of us have used in the past: AutoCAD. When you created a design in AutoCAD, that design was not much different from creating the same design on a drawing board. In AutoCAD you can draw precise lines, arcs, circles, and other objects, placed precisely and with accurate dimensions reflecting your design, in a way that you cannot do by hand. When a design requires modification, you erase, move, copy, stretch, and otherwise manipulate the existing geometry more quickly than you can by hand as well. But other than those gains in speed and accuracy, the workflow is much the same as working on a drafting board. In short, AutoCAD automates drafting tasks but does less to speed up the design process. AutoCAD 2010 With the release of AutoCAD 2010, you can create 2D parametric dimensions and constraints just like Inventor. Standard dimensions in AutoCAD are what we call driven or reference dimensions. A driven dimension is controlled by the geometry, and it reflects the actual value of the geometry that is referenced by the dimension. If you stretch a line, for example, the dimension that is attached to the line will update to the new value. If you think about it, the only reason for a dimension on a 2D drawing is to convey the value of a feature or part to a person who is going to build it. If you import that 2D file into a CAM package, no dimensions are needed because the line work contains all the information about the part. The workflow in a 3D model is substantially different from in 2D modeling. In a 3D model, you create sketches in 2D and then add geometric constraints such as horizontal, vertical, parallel, and so on. Adding the geometric constraints allows line work to adjust in a predictable and desired manner and helps control the overall shape of the sketch. Once geometric constraints are in place, you add parametric (driving) dimensions to the sketch geometry. By changing the value of the dimension, you change the size of the sketch object. As you can see, the Inventor dimension is far more powerful than the standard AutoCAD dimension because it not only conveys the value of a feature or part but also serves as a design parameter, allowing you to change the dimension to change the design. Parametric feature-based modeling relies on the creation of numerous features within the model. By creating a number of features within the model, you are able to independently change or modify a feature without rebuilding the entire model. An example of editing a feature would be changing the radius of an edge fillet. Parametric model features are typically either dependent or independent of one another. A dependent feature is dependent upon the existence or position of a previously created feature. If that previously created feature is deleted, then the dependent feature either will also be deleted or will become an independent feature. An independent parametric feature is normally based upon an origin feature such as a work plane, work axis, or work point or is referenced off the original base feature. Drawing in AutoCAD Becomes Sketching in Inventor The fundamental difference between traditional AutoCAD and Inventor is that in AutoCAD you draw and in Inventor you sketch. The difference sounds subtle but is very important. In AutoCAD you likely construct lines precisely to specific dimensions to form the geometry that is required. In Inventor UNDERSTANDING FUNCTIONAL DESIGN 19 you create lines and geometry that reflect the general form and function of the feature and then use constraints and dimensions to massage it into the desired shape. This is probably the single biggest stumbling block that experienced AutoCAD users face when starting to use Inventor. Understanding Functional Design Functional design is an Autodesk term for a knowledge content tool that moves the user from creating geometrical descriptions to capturing knowledge. Engineers and designers can use func- tional design to analyze the function and solve the design problems, rather than spending time on modeling a solution needed to create 3D representations. The V-belts Generator An example of functional design and its benefit is the use of the Inventor’s V-belts Generator. Tra- ditionally, to design a pulley system, you would lay out the pulleys in positions as required by the design and then choose a belt that met the design requirements and came as close as possible to fit- ting the pulley spacing. The result oftentimes is that no common belt size fits the pulley spacing. The functional design approach to this task allows you to specify the belt from a standard catalog of belt sizes at the same time that you are creating the rest of the system. In this way, you know from the outset that the design is indeed functional and will work in the real world. Functional design supports design through generators and wizards that add mechanical con- tent and intelligence to the design. By using the components within Inventor functional design, you can create mechanically correct components automatically by entering simple or complex mechanical attributes inside the generator. Using the functional design components within Inventor provides many advantages: ◆ You shorten the design and modification process through the use of intelligent compo- nents. ◆ You produce a higher level of design quality and accuracy. ◆ Functional design provides a more intuitive design environment, compared to creating complicated geometrical designs. ◆ Functional design can eliminate the need for physical prototypes for the purpose of ana- lyzing stress and movement. The following portions of Autodesk Inventor are part of the functional design system: ◆ Design Accelerator ◆ Frame Generator ◆ Inventor Studio ◆ AutoLimits ◆ Content Center ◆ Bolted Connection Generator 22 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY graphics modelers), representing planar faceted faces with joined edges culminating in one face; triangulated meshes (typical in STL files), composed of three-sided planar faces connected into one mesh; and NURBS surfaces (based upon nonuniform rational B-splines), providing smooth, constantly evolving surfaces that can be constrained and made tangent to other adjoining surfaces and providing smooth surface transitions across a single part. Figure 1.16 Representation of a wireframe type model Inventor supports NURBS surface types in created or imported geometry. Inventor surface models, as shown in Figure 1.17, typically display as a translucent object. Surfaces can be com- bined with solid models in a number of ways to enhance your modeling experience. Figure 1.17 Representation of a surface type model Solid A 3D solid is composed of a collection of surfaces joined together to provide a watertight collection with no gaps or holes. When a collection of surfaces is joined together in such a manner, it is generally considered solidified. Solids can provide the benefit of physical properties such as mass, volume, centroids, and moments of inertia or principal moments and can be tagged with other properties such as material specifications. Figure 1.16 illustrates a solid model part shown in wireframe, whereas Figure 1.17 shows a rather free-form surface. Figure 1.18 shows a solid model in shaded mode that demonstrates the combination of solid and surface model techniques used together to create a complex shape. BEST PRACTICES IN AUTODESK INVENTOR 23 Figure 1.18 Representation of a solid model in shaded mode Best Practices in Autodesk Inventor Every 3D modeling package follows a workflow designed to produce the best and most efficient design while retaining the stability required to update or modify the design at a later time. In addi- tion, the workflow encourages high performance and stability within the file structure. Inventor is no different from other packages in that an efficient design workflow must be followed to ensure good results. The following are six important areas to consider when creating an ideal workflow that will both benefit your designs and meet your company’s operational requirements: ◆ Creating a data management structure ◆ Selecting the proper project file type for your designs ◆ Developing an efficient and stable part-modeling workflow ◆ Developing assembly structure for maximum efficiency ◆ Establishing standards for documentation ◆ Using digital communication Creating a Data Management Structure In the previous pages, we discussed the need for an efficient and practical data management structure that will fit the needs within your company. A good data management structure may be something that your company has already created or something that you may design, keeping in mind your company’s and customer’s requirements. Even if your company has been working in other CAD packages for many years, your filing system may be in serious need of reorganization or replacement. Many times, the file structure you find yourself working under today has simply evolved over time as changes in hardware and operating systems have come about. These evolutions range from very inefficient systems with