Autodesk Inventor's 2017 release is expansive.
According to Derrek Cooper, Inventor’s director, “The manufacturing industry is witnessing an evolution of the role of the mechanical engineer. They are no longer solely responsible for the design of complex mechanical systems, but are often also tasked with complete product definition, design and delivery.”
Cooper continued, “With this latest version of Inventor, Autodesk is delivering new capabilities aimed at supporting all aspects of this expanding role.”
To help define this expanded role, Inventor’s designers have tapped into a beta test group with 11,000-odd members to solicit software improvement suggestions and ensure launch day performance. Here are some of the highlights:
One of the principle improvements of Inventor 2017 has been an emphasis on making designing faster. To do so, Inventor 2017 will include better selection tools, an improved UI to support more intuitive 3D sketching, expanded options for patterning and enhanced surfacing tools. Inventor 2017 also comes with new automatic sheet metal corner relief options.
Additionally, Inventor 2017 makes it easier to understand complicated mating constraints with a new parent/child relationship browser. With the new browser, users can quickly visualize inter-part relationships and untangle the complicated relationships built into large assemblies. Further enhancements to the assembly workflow feature a transparency option that can cycle the visibility of an object, making it easier to work with embedded parts.
Inventor’s designers have also made it a point to make interoperability simpler. In Inventor 2017, users will have an expanded toolset for working with non-native models. Inventor is capable of integrating imported models from other popular platforms like CATIA, NX, SOLIDWORKS, CREO, STEP and IGES without the need for translation.
Finally, Inventor’s latest release adds a streamlined workflow for publishing 3D PDFs that can help illustrate ideas and manufacturing instructions in ways that are impossible with 2D drawings. To further enhance communication between project stakeholders, Inventor now supports Design Shares, a method for making design reviews both interactive and instantaneous.
Needless to say, Inventor 2017 represents a massive release. With hundreds of new features and workflow enhancements one of the largest CAD packages (by user) is becoming even more competitive. Dassault Systèmes may want to watch out.
Inventor 2017 will be available April 18. To learn more about the full release, visit Autodesk's website.