Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
In this chapter, the following topics will be discussed:
• Installing Autodesk Inventor
• Getting Started with Autodesk Inventor
• Starting a New Inventor File
• Identifying Inventor Files
• Creating a Project
• Invoking a Marking Menu
• Customizing the Color Scheme
• Choosing the User Interface Theme
• Exporting Files to Other CAD Formats
• Saving Files
• Opening Existing Files
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Installing Autodesk Inventor
1. Operating Systems: 64-bit Microsoft® Windows® 10 and Windows®11
2. Memory: 16 GB RAM for less than 500-part assemblies (32 GB RAM or
more recommended)
3. Disk Space: 40 GB (Installer plus full installation)
4. CPU: 2.5 GHz or greater (3.0 GHz or greater, 4 or more cores
recommended)
5. Graphics: 1 GB GPU with 29 GB/S Bandwidth and DirectX 11 compliant (4
GB GPU with 106 GB/S Bandwidth and DirectX 11 compliant
recommended)
For more information about the system requirements for Autodesk Inventor, visit
the Autodesk website at
autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/System-
requirements-for-Autodesk-Inventor-2024.html
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Getting Started with Autodesk Inventor
Once Autodesk Inventor 2024 is installed on your system, double-click on
the Autodesk Inventor Professional 2024 icon on the desktop of your
system.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
When you start Autodesk Inventor 2024, the Sign in page appears in the
default browser, if you are not already logged in to your Autodesk account,
see Figure 1.2. In this page, enter your E-mail ID and then click on the
NEXT button. The Welcome page appears in the browser. Enter the
password and then click on the SIGN IN button on the Welcome page to
log in to your Autodesk account.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Starting a New Inventor File
In Autodesk Inventor, you need to invoke
different environments such as Part,
Assembly, Drawing, and Presentation for
creating a 3D solid part, an assembly, a
2D drawing, and a presentation,
respectively. You can invoke these
environments by using the respective
option of the New drop-down list
available in the left panel of the startup
user interface.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
You can also invoke the required environment by using the New tool
available in the Quick Access Toolbar.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Invoking the Part Modeling Environment
To invoke the Part modeling environment for creating a 3D solid part, click
on the down arrow next to the New tool in the left panel of the startup
user interface of Autodesk Inventor and then click on the Part (.ipt) option
in the New drop-down list that appears.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
NOTE: A template contains some properties of the file such as predefined
unit and drawing standard. To change the properties of the default
template, click on the Application Options tool in the Tools tab of the
Ribbon. The Application Options dialog box appears. In this dialog box,
click on the File tab and then click on the Configure Default Templates
button in the Default Templates area. The Configure Default Templates
dialog box appears. In this dialog box, you can define the measurement
units and drawing standard for the default template.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Alternatively, to invoke the Part modeling environment, click on the New
tool in the left panel of the startup user interface or in the Quick Access
Toolbar . The Create New File dialog box appears. You can also press the
CTRL + N keys to invoke the Create New File dialog box.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
The various user interface components of the Part modeling environment
such as Ribbon, Browser, ViewCube, and Navigation Bar are discussed next.
Ribbon
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By default, the Ribbon is docked horizontally at the top of the graphics area.
You can also dock the Ribbon vertically to the left or right of the graphics
area. For doing so, right-click anywhere on the Ribbon. A shortcut menu
appears. In this shortcut menu, move the cursor over the Docking Positions
and then select the required option in the cascading menu that appears.
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In Autodesk Inventor, you can also add a custom panel with user defined
tools in each tab of the Ribbon. For doing so, right-click anywhere on the
Ribbon and then click on the Customize User Commands option in the
shortcut menu that appears. The Customize dialog box appears.
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You can also change the appearance of the Ribbon to Normal, Test Off,
Small, Compact, or Large. For doing so, right-click anywhere on the Ribbon
and then move the cursor over the Ribbon Appearance option in the
shortcut menu that appears. A cascading menu appears. In this cascading
menu, select the required option to define the appearance of the Ribbon.
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File Menu
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Quick Access Toolbar
InfoCenter
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Browser
NOTE: The Origin folder in the Browser contains three default planes,
three default axes, and a center point.
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ViewCube
Navigation Bar
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TIP: You can turn on or off the display of ViewCube and Navigation Bar in
the graphics area. For doing so, click on the View tab in the Ribbon and
then invoke the User Interface flyout in the Windows panel. Next, select
or clear the respective check boxes in the User Interface flyout.
Status Bar
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Invoking the Assembly Environment
To invoke the Assembly environment for creating an assembly, click on the
down arrow next to the New tool in the left panel of the startup user
interface of Autodesk Inventor and then click on the Assembly (.iam)
option in the New drop-down list that appears.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Alternatively, to invoke the Assembly environment, click on the New tool in
the left panel of the startup user interface or in the Quick Access Toolbar.