vestiges of some long-gone setup or decision that negatively impacts the way things are done today to very efficient systems where filing is intuitive and well structured. When you implement Inventor, it’s a good time to evaluate your system and see what changes are or are not required because of the way that Inventor uses linked files within the application. It is also important to note that parametric modelers such as Inventor create more files than traditional design software. Redesigning a file management system for efficiency may require the skills of an outside data management consultant who also thoroughly understands the data management struc- ture required for efficient use of Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD. Or it may mean your IT staff needs to become familiar with how Inventor works with linked files. One qualified individual who can tackle this task might be your local Autodesk reseller, if your reseller has an Autodesk 24 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Manufacturing Implementation Certified Expert or Certified Data Management Expert on staff. If such a consultant is not locally available, then you may want to contact Autodesk Technical Services for assistance. The need to thoroughly evaluate and correct any deficiencies in your current data management structure cannot be overstated. Having a data management system that is set up to ensure the use of unique names for every file should be a primary goal of every Inventor user. This requires some forethought and planning in setting up a good file-naming scheme. Fixing any problems now will deliver a great payback in the use of Autodesk Inventor or AutoCAD. Selecting the Proper Project File Type for Your Designs Selecting the proper project file type after correcting any errors or inefficiencies in your data man- agement structure is crucial to your success with Autodesk Inventor and, in the future, with various AutoCAD vertical applications. The next chapter of this book will introduce you to the different project file types that may or may not be suitable to your specific needs. If you need to have multiple designers working on a single project simultaneously, it is highly recommended that you investigate Autodesk Vault. Autodesk Vault provides many benefits over other project file types when working in a collaborative system group or even when working alone. Vault is bundled with the Inventor suite and can be installed at the time of your Inventor install or at a later date. Although Vault is a highly effective tool for managing your engineering files, a poorly implemented Vault can cause a lot of headaches. Following the recommendations in this book for setting up a Vault project should keep you in the clear. On the other hand, you may already have another product data management (PDM) database in use within your company for other applications. You may want to consider integrating Inventor into that PDM system, assuming that your existing system fully accommodates and supports Inventor at least as well as Autodesk Vault. Optionally, you might want to consider an upgrade of the included Autodesk Vault version to one of the other versions with extended functionalities. If you are working in a smaller company or have just a few users each working on individual jobs with no crossover, the Single User Project file mode might be the best way for you to work. Developing an Efficient and Stable Part-Modeling Workflow Paramount to the success of 3D solid modeling is developing an efficient and stable part-modeling workflow that works for your designs. Unlike AutoCAD, where lines are independent of one another, 3D modelers build relationships between features. When you add a boss to the face of a part, there is a relationship. If you make a change to the face that interferes with the relationship, then the boss will fail. In order to build a stable model, you have to think about how the part functions and how the features relate to each other. Here are a few attributes of good part design: ◆ Sketched part features created from simple sketches that represent and document design intent ◆ Creation of part features that do not have a high degree of dependency upon other previ- ously created part features ◆ Part features that are easily identified and able to be edited without creating errors ◆ Fully constrained and dimensioned sketches and features that will update and behave pre- dictably when other features are edited ◆ Features that are properly named and identified for future editing reference THE BOTTOM LINE 27 cannot mimic the output of AutoCAD. However, upon closer investigation, no one in those com- panies can remember why their designs are documented in that particular fashion. Take the time to evaluate your documentation rules and specifications. Just as design standards were changed when companies switched from the drafting board to AutoCAD, so should they be scrutinized when switching from AutoCAD to Inventor. Figure 1.20 File types available for Save Copy As Using Digital Communication In making the move from two-dimensional to three-dimensional design, you may want to consider modernizing all aspects of your documentation workflow. Now may be the time to move from paper to electronic documentation in all areas where the transmitted information may be utilized. Instead of plotting paper drawings and having to manage them to make sure that the latest ver- sion of each drawing file is properly distributed to all departments, consider using the Autodesk DWF format as a method of recording and documenting IDW or DWG output. If you are using Autodesk Vault, you could set an option to automatically generate an updated DWF file that could then be made available to all departments. A relatively ordinary PC in each department could be used to view the DWF document, apply markups and changes, and, if nec- essary, generate a paper print. Using electronic files in this manner assures that every department has access to the latest, up-to-date documentation. The Bottom Line Use the Ribbon bar in Autodesk Inventor In this first chapter, you learned how the Inventor interface is designed to function efficiently, with the Ribbon bar that switches depending upon the stage of design and the environment in which you are working. The Inventor interface is designed for simplicity, ease of use, and ease of learning. 28 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Master It You find that using the tabs on the Ribbon bar to access commands is tedious and a bit difficult to keep track of which command is where. Utilize the Inventor Model browser The Inventor Model browser displays information about the model in a hierarchy. When working with parts, features are listed in the browser in the order they were created, providing an evolutionary timeline of the model. In the assembly environment, parts are organized in the Model browser in subassemblies for organization and performance. Even in the drawing environment, you have a browser to organize the hierarchy of views. Master It You want to explore an existing part model to get a better understanding of how it was created and how it might be improved. Understand the various file types used in Inventor You have learned that Inventor supports many different file types in its native environment, separating tasks and files to improve per- formance and increase stability. Master It You have decided to use the native Inventor DWG format for all your drawing files so that you can email files without translating when sending files to vendors and cus- tomers who do not have Inventor. But you notice that when you start a new drawing, it is always an IDW file. Understand basic principles of parametric design Parametric design is simply a method of design in which you link dimensions and variables to geometry in a way that allows the part to change by modifying the dimensions. The power of this approach is that you can design parts, building the intent of their function right into them, as you create the model. Master It You need to create a model based on key inputs and want to see how changing the value of those inputs affects the relationship of the features and parts within the model. Understand the differences between solid and surface modeling Over time, as computing technology has progressed, so too has the way that programs approach 3D design. While sur- face models initially allowed the designer to visualize a design and even manufacture it from a digital file, the desire to be able to extract data for calculations concerning mass and center of gravity required a solid model. The need to easily edit and modify designs without having to start over pushed solid modeling to the next step: parametric solid modeling. Master It You need to create models that are functionally and aesthetically sound. Develop best practices for using Autodesk Inventor You were introduced to some of the best practices in using Autodesk Inventor as your design tool. You would do well to review these best practices from time to time as you progress