Revision 1 - ASCENT- Center for Technical Knowledge - Training

Autodesk® Inventor® 2012 Update for 2010/2011 Users

Cover Page

Student Guide

Revision 1.0June 2011

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ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Autodesk® Inventor® 2012Update for 2010/2011 Users

Revision 1.0

ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge is a division of RAND Worldwide Inc., providing custom developed knowledge products and services for leading engineering software applications. ASCENT is focused on specializing in the creation of education programs that incorporate the best of classroom learning and technology-based training offerings.

We welcome any comments you may have regarding this training manual, or any of our products. To contact us please email: [email protected].

© ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge, 2011Printed in the United States of America, all rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form by any photographic, electronic, mechanical or other means or used in any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of ASCENT, a division of RAND Worldwide, Inc.

Autodesk, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Alias Design, AutoCAD, and DWG are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries, and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Autodesk Official Training Guide is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc

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Prepared and produced by:

ASCENT Center for Technical Knowledge1001 E. Market Street, Suite 102 Charlottesville, VA 22902

866-527-2368 www.ascented.com

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface ............................................................................................ iiiClass Files........................................................................................ v

Chapter 1 Interface & Visualization Enhancements.................. 1-11.1 Autodesk Inventor Interface......................................... 1-31.2 Creating Planes, Axes, and Points .............................. 1-81.3 Model Visualization..................................................... 1-13Exercise 1a Getting Started with 2012 ............................... 1- 24Exercise 1b Create a Lighting Style ................................... 1- 30

Chapter 2 Part & Sketching Enhancements .............................. 2-12.1 Feature Enhancements................................................. 2-32.2 Sketching Tools .......................................................... 2-13Exercise 2a Geometry Creation.......................................... 2- 15Exercise 2b Create Ribs with Bosses ................................ 2- 26

Chapter 3 General Modeling Enhancements ............................. 3-13.1 Section Views ................................................................ 3-33.2 Design Views ................................................................. 3-73.3 General Enhancements ................................................ 3-83.4 Repair Environment .................................................... 3-10Exercise 3a Section and Design Views.............................. 3- 19Exercise 3b Repairing Imported Data (Optional) .............. 3- 25

Chapter 4 Part Design using iLogic............................................ 4-14.1 Introduction to iLogic ................................................... 4-34.2 iLogic Functions ........................................................... 4-44.3 Creating Parts Using iLogic ......................................... 4-7Exercise 4a Building a Logical Part Model........................ 4- 18

Chapter 5 Assembly Enhancements .......................................... 5-15.1 Constraint Enhancements............................................ 5-3Exercise 5a Assemble Command......................................... 5- 6

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© 2011, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® i

Autodesk Inventor 2012 Update for 2010/2011 Users

Chapter 6 Drawing Enhancements............................................. 6-16.1 Views.............................................................................. 6-36.2 Annotations................................................................... 6-66.3 Usability Enhancements ............................................ 6-11Exercise 6a General Drawing Enhancements................... 6- 12

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ii © 2011, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

Preface

Preface

The Autodesk® Inventor® 2012 Update for 2010/2011 Users training guide introduces the new concepts and techniques of solid modeling that have been introduced with Autodesk Inventor 2011 and Autodesk Inventor 2012 software prgrams. The structure follows the most commonly used working environments.

The major topics covered include:

Interface Enhancements

Visualization Enhancements

Part Modeling Enhancements

Sketching Enhancements

General Modeling Enhancements

Part Design using iLogic

Assembly Modeling Enhancements

Drawing Enhancements

This training guide covers the changes that have been made to the interface (Marking menu, feature creation controls, select other tool, etc.), getting help in 2012, as well as the changes to the Appearance panel for model visualization. Part modeling and Sketching tool enhancements are covered. Changes in the Part environment include updated mini-toolbar usage, asymmetric extrusions and revolves, and changes in the fillet, patch, sweep, face drafts, and rib features. In the Sketch environment, dynamic input and dimensioning, and projecting to 3D faces are introduced. Section and Design views have been now incorporated into the Part environment and these topics are also discussed, along with the new Repair environment tool

There is an entire chapter that focuses on the basics of the iLogic functionality to automate designs. The remainder of the course covers all of the Assembly and Drawing enhancements that have been released in the Autodesk Inventor 2011 and 2012 software programs. Assembly enhancements include alternatives to how you can assign and work with constraints, The topics that discuss changes made to the drawing environment are divided so that all view, annotation, and simple drawing usability enhancements are covered.

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© 2011, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® iii


Features discussed in the training guide have been marked with New in 2011 or New in 2012 icon. This helps to identify the version in which the enhancement has been introduced. The icon indicates that the content is either new functionality or that simple enhancements have been made to existing functionality. The content fully describes the changes.

