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Inventor or AutoCAD

17 REPLIES 17
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Message 1 of 18
sinsremoved
2080 Views, 17 Replies

Inventor or AutoCAD

I am pretty good with AutoCAD and I don't have time to research Inventor. Can someone please tell me why I would want to go from AutoCAD 2014 to Inventor and what is the major differences? I mostly do reverse engineering but occasionally I have to design from scratch.

17 REPLIES 17
Message 2 of 18
JDMather
in reply to: sinsremoved

Find the red End of Part marker in the browser.
(End of Folded on sheet metal parts EOF)
Drag the red EOP to the top of the browser hiding all features.

Save the file with the EOP in a rolled up state.

Right click on the file name and select Send to Compressed (zipped) Folder.

Attach the resulting *.zip file here.
I am pretty good with AutoCAD.  I use Inventor.

I would rather visit the dentist than have to go back to AutoCAD.  Smiley Mad

I know, not a reason. 
I'm sure others will follow with reasons.

 

Well, I just found one reason

your post here http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/AutoCAD-2013-2014-DWG-Format/Converting-Complex-Solid-Surface-to-Solid...

 

Can't really tell from the image - but it doesn't appear to be very good quality geometry (not that it couldn't be done in AutoCAD.  Can you attach the dwg here for analysis?

 

Students can download Inventor for free from here http://www.autodesk.com/edcommunity

 

AutoCAD does not support parametric 3D modeling (solids or surfaces).

AutoCAD does not have sheet metal tools.

AutoCAD does not have iFeatures, iParts, iAssemblies, iLogic.

AutoCAD does not have FEA, Dynamic Simulation, Plastic Mold tools.

AutoCAD does not have Frame Generator, Cam Generator, Spring Generator, Gear Generator and other Design Accelerators.

AutoCAD does not have Inventor Studio.

AutoCAD does not have Routed Systems (Tube and Pipe, and Electrical wiring/cable).

AutoCAD does not have kinematic motion in assemblies.

AutoCAD viewbase (3D to 2D) documentation tools are very limited compared to Inventor tools.

AutoCAD doesn't have very good Units functionality.

 

AutoCAD doesn't have Content Center (I think something like 6 or 7 million standard parts).

AutoCAD doesn't have Bend Part, Grill, Boss, Snap Fit, Rest, Lip, Rule Fillet, Face Fillet, Variable Fillet, Full Round Fillets, Setback fillets, Rib...

Coil, Emboss, Derive...

 AutoCAD doesn't have 2D and 3D Equation Curves. No Bridge Curve.


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Message 3 of 18
blair
in reply to: sinsremoved

Sounds like your companies version of R & D is "Replicated & Duplicate" if engineering is in 2D. The ability to design in 3D and seamless analyze your designs with FEA would be enough to move. 2D is just lines on a screen in a single plane.

 

The ability to get Mass, Center of Gravity and BOM's at a click of the mouse along with interference is bonus as well., not to mention accurate drawings and isometric views.

 

Renderings for brochure and art work as well.

 

What ACAD did to drafting tables and mechanical drafting arms, the move from 2D to solid 3D is even bigger.


Inventor 2020, In-Cad, Simulation Mechanical

Just insert the picture rather than attaching it as a file
Did you find this reply helpful ? If so please use the Accept as Solution or Kudos button below.
Delta Tau Chi ΔΤΧ

Message 4 of 18
JDMather
in reply to: JDMather

AutoCAD is missing

No multiple thickness Shell.

No neutral format Repair environment.

No Replace Face.

No Thread annotation

No Hole Feature.

Has only limited Sweep and Loft.

No Stitch tool.

No exploded assembly view tools.


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Autodesk AutoCAD 2013 Certified Professional
Certified SolidWorks Professional


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Message 5 of 18
jtylerbc
in reply to: sinsremoved

If your work leaned more toward new design, I would make the argument that parametric modeling makes it much easier to make adjustments to your design.  Since you primarily do reverse engineering, you are mostly going to be duplicating something on which those design iterations have already happened, so this is less beneficial for you than it might be for other users.

 

Instead, for someone dealing mostly in reverse engineering, I think one of the biggest selling features of Inventor would be the Bill of Materials / Parts List system.  In Inventor, you don't have to go through your model counting up how many 1/2" bolts you used, or how many pieces of 6x1/4 flat bar you have to cut, etc.  Once some setup work has been done, Inventor tracks all of that for you, directly from your 3D model, and outputs it to your desired parts list format.

 

I work at a company that is stil primarily AutoCAD-based, but that balance is beginning to shift as more of our engineers get a taste of what Inventor can do to make their jobs easier.  One of the things that gets them the most excited is when I show them that with a few clicks they can have a completed parts list on their drawing, instead of spending a couple of hours compiling one by hand.

Message 6 of 18
sinsremoved
in reply to: sinsremoved

Wow. Thanks for all the responses. I have never used Inventor but I have installed the demo and will fiddle with it.

 

If Inventor is so much better than why does Facebook show:

 

AutoCAD                 1,520,613 likes.

Autodesk Inventor      506,875 likes

 

Smiley Very Happy

Message 7 of 18
JDMather
in reply to: sinsremoved


@sinsremoved wrote:
If Inventor is so much better than why does Facebook show:

 

AutoCAD                 1,520,613 likes.

Autodesk Inventor      506,875 likes

 


AutoCAD is a general purpose CAD program that is used by architectural, civil, and a host of other disciplines.
AutoCAD has been around twice as long as Inventor.

Inventor is used primarily in a specific discipline - mechanical/machine design.

 

Autodesk now has several discipline specific next-generation CAD tools.


