SharpeningInventorSkillswithPowerUserTipsforthe

InventorPowerUser
ChristiaanBowenSellierEnterprises,Inc.
Email:cbowen@inventortraining.com
Web:www.inventortraining.com

MD5196HereisthekeythatwillunlockthedoortoincreasedInventorsoftwareproductivity.Thisclass
takesafastpacedapproachtodiscoveringlittleknowntoolsforthemodeling,assembly,anddrawing
environmentinInventorsoftware,amustseefortheInventorpoweruser.

LearningObjectives

DiscoverlittleknownfeaturesthatwillimproveyourskillsasanInventorsoftwarepoweruser

DiscovernewfeaturestoincreasetheInventorsoftwarepoweruser'sproductivityinthemodeling
environment

Discover,asanInventorsoftwarepoweruser,newfeaturestoincreaseproductivityintheassembly
environment

DiscovernewfeaturesthatwillincreaseproductivityfortheInventorsoftwarepoweruserinthedrawing
environment

AbouttheSpeaker
ChristiaanisanaccomplishedinstructorandanAutodeskInventorCertifiedExpertwithover25yearsof
experienceasaspecialistinmechanicaldesignprimarilyusingAutodeskproducts.Celebratinghis
6thyearteachingatAU,hecombineshisexpertise,knowledge,andpatiencetoteachinnovative
coursesintheAutodeskInventorseriesofproducts.Christiaanhasalsoincorporatedacompany,Sellier
Enterprises,Inc.,thatspecializesinmechanicaldesignforindustrialautomatedmachines,includingmud
cleaningsystemsforthewelldrillingindustriesandenvironmentalsupportsystemsfortheaerospace
industry.

MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

IntroductionandScope
IuseInventoreverydayinmechanicalproductdesign.Idesignavarietyofdifferentproducts
rangingfrommudcleaningequipmentforthewelldrillingindustrytoenvironmentalsystemsfor
thelightpassengerjetaircraft.ThroughoutmyexperienceinmechanicaldesignusingInventor,I
havediscoveredmanyusefulproductivityworkflows.Mygoalistodemonstratehowyoutoocan
benefitfrommydiscoveriesovertheyears.Wewilllookatspecificsettingsthatcontributeto
productivityaswellasvariousexamples.Someofthesearenewandsomearenot;however,they
aretriedandtested.nodoubtmostifnotallwillcontributetobecomingamoreproductive
Inventormechanicaldesigner.
StartingwithSomeWorkwithApplicationOptions
ImportingSettingsTosettheenvironmentHighlightthroughoutthesession
o IhavealaptopandadesktopandIliketokeeptheenvironmentsthesame.Therefore,I
useanxmlfiletokeepthesettingsthesameacrossallmachinesIuse.

PowerUserFeaturesfortheSolidModelingEnvironment
PartsandSketches
AFewBasicSolidModelingTipstoIncreaseProductivity
RectangularPatternFollowingaPreDefinedPath
UserDefinedWorkPlaneVisibility
EffectivelyUsingInlineworkfeatures
CreateWorkPlanefromTwoNonParallelWorkPlanes
IdentifyingthePositiveandNegativeSideofaWorkPlane
EffectivelyLeveragingthePoweroftheConstraintSettingRelaxMode
LeveragingthePowerofDirectEdit
SheetMetal
AFewSheetMetalProductivityTipstoIncreaseWorkflowonthefly
o AdjustingFlangeCornerTreatments
o PunchToolLocation
o CutNormal,Whatisit?
o UnfoldandRefoldFeaturetoCleanUptheFlatPattern

PowerUserFeaturesfortheAssemblyEnvironment

LoadExpressMode
AssemblyConstraintAnalysis
LoadExpressMode
ContentcenterFavoritesandFilters
SelectionFiltersEditingaPartFeatureattheAssemblyLevelShiftRightClick
CreatingFoldersintheBrowsertoCleanItUp

MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

PowerUserFeaturesfortheDrawingEnvironment

Controlbeforeplacingasectionviewtobreakassociativity
ReorientinganIsometricView
AssociateTexttoaView
SelectionFiltersShiftRightClick
Attachingdetailviews
ControlSectioninginanAssemblyShafts
FastOpen(SkipAll)

SettingtheTableoftheInventorEnvironmentwithApplicationOptions
Thisiswheresettingscanbeaccessedthatcontrolappearances,behaviorsandfilelocationsin
Inventor.Thesecanbemodifiedatanytimeandarethenappliedtotheregistryofthecurrentuser.
TheseoptionscanbesavedtoanxmlfilewithpreferredsettingsandcanbeImportedand
Exported.Therearetwodefaultapplicationoptionsinthisdialog,Inventor_Default_Options.xml
andAutoCAD_Related_Options.xml.Thesexmlfileswhetherstandardorcustomarestoredhere
bydefault:C:\Users\christiaan\AppData\Local\Autodesk\Inventor2015\Preferences
TheseoptionswillbehighlightedandadjustedthroughoutthishandouttosetanoptimalInventor
designenvironmentforyourspecificneeds.Thisisadvantageousespeciallywhenworkingbetween
devices.Forexampleyoumightworkfromadesktoponadaytodaybasisbutwhentravelingyou
usealaptop.
ApplicationOptionscanbeaccessedfromtheToolsTabOptionsRibbon:

MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

GeneralTab
UndoFileSize(MB)Setsthesizeofthetempfilethattrackschangesforundoactions.Forlarger
complexmodelsitisbesttoincreasetoprovideadequateUndocapacity.Note:forbestresults
increaseordecreasethesizein4megabyteincrements.
AnnotationScaleSetssizeofdimensiontext,arrowheadsondimensions,constraintanddegree
offreedomsymbolsformodelelements.Therangecanbeadjustedfromascaleof0.2to5.0.
LocalHelpGreatfeatureforthetravelerbecauseaninternetconnectionisnotrequiredtoaccess.
TodeployAutodeskInventor2015orLT2015LocalHelpasapartofanInventororLTdeployment:
1. DownloadtheLocalHelpfromthefollowinglocationsandsavetoalocaldrive.

Inventor:http://www.autodesk.com/inventor2015helpdownload

LT:http://www.autodesk.com/inventorlt2015helpdownload

SaveTab
SaveReminderTimerTurnsonandofftheAutoSaveremindernotification.Thiscanbe
deactivatedbyuncheckingthebox.Itisbesttogetintothehabitofsavingfrequentlyanyway.

DisplayTab
ZoomBehaviorReverseDirectionThisonesforAutoCADusersbecausethedirectionofthe
wheelzoomcanbereversed.

MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

SketchTab
DisplaySetstheelementsofthecoordinatedisplaysystemandgriddisplayinthesketchenvironment.
Thiswillcleanupthesketchenvironment.

ConstraintSettingsSetstheelementsofthecoordinatedisplaysystemandgriddisplayinthesketch
environment.Wewilldiscussinfurtherdetaillateron,staytuned.
EditDimensionsWhenCreatedEditDimensiondialogboxdisplaysautomaticallyduringdimension
creation.Workswelltoinputpropervalueondimensioncreation.
OverconstrainedDimensionsApplydrivendimensionssothatyoucanusethesedimensionsas
variables.

MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

PartTab
SketchonnewpartcreationNonewsketchDisablesautomaticsketchcreationwhencreatinga
part.Thisworkswellbecausethesketchplanemustdeliberatelybeselectedinthepartenvironment.
DisplayextendedinformationafterfeaturenodenameinbrowserDisplaysdetailedinformation
aboutpartfeaturesinthebrowser.Helpstracedownthecorrectfeaturetoedit.Inotherwords,ittells
astoryofhowthepartwasmodeledwithoutdiggingtoodeepintothemodel.