Pre-requisites:

Familiarity with the Autodesk Inventor 2010 or 2011 software programs.

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iv © 2011, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge®

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Chapter 1

Interface & Visualization Enhancements

In this chapter, you learn about the enhancements that are available in the Autodesk® Inventor® interface. In addition, you learn about the specific enhancements that enable you to enhance the appearance of your models.

This chapter introduces:

Autodesk Inventor InterfaceCreating Planes, Axes, and PointsModel Visualization

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1–1

1–2

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1.1 Autodesk Inventor Interface

Marking Menu Right-clicking in the Graphics Window displays a new combined Marking menu and Context menu, as shown on the left side of Figure 1–1. The top radial menu is the Marking menu and the Context menu is available at the bottom. Similar to previous versions, the options that are available on these menus change based on the context in which it is invoked.

The Marking menu consists of eight wedges, each containing a different command. To activate a Marking menu command, move your mouse in the direction of the command so that it is highlighted, as shown on the right side of Figure 1–1 and click. If you hover over a command, a tooltip displays providing help on the command.

Figure 1–1

As you become familiar with the Marking menu commands, you can use gesturing behavior to initiate commands. To gesture, click and hold the right mouse button and immediately drag the cursor in the direction of the Marking menu wedge that is required to create a trail, and release the mouse button. If these operations are completed within 250 milliseconds, the selected wedge is briefly displayed to confirm that the operation was performed.

To close the Marking menu, you can execute another command, select away from the Marking menu, or press <Esc> on the keyboard.

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© 2011, ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge® 1–3


Feature CreationControls

To define the elements or properties (such as profile, direction, and depth) of a feature, you can either use the Feature dialog box or the mini-toolbar that displays directly in the Graphics Window, as shown in Figure 1–2. The Feature dialog box has generally remained unchanged for a number of software revisions; however, the new mini-toolbar has been recently added to provide you with a smaller, focused area to enter and define the feature. The mini-toolbar is centrally located near the feature for convenient use. Options can be selected in either location, but some optional elements are only located in the Feature dialog box.

Figure 1–2

Select OtherTool

The Select Other tool has been enhanced to provide better feedback and control over selecting hidden entities. Hover the cursor over an object. A drop-down list displays listing all of the shown and hidden selections, as shown in Figure 1–3. Use the drop-down list to scroll through the selectable features, faces, and edges under the cursor. When the required entity is highlighted, select it in the drop-down list.

Figure 1–3

By default, the dialog box is collapsed. Click the arrow to expand the dialog box.

Mini-toolbar

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ExtendedFeature Names

It is now possible to control the display of the feature name in your Model browser, to include feature parameters. Extended feature names help to identify features in the model. To display the extended feature names, at the top of the Model browser, click (Filter) and select Show Extended Names from the list. Extended feature names are displayed as shown in Figure 1–4.

Extended features names cannot be edited for content or format.

Figure 1–4

Getting Helpwith Inventor

New users to the Autodesk Inventor 2012 software learn it with the new Ribbon interface. For experienced users, Autodesk has provided the following tools to help ease the transition.

• Use the search utility at the top of the Application Menu, as shown in Figure 1–5, to quickly find and launch commands. To use this tool, enter the required command name in the text field. The results list can be used to launch the command or to display the full path to the command.

Figure 1–5

• Some of the expanded tooltips provide a video demonstration in place of a static image. They are automatically loaded and played when you hover your cursor over an applicable command. Tool clips can be found in some part and assembly modeling environment commands, and in some sketching tools.

Show Extended Name disabled Show Extended Name enabled

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• If you are connected to the internet, Wiki Help is the default help

system. To access Wiki Help, click (Help) in the top right corner of the Inventor interface or by press <F1>. Wiki Help is an online tool that provides up-to-date information on Inventor topics. If you are not connected to the internet, only a basic selection of help topics is available with Inventor, such as What’s New, tutorials, and a quick reference of many Inventor topics. You can quickly access this sub-set of help by entering the topic in the <Type a

Keyword or phase> field and clicking . To install the complete Inventor Help documentation you can download it from autodesk.com (Data and Downloads section).

InterfaceCustomizations

Previously Ribbon and keyboard customized settings were stored in separate XML files. In Autodesk Inventor 2012 software, Ribbon, keyboard, and the new Marking menu customization settings are stored in a single XML file.

Marking Menu Customizations

The Marking menu can be customized in the Marking Menu tab in the Customize dialog box (Tools tab > Options panel > Customize > Marking Menu tab), as shown in Figure 1–6.

Figure 1–6

Select Use Classic Context Menu to disable the marking menu.

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To restore all Marking menu commands to their defaults, select Restore Default, or Restore Default to Entire Inventor.

