Creating a Basic Part Model for Autodesk Inventor Professional 2011

The objective of this instructable is to educate new users of Autodesk Inventor Professional 2011 on basic part modeling features. Topics that we will cover include: line and circle features, dimensioning, extrusion, and fillets. This instructable is designed to detail specific tasks in a clear step-by-step sequence.

You will need to have Autodesk Inventor Professional 2011 installed on your computer before beginning this instructable.

Step 1: Opening the Program

Start by opening the Start menu and finding the Autodesk folder. Within the Autodesk folder select Autodesk Inventor 2011. Then under Autodesk Inventor 2011 select the Autodesk Inventor Professional 2011. Once this is selected the program should begin loading. It may take a few minutes to open.

Once the program is loaded select New located in the toolbar in the top left corner of your screen. A box will pop up in the center of your screen. Within this box select the default box and double click on the Standard.ipt. Upon doing this a new screen will appear that looks like graph paper. You are now in sketch mode.

Step 2: Drawing a Line

In the upper left hand corner select the Line tool feature which is located on the tool bar. Place your cursor over the red center dot in the middle of the graph that serves as the origin. Once your cursor is on the center dot left click once and drag your cursor straight up and left click. (Do not worry about length as of now because a dimension will be added to this line later.) Now move your cursor straight to the right forming a ninety degree angle with the line you previously drew. When you have reached an approximate length left click. Continue with the same pattern until you have formed a rectangle. Once you have made a rectangle right mouse click and select Done to end line sketch mode.

Step 3: Dimensioning a Rectangle

Select the Dimension tool from the left center of the toolbar. Proceed to left click once on one of the vertical lines that you drew previously. Drag outward and you should see a dimension. Once you see this dimension left click again. Once the dimension is there double left click on it to edit it. A box will pop up with highlighted numbers and text. Delete the contents of the box and type in 1 for your dimension. This 1 signifies your line is 1 inch long. Once you have typed in this dimension press the enter key. Now you should see your rectangle shift and your dimension should read 1.000. As before select dimension from the toolbar and left click on the bottom horizontal line with your cursor. Drag dimension outward from the box and left click when it is in the position you desire. Once again a dimension box should pop up. In this dimension box enter 1.5 and press enter. Upon doing this all lines should be the same color indicating that parallel lines are equal and all corners are 90 degree angles.

Once your rectangle satisfies this, right click and select Done to exit the line sketch mode. Now right click and select Finish Sketch on the menu that pops up. Your view of the rectangle will now be turned to an angled view.

Step 4: Extruding a Part

Move your cursor to the upper left hand corner of your toolbar and left click once on Extrude. In the pop up box change the default distance from 1 inch to 2 inches. Under the distance box there are four tabs that allow you to change which direction your sketch extrudes. Click on the second tab from the left which extrudes the sketch backward and toward the upper right corner. Now click the Ok button to apply these changes.

Step 5: Creating a Circle

Now we will place a hole in the center of the rectangle. Single left click on the top of your rectangle and three small buttons will show up to choose from. By moving your mouse over these features you can view the purpose of them. Click on the furthest one to the right to create a new sketch. Move your cursor to the top right hand corner of the screen where the cube is located showing your different views. Select the Top View. In the top left hand corner of the toolbar and click on the arrow that points downward under the circle feature. Select center point circle on the menu that comes down. Select a point anywhere within the yellow highlighted area and left click once. This will begin the circle. To change the size of the circle simply drag your mouse away or toward the center point. Left click once when you have reached your desired diameter. (Note: Size of the circle does not matter at this time as we will dimension it later. Pick a size that fits within the rectangle.)

Step 6: Dimensioning a Circle

On the toolbar now select the Dimension feature. Select the outer ring of the circle you drew by left clicking on it once. A dimension should now appear when you move your cursor. Left click again when you have located your dimension in a desired location. Now left click once on the dimension and the edit dimension box will pop up. Erase the highlighted dimension in the box and replace with 1 inch. To center the circle within the rectangle select the top edge of the rectangle by left clicking once and then click the center point of the circle. Now drag the cursor outward and place the dimension outside the rectangle. Left click on the dimension and change it to 1 inch. Now select the left side of the rectangle and then the center point of the circle. Pull the dimension outside of the rectangle again and left click to place your dimension. Left click the dimension and change it to 0.75 inches. Now right click and select Done. Then right click and select Finish Sketch.

Step 7: Creating a Cut Using the Extrusion Feature

Select on the picture of the house in the upper right hand corner by the cube. In the upper right hand corner left click the Extrude feature. In the middle of the extrude pop up box there are four tabs that run vertically. Select the second tab from the top which is labeled Cut Feature. In the extents dropdown tab select All. Now click Ok. By shifting views you should be able to see that a hole is cut completely through your rectangle.

Step 8: Applying Fillets

Return back to the home view by selecting the Home icon in the top right. Select the Fillet feature on the toolbar. A pop up box will appear in the center of your screen. Left click once on the number under the radius column in the pop up box. The number will become highlighted and now change the number to 0.25. After typing in the 0.25 it should read “0 selected”. Select the 4 outside edges of the rectangle running parallel with the hole that you cut. Rotate your part as necessary. Now click on Apply in the pop up box. Click Cancel to close the pop up box.

Step 9: Complete

Your part should now look like the one in the final screenshot. This concludes a basic overview of creating a smple part in Autodesk Inventer Professional 2011.