toward mastering this powerful design tool. Master It You want to ensure that your implementation of Inventor is successful and in line with industry best practices. Chapter 2 Data and Projects In many design and manufacturing environments, teamwork is a way of life — an essential part of getting a product to market quickly. Concurrent design among multiple team members requires coordination, discipline, and organization. In other situations a designer might work primarily as a stand-alone user, collaborating with others but generally creating and accessing files as a single user. In either case, effort invested in setting up an efficient file management system saves time while designing parts and provides safeguards against rework and downstream errors for the designer. When working as part of a design team, the value increases exponentially. In this chapter, you’ll learn to: ◆ Create an efficient data file directory structure ◆ Create efficient search paths ◆ Understand how Inventor uses data, library, and Content Center files ◆ Determine the best project type for your work ◆ Create single- and multiuser projects Creating a Data Structure The power of Inventor comes from the way it creates separate files and then links them to one another, allowing designs to be quickly created and edited. Without a good plan, however, the many files and links can become unmanageable as users move and rename files that are referenced by other files. It is important, therefore, to do some planning in order to optimize file access and organization and minimize the number of broken links and time spent managing files in the future. It is important to consider where and how you store Inventor data. The basic setup of your directory structure defines how efficient data access will be. You don’t want your design team spending hours redesigning parts because it is faster than locating poorly organized existing part files, and you don’t want them rebuilding assemblies because moving and renaming part files has created myriad file link resolutions. Whether you plan to work in multiuser or single-project mode, setting up an Inventor project is a good time to review the file structure that you have used in the past. Setting Up the Ideal Directory Structure The ideal directory structure varies based upon the type of work you do: product development, engineer to order, make to order, and so forth. In all cases, the overall goal of a directory structure should be to simplify the file structure and reduce the possibility of placing the same (or similar) file in multiple locations. You also want to create clear paths that separate your workspace from the support data and library files. 32 CHAPTER 2 DATA AND PROJECTS 2. Assign the parts new names and part numbers, as required. 3. Open the assembly and use the Component Replace or Replace All tool to redirect the assembly to the new library versions of standard parts. 4. Clean up the original files by deleting them from the Designs directory. Organizing the parts into a library will prevent unauthorized changes or revisions that would affect the documentation and creation of spare parts that would fit on the original machine design. Care must be taken when reusing parts from one machine to another. Decisions should always be made when revising a part to determine whether that revised part should be a completely new part name or number or whether the revision will fit on every machine that uses the part. Option 2: Allowing Common Files to Stay in Place You can allow the parts to remain in their original locations within the design’s subfolder, although it’s relatively easy to modify or revise that original part to where it is no longer usable in the original design. Project Search Paths Inventor handles files differently than many other applications. You can think of an Inventor assembly as an empty ‘‘bucket’’ into which parts and subassemblies are placed and assembled. Therefore, the assembly file contains only the file path references of the components it is composed of and the information about how those components are assembled. As a result, the location of referenced files is a key issue. If when opening an assembly referenced files cannot be found at the search path recorded in the assembly file, a manual file resolution process is activated. This happens most often when component files are moved or renamed outside the Inventor utilities dedicated to these tasks. Using Design Assistant and Vault If you use Vault, you can move and rename files, and Vault will automatically update all the file links with the updates. If you do not use Vault, you will likely want to become familiar with Design Assistant for these tasks. Upon manually pointing the assembly to the moved or renamed file, the new location is saved into the assembly file, assuming that the lost file is physically present within the search paths. If the file is located outside the project search path, then the File Resolution dialog box appears every time the assembly is opened. These search paths are defined for each Inventor project file (*.ipj). The file reference path in Inventor files differ between library and nonlibrary files: A library reference path consists of the following: ◆ Library name ◆ Filename ◆ Subfolder location (where applicable) CREATING A DATA STRUCTURE 33 A nonlibrary reference path consists of the following: ◆ Filename ◆ Subfolder location (where applicable) How Search Paths and Project Files Are Used Inventor project files (*.ipj) are easy to create and use, provided you understand how Inventor uses them. An Inventor project file is a configuration file that lists the locations and functions of each search path. Inventor uses these definitions to resolve file links and locate the files needed for the parts and assemblies on which you want to work. Figure 2.2 shows how Inventor loads assemblies and parts inside an assembly file. Figure 2.2 Inventor file resolution protocol Next File Next File Next File Library Part? Relative to Subfolder Path? Relative to Subfolder Path? Workspace? Library Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No No No Relative to Library Workgroup? Parent Document? Resolution Dialog Resolution Dialog When opening an assembly file, Inventor resolves files by searching for the first file to be located within the assembly file. Inventor first looks in the library folders for that file. Next, Inventor 34 CHAPTER 2 DATA AND PROJECTS searches in the local workspace for the file. When a file is not found in any of the referenced folders, Inventor launches a manual file resolution dialog box offering you the opportunity to browse and point to the file. Migrating from AutoCAD If you are moving to Inventor from AutoCAD, you may want to consider restructuring your existing or future AutoCAD files to include them in the new data management file structure. Please note that this is not a requirement but merely a recommendation for the future use of your AutoCAD legacy files. If you have a large number of AutoCAD files, you may choose to move only the active files into the new structure. Within this new data management structure, you may choose to create additional folders within the structure in order to store documents, spreadsheets, emails, and other data associated with each par- ticular job. Preparing Parts for Reuse and Revision As anyone who has worked in mechanical design knows, at some point in the project revisions will be needed. To protect legacy designs and avoid rework, part revisions must be reviewed to determine where that part or subassembly is (or has been) used. If the proposed revision can be made without harming existing designs, library parts can be updated. If replacing the existing parts with a revised part causes problems with existing designs, then the existing part will be saved and updated under a new name. This protects the existing part and prevents damage to older designs. As discussed earlier, the goal is to create one unique physical part file for each unique part name, with an associated 2D drawing, stored in a single location within the company’s data stor- age system. No duplicate parts or filenames should exist anywhere within the company, except while a part is being revised. If an existing part is edited and saved as a new part name and num- ber in the appropriate library folder, the temporary part is deleted. With this workflow, you are assured that when a part is selected for use in a design, it is the correct part. The following sections highlight two suggested workflows for reusing designs. Reusing Existing Designs for Standard Projects Figure 2.3 reviews a process for handling existing parts to be reused for a new design. If the part will be reused, shared parts are copied to a library folder and then are used in the Component Replace or Replace All process. The original copies can then be removed or managed as required. Figure 2.3 Design use workflow: non-Vault project Copy to Library then Rename then Remove Original Yes No Reuse File? Existing Part File Existing Design Reusing