AssemblyTab
Enableconstraintredundancyanalysisanalyzesforduplicateconstraintsappliedinanassembly.
Whenthissettingistoggledon,theconstraintswillbemarkedforyourinformation.
Enablerelatedconstraintfailureanalysisanalyzesforconflictingconstraints.Whenthisoptionis
turnedoff,aconflictingconstraintthatisappliedwillhighlightasanerrorbutwillnotshowwhichother
constraintitconflictswith.

Havingtheseoptionsturnedon,especiallywhenworkingwithlargeassemblieswillrequireInventorto
performmorechecksthannormalwhenapplyingconstraintsandwillresultinslightlyslower
performance.Itisconsideredabestpracticetoturntheseoptionsononlywhenrequired.
CrossPartGeometryProjectionThiscreatesanadaptiveorassociativerelationshipwhencreating
partsinplacewithintheassemblyenvironment.Ifadaptivebehaviorisnotdesiredonpartcreation,
thenclearthecheckboxes.Mostofthetime,Iamnotabigfanofcreatingadaptivegeometrybetween
partsintheAssemblyenvironment;itcreatesundesiredendresults.Idratheruseitatwillratherthan
automatically.

MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

DisplaycomponentnamesafterrelationshipnamesShowsthepartassemblyconstraintrelationships
andcanbeveryhelpfulwithlargeassemblies.Thishasthepotentialtotellagreatstoryofhowthe
assemblyworks.

PowerUserFeaturesforthePartEnvironment
AFewBasicSolidModelingTipstoIncreaseProductivity

Donotcreatefilletsinthesketchenvironment;rather,createthematthefeaturelevelandlater
inthedesign.Theyclutterthesketchenvironmentandarehardertomodify.Note:fillets
shouldbecreatedafterashelltocreateaconstantwallthicknessthroughoutthepart.
Whenapplyingfillets,applylargefilletsfirst.Thispreventsproblemswhensolvingforfillets.
Todecreasefilesizeonlargercomplexmodelswithalargenumberofholesuseacutoutor
extrudedfeatureinsteadofaholefeature.
TodecreasethefilesizeofanInventorPartfile,moveEndofPartfeaturetreetothetop.This
workswellwhensharingdataviaemail.
Createdraftfeaturesasearlyaspossible.

RectangularPatternFollowingaPreDefinedPath
Thisexampleemploystechniquestosuccessfullycreatearectangularpatternaroundapredefined
path.Inordertomakeitworkcorrectlyastartpointneedstobespecified.Hereshowtodoit.

Startbyplacingaholeataspecifieddistancefromedgeofpart.

MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

Createanewsketchonthepartfaceandprojecttheedgeprofilefromthepart.

CreateaWorkPointonthecenterofthetopedge

CreateaRectangularPattern30HoleFeatureinDirection1.Selecttheprofileofthe
projectededge.
Needsfittedtothelengthoftheselectedcurve,selectCurveLength.
Direction1:SelecttheWorkPointastheStartofDirection1andIdenticalforCompute
Direction2:SelectDirection1forDirection2Orientation.

MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

Hereistheendresult.

UserDefinedWorkPlaneVisibility
UserDefinedWorkPlanesaregenerallycreatedthroughoutthedesignprocess.Sometimesthere
aremanyUserDefinedWorkPlanesthatareusedtocreateapartandasaresultamodelcanget
cluttered.SincemanyWorkPlanescanbeverydistractingandarenecessarytocreatethepart,
whatcanbedonesothatattentioncanbekeptonthedesignandnotgetlostinthesework
features?Bydefault,WorkPlaneswhetherInventorsstandardorUserDefined,aresettoAuto
Resize.ThismeansthatwhenaWorkPlaneisresizedbytheuserthenitwillresizebacktoits
originaldefaultsizeafteraccess.Thisnextexampledemonstratesaneffectiveuseofresizingwork
planestodeclutterthepartdesignenvironment.Inthisexamplethereareseveralworkplanes
andtheyclutterthepart.Theseworkplanescanbeturnedoffinonebyindividuallyclickingon
themoneatatimeorusingViewObjectVisibilityandselectingUserWorkPlanes.Thatsone
methodanditworksbutwhatiftheWorkPlanesneedtobeaccessedandseenthroughoutthe
designprocess?TurningoffAutoResizeisaneffectivewaytomanageworkplanes.