To change a command in the Marking menu, select the command in the Select Menu Location area in the dialog box and then select the required command from the list of commands on the right. To remove a command from the Marking menu, right-click on the command in the Customize dialog box and select Remove. To restore the default command to the Marking menu, select Reset Node. The Marking menu can be customized for each environment and sub-environment.

Display FailedFeature

Hover your mouse over failed features in the Model browser to display their pre-failure state in the model, as shown in Figure 1–7.

Figure 1–7

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Exercise 1a Getting Started with 2012

In this exercise, you will learn to use all of the new Help tools that have been incorporated into the Autodesk Inventor 2012 software. Additionally you will learn about the changes to the interface.

Goal After you complete this exercise, you will be able to:

View Tooltip VideosSearch for CommandsUse Wiki HelpDisplay extended feature names in the Model BrowserUse the Marking MenuUser the Select Other Tool

Task 1 - Open a model.

1. If Autodesk Inventor application is not already open, select Start > All Programs > Autodesk > Autodesk Inventor 2012 > Autodesk Inventor 2012, or double-click on the Autodesk Inventor 2012 icon on the desktop.

2. Use one of the following methods to open the Open dialog box and open a new file:

• In the Get Started tab > Launch panel, click (Open).

• In the Quick Access Toolbar, click (Open).

• In the Application Menu ( ), select Open.

3. With the Open dialog box open, click to open the Projects dialog box. You will assign a project file to identify the folder that contains the required Inventor models for this course.

This project file is used for the entire course. 4. Click . Browse to C:\Inventor 2012 Update Class Files

(or the directory of the installation files if you changed the default

directory) and select Inventor 2012 Update.ipj. Click .

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The Projects dialog box updates and a checkmark displays next to the new project name, indicating that it is the active project. The project file tells Autodesk Inventor where your files are stored.

5. Click to return to the Open dialog box.

6. Select Flange_Lock.ipt and click . The Model tab is the active tab.

Task 2 - Getting Help in the Autodesk Inventor 2012 software.

Not all features have video demonstrations attached to their tooltips.

1. Some of the expanded tooltips provide a video demonstration in place of a static image. In the Model tab > Create panel, hover your mouse over the Loft or Sweep commands. Videos showcasing the loft and sweep feature creation methods are automatically displayed.

2. Expand the (Application Menu) icon. In the search field, begin entering [Application]. As you type, the command is resolved. When the command displays in the list, you can stop typing, as shown in Figure 1–23. A path to the command is displayed in the column on the right in the results. You can find the Application Options command in the Tools tab > Options panel.

The Command Search tool in the Application Menu can be used to launch or find commands.

Figure 1–23

3. You can select the command in the column on the left as a shortcut to launch it. Select Application Options to open its dialog box. Close the Application Options dialog box.

4. In the Information toolbar, click or by press <F1> to access the Help topics available.

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If you are not connected to the internet, only a basic selection of help topics is available with Autodesk Inventor, such as What’s New, tutorials, and a quick reference of many Inventor topics. You can quickly access this sub-set of help by entering the topic in the <Type a Keyword or phase> field on the Info

bar and clicking . To install the complete Inventor Help documentation, you can download it from autodesk.com (Data and Downloads section).

5. Select What’s New in the pull-down menu. If you are connected to the internet, the Autodesk WikiHelp webpage will launch. This webpage provides detailed documentation on what is new in the 2012 software release as well as general 2012 help articles.

6. On the What’s New page, select the User Interface and Productivity link.

7. On the User Interface and Productivity page, select the Marking Menu link.

8. Read the content in the article and scroll down to the bottom to watch the "How to use the Marking Menu" video if you need additional explanation. Most, if not all, of the What’s New articles contain a video to help explain the enhancement.

9. At the top of the WikiHelp page you can select an Autodesk product to search and then enter a keyword to search for articles on this topic. Enter [extended feature names] and press <Enter>. Select the article and review it if you need more information on this enhancement.

Task 3 - Model Browser Display.

Extended feature names help to identify features in the model.

1. To display extended feature names, in the Model Browser, click (Filter) at the top and select Show Extended Names from the

list. Extended feature names are displayed as shown in Figure 1–24.

Figure 1–24

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Review Questions

Question 1 The commands that are available on the Marking menu wedges are always the same?

a. True

b. False

Question 2 How do you execute a Marking menu command without explicitly viewing the Marking menu and selecting a displayed wedge?

Question 3 How do you close the Marking menu?

Question 4 How does the Select Other tool differ in Autodesk inventor 2012 from previous versions?

Question 5 What additional information is displayed in the Model Browser if the Extended Feature Names filter is enabled?

Question 6 What is WikiHelp?

Question 7 What is the difference between a Standard and Realistic Appearance in a Color Style?

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Documents

Revision 1 - ASCENT- Center for Technical Knowledge - Training