Existing Designs for Vault Projects Autodesk Vault is a data management program that assists in the file management aspect of working with Inventor. Using Vault greatly reduces the occurrence of missing or unresolved file links because, unlike moving and renaming Inventor files with Windows Explorer, moving and CREATING THE PROJECT FILE 37 Vault Autodesk Vault is an easy-to-use data management tool that integrates work created with Inventor, Inventor Professional, AutoCAD Mechanical, and AutoCAD Electrical. It includes features that allow design teams to track work in progress and maintain version control in a multiuser environment. Design reuse is facilitated by consolidating product information and storing it in one place. Vault is a SQL database environment. A subset of the SQL environment exists in all current Windows operating systems from Windows 2000 through Windows Vista. Vault installs separately from Inventor. The Vault installation checks to make sure that your system is compatible and that auxiliary programs required for operation are installed. Vault is included with all versions of AutoCAD and Inventor. Now, which type of project is best for you? One or more designers can use projects using Vault. Single-user projects are most commonly used when there is a single seat of Inventor in the company or when only one designer works on a particular job more or less exclusively. Multiuser Vault projects rely on a Microsoft SQL Server environment, which can be as simple as the Autodesk data management server, which supports up to 10 users with the default Microsoft SQL Server Express database. If you have a larger workgroup or require a higher capacity, a full version of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 is recommended. In addition, a workspace folder located on the individual user’s system is required. Data servers should be a separate server with rapid data access hard drives dedicated to the engineering department’s use. Inventor 9 and earlier allowed you to create shared and semi-isolated project file types. If you are currently using either legacy project type, then you should consider moving to Vault, since Autodesk may not support the legacy types in future versions. Creating a Good Data Management Plan A good data management plan is the key to using Inventor projects successfully. Using Vault will not resolve a poor project file or data management strategy. One part of a successful Inventor deployment is the hardware and network on which the software will run. It is important that the engineering group has buy-in by the IT group. You will need to discuss several issues with this group, including hardware for servers and workstation, the network setup (100 Base-T or Gigabit), mapped network drives, and user permissions. A good server can be the difference between success and failure in your rollout. A server should have at least RAID 1 (RAID 5 is preferable) and as much network bandwidth as possible. Although you do need to think about your file structure, don’t obsess over it. Most likely you will end up changing the structure at least a few times before you settle on a final structure. Keep an open mind, and realize that if you have five people in a room discussing file structures, you’ll end up with five different ideas. Again, involve IT in your discussions. Finally, you should designate one person in engineering to be the engineering administrator. This person needs to have administrative privileges on the engineering server or network share. IT may resist, but you need to keep pushing. This is important because you will need the ability to easily create, delete, and move files and folders without having to submit a help-desk ticket. Nothing will slow down a design process faster than having to wait for IT to make a simple change. Explain this need to your IT administrator, and most likely they will understand. 38 CHAPTER 2 DATA AND PROJECTS Creating Single-User Projects Probably the best way to learn about projects is to create a ‘‘test’’ single-user project. Single-user projects allow you to open, edit, and save files without checking the files in or out. The single-user project file is normally the choice of people who are working on their own. In the following sections, you will investigate the single-user file project mode. Once you gain an understand- ing of single-user projects, you will be ready to investigate the other project file types. To create a test project, you will use the Inventor Project Wizard. The Inventor Project Wizard To get the most out of this exercise, open your version of Inventor, ensure that you have closed all the open files, and then access the Inventor Project Wizard by going to the Get Started tab and clicking the Projects button. 1. In the Projects dialog box, click the New button at the bottom. 2. You will see two options in the Inventor Project Wizard, as shown in Figure 2.5. Select New Single User Project, and then click Next. Figure 2.5 Creating a single-user project 3. Enter MI_Test_Project in the Name input box. 4. Enter C:\ MI_Test_Project in the Project (Workspace) Folder input box. Figure 2.6 shows a Project File page specifying the project. Figure 2.6 The Project File page filled in 5. Click Next to advance to the next page of the wizard. 6. If you already created a folder for your library files and used those library folders in a pre- vious project, those locations will appear on the Select Libraries page, shown in Figure 2.7. CREATING THE PROJECT FILE 39 When creating a new project, you can choose to include some, all, or none of the defined library locations. Click the Finish button to include no libraries at this point. Figure 2.7 Select Libraries page 7. Click OK in the message box informing you that the project path entered does not yet exist. 8. Click Finish to create and save your new project file. The newly created project file link will appear in the list in the Projects dialog box. Switching and Editing Projects Only one project can be active at a time. To switch projects, you must first close all files that are open in Inventor. You cannot edit the file paths of the active project, but you can edit items such as the Content Center libraries. You can edit anything in a nonactive project. The Projects Dialog Box Now that you have created your sample project file, you’ll explore the options and settings avail- able for your new project. To activate and use your new project, highlight the new project, and click Apply. You can also activate or select a new project link by double-clicking the project link. Notice that MI_Test_Project has a check mark next to the project name indicating that the project is now active, as shown in Figure 2.8. In the lower pane, you can view and access parameter settings for the following: ◆ The project type ◆ Optional included project file ◆ Style library options ◆ Libraries you want to use ◆ Frequently used subfolders ◆ Folder options ◆ Other project options Right-click a parameter group to view the settings available within that group. Within the Project group, you can change the project type, view the project location, and include other project files. Project types were discussed earlier in this chapter. The project location is a 42 CHAPTER 2 DATA AND PROJECTS Shortcuts to Frequently Used Files Frequently used subfolders are similar to the bookmarks you can set in Internet Explorer. The subfolders must already be nested within the current project workspace, workgroup, or library. Adding frequently used subfolders to your project provides navigation links in your open, save, and placed dialog boxes so you can quickly navigate to those locations. The Samples project is a good example of frequently used subfolders. Folder Options The Folder Options setting allows your project to access other file locations than are specified on the Files tab of the Application Options dialog box. Keep in mind that you may have to close and reopen Inventor in order to reinitialize the optional project file locations. You can use this option to specify different default locations for templates, design data, styles, and Content Center files. When the locations are set to the defaults, then the location/storage of the files is specified on the Files tab of the Application Options dialog box. Right-click any of the options to change the storage and access location. Project Options Expand the Options heading to show the global defaults for the selected project. The Options settings in a project determine file management functions; right-click an option to edit it. Versioning and Backup Use the Options setting to determine how many old versions or backup copies of each file to save. The Old Versions To Keep On Save option specifies the number of versions to store in the Old Versions folder for each file saved. The first time a file is saved in a project, an Old Versions folder for that file is created. When the file is saved, the prior version is moved automatically to the file’s Old Versions folder. After the number of old versions reaches the maximum in