This past year was really good for Autodesk Inventor. There were 3 new releases between April and December of 2015 that packed in a ton of new functionality. And with another new release fast approaching, let’s go back and take a look at some of the best stuff from the past 12 months.
The Little (Big) Things – Inventor 2016
If you haven’t yet visited the Inventor IdeaStation, you’re missing out on an awesome opportunity to talk directly with the development team about how the product can be made better for you. The 2016 release incorporated 33 ideas from the IdeaStation, and we’ve now checked off 89 submissions as ‘implemented’ since the program started.
They usually aren’t the flashy features that catch all the headlines, but they’re the little things that make a big difference in what you do every day. Here’s a few that made it in this past year that, together, received more than 1,000 votes:
- Multiple monitor support
- Use the ESC key to stop an operation
- Transparent part option in drawings
- Inventor text editor improvements
- Multibody sheet metal
Looking ahead to Inventor 2017, expect even more of this. The development team has committed a ton of their time towards getting even more of these implemented – especially those that rank at or near the top of the list.
AnyCAD – Inventor 2016
The highlight of the Inventor 2016 release in April was the introduction of AnyCAD technology. If you have not yet tried it, AnyCAD makes it as easier to work with designs in many of the most used 3D formats along with your existing 2D DWG files with two key capabilities:
- Open Without Translation. With no translation, the opportunity for errors to occur is virtually eliminated. No more cleaning up models or patching open surfaces. Just insert and go.
- Associative Link. If there’s a change to the original model the geometry in Inventor will update automatically, preserving any references or constraints you’ve applied to the model. No more rework.
Shape Generator – Inventor 2016 R2
Those of you on maintenance were the first to get access to a new topology optimization tool inside 2016 R2. Instead of simulating performance after you have modeled the part, you can now tell the software what you want to achieve and your computer goes to work generating an optimized structure based on your requirements. In doing so, you can bypass multiple rounds of iteration and get to the best design faster than ever.
ForceEffect – Inventor 2016 R2
2016 R2 also included an all new ForceEffect environment directly inside the Inventor application. From your mobile device or desktop, you can develop conceptual analyses of static and kinematic mechanical systems, which makes developing systems from start to finish a whole lot easier.
A360 Design Shares – Inventor 2016 R3
In November we delivered the third release of Inventor 2016 that included a new way to conduct design reviews via A360 called Design Shares. Inside Inventor, you can take a lightweight snapshot of the model as it appears on your screen and share it with anyone on your team to view inside a web browser or mobile device. There, they can view a full 3D representation of the model and add comments that are then shared back with the entire team and can be viewed right inside the Design Shares panel in Inventor.
We’re really happy with what we were able to deliver to you throughout all of last year. But this is the last time we look back because there is a ton to do to get ready for the next release. We remain as hungry as ever—and the next version is going to include some fantastic new stuff that we think you’re really going to like.
