We’ve got some of the basics down—so now where do we begin? The process for building parts with Autodesk Inventor is simple:

• Select a plane to sketch on
• Make a sketch
• Constrain the sketch
• Dimension the sketch
• Convert the 2D sketch into a 3D part

That’s it. And, believe me, it’s just as easy as it sounds.

Getting Started (A)
It all starts with a simple sketch, just like you’ve been drawing on a napkin all these years. All sketches must be drawn on a sketch plane (makes sense), and when you start a new part file a sketch plane is automatically set up for you. The next step is determining the shape for your base sketch. Take a look at the part you want to create and determine the shape that best resembles the overall part. Try to start with a flat face, since they’re much easier to work with. After determining your base sketch, you’re ready to begin drawing.

Sketching Made Simple (B)
There are so many great sketching features in Autodesk Inventor there is no way I could possibly cover them all here—so I’m just going to highlight a few key aspects of the part-building process.

To start off on the right foot, you’ll notice that the smart panel bar automatically knows we’re in Sketch mode, so the only tools available are those you use to sketch.Here you’ll find familiar tools to choose from such as lines, arcs, and circles.

As you start to draw the sketch, you’ll find that Autodesk Inventor automatically makes some basic geometric assumptions (known as constraints) such as horizontal/vertical or parallel/perpendicular. Little icons, called glyphs, display, representing the type of constraint that will be added to the geometry. This is similar to working with AutoCAD Ortho mode. As with Ortho, you can turn these constraints off by holding down the Ctrl key. We’ll take a closer look at these constraints in the next step.

You’ll also see that Autodesk Inventor helps you along by displaying inferred tracking points as dashed lines that work off existing geometry endpoints. This can be compared to AutoCAD object tracking (for those elite few who were able to figure it out!). You may also come across some implied object snaps that help you through the sketching process.

Sketching Made Even Simpler
When you start to sketch, make it easy on yourself by simply approximating the overall size and shape of the base sketch. Later, we’ll add some constraints and dimensions to create the exact sketch we’re after. And make the sketch simple—the simpler the better. We’ll add holes, fillets, chamfers, and more later. You’ll also want to make sure that all the endpoints are coincident (meet at the endpoints), with no gaps or overhang.
One last tip—Autodesk Inventor has multiple Undo and Redo. Don’t we wish AutoCAD had that! You’ll find the Autodesk Inventor sketching tools are more intuitive and simpler than those in AutoCAD—be sure to try them all!

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