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In The Machine is the official blog of the Inventor Product Management Team. It is a way for us to share Inventor news, interesting information about successful Inventor customers and partners as well as tips and tricks. From time to time we’ll also use the blog to solicit feedback from users via surveys. This blog is hosted by Garin Gardiner our Technical Marketing Manager.
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Official Autodesk Inventor Podcast Episode 35 - Inventor 2010 Preview (Sheet Metal, Srink Wrap & UCS)
May 30, 2009 01:28 AMby Garin Gardiner
Here is the final podcast in the series to wrap up what is new in Inventor 2010. There is much more in Inventor 2010 than we can cover in a few podcasts but this episode we cover new sheet metal enhancements, creation of UCS in parts & assemblies as well as shrinkwrap components.
Many of you have been asking for things like transitional shapes and my favorite (contour roll), so take a look at the latest podcast to see some of the new tools in Inventor. Next month we will return to our regular podcasts.
Don't forget to head over to iTunes if you want to subscribe and download these automatically when a new episode is available.
Zune
Don't forget to leave feedback by adding a comment to this post or email me.4 Comments | Add CommentIn In the Machine > Autodesk, Autodesk Inventor, Podcast
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A little sketchy
May 27, 2009 04:49 PMby Garin Gardiner
Last year I did a fairly substantial remodel of my house and still have a few little odd jobs around the house. One of which was to build a shed that I could put all of our yard tools and a few snacks. As a typical Inventor user, I had to model the shed up and see exactly what it would look like and how I would build it since there were a few strange angles on it.
I started out with a sketch to figure out the roof height and pitch and used sketch blocks and few other new tools to get everything laid out. I even created a sketch block to simulate a 6'- 3" person to see where my head would hit the roof.
6' - 3" goof not included in image
From there I wanted to try few iterations to see the type of siding as well as to get buy off from my better half before I went out to purchase lumber.
To add a little fun to the project, I wanted to use my new Wacom Intuos and a fresh copy of Autodesk Sketchbook Pro (you can grab a trial copy for yourself if you want to try it out). I figured it would be fun to play with as well as let me validate my design with my wife.
Wacom Intuos
Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2010
I exported an image from Inventor of the shed outline and then started playing with colors for paint as well as panel spacing and trim layout. I didn't get too fancy but was able to get a great idea what I wanted before I spent much time designing it in Inventor.
As you will be able to tell I am no artist.
From there I did finish the design in Inventor and for the most part the Shed is done (other than a few coats of paint). It was a great exercise with a tablet and Sketchbook Pro. There was a bit of iterations that would have taken a bit of time in Inventor and was nice to be able to sketch it all out first.
Sketchbook Pro is an interesting tool that is being used more and more by engineers. for more information take a look at our Sketchbook for Engineers site.
Send me your best shot! I have a few prizes to give away :)
Update:
After posting this, the Product Manager from the Sketchbook Pro team told me he would send me a stack of Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2010 that I can send out to those of you that download the trial and tell us how you can use it with Inventor (in US and Canada). Send me a picture and how you will be using it and I will send you Sketchbook Pro until I run out.
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Make it shine!
May 27, 2009 01:52 AMby Garin GardinerOut of the box, Inventor uses a default reflection map that looks good but there are a few other choices that look even better. Lets take a quick look at some additional options that you might like better than the default and perhaps even dig around the Internet for additional options. Inventor is set to use the ParkingLot.dds file for its reflection setting.
This looks good although in my mind it is a little too shiny. To make this look more like a dull reflection, you can access the application options and change the reflection map. If you are using Inventor 2010, select the Tools tab and select Application Options. You probably already have a preferred Color Scheme you like with the default color or image for a background. You can also select a Reflection Environment by selecting the browse icon and selecting something like Chrome.dds (my favorite) to get a little different reflection.
You can even search around the internet a little to look for other dds files to use for reflection maps that you might like better than what we supply with Inventor.
0 Comment | Add CommentIn In the Machine > Autodesk Inventor Professional, Autodesk Inventor, Inventor LT, Tips
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Finding what you need
May 22, 2009 06:11 PMby Garin GardinerThere have been several things done to Inventor 2010 to make it easier for you to find what you need. If you are on subscription, there is a key at the top right of the screen that will get you directly into the Subscription Center. This is full of training material, downloads and several other things that might be of use to you.
The first time you click on the Subscription Center icon you will need to create an account which entails entering in your contract number that you received when you purchased Inventor Subscription.
Once you have entered in the contract number you will be able to navigate to the Subscription Center site any time you want right from Inventor.
Another great item is the Communication Center icon (satellite). From here you can see the latest tips, tricks and news from all the Autodesk Manufacturing blogs as well as add your own that can be viewed right from Inventor. This is a great way to see if we have added any new tips recently.
Don't forget about the Search tool! This is a great new addition for Inventor 2010. You can enter in something you are trying to learn about and it will search Inventor's main help itemsas well as Autodesk online. You can even specify other areas on your computer that you would like to searchas well.
Enjoy the weekend!
2 Comments | Add CommentIn In the Machine > Autodesk, Autodesk Inventor, Inventor LT, Helpful Resources, Tips
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iCopy on Autodesk Labs
May 18, 2009 12:27 PMby Garin Gardiner
iCopy Technology Preview is now on Autodesk Labs!