ToTurnofftheAutoResizesetting,clickonaWorkPlane,rightclick,thenuncheckAuto
Resize.

MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

Next,resizetheworkplanestoamanageablesize.Nowtheworkplanescanremainvisible
throughoutthedesignprocesswithnovisibilityproblems.Anothertipistorenamethe
workplanewithameaningfulnamethatappliestothefunctionofthedesign.

EffectivelyUsingInlineworkfeatures

Thisisaworkfeaturethatiscreatedduringthecreationofanotherworkfeature.Theyare
dependentinthecontextoftheactiveworkfeaturecommand.Forexample,youcancreateawork
axisbetweentwoworkpointsthatdonotyetexistbeforeyoustarttheworkaxiscommand.These
InLineworkfeaturesareaccessiblewitharightclickwhenworkfeaturesarecreated.Theyare
displayedaschildrenoftheparentworkfeatureinthebrowser.Thisisagreattoolbecauseinstead
ofhavingtocreateindividualworkfeaturesyoucancreatetheseworkfeaturesallinonestep.
Note:inlineworkfeaturesarenotavailableinanassembly.
ThisexampleeffectivelyusestheInLineWorkFeature,aworkpoint,centeredaboutaslotwhich
willultimatelybeusedtolocateinadrawing.

Hereisaplatewithaslot.Thetaskistocreateapointinthecenteroftheslotsothatitcan
ultimatelybedimensionedfromthecenter,sinceatoolwillbeusedtopunchtheslot.Start
byactivatingtheworkpointtool.ThenrightclickandselectCreatePlane

Next,selecttheedgeofoneoftheradiioftheslotthenselectonehorizontaledgeofthe
slot,thiscreatesthefirstinlineplane.RightclickagainandchoosePlaneagainthenselect
themidpointedgeofthelengthoftheslotedgetwice.Thiswillcreateanotherplanethat
intersectsperpendiculartothefirstplane.Thenselectthetopofthepartwhichcreatesa
workpointinthecenteroftheslot.Thismighttakeacoupleoftriestogetthehangofit.
Noticeinthebrowserhowtherearetwoworkplanesnestedundertheworkpoint.
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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

Nowarectangularpatternwillbecreatedincludingthenewworkpoint.

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

Herestheresult.

LetsskipaheadslightlynowtocreateabaseviewinadrawingusingthisnewlycreatedIn
LineWorkPointInthedrawingenvironmentabaseviewwillnowbecreatedinitsCurrent
Orientation.ClickovertotheDisplayOptionsTabandcheckboxUserWorkFeatures.This
willallowtheworkfeaturesinthemodeltobeseenandusedintheview.

Theendresultshowstheworkpointsascenterlineswhichcanbeusedforthelocation
dimensionoftheslot.

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

CreateaWorkplanefromTwoNonParallelWorkPlanes
Thisexamplecreatesabisectingplanebyselectingtwoworkplanes.Thisworkswellbecause
thereslesssketchgeometrythatneedstobecreatedandtheworkplanesarenestedanditcleans
upthebrowser.Thistaskistocreateanotchbetweenthemountingholes.Arethereotherways
tocreatethisnotch?Yes,butthisexamplehighlightsastreamlinedapproach.Hereistheend
result.

TheZAxisandYZPlaneareturnedon.CreateaplanethatpivotsontheZAxisfromtheYZ
Planeat45degrees.Next,createanewworkplanethatbisectstheYZPlaneandWork
Plane1byselectingeachplane.Noticeinthebrowserthattheothertwoworkplanesare
nestedintotheNewWorkPlane2,itisdependentonthoseworkplanes.

