7 Inventor Tips and Tricks You Need to Learn Today

Tips & Tricks

As engineers, we always have to stay at the top of our game. Part of that arduous task means being the best Inventor user we can be. Sometimes, however, we don’t want to spend hours watching tutorials or learning how to do something new. That’s where we come in.

We’ve assembled seven tips and tricks that you may or may not know about that will help you improve how you use inventor and shave a little bit of time off of your design process. Most of the videos are under two minutes and you’re definitely going to learn something new. Find all seven tips and tricks below!

7. Simplify an Assembly to a Single Part

Need to share around an assembly without having to also share the individual part files? Then just convert the assembly into a single part file for simple sharing and quick editing. Inventor Luke will show you how.

6. Create a Matching Contoured Part

Need to create some form of casing or covering that follows an existing complex geometry? Try using this trick from JVH Engineering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XJ9CrP0xV8

5. Making Sketching More Efficient

You spend a huge chunk of time sketching while using Inventor, so why not make it as efficient as possible? Utilizing some clever viewing presets, Inventor Luke will show you how in the video below.

4. Use the Repair Bodies Tool to Aide in Surface Stitching

If you’re working with surface data and need to find where there may be an open gap preventing stitching, then try using the repair bodies tool. In under a minute, the video below will show you how this can help.

3. Bolted Connections in Assemblies

Have you ever used the bolted connection command in the assembly environment? This video from JVH Engineering will teach you how.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22j1IEqo18o

2. Trim with Non-planar Surface

Need to trim a component along a very specific non-linear path? Try trimming it with a surface.

1. Partial Chamfer

Inventor 2018 now allows you to create partial chamfers on not only straight edges, but also on curved and tangent edges. This allows you to create highly complex geometries with some fairly simple commands. Check it out in under a minute below.



Trevor English

Trevor is a civil engineer (B.S.) who has made a career out of engineering and technical communication. His work has appeared on Curiosity, BBC, Interesting Engineering and other sites across the web. Originally the Chief editor for Interesting Engineering back in 2016, he now works with software & tech companies, aiding them in content marketing and technical communication. Currently living in Texas, he’s also a published children’s book author and producer for the YouTube channel Concerning Reality.

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