Autodesk Inventor

Autodesk Inventor

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Original author(s)	Bradley Gelfand
Developer(s)	Autodesk
Initial release	1999
Stable release	2016 / April 6, 2015 (2015-04-06)
Operating system	Windows
Type	Computer-aided design
License	Proprietary
Website	autodesk.com/inventor

Autodesk Inventor, developed by U.S. based software company Autodesk, is a computer-aided design application for creating 3D digital prototypes used in the design, visualization and simulation of products. It uses ShapeManager, their proprietary geometric modeling kernel.

Autodesk Inventor competes directly with SolidWorks and Solid Edge.

Integrated motion simulation and assembly stress analysis

Inventor includes an integrated motion simulation and assembly stress analysis environment. Users can input driving loads, friction characteristics, and dynamic components, then run dynamic simulation tests to see how a product will work under real-world conditions. The simulation tools can help users optimize strength and weight, identify high-stress areas, identify and reduce unwanted vibrations, and size motors and actuators to reduce energy consumption. Finite element analysis (FEA) lets users validate component design by testing how parts perform under loads (using actual load information instead of estimates).

Inventor’s Parametric Studies and Optimization technology lets users modify design parameters from within the assembly stress environment and compare various design options, then update the 3D model with the optimized parameters.

Interoperability

Inventor uses specific file formats for parts (IPT), assemblies (IAM), and drawing views (IDW or DWG). Files can be imported or exported in DWG format. Design Web Format (DWF) is Autodesk’s preferred 2D/3D data exchange and review format.

Inventor includes a Building Information Modeling (BIM) Exchange tool, used to create and publish simplified 3D representations, intelligent connection points, and additional information in native file formats for AutoCAD MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) software. Users can export 3D geometry to AutoCAD Architecture, Revit-based software, and AutoCAD software, and exchange data with industrial design software such as Autodesk Alias Design. Inventor is also used to design mechatronic systems since it is interoperable with electrical software applications such as AutoCAD Electrical and Eplan.

Inventor can exchange data with applications such as CATIA V5, UGS, SolidWorks, and Pro/ENGINEER. Inventor supports direct import and export of CATIA V5, JT 6, JT 7, Parasolid, Granite, UG-NX, SolidWorks, Pro/E, and SAT files.

The Inventor Construction Environment provides fault-tolerant import of large STEP and IGES data sets. A quarantine holds entities containing geometric problems, such as surface slivers and mismatched boundary curves. Users can publish drawings as PDF files, publish 3D part and assembly models in SAT or JT formats, or create STL files for output to stereolithography and 3D print machines.

Editions

The latest Autodesk Inventor product line includes the following software titles:

• Autodesk Inventor 2015
• Autodesk Inventor Professional 2015
• Autodesk Fusion 360 (the cloud-based replacement to Autodesk Inventor Fusion, Inventor Fusion remains available for free, but is no longer being updated)
• Autodesk Product Design Suite 2015 Premium
• Autodesk Product Design Suite 2015 Ultimate
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2015 Premium
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2015 Ultimate
• Autodesk Building Design Suite 2015 Ultimate
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2015 Ultimate

Feature Comparison at Autodesk.com

Articles and reviews

Find reviews and articles about Inventor on the Autodesk website.

The code names of early releases were the names of sports cars and SUVs, because of the love that division vice president Robert "Buzz" Kross has for high-performance vehicles.

Release dates and names

Version	Code name	Date of release	What's New
1	Mustang	September 20, 1999
2	Thunderbird	March 1, 2000
3	Camaro	August 1, 2000
4	Corvette	December 1, 2000
5	Durango	September 17, 2001
5.3	Prowler	January 30, 2002
6	Viper	October 15, 2002
7	Wrangler	April 18, 2003	New DWG Support for AutoCAD 2004, Autodesk® Express Viewer Compatibility, Large-Assembly Design Performance
8	Cherokee	October 15, 2003
9	Crossfire	July 15, 2004
10	Freestyle	April 6, 2005	Task Scheduler, Inventor Studio, Associative import of Mechanical Desktop data, Design Accelerators, Assembly constraints use colors to differentiate between the first and second constraint selection.
11	Faraday	April 6, 2006
2008	Goddard	April 11, 2007
2009	Tesla	April 16, 2008	Frame Generator, Sheet Metal, skeletal modelling
2010	Hopper	February 27, 2009	The Ribbon, New FEA
2011	Sikorsky	March 26, 2010	Dynamic Input, Direct Manipulation, Assemble tool, Visualization, iCopy, iLogic
2012	Brunel	March 22, 2011	Provides easier ways to interact with 3D mechanical design data; new opportunities for sharing, accepting and updating CAD data regardless of source and complexity; and high-impact performance and productivity improvements for both users and IT departments
2013	Goodyear	March 27, 2012	Equation curves
2014	Franklin	March 27, 2013	Express mode, Connection, Symmetrical constraint, Slot geometry, Enhanced rectangle geometry, Thin wall FEA, Frame FEA, Assembly relationship folder Mouseover grounded constraint visibility, Model & assembly simplification, Joint constraints.
2015	Dyson	March 27, 2014	Freeform, Direct Edit
2016	Shelby	April 16, 2015	Multi-CAD, AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor Interoperability, Shape Creation, 3D Printing Environment, Graphics/Visualization/Studio Enhancements
2017	Enzo	TBD	TBD

See also

• Comparison of CAD editors for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC)
• SolidWorks
• SolidEdge

External links

• Autodesk Inventor official website
• Inventor ETO
• Inventor LT
• Fusion 360
• Autodesk Inventor Forums
• Inventor information
• Inventor Student Community - Academic community and software download
• Autodesk Inventor Blog - CADProfessor