So much Content Center data! Let pick our Favorites...

Utilizing the Content Center data that comes with Autodesk Inventor is a great way to save time modeling standard components. The thing is, there is a difference between having a large library of standard parts and a large library of Useful standard parts. The Content Center comes with so much that often times Inventor users are overwhelmed and can not find the standard parts they are looking for. Content Center Favorites is a great way to build your own selection of Content Center data. This also works great with Content Center Filters which we covered last week.

Learn how to pick your Favorites Here...

Added By Rodney of the CAD Geeks.

Inventor UCS, Use Constraint Sets

This feature was new to Inventor 2010 and with the next release on the way, I wanted to get this one in our blog. User Coordinate Systems in Inventor. I have found many interesting ways to implement this for customers over the year. In a single part you can use this to locate a new 0X,0Y,0Z, or just locate a specific connection point. Then in the assembly this works great for constraining parts together based on that known point instead of using three or more assembly constraints. This can be done easily using the Constraint Set constraint in the assembly environment. It allows you to quickly put components together based on mating UCS axis, and planes in a few clicks.

See the UCS and Constraint Set in action HERE...

Added By Rodney, another one of those CAD Geeks.

FEA Convergence - Ensuring accurate simulation results in Inventor

One of the foreign concepts to many people new to FEA is the idea of "Convergence". Convergence is an analytical method that many analysts use to determine the quality of their FEA results. Since FEA uses small elements to solve complex problems, a larger number of smaller elements can sometimes yield more accurate results. But how small is small enough when it comes to element sizes? This is where convergence comes into play. Convergence in Inventor Simulation is actually a series of settings that can be used to automatically make mesh elements smaller, and help determine if results are accurate.

The basic concept is that the mesh will automatically be made of smaller elements and solved until the results of the refined mesh fall within a percentage of the previous mesh. In other words: The smaller mesh is no longer significantly changing the results, and it making it smaller would yield diminishing returns.

In the image below, convergence settings were used to determine the validity of the FEA results. Before using convergence, the stress in the model was calculated to be 5.85 ksi. After turning on convergence (which refines the mesh and makes it smaller), the stress was calculated to be 6.205ksi with only .448% defiation from the previous iteration. This shows us that we can trust our FEA setup and gives us more confidence in our solution.

Contributed by Ben of the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Copy Model iProperties

While onsite at a customer I was asked is thier any way to copy specific standard iProperties from the model into the drawing? My response was use the Copy Model iProperty Settings from within the document settings of the drawing template. With this option configured common iPorperties such as Company, Description, Project, ect... need only be filled out in the models then copied into the drawings.


Click HERE to watch the video

Added by Justin, another one of the CAD Geeks.

How Solid Bodies can Make Components

Some that are using the new 2010 have noticed that new Solid bodies folder in the part modeling browser. This tool allows us to specify different features inside a single part as unique solids. Before Inventor 2010 all features that were modeled in a single part existed to create that sinlge part. Mass properties and inertial properties were calcualted on all the geometry in that part file. With the New Solid option inside of the common 3d features like Extrusion, Revolve, Loft, Sweep, etc you can specify multiple solid bodies in one part file, instead of them automatically joining as they have in the past. Also new is the the Make Components command that works great with the Solid Bodies feature. You can use the Make Components command to take all those solid bodies from the single part and turn them into parts of an actual assembly. Imagine a combination of some of the more complex derived component and skeletal modeling approahces that some of us have taken in the past. I am currently talking to a number of users about how this will help in creating some of their more complex assembly designs. For a quick example of the workflow required. Take a look at the video below.

Watch the Soild Bodies, Make Components Here!

Added by Rodney, another one of those CAD Geeks.

Just Grill it!

Today we are going to look at the plastic part grill feature in Inventor 2010. You can easily create a rough sketch of what you want and use the options in the create feature box to do the rest. I also really like the real time preview that you get when making adjustments, it helps me see how things are going to turn out before I accept. I also will show another nice feature to create a "rule fillet". This is handy when filleting a lot of edges and not having to select them all. Best part, it isn't limited to plastic part features. Let's take a look....