the setting, the oldest version is deleted when a newer version is moved into the folder. Inventor Old Versions and AutoCAD .bak Files Inventor versioning is similar AutoCAD’s backup scheme. AutoCAD creates a *.bak file saved in the same folder as the design. Inventor saves the backup files in a separate Old Versions directory. All versions located in the Old Versions folder have the same name and extension, except that a number is appended after the name. The default setting of 1 creates one backup file in the Old Versions folder. If you are working with a very complex assembly or model, you can specify additional backup versions; however, remember that with each additional backup version you are creating additional files (and using additional space) on your hard drive. Setting Old Versions to –1 will cause Inventor to save all backup files. Filenaming Conventions The listing called Using Unique File Names in the Options is the setting that forces the user to create unique part names for all files in the project including subfolders. Libraries are excluded in this option. The recommended setting for using unique filenames is Yes. Proper design workflow CREATING THE PROJECT FILE 43 demands that each unique part have a unique name, and that name will not be used for any other part. When parts are reused, you should ensure that any revision to that part be acceptable to all designs where that part is used. If that revised part cannot be used in all the designs, then you should use a new part name, because you have now created an additional unique part. Setting the Using Unique Filenames option to Yes forces unique filenames for every file you create within the project. Duplicating filenames results in resolution errors because the project search path is a relative path; it’s relative to the location of the project file. The Projects Dialog Box’s Tool Panel The tool buttons along the right side of the lower pane of the Projects dialog box provide access to tools that allow you add, edit, and reorder project parameter settings and paths; check for duplicate filenames; and configure the Content Center libraries used for the active project. Use the magnifying glass icon located on the lower-right side of the Projects dialog box to check your project paths for duplicate filenames, as shown in Figure 2.10. Figure 2.10 Using unique filenames Why Relative Paths? An Inventor assembly file records relative paths when it links a subassembly or single parts to itself. The use of relative paths in assembly files allows the relocation of an assembly and its associated parts and subassemblies to other locations on servers or drives without requiring the resolution of a new location. Relative paths, however, introduce the danger of the assembly locating the first of two parts with the same name, with the second part never being recognized and loaded. To prevent the possibility of the wrong part being loaded in an assembly, it is important for every part located in the search path to have a unique name. The Projects dialog box supports the configuration of one or more Content Center libraries. The Content Center provides multiple database libraries that can be used in assemblies or by the Design Accelerator (Functional Design System). If you elected to install Content Center libraries while installing Inventor, you must configure the Content Center libraries in the project before you can access them. Click the Content Center icon in the lower right hand corner of the project-editing dialog box. Then select the Content Center library or libraries you want to use, and click OK. Figure 2.11 shows the Configure Libraries dialog box. Select the Content Center libraries you think you’ll use. Installing all the Content Center libraries may slow your system down significantly when you are accessing Content Center because Inventor will need to index each library upon initialization. When you finish editing the project file, click Save, and then make sure your desired project file is active before clicking Done to exit the Projects dialog box. 44 CHAPTER 2 DATA AND PROJECTS Figure 2.11 Configuring Content Center Creating Multiuser Projects Working as a team can increase productivity many times over. In a collaborative design environ- ment, multiple users may be working on a project at the same time. When you create a multiuser project, you have the option to choose the Vault (if Vault is installed), shared, and semi-isolated project types. As stated earlier, Vault works in a similar fashion to a semi-isolated project. It pre- vents you from working on the original version of a file located inside Vault. Each user creates a local Vault project file that specifies a personal workspace located on the local drive and that includes search paths to one or more master projects. To edit a ‘‘Vaulted’’ file, the user must check the file out of Vault. The process of checking the file out copies the file to the local workspace. Whenever the file is checked out for editing, the original stored in Vault is flagged as ‘‘checked out’’ to that particular user. Other users can view the checked-out files in read-only mode, but they can’t edit the checked-out file. The user who checked out the file can edit and save the file in his local workspace without checking the file back into Vault. When he saves the file, he will be prompted to choose whether he wants to check the file back into Vault. If he chooses to check the file into Vault, the file will be saved into Vault and is then available for editing by a different user. Optionally, he may save the file into Vault but keep it checked out to his local workspace, allowing other users to view the updated file without being able to edit it. Collaborative design project files are created using the Inventor Project Wizard, in much the same manner as a single-user project file. The file resolution process within a collaborative project file functions in the same way. With Vault installed on your server or your own system, you can create and configure a Vault project. If Vault Explorer is not installed on your system, then you cannot install or create a Vault project on your system. Before you create your first Vault project, verify that Vault is correctly installed and that you can open and create a new Vault file store using the ADMS console. The new Vault file store must be accessible on your local system from Vault Explorer. If Vault functions correctly, you are now ready to create a Vault project file. As with a single-user project, use the Inventor Project Wizard to name the project, specify the workspace, assign libraries for use with the project, and configure project parameters. Again, as in other project file types, you will need to edit the default settings in your project file and optionally configure your Content Center for use. Chapter 3 Sketch Techniques This chapter will cover the principles of creating parametric sketches used in part or assembly modeling. All the skills in this chapter are based primarily on creating a single part, whether in a single-part file or in the context of an assembly file. Autodesk Inventor utilizes two types of sketches, a 2D sketch and a 3D sketch. A 2D sketch is created on any geometry plane and is the more common of the two types. A 3D sketch is not limited to a sketch plane and can be comprised of geometry in any point in space. 3D sketches are often created from existing geometry. Both 2D and 3D sketches are controlled by two basic parameter types: dimensions and sketch constraints. In Inventor, sketches are generally ‘‘roughed out’’ with basic geometry and sketch constraints first and then fully defined with dimensions that drive the geometry. The dimensions dictate the length, size, and angle of the sketch geometry. For the dimensions to do this predictably, sketch objects must know how to interact with one another. This interaction is defined by the sketch constraints. This chapter will cover how to create a part and the features of basic 2D sketches, including the tools and settings that govern their creation. Also covered is how to use AutoCAD data to create sketches and to create 3D sketches. In this chapter, you’ll learn to: ◆ Set up options and settings for the sketch environment ◆ Create a sketch from a part file template ◆ Use sketch constraints to control sketch geometry ◆ Master general sketch tools ◆ Create sketches from AutoCAD geometry ◆ Use 3D sketch tools Exploring the Options and Settings for Sketches Before you jump into creating a part sketch, take a look at the options and settings Inventor pro- vides for sketches. Options and settings in part files are located in two different areas of Inventor depending upon whether the focus of these settings affects the application (Inventor) or the docu- ment (your part file). We’ll look at both application options and document options in this section. 48 CHAPTER 3 SKETCH TECHNIQUES Before You Start . . . Before you begin, ensure that you have installed the tutorial files from the disc. Also, be sure to set the Mastering Inventor 2010 project active by following these steps: 1. In Inventor, close any open files. 