(Question) Inventor version for Students

[Anonymous]

Hey there, I'm new to this software and wanted to start learning the basics of it. But I'm pretty sure my pc won't handle the 2017 version of Inventor, so I'd like to know if there's earlier versions for students. Thanks for your help!

[mcgyvr · Accepted solution]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hey there, I'm new to this software and wanted to start learning the basics of it. But I'm not sure I'm pretty sure my pc won't handle the 2017 version of Inventor, so I'd like to know if there's earlier versions for students. Thanks for your help!

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In general students basically get access to the last 3 years of Inventor (for free).. Nothing more..

BUT there is no real difference as far as computer requirements for any of those so it won't matter..

Inventor will install on "most" windows computers.. even slower/cheaper ones it may just run really slow..

I've got it running on a cheap $200 laptop from 7 years ago without issues (other than it being slow)

You might want to look into using Fusion 360 instead of Inventor though.. Its "cloud based" and very..very similar to Inventor .. being cloud based it can run on just about any computer without issues (I think so) .. https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview

Its also free not only for students but also just "hobbyists" so after you finish school you can continue to use it..

It does all you will probably need and again is very similar to Inventor.. 

Have fun... 

[Anonymous]

Will Have a look at that software, Thanks for your help!

[johnsonshiue]

Hi!

Just to clarify a little bit. For education purpose, all students, educators, and education institutes get free 3-year renewable license to all Autodesk products listed below (including Inventor Professional).

https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/featured

Here is the system requirement for Inventor Professional 2017. Do you mind sharing your machine spec? I can tell whether or not it is suitable to run Inventor Professional 2017.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/inventor-products/learn-explore/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticle...

Regarding Fusion 360 and Inventor Professional, I encourage you to try both. You won't lose anything, since they are both free to you and your students. You will find the best solution yourself instead of hearing somebody's recommendation.

You posted the question on Inventor forum showing the popularity of the product leading you here. And, you are looking for more information. If you have any further question, please feel free to ask here or contact me directly (johnson.shiue@autodesk.com).

Many thanks!

[JDMather]

In my professional opinion (for whatever it's worth) I  cannot recommend Fusion at this time. 

[Anonymous]

Hey Johnson, Thanks for your hindsight, I just downloaded the student version of Fusion 360 and got a good feeling about it, smooth and gets things done. Would you say it's fine for learning modeling and basics mechanical parts?

I asked because I could install Inventor on my computer, it can run and open interface but, It's so slow I can barely work with it

Thanks for all your help!

[Anonymous]

Hey JDMather, thanks for your reply. May I know please why would you not recommend Fusion 360? Just started learning pros and cons and your answer would help me out. Thanks for your help

[johnsonshiue · Accepted solution]

Hi! Like I mentioned before, try both and see how you like them. I am wondering what your machine spec is. How much RAM do you have? For beginner, you might consider disabling all Inventor Add-Ins (All Programs -> Autodesk -> Autodesk Inventor Professional 2018 -> Tools -> Add-In Manager). Uncheck all boxes -> Ok. Inventor should load up faster and use less memory. These Add-Ins facilitate industry specific workflows. You may not need them until you go past beginner stage.

There is no right or wrong choice here since both of them are free to you. If you want to learn how to design components (parts, assemblies, and drawings) using a 3D feature-based parametric solid modeling CAD, Inventor has a lot to offer. In the end, you would be able to pick up other similar mechanical CAD systems relatively easily, since the concepts are pretty much the same.

Many thank and best wishes,

[Anonymous]

Thanks Johnson, going to try turning off those add-ons and see if there are improvement

I have a pretty old macbook pro
Intel i5 and 4 GB RAM

Thanks for all your help, kind regards

- Carlos

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Carlos,

4GB RAM does not even pass the system requirements for Inventor 2018. You need at least 8GB (16GB preferred).

Many thanks!

[Kurtis1]

Browse ebay and look for a dell precision laptop. look for 32 gb of ram, i7 processor and a dedicated graphics card. no sense working with the bear minimum requirements. it's not worth the trouble

[raden.adhitya]

hallo everyone,
I have a problem with a tools to drag an object in below cube "viewpoint" is doesnt exist after I delete (x) it, how to resolve this problem so I can use that tools again?

[JDMather]

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