Autodesk Inventor

[#1]

Nope it wasn't covered, or hasn't been yet, I haven't missed any classes period. I emailed him about the issue before I found the post about saving to an IGS file. I just thumbed through the book, and they talk about importing from AutoCAD, Solidworks etc, and they talk about the .ipt, .iam, .ipn, .idw, dwg templates, but nothing about saving to an older format  whatsoever, and no it wasn't covered in class. It was thought that school was going to version 2013, and models from last semester were version 2012, and some of these ver 2012s are being used to make assemblies now. School is staying on 2012. I downloaded the academic 2012 for my desktop at home, and academic 2013 for my laptop cause I was completing homework away from home, and the issue arose. The IGS is the fix.

[#2]

Revolve, Sweep, trying to cut a hole in a curved surface after you created a work plane that touches the curved surface at it's highest point. Trying to get Inventor to see an axis in a workplane after the axis intersects the workplane to locate the hole, so that you can create a counterbore. My partner Thursday Night had an ID Circle and an OD circle and a curve, she selected the area between them and the curve and after you see her select the area, it sweeps the ID circle as a solid. She redrew it with a new template 20x and it never worked, it worked on mine to create a hollow pipe elbow. Last semester my computer did the same thing with extruding a circle from a workplane "to the next" object. It simply refused to cooperate. The teacher and I tried this over and over for 90 minutes, which never worked period. I came home and attempted and it worked the first time. I tried to loft last semester on the final test, and it wouldn't work for 20 attempts, then the 21st time boom it worked, I didn't do anything different, but yet the 21st time it worked. It's one thing when a student can't get it to work, but it's another when the teacher scratches his head cause he can't get it to work either. It's yet another to have progressed half-way through the full class and the software does not get any easier to use. I've cussed since day one about the softwar, Thursday Night was out first day of the last semester of Inventor and everyone was very frustrated. My partner that had the ID/ OD sweep issue was the only one not cussing. I'm not sure what everyone else was having for issues, but it was one of the worst nights.

[#3]

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mccann25 wrote:

The IGS is the fix.

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Most recommend STEP (*.stp) rather than IGES.

You might also download Feature Recognition add-in from http://labs.autodesk.com

[#4]

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mccann25 wrote:

...everyone was very frustrated.

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I remember the frustration as an instructor when I didn't know how to use Inventor (or SolidWorks).

Autodesk is one of the largest software companies in the world, rest assured the software does work.

Post the file(s) for each issue as it occurs.
In my experience it is almost always a user issue (even when they think they have done something correctly).

Point your instructor to this thread.

I have been teaching Inventor and SolidWorks for more than 10 years.
Many of my students have become Inventor or SolidWorks certified professionals.

I can tell you the programs are nearly identical when used by experienced professionals.

At some point most instructors gain enough experience where they can field these frustrations with ease and show the students where the mistake was made.  And of course an experienced instructor can quickly determine when there is simply a bad install of the software that needs repair.

Again, there are many professionals who use these products. 

The products do work.

[#5]

I tried the STP, but an object error occurs, then you click cancel, and the dwg appears intact, except for the tree, it's only half there. If I use the IGS file, it all appears to be intact. I'll see about adding my instructor to the thread.

[#6]

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mccann25 wrote:

I tried the STP, but an object error occurs, then you click cancel, and the dwg appears intact, except for the tree, it's only half there. ....

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What is the error?  I don't understand what the rest of the statement means.
Attach the original file here that exhibits this behavior when saving as STEP.

This issue-by-issue solving of problems is where I really learned the software (both Inventor and SolidWorks). 

[#7]

I was going to send you my file from the episode last semester, but it worked when I got home, cause it was Inventor itself on my computer at school with a hick-up, and I'm sure that was the case with my partner's drawing THursday night. I have used AutoCAD for 8 years, and AutoCAD is notorious for hick-ups, but usually these hick-ups overcome themselves, but with Inventor overcomig never happened, With my instance last semester I played with it for awhile before asking for my teacher's help, he sat down, and couldn't get ti to work either, he got up to research, and I tried it some more, we spent 90 minutes of our 4 hour class, the rest of the class had already left for the daycause they were able to get their drawing done. I told my partner about this episode on Thursday for her predicament, and even watched her 10x try and retry to sweep with my own eyes, I saw it correctly select the area betwene the ID and OD and the sweep arc, and boom it sweeped a solid of the ID circle and the Sweep arc. I'm sure that if I ask her this Thursday Night it worked just fine at home.

[#8]

These sound like typical episodes that beginners experience.

It should not take an experienced instructor more than a couple of minutes to determine the problem. (in Inventor or SolidWorks)

[#9]

Note the length of the tree between the original 9-38 Casting.ipt and the 9-38 Casting.stp,

Autodesk Inventor Professional - Create Container Item -name of window

Exclamation point in a yellow circle Could not Insert Object.

Square with Question mark, Square with 2 note icons or the Cancel button are the three options in this window.

I click on cancel and the tree is very short.

[#10]

I understand the beginner's issues, but not for 21 attempts when the majority are the same procedeure. It is basically the software just not being very user friendly. Some of these tasks I have done a fair share of times, and yet they still take several attempts when I actually know how to initiate the command. One instance was extrude cut, where I tried to remove a chunk for this cap to fit, and it took 5x for Inventor to select the area and actually do an extrude cut, I ended the command and attempted again, and after 4 more attempts Inventor got the hiccup out without ever redrawing the sketch. It's like playing Simon Says. If I had to use Inventor on the job, I'd be very frustrated. I'll attach the casting where this 5x extrude cut took place. It's the cut area for the cap  and brass bearing (not attached) to fit inside.