2. From the Get Started tab, click the Projects button. 3. In the Projects dialog box, click the Browse button. 4. In the Choose Project File dialog box, browse to the Mastering Inventor 2010 folder, select the Mastering Inventor 2010.ipj file, and click Open. 5. This will return you to the Projects dialog box. Note that the Mastering Inventor 2010 project is denoted as being the active project with a check mark next to the project name. Application Options Application options change settings for your installation of Inventor. You can adjust the applica- tion settings as follows: 1. From the Tools tab, click the Application Options button. 2. Then choose the Sketch tab, as shown in Figure 3.1. Figure 3.1 Sketch tab of Applica- tion Options dialog box The application options on the Sketch tab are as follows: The Constraint Placement Priority section The options in this section determine the pri- mary method of inferred constraint placement. In Inventor, your line work employs sketch constraints to tell lines, arcs, and circles how to interact with one another. Much of these con- straints are placed automatically while you sketch based upon the existing geometry. This automatic placement is called constraint inference. Parallel And Perpendicular, the default set- ting, will look first for relationships between geometry, before looking at the coordinates of the sketch grid. Horizontal And Vertical does just the opposite. Figure 3.2 shows constraint placement with parallel and perpendicular on the left and horizontal and vertical on the right. EXPLORING THE OPTIONS AND SETTINGS FOR SKETCHES 49 Figure 3.2 Constraint place- ment priority The Overconstrained Dimensions area This area controls the way redundant dimensions are handled in sketches. As an example, if you sketch a rectangle of approximately 2 inches long and then you can place a dimension on one of the horizontal lines and set the dimension to be precisely 2 inches, the rectangle will stretch horizontally to be 2 inches. But if you apply another dimension from the left vertical line to the right vertical line, Inventor will either warn you of the overconstrained situation or automatically place the dimension as a driven dimen- sion. Figure 3.3 shows a driving dimension and driven dimension in parentheses. Figure 3.3 A driving dimension and a driven dimension The Display area Located in the upper-right portion of the Sketch tab, this area gives you settings for grid lines, minor grid lines, axes, and a 2D coordinate system indicator. All of these options set different visual references in the form of grid lines and coordinate indicators. You can experiment with these settings by deselecting the box next to each option and clicking the Apply button while in sketch mode. To ensure that your screen matches the illustrations in this chapter, deselect all the options in this area except for the Grid Lines box, as shown in Figure 3.1. The Display Coincident Constraints On Creation check box If selected, this option displays a yellow dot at all sketch points where coincident constraints are placed when sketching. Hovering your mouse pointer over the dots displays the coincident constraint symbol, as shown on the left in Figure 3.4. If the check box is not selected, these coincident symbols are not displayed initially, as shown on the right of Figure 3.4 but can still be displayed by pressing the F8 key (Show All Constraints) while in a sketch. Figure 3.4 Display coincident constraints on creation The Constraint And DOF Symbol Scale setting This simply controls the size of the icons present when viewing sketch constraints. You can see coincident symbols on the left of Figure 3.4. 52 CHAPTER 3 SKETCH TECHNIQUES the auto-bend feature enabled and four corners created with it enabled through the right-click menu. The auto-bend radius size is set per file via the document settings. Figure 3.9 A 3D sketch line with and without Auto-bend With 3D Line Creation You can save the changes you make to the application options by clicking the Export button at the bottom of the Application Options dialog box. In the resulting Save Copy As dialog box, simply specify the name of the .xml file, and click OK. You can import this .xml file at any time to restore your custom settings by using the Import button at the bottom of the Application Options dialog box. Document Settings In addition to the previous settings, which are set application-wide, there are also settings that control options per file. Document settings vary depending upon the file type you are in. For part files, you can modify the sketch settings by clicking the Document Settings icon on the Tools tab of the Ribbon while you are in an open part file. Once open, click the Sketch tab to access the following settings: Snap Spacing This sets the spacing between snap points to control the snap precision when sketching in the active part or drawing. This is relevant only when using the Snap To Grid option on the Sketch tab of the Application Options dialog box. The settings for the x- and y-axes can be different. Grid Display This sets the spacing of lines in the grid display for the active file. Line Weight Display Options These set the options for line weight display in the sketch environment. This setting does not affect line weights in printed model sketches but merely the on-screen display. Auto-bend Radius Sets the radius for 3D sketch line corners when the auto-bend feature is used. You may want to configure the document settings in a template file and then save those settings back to that file so that they are always set. To do so, click the Inventor button, and select Save As Save Copy As Template. This will open the template file location and allow you to save the file as a template. Note that Inventor uses the template path to designate templates rather than a separate template file extension. Therefore, any .ipt file saved under the template path is considered a template. CREATING A SKETCH IN A NEW PART 53 Changing the Units of a Part File If you start a part file using the wrong template (inches instead of millimeters, or millimeters instead of inches), you can change the base units of the file by clicking the Document Settings icon on the Tools tab of the Ribbon and going to the Units tab. Changing the base units will automatically convert parameters but will not override parameter inputs. For instance, if you entered a value of 3 inches for a dimension and then change the units of the file to millimeters, the dimension will show 76.2; how- ever, when you edit the dimension, you will see the original value of 3 inches. Creating a Sketch in a New Part Now that you’ve explored the sketch options and settings, you will create a new part file and explore the tools used to create sketch entities. To create a part model in Inventor, you will typi- cally start with a 2D sketch and build a base feature from that sketch. Creating a New Part File from a Template You create new part files from an .ipt template. Once you open the .ipt template, you will automatically be in the sketch environment. In this exercise, you will use the Standard(mm).ipt file. 1. Click the Inventor button, and choose New  New (to create a file from the list of tem- plates), or just press Ctrl+N. 2. In the New File dialog box, click the Metric tab, and select the Standard(mm).ipt icon, as shown in Figure 3.10. 3. Click OK to create a new part file based on this template. Figure 3.10 Selecting Standard (mm).dwg in the Metric templates Creating Lines Using the Line Tool Your screen should now show the Sketch tab set active on the Ribbon, and a sketch called Sketch1 has been created and set current in the Model browser. In the following steps you will create simple geometry using the line tool. These steps will focus on creation of 2D sketch constraints as well. 1. Pause your mouse pointer over the Line tool in the Sketch tab’s Draw panel. (See Figure 3.11 for the location of the Line tool.) 54 CHAPTER 3 SKETCH TECHNIQUES Figure 3.11 Locating the Line tool on the Sketch tab 2. Note the tool tip that appears, providing the tool name, keyboard shortcut (in this case L), and a brief description of the tool. If you hover the pointer over long enough, a second stage of the tool tip appears with a more detailed description of the tool. 3. Click the Line button to start the Line tool. 4. Hover your mouse pointer over the dot in center of the drawing area. This is the 0,0,0 origin point that has been automatically projected into Sketch1. 