Getting started with Inventor

[Anonymous]

Hello All,

I'm new to Inventor, I currently run the 2017 edition.  I'm looking for education resources on how to get started.  I've got a Pluralsight account and I'm going through some of the courses there, and I'm aware of the tutorials.  I looking for other official sources or places that can help to explain some of the why?  Some of the technology and terms behind Inventor.  I'm not an engineer by any trade, I do IT stuff and have done some graphics work, but just jumping into Inventor and starting out has me thoroughly screwed up 😕 ...It's a powerful tool, just want to make sure I'm building a foundation of knowledge that I can use to get the most out of this.

I'm working on designing things that will be 3D printed.  There are a lot of tools out there, and I like Autodesk and want to continue with Inventor if that's the tool that will work best.  

Thanks for the help

john

[swalton · Accepted solution]

I like @PaulMunford's book: 

https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Autodesk-Inventor-2016-LT/dp/1119059801/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&...

I think it does a good job of explaining the "Why" as well as the "How" for the various Inventor workflows.  Unfortunately, the publisher has not updated the book for the 2017 or 2018 releases.

I haven't read this but it looks useful:

https://www.amazon.com/Functional-Design-3D-Printing-Designing/dp/0692883215/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=U...

The marked solution in this thread is something to keep in mind too:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-forum/is-inventor-really-useful/m-p/1332818#M144101

[kelly.young · Accepted solution]

Hello @Anonymous I see that you are visiting as a new member to the Inventor Forum.
Welcome to the Autodesk Community!

First I would go through the built in tutorials from the home screen. They will give you the fundamental skills that will allow you to build on. 

Following along @swalton suggested text is what I did years back and it helped me understand the why of Inventor modeling not just the click here you'll find in many tutorials. There are typically supplemental files that come with the books that help follow along.

Once you have completed them I would suggest moving to more advanced tutorials you can find through the Autodesk Knowledge Network and the Inventor Help specific to what you are trying to model.

Once you get the hang of things there are many good youtube videos that take you through different tasks, it really depends on what you are trying to model and where you are getting stuck. 

Once you get going you'll start running into more complex problems. Try not to Hulk-smash your keyboard when you get frustrated, search the Inventor Forum first and see if someone else had the same problem. 

If not, create a detailed post with attached screenshots, part files, .zip pack and go files, record a screencast and see if the community can point you in the right direction! 

Please select the Accept as Solution button if a post solves your issue or answers your question.

[PaulMunford]

Thanks @swalton 🙂

[mdavis22569 · Accepted solution]

---

I would look at Pauls Book ..

There are ton's of blogs / websites out there ...

You could look at AU classes:

 http://au.autodesk.com/au-online/overview

I have mine:

http://au.autodesk.com/au-online/classes-on-demand/class-catalog/classes/year-2016/inventor-professi...

You know about Paul, Chris Benner, Mark Lancaster, James O'Flaherty, Mark Flayler are a few others...

Here is a link to just AU Inventor classes:

http://au.autodesk.com/au-online/classes-on-demand/search?full-text=&productName=Inventor&language=&...