The Create New File dialog box appears. You can also press the CTRL + N
keys to invoke the Create New File dialog box. In this dialog box, you can
select a default Metric or English template for invoking the Assembly
environment.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
After invoking the Assembly environment, you can create an assembly by
assembling two or more than two components. You will learn more about
creating assemblies in later chapters.
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Invoking the Drawing Environment
To invoke the Drawing environment for creating a 2D drawing of a part or
an assembly, click on the New tool in the left panel of the startup user
interface or in the Quick Access Toolbar. The Create New File dialog box
appears. You can also press the CTRL + N keys to invoke the Create New
File dialog box.
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In the Create New File dialog box, select a default Metric or English
template for invoking the Drawing environment.
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Alternatively, to invoke the Drawing environment, click on the down arrow
next to the New tool in the left panel of the startup user interface and
then click on the Drawing (.dwg) option in the New drop-down list that
appears.
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After invoking the Drawing environment, you can generate various drawing
views of a component or an assembly. You will learn about generating
various drawing views, applying dimensions, creating BOM, and so on in
later chapters.
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Invoking the Presentation Environment
To invoke the Presentation environment for creating an animation and an
exploded view of a design, click on the New tool in the left panel of the
startup user interface or in the Quick Access Toolbar. You can also press
the CTRL + N keys to invoke the Create New File dialog box. The Create
New File dialog box appears.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
After invoking the Presentation environment, you can create an animation
and exploded view of the assembly. You will learn about the same in later
chapters.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Identifying Inventor Files
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Creating a Project
In Autodesk Inventor, you can create a project for organizing, accessing,
and saving all the files such as parts, assemblies, drawings, standard
components, library components, etc. that are associated with a particular
design. You can define any folder created in a local drive of your system or
in a vault as the project folder for saving all the files of a particular design
in a common location, making it easier to manage all the files of the
project.
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You can also invoke the Projects dialog box by clicking on the Projects and
Settings icon (three vertical dots) in the left panel available next to the
Projects drop-down list in the startup user interface and then click on the
Settings option that appears.
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Invoking a Marking Menu
The Marking Menu gets invoked when you right-click in the graphics area.
It provides quick access to the most frequently used tools in the Wheel
and some other tools in the Overflow menu. Note that the availability of
the tools in the Marking Menu depends on the active workspace.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Customizing the Color Scheme
In Autodesk Inventor, you can customize the color scheme of the graphical
elements such as Grids, Sketch preview, Selection highlight, Drafting 2D
screen, as well as the background color of the graphics area.
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Choosing the User Interface Theme
Autodesk Inventor 2024 is provided with two color themes: Light color
theme and Dark color theme. The Light color theme is the default color
theme of Autodesk Inventor. As a result, the Ribbon, Browser, and several
other user interface components of Inventor appear in the Light color
theme, by default.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Exporting Files to Other CAD Formats
In Autodesk Inventor, you can also export Inventor files to other CAD
formats or neutral file formats.
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Saving Files
To save a file created in any of the environments of Autodesk Inventor,
click on the Save tool in the Quick Access Toolbar or click on File > Save in
the File Menu. The Save As dialog box appears. In this dialog box, enter
the name of the file in the File name field of the dialog box and then
browse to the location where you want to save the document. Next, click
on the Save button.
TIP: You can also save a copy of an object or a file with a different name
by using the Save As tool. For doing so, click on the File > Save As > Save
As in the File Menu and then specify a new name for the file and location
to save the file in the Save As dialog box that appears. Next, click on the
Save button in the dialog box.
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Opening Existing Files
To open an existing Inventor file, click on the Open tool in the Launch
panel of the Get Started tab in the Ribbon or press the CTRL + O key. The
Open dialog box appears.
In the Open dialog box, ensure that the Autodesk Inventor Files
(*.iam;*.dwg;*.idw;*.ipt;*.ipn;*.ide) file extension is selected in the Files
of type drop-down list. You can select the file extension in this drop-down
list depending upon the file to be opened. After selecting the required file
extension, browse to the location where the Inventor file is saved and then
click on the file to be opened. Next, click on the Open button
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Autodesk Inventor
Summary
The chapter begins by discussing about system requirements for installing
Autodesk Inventor. The topics described in the chapter include methods
for invoking different Inventor environments, identifying Inventor files,
identifying various components of the startup user interface, creating a
project, invoking the Marking Menu, customizing the color scheme,
choosing the user interface theme, exporting files to other CAD formats,
saving files, and opening existing files in Autodesk Inventor.
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Questions
Complete and verify the following sentences:
• The file extension for the documents created in the Part modeling
environment is ______, for the Assembly environment is _______, and
for the Drawing environment is ________.
• The _______ environment is used for creating an animation and
exploded view of an assembly.
• The _______ is available at the upper right corner of the graphics area
and is used for navigating the model.
• The features of a model present after the _______ in the Browser get
suppressed and do not appear in the graphics area.
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• The _______ tool is used for saving a copy of an object or a file with a
different name.
• In Autodesk Inventor, you cannot open files created in other CAD
applications. (True/False)
• The Browser is used for keeping a record of all operations/features in an
order. (True/False)
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