Many of you often require multiple instances of a standard element that needs to be adjusted with each occurrence. When dealing with a large number of elements, making these adjustments manually is time-consuming and prone to error.
When we hear about these types of challenges it is for products that range from curtain walls, bridges, conveyors, handrails, and trusses to name a few.
The Autodesk Inventor iCopy Technology Preview can significantly improve productivity by enabling you to make multiple copies of an assembly that automatically resize to fit their design. By capturing a few key constraints, such as connection points and paths, iCopy creates and inserts multiple instances of the assembly and automatically adjusting the size and shape of each occurrence based on their functional requirements.
iCopy for Inventor helps you:· Save time by easily customizing commonly-used assemblies· Avoid errors when working with complex designs involving multiple paths· Innovate by exploring multiple design iterations quicklyGet it today!It’s exciting new technology that many of you can take advantage of today. For more information take a look at the labs site to download iCopy as well as a tutorial to get started.
0 Comment | Add CommentIn In the Machine > Autodesk, Autodesk Inventor, Tips, News, Announcements
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Don't know which way is up?
May 15, 2009 12:50 AMby Garin GardinerAhhhh - it's Friday and I am trying to figure out what way is up before the weekend comes. I have been on the road a lot the last few weeks and just got back from a user group where I was asked if you could automatically show bend up/down direction for a sheet metal part in the drawing based on line color. The answer was yes - although it took a few minute for us to locate it.
It is a two step process but is fairly painless to set up. You will want to do this in your sheet metal drawing template so any drawings you create moving forward will display the bend directions with two different colors.
The first thing you want to do is create a few layers for bend up/down. In the Manage tab in a drawing, select Styles Editor and in the left area locate the "Bend Centerline (ANSI)" layer. Right click on it and rename it to something like "+ Bend Centerline (ANSI)" and in the right Layer Styles area change the layers color. Now to create a new layer, select the layer you just renamed and select "New" towards the top center of the dialog box. Rename this layer to something like "- Bend Centerline (ANSI)" and change its color as well.
For step two we need to specify the use of these layers for bend up/down lines in the sheet metal flat pattern. To do this stay in the Styles Editor and expand the Objects Defaults (ANSI) and locate "Sheet Metal Bend Centerlines +/-" and use the two layers we just created.
If you have done this in your Sheet Metal Template, now anytime you use this template it will show you a different bend color for Bend up / down flanges.
2 Comments | Add CommentIn In the Machine > Tips, Autodesk Inventor
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Call the Doctor
May 11, 2009 04:03 AMby Garin GardinerThis little tip has been around since probably Inventor R1. For those of you that import DWG geometry into the sketching environment, you might find this one a little more useful than the rest of you although it is still a great all-around tip.
If you have a 2D sketch that looks like it is closed only to find out you can't extrude it into a solid (only surface), it isn’t a closed sketch. There are manual ways to close up the sketch although it takes a bit of trial and error and could be difficult if it’s anything more than a simple rectangle.There is a quick tool to help you diagnose the sketch to identify overlapping edges and open profiles as well as a few other things. To do this, while editing a sketch right click on the sketch in the browser and select Sketch Doctor. You can then select Diagnose Sketch and select the items you would like to analyze. In our case we will make sure we look for Open Loops and select OK.
If the Sketch Doctor detects anything unusual, it will show you any issues in the sketch.
In my case I selected Next to get a message that shows me that I can “Combine Sketch Points” and I selected Finish to get a preview of the point and the option to combine it automatically.
I can now use this profile to Extrude to a solid (or other feature such as Revolve, Sweep or Loft).
Perhaps many of you have been using this one for a while but for those of you that haven't, it's a great little time saver when you have a sketch issue like this.
0 Comment | Add CommentIn In the Machine > Inventor LT, Autodesk Inventor Professional, Autodesk Inventor, Tips
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Where did the time go?
May 5, 2009 03:16 PMby Garin GardinerAs many of you in the States know, today is Cinco de Mayo but also my sixth year anniversary at Autodesk ( hard to believe).
Not that you want a little history lesson about me but I thought I would give it to you anyway :).
I worked for a local reseller as an Application Engineer and took a job in QA as a Workflow tester to test Iventor 7 & 8. We were just starting to introduce Tube and Pipe and Vault into Inventor and I was able to spend a lot of time playing around trying to break anything I could. I designed many of things that year before I moved over to the Technical Marketing team where I started builging demo tools. This was to help the sales team show off our cool produts. I was asked to helping out with the "In the Machine" blog and posted my first post "Setting up Conditional Suppression" Nov 2005. After a while I started to see the value of podcasting and asked if I could start a podcast. I purchased some a mic and released my first audio podcast July 2006 - no video. Boy did I have a lot to learn!
Now here it is years later (I still have a lot to learn) as an Inventor Product Manger still posting as much as I can trying to add a little value to you all as you look for tips and tricks to make your jobs easier. I have had a great time and hope to keep it up for years to come. I appreciate those of you that regularly view my blog and at times even post comments. This is one aspect of my job that I really enjoy.
Thanks for all your support!