Leaderboard AdX

April 28, 2011

Inventor of the Month - April 2011

Autodesk, Inc., has named Federal Equipment Company (FEC) as the Autodesk April Inventor of the Month for using Autodesk software to design a new type of elevator system for the U.S. Navy. The advanced system relies on magnets rather than cables to power its elevators, enabling the Navy to more efficiently transport munitions on board new aircraft carriers.

FEC used Autodesk Inventor Professional software to develop an accurate prototyping model of the elevator, Autodesk Simulation Multiphysics (formerly Algor Simulation) software to simulate its real-world performance, AutoCAD Electrical to design the electrical control system and Autodesk Vault to manage the project’s data and share it with Northrop Grumman.

Federal Equipment Company (FEC)

Inventor of the Month - April 2011 Official Press Release

Here is the YouTube video about Federal Equipment Company (FEC)

April 26, 2011

Autodesk Inventor 2012 – Old Features Become New Features

There are some new features in Inventor 2012 that are now available. Unless you are on Subscription and downloaded the Subscription Advantage Pack for Inventor 2011, you have been enjoying these features for the past 7 months.
  • Ease-of-use tools—Use dynamic sectioning, feature auto-name, and flexible drawing view orientation.
  • Tools for building product fabricators—Build custom applications to automate export of Building Information Modeling (BIM)-ready content for BIM applications.
  • Enhanced interoperability—Gain enhanced support for Rhino translators, 3D DWG in/out, iLogic Copy Design.
So if you aren't on Subscription on Inventor 2011, now you can enjoy these new features in Inventor 2012. Enjoy.

April 19, 2011

Tip #5 - Autodesk Inventor 2012 – Customize Marking Menu

The marking menu, as far as I am concerned is one of the great new features in Inventor 2012. One of the things that will always come up is, “I don’t use that command, how can I change it?”, well here I will explain how to change it.

First, Right-Click on the upper ribbon bar, and choose Customize User Commands.
Cust 1

Next, choose the Marking Menu Tab. The Marking Menu will change according to which environment you are in, but you can change them all from one screen. Up at the top is a drop-down called environment, under that is the environment that you want to change. Click on the button that you want to change in the “Select Menu Location” area, then on the right choose the command that you want it changed to and there you have your new command.
Cust 2
Cust 3
















Also, you can change what the marking menu looks like. By default it is shown with Icons & Text, like shown above. Here is the marking menu with no icons, Text Only. You can change this setting in the lower left hand corner.
Cust 4-1
Cust 4


















Here is the marking menu with No Text, Icon Only.
Cust 5-1
Cust 5





















Also, for the people that don’t like the marking menu at all, there is the “Classic Context Menu” option. This can be changed in the lower right hand corner, but don’t get used to it because we know what happens after a couple releases to the “Classic” option, it will eventually go away.
Cust 6-1
Cust 6





















I am also including a video to show how it is done.

Autodesk Labs – Mesh Enabler for Inventor 2012

Fotolia_10310035_XS
This is a Technology Preview from Autodesk Labs, Mesh Enabler for Inventor 2012. It allows you to import "dumb" files and convert the data to "intelligent" Inventor base features. Now this download supports Inventor 2011 and Inventor 2012. The preview for Inventor 2011 expires on Jan-31,2012. The preview for Inventor 2012 expires on Jan-31,2013. Go give it a try and let the team at Autodesk Labs know what you think.

April 14, 2011

AutoCAD WS for Android

Autodesk announced the availability of the AutoCAD WS mobile application on the Android platform. A free web and mobile application, AutoCAD WS uses cloud computing technology to enable Autodesk software users to view, edit and share their designs through web browsers and mobile devices.

The AutoCAD WS mobile app will work on all phones and tablets running Android version 2.1 and higher. AutoCAD WS for Android will include all the features already included in the successful iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch app. There is a comprehensive set of tools for editing and markups and a Timeline for managing all previous versions of your design. AutoCAD WS allows you to share your files with anyone and collaborate in real-time. Using your Android phone or tablet, you can work with clients and colleagues using any other Android device or any iOS device or any desktop computer with a browser.

Here is the AutoCAD WS for Android press release.

It will be available on the Android Market on Wednesday, April 20th.

Phone
Tablet

April 12, 2011

Inventor 2012 – Free Trial

The newest release, Inventor 2012, is out to download as a 30-Day Free Trial. If you are on subscription and can’t download it yet, or have an earlier version and want to check out the new features that Inventor 2012 has to offer you should check it out. Also, if you are a student, you can go to the Education Community and download Inventor 2012 or more than 30 free downloads over there. Here is the link to download the free trial. Inventor 2012 – Free Trial
Free Trial

April 7, 2011

Autodesk Inventor 2012 – Enhanced Mini-Toolbars

The mini-toolbars are larger, easier to interpret, and feature greater functionality. Mini-toolbars are added or enhanced for the following commands:
  • Extrude – 2011 on the left, 2012 on the right.
Extrude 2011
Extrude 2012
  • Revolve – 2011 on the left, 2012 on the right.
Revolve 2011
Revolve 2012
  • Fillet – 2011 on the left, 2012 on the right.
Fillet 2011
Fillet 2012
  • Chamfer – 2011 on the left, 2012 on the right.
Chamfer 2011
Chamfer 2012
  • Hole – 2011 didn’t have one, 2012 is below, it changes per what type of hole selected.
Hole 2012



  • Face Draft – 2011 didn’t have one, 2012 is below.
Face Draft 2012







There are two new mini-toolbar options:
  • Pin Mini-Toolbar Position
    Use the grip button at the upper left of the mini-toolbar to move any mini-toolbar to a different location. You can pin the mini-toolbar so that it remains stationary in the graphics window.
  • Auto Fade
    When enabled, if you move the cursor away from the mini-toolbar, it displays in a minimized state. When disabled, the entire mini-toolbar displays, regardless of the cursor position.

April 4, 2011

Autodesk Inventor 2012 - Marking Menu

One of the new features in Inventor 2012 is the Marking Menu. Some people are going to say they hate it and others are going to say they love it, myself, I think it is a great added feature. Being as how the Marking Menu is contextual, it changes what is in the menu by what environment you are in. Here are what are in the Marking Menus.

Sketch

Part




















Sheet Metal

Weldment

Assembly

Drawing

Inventor Studio


















Dynamic Simulation


















Stress Analysis





















Also, each Marking Menu can be modified to change the commands that are in each one.