5. Note that when your mouse pointer moves over the dot it changes to a green dot and shows a small glyph symbol. This green dot is a snap symbol indicating that a point, end- point, or midpoint has been located. The glyph symbol indicates that a sketch constraint is being placed. In this case, it is a coincident constraint, which ensures that the endpoint of the line will stay coincident to the projected origin point. See Figure 3.12 for reference. Figure 3.12 Endpoint snap symbol and coincident glyph Turning on the Projected Origin Point If you do not see a sketch center point in your file, close the file, and follow these steps to turn this option on: 1. From the Get Started tab, select the Application Options tab. CREATING A SKETCH IN A NEW PART 57 6. Let up on the corner, select the corner point of the two line segments, and hold down and drag around in a circle. You will notice that the horizontal line will stretch as required but will always remain horizontal; the vertical line will always remain perpendicular. 7. Select the uppermost endpoint of the vertical line, and drag around in a circular motion as well. Note the two lines will adjust lengths as permitted but will always honor the sketch constraints that they have placed on them. 8. Let up on the end of the line, and press F8 to show the constraints again. 9. Right-click the horizontal constraint. 10. Choose Delete to remove this constraint. 11. Press F9 to hide the constraints again. 12. Click the corner of the lines, and hold down and drag around in a circular motion. Note that the lines will stretch and adjust orientation but will maintain their perpendicular and coincident relationships. At this point, the constraints present in your sketch were all inferred (placed automatically). Letting Inventor infer sketch constraints is the quickest and often most desirable way to place sketch constraints; however, sometimes you’ll need to constrain sketch elements manually. To do so, you can use the constraint tools found in the Constrain panel of the Ribbon. To place the horizontal constraint back on the line from which you removed it, follow these steps: 1. Go to the Constrain panel of the Ribbon, and click the Horizontal Constraints icon, as shown in Figure 3.16. 2. Click the first line segment you sketched to set it back to horizontal. Figure 3.16 Placing a horizontal con- straint manually 58 CHAPTER 3 SKETCH TECHNIQUES Use the Line tool to add three more line segments to the sketch to complete the shape, as shown in Figure 3.17. Pay attention to the cursor glyphs as you sketch, and do not be concerned with the precise lengths of the lines or the angle of the diagonal line. Figure 3.17 Completed sketch pro- file with all constraints shown Constraint Inference and Persistence You can suppress the automatic placement of sketch constraints (constraint inference) by holding down Ctrl on the keyboard as you sketch. You can also disable constraint inference and persistence using the Constraint Inference and Constraint Persistence buttons in the Sketch tab’s Constrain panel. If constraint persistence is disabled, you will still see the constraint glyph icon when sketching, and you will be able to place sketch entities in accordance with the displayed glyph; however, no actual constraint will be placed on the sketched object. For instance, sketching a line that is oriented perpendicular to an existing line without actually having a perpendicular constraint placed automatically is possible by toggling off the constraint persistence. Coincident constraints at the endpoints of the lines will still be placed. Constraint persistence is automatically disabled if constraint inference is turned off, but inference can be on with persistence turned off. You can also control which constraints are inferred by right-clicking in a sketch and choosing Constraint Options. Using Degrees of Freedom to View Under-Constrained Sketch Elements Typically your goal is to create fully constrained sketches so that no aspect of the sketch can be changed without deliberate action. To examine your sketch for under-constrained elements, you can use the Degrees of Freedom (DOF) tool: 1. To view the DOF arrows for your sketch entities, right-click anywhere in the graphics area that is not on a sketch object, and choose Show All Degrees Of Freedom. Your sketch should resemble Figure 3.18. 2. Notice the arrow indicators showing the DOF for each sketched line. 3. Drag an endpoint, and you will see the sketch lines will drag only in a direction or orienta- tion that follows the DOF arrows. If your sketch becomes distorted in an undesirable way, use the Undo icon at the top of the screen or press Ctrl+Z to set it back as it was. CREATING A SKETCH IN A NEW PART 59 Figure 3.18 Showing the degrees of freedom in a sketch Dragging to Refine Your Sketch Experienced Inventor users rely on the click-and-drag technique to fine-tune the general shape of a sketch rather than trying to get things precisely right from the beginning. Become familiar with this technique so you can use it to your advantage. 4. To toggle the DOF visibility back off, right-click again, and choose Hide All Degrees Of Freedom. 5. Note that you can right-click an individual sketch object or a selection set of sketch objects and choose Display Degrees Of Freedom to show the DOF for just those selected objects. 6. Right-click and choose Show All Degrees of Freedom again to have these displayed for ref- erence in the next steps. Using Dimensions to Fully Constrain a Sketch To work toward your goal of a fully constrained sketch, you will now add dimensions to lock down lengths, angles, and so on. Adding dimensions will remove degrees of freedom from your sketch objects and help you define the intent of your design. You will use the General Dimension tool to place dimensions on your sketch. Note that although the tool is called General Dimension, the button simply reads Dimension. 1. On the Sketch tab of the Ribbon, click the Dimension icon in the Constrain panel, as indi- cated in Figure 3.19. 2. In the graphics area, click the bottom horizontal line, and drag down to display the dimension. 3. Click below the line to place the dimension, and you should see an Edit Dimension box, as shown in Figure 3.19. If you do not see the Edit Dimension box, you can right-click any- where in the blank space of the graphics area and click Edit Dimension to ensure that this box shows up after placing each dimension. Then simply click the dimension to open this input box. 4. In the Edit dialog box, type Length = 45. Because you are working in a millimeter-based part file, the units are assumed to be 45 mm, and Inventor will add the mm automatically. 62 CHAPTER 3 SKETCH TECHNIQUES A fully constrained sketch is evident by taking note of the following: ◆ All the DOF arrows are now gone. ◆ You will see Fully Constrained in the status bar at the bottom right of the screen. ◆ Your sketch lines will have turned a different color than they were originally, before becoming constrained. Understanding the Save Options At this point, you may have seen a save reminder balloon in the lower-right corner of the screen. It is always good practice to save often when working in any application. To save a part file, you must first exit the sketch and then save: 1. On the Ribbon’s Sketch tab, click Finish Sketch in the Exit panel. Or right-click in the graph- ics area and choose Finish Sketch from the menu. 2. Click the Inventor button, and then select Save. 3. Select the Chapter3 folder, and name the file mi_001. You should be aware of the all the save options you have and how they differ. These can all be accessed by clicking the Inventor button and choosing Save or Save As from the Application menu. Here’s a list: Save Choosing this option saves the active document contents to the file specified in the window title, and the file remains open. Save All Choosing this option saves all open document contents to the file specified in the window title, and the files remain open. Save As Choosing this option saves the active document contents to the file specified in the Save As dialog box. The original document is closed, and the newly saved file is opened. The contents of the original file are unchanged. Save Copy As Choosing this option saves a copy of the active file as specified in the Save Copy As dialog box, and the original file remains open. Save Copy As Template Choosing this option saves a copy of the active file as a template to the template folder, and the original file remains open. Adjusting the Save Options Inventor 2010 does not have an automatic save function but instead has a save reminder utility that allows you to save by just clicking within the bubble to launch a standard save operation. To adjust the save timer settings select the Application Options button and then select the Save Tab. Making a Sketch Active for Edits To save a file, you are required to exit the sketch. To continue making edits to the sketch once saved, you need to set the sketch active for edits. Here’s how to activate the sketch: 1. Locate Sketch1 in the Model browser to the left of your screen, and either right-click and choose Edit Sketch or double-click the browser sketch icon. CREATING A SKETCH IN A NEW PART 63 2. Notice that the Sketch node listed in the browser consists of the sketch icon and the sketch name. Clicking the sketch name once and then again (don’t double-click) allows you to rename the sketch. Therefore, you may want to develop a habit of double-clicking the sketch icon rather than the