CreateasketchonthenewplaneanddrawarectangleforthenotchandRevolveCutmid
planeat15degrees.Next,rightclickandselectSliceGraphicswillhelpwiththegeometry
creation.Notethatslicegraphicscanalsobetoggledeitheronorofffromthestatusbaror
hittingtheF7key.
Status Bar

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

Finishtheoperationwithacircularpatternof4about360degrees.

IdentifyingthePositiveandNegativeSideofaWorkPlane
Generallyitisgoodpracticetosketchonthepositivesideofworkplane.Itisespeciallycritical
whenapplyingembossedtextonparts.Whenasketchiscreateditwillalwaysgetplacedonthe
positivesideoftheplane,unlessthenegativesideisselected.Thepositivesideinthiscolorscheme
isyellowandmagentaisthenegativeside.

Ifthenegativesideisselectedthenthetextwouldappearbackwards.Thismaybethe
desiredresultifamoldisbeingcreated.Ifnot,thentheplanecanbeflippedwiththeFlip
Normalrightclickselection.

EffectivelyLeveragingthePoweroftheConstraintSettingRelaxMode
RelaxModeallowsthemodificationofgeometryandtheabilitytoapplynewconstraintsto
geometryalreadyconstrained.WhenRelaxModeisonandgeometryismodifiedconflicting
constraintswillbehighlightedthenremovedandconflictingdimensionswillbecomedriven.Relax
modecanbetoggledeitheronorofffromthestatusbar,hittingtheF11keyorcanbefinetuned
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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

fromtheSketchTabintheApplicationOptionsdialog.Thisnextexampleshowsaneffectiveuseof
RelaxMode.

Relax Mode
Constraint Settings
Application Options
Sketch Tab

Status Bar

Thissketchisfullyconstrainedwithbothdimensionalandgeometricconstraints.The
designhassuddenlychanged,whichmeansthegeometricshapeisgoingtochange.It
wouldmeanredrawingthisshapewithouttheuseofRelaxMode.Andtheramifications
wouldbeanobviousdeterrent.BytogglingRelaxModeOnthegeometrycanfreelybere
shapedtothenewdesigncriteria.Whenthegeometryisreshaped,thedimensional
constraintswillbecomealigneddimensionsandthegeometricconstraintswillberemoved.

Note:FunctionKeyshavealreadybeenmentioned.Heresaquickproductivitytipfortoggling
Keytips.
Keytipsareshortcutkeysforperformingtaskswithoutusingyourmouse.UsingKeytips,youcan
navigateintheApplicationMenuandtheribbonusingonlythekeyboard.Usethekeyboardarrows
tonavigatetocommandsontheribbonandApplicationmenu.
PressALTorF10todisplayshortcutkeysforcommontoolsintheapplicationwindow.Keytips
appearasunderlinedcharacterstoindicatewhichkeyorcombinationofkeystopresstoactivatea
command.
Note: Keytipsarenotcustomizable.

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

LeveragingthePowerofDirectEdit
Inanutshell,DirectEditenablestheabilitytomakequickeditstomodels.Thisisagreattimesaver
especiallywhenmodifyingcomplexmodels.HerearejustafewinstanceswhenDirectEditshould
beconsidered.

Quicklymodifyacomplexmodelthatyoumaynothavecreatedoriginallyincluding
importedmodelsfromothersolidmodelingpackages
Modifyimportedbasepartswhilepreservingtheoriginalmodel.
Easilymodifyonlywhatyouchoose,whileavoidingunintendedchangesduetocomplex
relationships.
Rapidlyexploredesignalternatives

Inmyexperience,thishasbeenahugetimesaverwhenprovingoutmechanicaldesignconcepts.I
encouragealltousethisoneASAP!
Inthisrealworldexamplethelengthneedstobeincreasedby1.25sothatitwillaccommodate
thenewmechanicalsealdesigninahydraulicmotor.ItisashaftthatwasbroughtinasaSTP
model.

