Autodesk Inventor is professional level CAD software used for product design and engineering, including 3D mechanical design, simulation, tool creation, and design communication. With Inventor, you can save time and expense when making products. The parametric Inventor 3D digital model enables the design to be validated on-the-fly under real-world conditions for form, fit and function without needing to build a prototype. Simulation of motion, deflection and stress allows you to optimize the product design. Direct editing and advanced surface modeling features enable the creation of intelligent product components.
Whether you use Inventor to animate, invent or visualize your world, you’ll find that connections between products is a foundation of Inventor use. For more fabulous features, see the blog post “3 Reasons Why You May Catch the Inventor Bug.”
Inventor includes a complete set of professional-grade design and engineering tools. For one of the most popular articles on Inventor Applied Software, Graitec Group has ever posted, read “5 Common Problems for New Inventor Users.”
Item |
Requirement |
---|---|
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Microsoft Windows 11 64-bit |
CPU | 4 or more cores. 3.0 GHz or greater recommended. Minimum 2.5 GHz or greater. |
Memory | 32 GB RAM or more recommended. Minimum 16 GB RAM for assemblies with 500 or fewer parts. |
Video display | 3840 x 2160 (4K) recommended. Preferred scaling: 100%. 125%. 150%. or 200%. Minimum 1280 x 1024. |
Video adapter | Recommended 4GB GPU with 106 GB/S bandwidth and DirectX 11 compliant. Minimum 1 GB GPU with 29 GB/S bandwidth and DirectX 11 compliant. |
Disk space | 40 GB required for installer and full installation. |
Spreadsheet | Full local installation of Microsoft Excel 2016 or later for workflows that create and edit spreadsheets. Inventor workflows that read or export spreadsheet data do not require Excel. (Excel
Starter, Open Office and browser-based Office 365 applications are not supported.) |
Pointing device | MS-Mouse compliant. Productivity: 3DConnexion SpaceMouse driver version 10.7.0 or later. |
Browser | Google Chrome or equivalent. |
.NET Framework | .NET Framework version 4.8 or later. Windows Updates enabled for installation. |
Connectivity | Internet connection for web install with Autodesk Desktop App. Autodesk collaboration functionality web downloads and licensing. Network license manager supports Windows Server 2019 and 2016, Windows 10, Windows 7 SP1. |
See the Autodesk Knowledge Network for system requirements when developing complex models, complex mold assemblies and large assemblies of more than 1,000 parts. Autodesk also provides a list where you can search for tested and certified graphics hardware.
• Processor (CPU):
• Intel Core i9 12900K
• Intel Core i7 12700K
• If you want a higher core count that might help with
rendering, consider the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with 16 cores
• Hard drive: 1 TB Solid State hard drive
• Memory: With the amount of rendering you do, at a minimum
you should have 64GB of RAM; try for 128GB of RAM if possible.
• Video card: NVIDIA RTX A6000 48 GB
Go beyond 3D with a single digital model created in Inventor. Integrate design data from all phases of your product’s development. In the short video “Digital Prototyping – Autodesk Inventor,” see how an accurate 3D digital prototype can be created to design, visualize and simulate products without the expense of producing an actual physical prototype.
Using Inventor, you get professional-grade mechanical design solutions. But if you’ve never seen what Inventor can do, you may have some misconceptions. Did you know Inventor can be used to design jewelry displays? See what else Inventor can design, render and simulate in the blog post, “5 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Inventor.”
Autodesk Inventor has three particular enticements that may tempt you to take a closer look. Learn about useful features and get a first-hand look at the way Inventor works in the on-demand webinar “Catching the Inventor Bug.” Inventor expert Jason Miles explains using Inventor to invent, animate and visualize parts and products that make our world go around. As you will learn, Autodesk went “big” with Inventor. If you’ve been considering switching over to Inventor, now’s the time to let it transform your manufacturing process.
Generative design is powered by artificial intelligence, which explores thousands of possibilities for innovative designs. The designs are not invented by artificial intelligence, rather they are human designs refined using artificial intelligence. Learn about the workflows in the post: “How generative design fits today’s manufacturing processes.”
The best way to get the best designs is to iterate and explore many design options – but it’s expensive and time-consuming. Inventor reduces design costs and time to market, by helping engineers and designers to explore more design options, with greater speed, while producing a product that satisfies form, fit and function. Inventor’s Generative Design tools are powered by artificial intelligence, which explores thousands of possibilities for innovative designs. The designs are not invented by artificial intelligence, rather they are human designs refined using artificial intelligence.