sketch name to set a sketch active for edits. Look at the browser and notice that the rest of the browser nodes are grayed out and Sketch1 is highlighted, letting you know that the sketch is active for editing. You’ll also notice that the sketch tools are available. Using Construction Geometry Now that the sketch is active, you will add more geometry and dimensions to further explore the sketch tools. You’ll start by sketching a line and then converting that line to a construc- tion line. Construction geometry is often used to help locate and constrain normal sketch geometry. The primary difference between construction geometry and standard geometry is that con- struction geometry is filtered out of profile calculations. In other words, if you have a part profile consisting of a rectangle and you run a construction line down the middle of it, resulting in two halves of the original profile, Inventor will ignore the construction line and see only one profile when you go to create a solid part from the sketch. To create a construction line in your sketch, follow these steps: 1. Click the Line tool in the Sketch tab’s Draw panel. (Recall that you can access the Line tool by pressing the L key on the keyboard as well.) 2. Start the line at the bottom-left corner of the profile, keeping an eye on your mouse pointer to ensure that you see the green dot (indicating the endpoint) and the constraint glyph (indicating a coincident constraint is being inferred). 3. Set the second point of the line on the midpoint of the diagonal line. Again, you should see a green dot and a coincident glyph, as shown in Figure 3.22. Figure 3.22 Placing a construc- tion line 2 3 4. Right-click and choose Done to exit the Line tool. 5. Select the new diagonal line you just created. 6. On the Sketch tab (to the far right), click the Construction icon in the Format panel, as shown in Figure 3.23. Notice the line has changed from a solid line to an orange dashed line, indicating that it is now a construction line. 64 CHAPTER 3 SKETCH TECHNIQUES Figure 3.23 Placing a construction line Using the Polygon Tool Next you will need to add a polygon to the midpoint of the construction line and manually place a constraint to position it in place. You will then need to place a dimension to size it: 1. In the Sketch tab’s the Draw panel, click the Polygon tool. 2. Select the midpoint of the diagonal construction line, keeping an eye on your mouse pointer for the green midpoint dot and the coincident glyph. 3. Leave the polygon settings at the defaults, and drag out the size and orientation to roughly match Figure 3.24. Figure 3.24 Creating a polygon 4. In the Sketch tab’s Constrain panel, click the Parallel constraint icon. 5. Choose any of the flats on the polygon and the diagonal profile line as shown in Figure 3.25 to make the two lines parallel. CREATING A SKETCH IN A NEW PART 67 11. In the Sketch tab’s Draw panel, click the Rectangle flyout, and choose Rectangle Three Point, as shown in Figure 3.28. Figure 3.28 Accessing the Rectan- gle Three Point tool 12. Create the rectangle using the three points shown in Figure 3.29. Make certain that you are seeing the green snap dots and coincident constraints glyphs at each point. Figure 3.29 Placing a three point rectangle 13. Right-click, and choose Done. To Trim or Not to Trim You can find the Trim tool in the Sketch tab’s Modify panel. Although you might be tempted to use the Trim tool to tidy up the sketch, keep in mind that in Inventor you are creating solid models from these sketches, and therefore trimming ‘‘extra’’ lines from a sketch is not required. More important, though, trimming these ‘‘extra’’ lines in a sketch often does more harm than good. This is because all the lines in the sketch have constraint relationships between them. When you use the Trim tool, you are inadvertently removing constraints that were holding your sketch objects together. As a rule, use the Trim tool only when necessary. You might find the Split tool is actually what you want. Split will divide a line into separate segments without removing them. And it will also maintain sketch constraints. You can find the Split tool in the Sketch tab’s Modify panel as well. Hover your mouse pointer over it for a moment and you will get a dynamic tool tip showing you how it works. This completes the creation of most of your sketch objects in this exercise. Your sketch should resemble Figure 3.30. Creating Driven Dimensions Now let’s take a look at creating driven dimensions and editing the parameters you just created through the Parameters dialog box. Because dimensions define the parameters of your design, you can use them to control the design intent. Other times you may want to place a dimension that does not drive the design but instead is driven by other parameters. In those cases, such dimensions are called driven dimensions. 68 CHAPTER 3 SKETCH TECHNIQUES Figure 3.30 Your completed sketch Unlike Inventor’s standard parametric dimensions, driven dimensions do not change the geom- etry but instead change when the geometry changes. Driven dimensions are created either by placing a dimension on already defined geometry or by explicitly making them driven. Follow these steps to explore driven dimensions: 1. Double-click the 50 mm Length dimension. 2. Replace the value of 50 with 60, and press the Enter key. 3. Take note that the vertical dimension retains the intent of your design and remains at half the Length value. 4. In the Sketch tab’s Constrain panel, click the Dimension tool (or press D on the keyboard). 5. Select the vertical line on the right of the sketch, and click the graphics window to place the dimension. 6. You will be presented with a dialog box warning you that this dimension will overcon- strain the sketch. Click Accept to place the dimension as a driven dimension. Notice that the dimension is created in parentheses, denoting that it is driven by other parameters, and therefore is considered a reference parameter. Driven dimensions are use- ful in capturing dimensions for use in the calculations of other features. 7. Next switch from the Sketch tab to the Manage tab on the Ribbon. 8. Click the Parameters tool. This will open the Parameter dialog box listing all the dimen- sions you’ve created in this part as parameters, as shown in Figure 3.31. Figure 3.31 Parameters dialog box 9. Change the Length value from 60 mm back to 50 mm. 10. Click Done to return to the sketch. Notice the dimensions have not updated. TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT SKETCH CONSTRAINTS 69 11. To update the dimension, go to the Quick Access bar at the top left of the screen, and click the Update button, as shown in Figure 3.32. Notice that the sketch dimensions update and the Update button becomes grayed out letting you know that file you are working with does not require updates at this time. Figure 3.32 The Update button Dimension Arrangement Although the arrangement of sketch dimensions is not all that important because these dimensions will ultimately be consumed by a solid model, it is still helpful to be able to read them in the sketch. You can rearrange jumbled sketch dimensions by clicking the text/numbers and dragging them as you like. Note too that this must be done once you’ve exited the Dimension tool, because clicking a dimension with the Dimension tool active edits that dimension. You’ll notice that because of the intelligence you’ve built into the sketch, when you modify and update the Length dimension (parameter) value, the dependant values change as well. Next, you’ll change a driving dimension to a driven dimension and a driven to a driving. By doing this, you can modify the intent of your design and change which parameter is a key input. 1. Click the 50 mm Length dimension. 2. In the Sketch tab’s Format panel, click the Driven Dimension tool. Notice that the Length dimension is now set in parentheses, indicating that it is now driven rather than driving. 3. Double-click any blank area in the graphics window to unselect the previous dimension. 4. Select the vertical dimension that is in parentheses. 5. Click the Driven Dimension tool again to toggle this dimension from a driven to a driving dimension. 6. Double-click the vertical dimension to edit its value. 7. Enter Vertical_Leg = 15 mm, and click the green check mark. Notice that the Vertical- _Leg parameter now drives the Length parameter, which drives the Width dimension. You should be beginning to see the power of parametric design. 8. You can close this file without saving changes. Now that you’ve been introduced to the basics of creating a parametric sketch, take a more in-depth look at these tools in the next sections. Taking a Closer Look at Sketch Constraints In this section, you’ll take a closer look at each of the available sketch constraints. As you proceed, it may occur to you that you could use some sketch constraints in place of the one suggested in the exercise steps. Be aware that as you create sketch constraints, there are often multiple solutions to get the same result.