ActivatetheDirectEdittoolandselectthesplinedendoftheshaft;thisdefineshowthe
shaftwillgrow,inotherwordswhatfacetheshaftwillbestretchedfrom.Thenselect
whichpartoftheshaftwillgrow.Next,selectthearrowglyphandstartstretchingtheshaft,
notetheboxwhereahardvaluecanbepluggedinandbecarefultonotewhetheritwill
growinthepositiveornegativedirection.Finally,selectthePlussymboltolockitin,then
theXsymboltoexitthecommand.Thisisacriticalsteptoexecute;otherwise,the
modificationwillnotbeaccepted.

Ifforsomereasontheshaftneedstobetweaked,thenrightclickontheDirectEditinthe
featurehistorybrowserandchooseMove.Thiswillallowtheedit.

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

AFewSheetMetalProductivityTipstoIncreaseWorkflowontheFly
Thisexampledemonstrateshowtoaddresscornertreatmentswhenflangesarecreatedsothat
hemscanbesuccessfullyappliedto3ofthetopedges.Centerpointswillbecreatedandusedto
locateapunchtool.ItwillalsoshowhowCutNormalworks.EndingthepartwithanUnfoldanda
RefoldsothatchangeswillshowintheFlatPattern.

Intheprocessofcreating4flanges,notetheglyphsoneachcorner.Theseglyphsareselectable
allowingtheadjustmentofthecornertreatments.Onceselected,eachcornercanbeadjusted
tooverridethesheetmetalstandard.Inthiscase,sinceahemisgoingtobecreatedonthe
topedgeoftheflangethesymmetriccornergapwillneedtobesetback,byabout.The
reliefsizewillbelefttothestandard.

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

Next,forthehems,3topedgeswillbehemmedasshown(2shortedgesandonelongedge)
anda245degreeflangeneedstobeaddedtothenonhemmededge.

Now,timeforaddingsomeslotswiththePunchToolandaCutOut.CreateasketchontheXY
planeandadd3CenterPoints,locationisnotcriticalrightnowtheyjustneedtobecompletely
ontheface.ThepointofthisistoshowtheselectabilityoftheCenterPoints.TheObround
PunchToolwillbeused.NoticehowInventorautomaticallyselectsalloftheCenterPoints,in
thiscaseonly2ofthethreewillbeselected.ClickontheGeometryTabandShiftdeselectthe
centerobround.

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

AndnowCutNormalworkswhencreatingaCutOut.CreatearectangleontheXZplane,Finish
thesketchandselecttheCutOuttool.ThiswillbeCutthroughAllandmakesurethattheCut
Normalischecked(bydefaultitisnot)andFinish.Thiswillcreatestraightedgesforthecutout
ratherthanangled.

Finally,largercutoutswillneedtobecreatedineachcornerofthepart.Thesearepossibleto
addintheflatpatternbuttheywillnotshowupintheformedpart.

ThisiswhereUnfoldandRefoldcomeinhandy.ActivatetheUnfoldcommand,selecttheface
withtheslotsforStationaryReferenceAthenselectthefirst4flangesthatwerecreated.

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

Createarectanglesketchontheupperrightcorner,usetheCuttooltocutthroughthe
thicknessthen

MirrortheCut,nextmirrorthemirroredCut

RefoldbyselectingthesamefaceforStationaryReferenceAthenRefoldeachflange.Belowis
thedesiredendresultwiththefoldedmodelandflatpattern.