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Message 8 of 18
BarryZA
in reply to: JDMather

I recently had someone get very excited by isometric/custom and section views being instantly created in Inventors 2D drawing environment.

 

My 2 cents- Inventor cuts down dramatically on physical prototyping for new designs.

                   3D visualisation/layouts, sometimes my part makes perfect sense in 2d, but after looking at it for 5    

                   seconds in 3D I realise....(usually this realisation would only kick in after the part has been made)

                   If an assembly has left your premises/ the country and something goes wrong, having access to the 3d

                   model can make all the difference. 

Message 9 of 18
JDMather
in reply to: sinsremoved


@sinsremoved wrote:
 installed the demo and will fiddle with it.

 


It will take more than 30-days to learn.

http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/SkillsUSA%20University.pdf
http://inventortrenches.blogspot.com/p/inventor-tutorials.html
http://wikihelp.autodesk.com/enu?adskContextId=HELP_TUTORIALS&language=ENU&release=2014&product=Inve...


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Autodesk AutoCAD 2013 Certified Professional
Certified SolidWorks Professional


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Message 10 of 18
BarryZA
in reply to: JDMather

The 1 thing that got me going more than anything else was having 2 screens. 1 for Inventor and 1 for your tutorial. Otherwise by the time you click back to Inv and start searching for the correct toolbar, you have forgotten what you are supposed to be looking for, then its click back to the tut- repeat process!

 

For some more advanced modelling after the tutorials go here:http://worldcup.teknigroup.com/worldcup/worldcupfiles.asp?offset=140

and reverse engineer them 🙂

Message 11 of 18
sinsremoved
in reply to: sinsremoved

All of your advice and input has been extremely helpful. I have to make a decision for my boss as to whether or not Inventor is worth the investment. The main thing I need to know is how does Inventor help when designing metal parts accurately so that a tooling manufacturer can make a progressive die to make the part. The small parts I'm dealing with take a flat pattern and bend it in a way that caused the metal to twist and form in a way that is difficult to do in AutoCAD.

 

I saw  that Inventor has a "punch down" option. Does this option allow me to create the similuated forming dies and make the complicated bends so that I can have an accurate 3D part? Or is the punch down option for making cutouts only?

 

Obviously I have to learn Inventor but if I can create accurate 3D parts with complicated surfaces that have bends and twists to simulate what it should look like after it is formed in a tool then it would be a great investment.

Message 12 of 18
JDMather
in reply to: sinsremoved

I recommend that you attach a 2d drawing or picture of something you are trying to design (or similar to something you are trying to design).

 

A lot of twisted sheet metal part examples have been posted here in the past.

The tooling is a multi-step process (it could be streamlined, but has not been, yet), but all is associative.

Make a change in one - all derived components update.


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Certified SolidWorks Professional


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Message 13 of 18

There are a lot of great reasons, but it boils down to Inventor helps you work faster and get the parts right the first time.  Compared to 2D AutoCAD, Inventor let's you visualize your design much easier.  Working in 3D makes it much easier checking for interferences between parts in assemblies.  It helps you make more sophisticated designs because you can see how it all fits together.  You can make changes quicker in Inventor. It's faster at making drawings too.  I have over 30 regular Inventor users at my company and they've all said these things to me.

 

If you work in 3D AutoCAD, then Inventor will do the job much quicker thanks to parametric design.

 

But I have one important piece of advice- get training.  It will help you so much by showing how all the commands function first, saving you many hours lost to doing things the hard way or not knowing how to get something done at all.

 

-Brian Cranston

 

Message 14 of 18
mrattray
in reply to: sinsremoved

Inventor is excellent for brake press parts and rolled parts, however, it does not handle formed parts well.
If you're working with parts that are deformed through the thickness or that have "double curvature" and you expect to be able to create accurate flat patterns then you need to look into 3rd party software options.
Mike (not Matt) Rattray

Message 15 of 18
sinsremoved
in reply to: mrattray

A.pngThis photo shows what kind of forming I am dealing with. I created this form in AutoCAD with a combination of mesh and solid surfaces and then I had to use the "stitch" command in Inventor Fusion 2013. The problem is that it is only a attempt at a solid representation rather than a precise 3D model. I looked at similar existing parts to determine the form you see.

 

What role will Inventor play besides the stitch option?

Message 16 of 18
BarryZA
in reply to: sinsremoved

The Inv sheet metal environment takes into account the stretch in the metal as it bends into the corner, based on material thickness, bend radius and bend angle. I have only used the default K-factor with great success, but it can be modified if needs be.

The idea is to model your component up in its finished state and let Inv work out the appropriate flat pattern for you.

 

Part1.jpg

 

However I know it can't do compound curves. I have only used simple bends, so I don't know about your actual part or how the material deformation can be taken into account.

 

What I do know is that in the general 3D modelling environment you can model up pretty much any form you like, and to 0.0000001mm or something like that! And it is very simple to form a negative of the part (either using the mold environment or manually).

 

I am a relative beginner myself, so I am sure other members can give better info on your actual form.

 

 

Message 17 of 18
stevec781
in reply to: BarryZA

I think your question should be answered in 2 parts.

 

1.  2D or 3D.  Advanatge of 2D is no bugs.  If you delete something and redraw it, it works.  In most parametric 3D something as simple as changing a line to a spline can cause hours of rework as successive relationships fail.

 

2.  If you decide 3D is worthwhile then the question is Inventor v's it competitors.  What other features you want, eg piping module, frame generator, FEA, gear generator etc will determine if Inventor is needed.  In many cases there is a much cheaper solution.

Message 18 of 18
BarryZA
in reply to: stevec781

Do your press tools get CNC cut? Once you have modelled up your part, exporting the tool as a .step file etc. is very simple.

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