What is Inventor?
Autodesk Inventor is a Computer Aided Design (CAD) software that allows you to create sketches and 3D parts and test them. You can first create the sketches and make them into 3D parts, then you can put them all together in an assembly file. Inventor allows you to create these sketches and parts and actually test them using friction, weight, stress, driving loads, and much more to simulate a 3D environment. After creating parts, you can then create them using machines such as 3D printers.
Making a Widget
Step Two: Create CAD SketchNext, you will want to make this sketch into a CAD sketch. To do this, you will open a new file in Inventor, create a 2D sketch on the XY plane, and start making your lines. This is when you will dimension most of your shape. Once you have finished dimensioning, you will Finish 2D Sketch.
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Makerbot Software Set Up
Printing Process
Final Product
What I Learned
I think that this unit/project was very useful to reboot my memory of using Inventor. I already knew how to use Inventor pretty well from previous classes, but this was a good refresher. I also leaned how to convert those parts into STL files. From there, I leaned how I can format a part in the Makerbot software so that the part is ready to print. From there, I learned how to use the 3D printer and print a part with it.