PowerUserFeaturesfortheAssemblyEnvironment
LoadExpressMode
Thiscomesinveryhandywhenviewingorperformingsmalleditsinlargeassemblies.Itisavailable
intheAssemblyenvironment.TheupsideisLoadExpressModeallowstheloadingoflarge
assemblies3to5timesfasterbutthedownsideisthatitlimitstherangeofcommandsthatcanbe
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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

used.However,ifthefullrangeofcommandsisnecessary,usetheLoadFullcommandtorestore
thecommands.ThismodeisavailablefromFileOpenOptions

OritisavailableintheAssemblyEnvironmentfromtheRibbon

Important:IfalargeassemblyissavedinExpressmodeandtheninsertedintoanewassembly
Expressmodeisnotautomaticallyenabledinthenewassembly.Togetthemaximumperformance
benefitfromExpressmodewhenyoucreatenewassemblies,enableExpressmodebeforeinserting
subassembliescontainingsavedExpressdata.ToenableExpressmode,clicktheProductivityTab
andthenselectLoadExpressfromthedropdown.Savethetoplevelassemblyandtheninsertthe
subassemblies.

Note:ThebehaviorofthisfeaturecanbetweakedinApplicationOptionsfromtheAssemblyTab
underExpressModeSettings.

AssemblyConstraintAnalysis
Thisisaquicktiptoanalyzeconstraintrelationships.

UseShowrelationshipstodisplaytherelationshipanderrorglyphsonacomponent.Ifyou
wanttoshowrelationshipsonmultiplecomponents,selectthecomponentsbeforeyouselect
thecommand.

UseShowSicktodisplayerrorglyphsoncomponentsthathavearelationshiperror.If
therearenorelationshiperrorsinthemodel,theShowSickcommandisnotavailable.
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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

UseHideAlltoremoveallrelationshipanderrorglyphsfromthedisplay.

ContentCenterFavoritesandFilters
ContentCenterisahugedatabasecontainingthousandsofparts,therefore,itwouldbebetterto
discriminateonwhichpartsareseen.FavoritesandFiltersaregreatorganizationaltoolswhen
usingContentCenter.

FavoritesallowstheabilitytoaccessfrequentlyusedCategories,Families,Family
MembersandFeatures.DragandDropworkswellwhensettingthisup.
FilterscanbesettoonlyviewselectedStandards,ManufacturersorCategories.

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

SelectionFiltersEditingaPartFeatureattheAssemblyLevelShiftRightClick
SelectionFilterscanandshouldbeusedthroughoutthedesignprocess.Theyspecifytheelements
thatcanselecteddependingontheenvironment.Inthiscase,itistheAssemblyenvironment.

Thisnextexamplewillshowagreatwaytoselectexactlywhatneedstobeeditedinapart
intheassemblyenvironmentquicklyandeasilywithouthavingtolookinthemodelbrowser
toactivatesubassembliesorpartstoaccomplishamodelingupdate.Thisisveryhelpful,
especiallywhenacomponentisburieddeepinthemodelbrowser.Hereshowitworks.In
thiscasethefilletradiusneedstochangefrom1.5to1.25onthebearingcoverburieddeep
inthetree.

IntheassemblyenvironmentshiftrightclickandchooseFeaturePriority.SelecttheBearing
Cover,pauseandselecttheFillet.NoticehowInventoractivatesthecorrectpartand
feature.Itsjustthateasy.

Isolatecomponentswhensolvingconstraintrelationships
Whodoesntencounterasickassemblyconstraintortwofromtimetotime?Heresaquickwayto
findtherelationshipandvisiblyisolatethecomponents.
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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

SelectthesuspectconstraintsfromtheRelationshipsfolderinthebrowserandchoose
IsolateComponents.Thetwocomponentsinquestionareisolated.Oncethisiscomplete,
rightclickinthegraphicsareaandchooseUndoIsolatetobringbacktheoriginalvisibilityof
theassembly.

CreatingFoldersintheBrowsertoCleanItUp
Thebrowsercanbecleanedupsignificantlybycreatingfoldersinthetree.Thisisnottobe
confusedwithcreatingsubassemblies.ItworkslikeWindowsExplorer,partsandsubassemblies
canbegroupedtogetherforbetterorganization.

