First, you use Inventor to export the model as an SAT file.

Open Autodesk Inventor and export the part to SAT format:

If you don’t have Autodesk Inventor installed on your system, you can skip ahead to the next lesson, Import the Model into 3ds Max Design.

1. Start Autodesk Inventor.
2. On the ribbon Launch panel, click (Open). Browse to the \import\Inventor_import folder in your 3ds Max Design tutorials project, and open the file blade_clamp.ipt.

   This model is of a small blade clamp mounted on a pin.

   
3. From the Application menu, choose Export CAD Format.

   Inventor opens a Save Copy As dialog.

4. From the Save As Type drop-down list, choose “SAT Files (*.sat).” Change the file name to my_blade_clamp.sat, and then click Save.
   

   Inventor saves my_blade_clamp.sat in the same folder as blade_clamp.ipt.

5. Exit Autodesk Inventor.