Navigation In Autodesk Inventor - The ViewCube Tool

PLATFORM: AUTODESK INVENTOR PROFESSIONAL 2011/2012

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: BEGINNERS

AUTHOR: NDIANABASI UDONKANG

FOLLOW ME ON: Twitter | Facebook

This is a continuation of the series of lessons for new Inventor Users. Check out this blog's table-of-content page for more topics in this series

TOPIC: NAVIGATION IN AUTODESK INVENTOR - THE VIEWCUBE TOOL

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

1. Download the dataset.
2. Save it to a project folder of an existing Inventor project. Set the project active. Learn more about Inventor Projects and Project Files.
3. Open the part file: Menu Browser > Open menu > Open > Navigation_Infant_Scooter_Front_End_Assy.iam

INTRODUCTION

Navigation in Autodesk Inventor embodies those operations carried out in order to view the model from different positions, directions (or orientations) and perspectives. When you navigate around your model, the position and orientation of the model with respect to the user-coordinate system is not altered.
Autodesk Inventor contains very interesting tools that allows you to have complete control of how your model is viewed and positioned in your Graphics Area.
The VIEWCUBE is a user interface tool that is used for changing to preset standard and isometric views of your model, and for orbiting around your model. The preset views are:

1. Six orthographic views
   1. Front,
   2. Top,
   3. Back,
   4. Bottom,
   5. Right, and
   6. Left.
2. Eight Isometric views
   1. SE Isometric,
   2. NE Isometric,
   3. SW Isometric,
   4. NW Isometric, etc.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the reader should be able:

1. Explain the concept of navigation in Autodesk Inventor.
2. Explain the functions of the ViewCube tool.
3. Use the ViewCube for changing the preset views of the model.
4. Use the ViewCube for orbiting around the model.
5. Use the ViewCube settings for controlling the behaviours of the ViewCube.
6. Set the view of the model to either perspective or orthographic view.
7. Properly set various options on the ViewCube Options dialog box.

LOCATING THE VIEWCUBE

The ViewCube is, by default, located at the upper-right corner of the Graphic Area - just above the Navigation Bar and below the Document Window Control Buttons. Refer to Figure 1.

PARTS OF THE VIEWCUBE

The ViewCube consists of the following:

1. Clickable faces,
2. Clickable corners,
3. Home View icon,
4. Compass (not activate by default), and
5. ViewCube menu drop-down arrow.

Figure 2 shows all the parts of a ViewCube with no compass. While Figure 3 shows the ViewCube with a compass.


FACES: The faces and corners are hotspots on the Viewcube (i.e. they are clickable). Each face is labelled with its preset standard view. Click on any face changing the view of your model to the preset standard view indicated on that face of the ViewCube.
CORNERS: Clicking on any corner of the ViewCube, allows you to change the view of your model to any of the eight preset isometric views.
HOME VIEW CUBE: The Home View Cube changes your view to the default or home view of your model. By default, the Home View is the SE (south East) Isometric view. The Home View can be set to any other view at any time.
COMPASS: The compass is any interest addition to the ViewCube. It allows you to perform constrained orbit operation when it is clicked and dragged around.

CHANGING PRESET VIEWS THROUGH THE VIEWCUBE

You can change to any of the standard or isometric views through the ViewCube by simply clicking on the faces or corners of the ViewCube.
Let's do the following exercise:

1. Make sure that the assembly provided in the dataset is opened in Autodesk Inventor.
2. Go to the ViewCube, and click the Home View icon.
3. On the ViewCube, click the Right face. This activates the Right view.
   When a standard view is activated, four triangular markers are shown beside the four sides of the active ViewCube face.Two oppositely-directed curved arrows are also shown at the upper-right area of the ViewCube. Refer to Figure 4.
4. Click the right triangular marker. This rotates the ViewCube to reveal the Top view.
   
   
   
5. Click the bottom marker on the ViewCube. This changes the view to the Back view.
6. Click the counter-clockwise arrow at the upper-right area of the ViewCube. This rotates the ViewCube counter clockwise.
7. On the ViewCube, click the Home View icon.

ORBITING WITH THE VIEWCUBE

The ViewCube can be used for orbiting around the model. Go to this lesson to learn more about the ORIBT tool in Autodesk Inventor.
Let's do the following exercise:

1. On the ViewCube, click the Home View icon.
2. Position the mouse pointer over the ViewCube, click and hold the left button, then drag the mouse around. This technique activates the ORBIT tool, implicitly.