Hereshowitsdone.Selectthepartsandsubassemblieswithcontrolselectfromthe
browserorgraphicswindow,rightclickandchooseNewFolder.Folderscanbedeleted
witharightclickaswell,whichremovesthefolderandrestoresthepartstotheiroriginal
locationinthebrowser.
Note:Itmakesiteasierwhencomponentshavetobeisolatedbecausearightclickonany
foldercanisolatethecomponentswithinthefolder.

PowerUserFeaturesfortheDrawingEnvironment
Controlbeforeplacingasectionviewtobreakassociativity

Heresanotherquickonetogetthingsrollinginthedrawingenvironment.Sometimesthe
associativityofaSectionViewneedstobebrokensothatitwillfitonthesheet.Thiscan
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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

bedonewheninitiallycreatingtheviewbyholdingdowntheCtrlkeywhenplacingasection
view.

ReorientinganIsometricView
ItneverfailsonlargerassembliesthattheIsometricViewwillneedtochange,reorientedatsome
pointinthedetaildrawingcreationprocess.

ThiscanbeaccomplishedbyarightclickontheviewandselectingtheChangeView
Orientationbutton.Next,changethevieworientationthenselectFinishCustomView.

Note:Ifaviewhasbeencroppeditcannotbereoriented.Itwouldneedtobeuncropped,
reorientedthenrecropped.
AssociateTexttoaView
Thisworkswithtextaswellsketchsymbols.

Itsaverysimpletwostepprocess,createaleaderwithtext,andattachtheleadertoaview
edgeandOkoutofthedialog.Nextrightclickontheleader,anddeletetheleader,and
thenmovethetexttoitsfinallocation.Thetextremainsandisassociatedtotheview
whichmeansitwillmovewiththeviewaslongastheviewismovedasawhole.

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

SelectionFiltersShiftRightClick
Thisisagreathabittogetinto,accessingthroughoutthedesignprocess.Thisfunctioncanbe
activatedwithashiftrightclickwithinthedrawingenvironment.Ifinditworkswellwhenturning
thevisibilityofpartonoroffbyselectingthePartPriority.

Attachingdetailviews
ItisimportanttoattachaDetailViewProfiletotheparentview.ThispreventstheDetailViewfrom
shiftingoffcenterwhenthepartorassemblychanges.BydefaulttheDetailViewProfileisnot
attached.

Selecttheareatobedetailedandcreatethedetailedview.RightclickontheDetailView
andchooseAttach.

ControlSectioninginanAssemblyShafts
Thiscleansupthedrawingtocomplywithdraftingstandard.Typicallyshaftsarenotsectionedina
sectionview.

OncetheSectionViewiscreated,firstShiftRightClickontheSectionViewandthenchoose
PartPriority.
Nextrightclickontheshaft,chooseSectionParticipationandthenchooseNone.This

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MD5196 - Sharpening Inventor Skills with Power-User Tips for the Inventor Power User

excludestheshaftfromparticipatingintheSectionView.

FastOpen(SkipAll)
Thisonesstrictlyforperformance.Itworkswellwhentryingtotakeaquickpeekatalarge
assemblydrawing.WhenFastOpenisselected,noattemptismadetofindanyfilesreferencedby
thedrawing.Onceopened,thedrawingbehavesasthoughithadbeenopenedwithnofile
referencespresent.DimensionsandAnnotationscanbeplacedandwillbecomeassociativewhen
thedrawingisopenedwithoutFastOpen.

WhenopeningadrawingfileselecttheOptionsbuttonandchooseFastOpen(SkipAll)and
accepttheInventorwarning.

Note:Significantperformancegainsaresubjecttothesizeofthemodelandrequirethatbothparts
andassembliesbemigratedtothelatestversion.

Conclusion
Thisistheendofthehandoutandwhathavebeenpresentedherearejustafewproductivitytips,
whynotgivethematry!

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