A vast majority of software installs go without a hitch. Inventor is no exception. Occasionally though, installs can appear to go smoothly, and it’s not until you try to use certain functionality that you realize there are some problems. Troubleshooting, uninstalling, and reinstalling are the standard approach to fixing broken installations and most probable causes. However, workarounds are sometimes the best or only solution, as described in this older but still useful Inventor 2017 workaround.
During an Applied Software, Graitec Group Inventor Fundamentals class, the instructor was demonstrating the new DWG Underlay functionality in Inventor when he made a discovery. Learn what happened when illustrating the hole and thread note tools in Inventor: ”Inventor Hole Note Errors.”
Find out about Inventor 2021 in the on-demand webinar, “What’s New
with Inventor 2021,” hosted by Dave Morse. Leave behind repetitive tasks.
Experience the improvements in drawing creation. Plus, benefit from
these features:
• AnyCAD for Revit
• Drawing automation
• Frame generator enhancements
• Better user experience
Following is just a sampling of the new and updated features to speed up manufacturing design workflows in Inventor 2022:
Following is just a sampling of the new and updated features to speed up manufacturing design workflows in Inventor 2023:
• iLogic: You can now add a custom command for an external rule or global form to the ribbon. The filters “iLogic Rules” and “iLogic Forms” are added to the Customize dialog.
Using iLogic, a model designer can control parameter and attribute values for the design. ILogic embeds rules as objects directly into a drawing, part or assembly document. So, the knowledge is stored in the document in the same way geometry is stored.
With iLogic you can standardize and automate design processes when configuring your virtual products, saving time and boosting productivity. As described in “The Ultimate Glossary of iLogic Terms,” each of the iLogic rule functions is accessed by expanding the appropriate node under the System tab in the Snippets area of Inventor.
ILogic rules can make use of custom parameter types available in Autodesk Inventor, like text, true/false and multi-value lists. These parameter types allow rules that involve more than numeric input values. The new possibilities really are compelling. Learn about iLogic and parameter files in the blog article, “6 Enhancements That Make ilogic Irresistible.”
Using iLogic Design Copy is a great way to copy an assembly that’s set up to drive parts from an assembly by using iLogic code. As you’ll see from the description, the process to perform iLogic Design Copy is fairly straightforward.
In another on-demand webinar about iLogic, Jason Miles demonstrates what enables rules-driven design and how it provides a simple way to capture and reuse your work. Using iLogic, you can standardize and automate your design processes and configure your virtual products. Learn about the useful features of iLogic in “Inventor iLogic Customization 101.”
If your team is challenged trying to find past revisions of digital prototypes for printing or viewing; if team members prematurely or accidentally use the wrong manufacturing drawings for production; if industry and company standards are not being adhered to; if batch printing of the correct set of drawings is tedious, then Autodesk Vault could help with your team-based design. Vault is an Inventor add-in, and you can learn about the approaches for using Vault at: “Best Vault Strategies.”
Access the on-demand webinar Vault Pro and Inventor Migrations 101 to learn how to automate pipe support design within Inventor. Whether or not you’re experienced in creating pipe supports, you’ll learn helpful tips and tricks, including:
Vault has options that enable design engineers to be more productive when handling and sharing documentation of designs. Some of the most notable improvements in Vault 2020 were enhancements for handling PDFs. As described in this summary, “7 enhancements to 2D PDFs in Vault 2020,” many companies can benefit from using the Inventor browser in Vault when using PDFs of 2D design files for internal communication among departments.
Have you run into “incorrect licensing” errors after installing the client during an upgrade? In “Vault Professional 2018 – Incorrect Licensing,” Dave Morse explains what happened while working on installing his 2018 Autodesk products when he encountered an issue with the licensing mode of Vault.
Take advantage of manufacturing diagnostics with the Applied Software, Graitec Group customized Manufacturing Diagnostics. You can explore your company’s design automation, manufacturing environment, feasibility, and training needs.
With an Applied Software, Graitec Group Fusion 360 Feasibility Study, your team will learn remotely from Inventor experts how to incorporate Autodesk Fusion 360 into your workflow based on your current manufacturing environment.
Take a strategic approach to part and assembly design. Inventor advanced assembly modeling training topics include: advanced sweeps, lofts, multi-body design, surface modeling, coils, generative shape design, and freedom modeling. Evaluate your workstation and Inventor environment.
The experts at Applied will conduct a diagnostic and environmental analysis and compile a report on your team’s readiness for design and engineering in Inventor.
Inventor can be purchased as a standalone subscription. It is also available as one of the entitlements in the Autodesk Product Design & Manufacturing Collection of industry-specific software. Contact Applied Software, Graitec Group to request a quick discovery call and talk to an Applied expert about your company’s specific product design requirements.