WATCH VIDEO HERE

John with the CAD Geeks

iCheckit for AutoCAD Inventor - Part 2

In Part 2 of the icheckit entry, we are going to take a look at the part checking features of the software. Here we can look at specific geometry of the part or attributes. icheckit ensures that part models are consistant with your design guidlines and are in compliance with your company standards. In what would be a time consuming, labor intensive, investigative tasks, can easily be conducted with a click of the mouse and running icheckit. Checks can be easily configured to meet your specific needs....Let's "check" it out.....

WATCH VIDEO HERE

CAD Geek John

iCheckit for AutoCAD Inventor - Part 1

Today we are going to take a quick introduction to iCheckit for Inventor, developed by Tata Technologies. iCheckit is the only integrated Standards checker for Inventor. Think of it as a spell checker for all of your design criteria. It can be essential for verifying designs meet certain criteria such as iProperties filled out, Correct dimension styles and units, specific modeling practices and more. There are 90 configurable checks the are included in the product that can be set up to meet your company standards. With so much pressure these days to do more for less, why not invest in tool that will give you just that.

Let's take a look at an introduction....

WATCH VIDEO HERE

For more information click HERE:

John with the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

Partial Hidden Line Removal

Although you may be modeling in 3D, you still need to communicate 2D drawings to manufacturing. Often it is difficult to clarify the views to detail just what you want them to see. I n this short video, I'll show a trick on how to just include a selected set of hidden objects for clarity reasons. Hope it helps....

WATCH VIDEO HERE

Sir John with the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

A Lot of New Topics....

Well, I just got done downloading and installing all of the new Autodesk Manufacturing products. It was quite time consuming and a lot of data moving, but I am excited as always to explore all of the new products as well the enhanced new ones. I usually cover all of the Inventor enhancements, but I may slip a few other products here and there. The biggest reason for that, is the total Digital Prototyping Solution and the tight integration and interoperability of all of the manufacturing products. Here is a highlight of some of the full circle products:

ALIAS - For conceptual design
AutoCAD Inventor - Mechanical Design (Simulate, analyze, optimize)
AutoCAD Electrical - Schematic design
Showcase - Real time rendering (Concept design review)
Navisworks - Factory simulation/automation
Vault - Data Collaboration

As you can see, Autodesk has a product from concept to the manufacturing floor....and the great thing is....you can share the data between all team members in your organization without the need for multiple platforms or vendors. The solution is attainable, scalable and cost effective. I have a lot of tools to choose from when I walk into a customer, and it's exciting that Autodesk has given us the right tools for the job at hand. I'd hate it if I just had a hammer.... and a nail..... and a board.....nevermind. In upcoming posts, I will show the seamless integration of the Autodesk 2010 Manufacturing solutions and how they can help your business be more successful.

Cheers,
CAD Geek John

Inventor 2010 Application Options

One of the first things I look at when Inventor is released each year is what has changed in the Application Options. There are usually lots of goodies packed in there from release to release. Lets take a look at the SAVE tab. As you can see in the image below, there are just a few options in 2009....

If we take a look at the tab in Inventor 2010, we notice a new option for a save reminder. This can be adjusted to the time you feel comfortable with...

This can be very handy for those of us who are so into our designs that we forget to save our work from time to time. Anyone who has lost work because of a failure to save will appreciate this "little" new option.

John with the Tata Technologies CAD Geeks

2010 Inventor Interface

The biggest thing that jumps out at me when launching the new Autodesk Inventor 2010, is the new User interface. It's hard to miss the new ribbon bar. For those who are familiar with the newer Microsoft Ofifce products (2007) it will look awfully familiar. For those who are not, I encourage you to approach it with an open mind and take the tutorial. I think with a little open mindedness, you'll find the logical grouping of task bars to help streamline the commands that are needed. Before you see it and make up your mind that you don't like it, give it a fair chance. I think you'll like what you see. I know I did.

John with the CAD Geeks