THE VIEWCUBE MENU

The ViewCube Menu contains so many functionalities that makes the ViewCube even more interesting.
You can access the Viewcube Menu by right-click on the ViewCube or by clicking on the ViewCube Menu drop-down arrow as shown in Figure 2.
The following can be found on the ViewCube Menu [1]:

ViewCube Menu

Go Home	The default view of the model. You can change the default view using Set current view as home. You can navigate to the Home position by selecting this option from the context menu or by clicking the Home icon displayed just above the ViewCube.
Orthographic	A display mode where all points of a model are projected along parallel lines to the screen.
Perspective	A display mode where a model is displayed in three-point perspective, very similar to the way objects in the real world are perceived by the human eye.
Perspective with Ortho Faces	A display mode where the model is displayed in orthographic projection when one of the faces of the ViewCube is active.
Lock to current selection	The center and distance does not change regardless of whether objects are selected or deselected.
Set current view as Home	Defines the current view as the default view: Fixed Distance: Sets a Home view that defines both the direction of the view and the extent of the model that fills the view. Fit to View: Sets a Home view that defines the direction of the view, with the extent always ‘view all’. The initial Home view of Legacy documents is set to Fit to View.
Set current view as	Uses the current view to redefine: Top view Front view The front view that is defined in the top-level assembly file prevails as the front view when you edit a part in the context of an assembly file. Set the ViewCube orientation relative to the model by aligning the current view to look at the TOP or FRONT of the model, then use Set current view as with the appropriate selection. The ViewCube Bottom view determines the orientation of the model ground plane. Redefining the ViewCube affects the model ground plane, ground shadows, and ground reflections.
Reset Front	Rests the front view to the default setting. NoteThe front view that is defined in the top-level assembly file prevails as the front view when you edit a part in the context of an assembly file. NoteThis is also the orientation assigned to migrated legacy files.
Options	Opens the ViewCube Options dialog box.
Help Topics	Launches the online Help system and displays the topic on the ViewCube.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORTHOGRAPHIC AND PERSPECTIVE PROJECTIONS

In orthographic projections, all points of a model are projected along parallel lines to the screen WHILE in perspective projections, a model is displayed in three-point perspective (i.e parts of the model that is farther away from you diminish toward three points). The following diagrams will help us understand better.

VIEWCUBE OPTIONS

The ViewCube Options dialog box contains settings for altering and adding more functionalities to the ViewCube. Figure 7 shows the ViewCube Options dialog box. This dialog box can be accessed by right clicking on the ViewCube and clicking Options....

ViewCube Options dialog box Settings

Application Options	Overall settings for the Viewcube
Show the ViewCube on window create	When this check box is enabled, the ViewCube is displayed in the Graphics Area, by default, when any window is opened in Autodesk Inventor
All 3D Views	When this radio button is enabled, the ViewCube is displayed in all 3D views.
Display	Set preferences for the display of the ViewCube.
Only in Current View	When this radio button is enabled, the ViewCube is displayed only in the current view.
On Screen Position	Allows you to change the default position of the ViewCube to any of the following: Top Right, Bottom Right, Top Left, or Bottom Left.
ViewCube Size	Allows you to set the ViewCube size to Tiny, Small, Normal, or Large.
Inactive Opacity	Allows you to set the opacity ( opposite of transparency) of the ViewCube when it is not in use. The inactive opacity can be set to 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%. An inactive opacity of 100% means that the ViewCube will always be shown even when it is inactive. An opacity of 0% means that the ViewCube will be invisible when it is inactive. Whatever the settings may be, the ViewCube visibility is fully restored when the cursor is hovered over it.
When Dragging on the ViewCube	Set preferences for dragging on the ViewCube.
Snap to the closet View	While being dragged, the ViewCube and the scene rotate like an arcball. If Snap to closest view is selected, the viewpoint snaps to one of the fixed views when it is angularly close to one of the fixed views.
When Clicking on the ViewCube	Set preferences for clicking on the ViewCube.
Fit-to-View on view change	If selected, clicking the ViewCube rotates around the center of the scene and zooms out to fit the scene into the viewport. When dragging the ViewCube, the view changes to look at the scene center prior to the drag (but does not zoom) and continues to use that as the pivot point while dragging. If not selected, clicking or dragging the ViewCube rotates around the current pivot point and does not zoom in or out.
Use animated transitions when switching views	An animated transition displays when you click on a section of the ViewCube to help visualize the spatial relationship between the current viewpoint and the selected viewpoint. Note: When navigating about 3D scenes that contain vast amounts of geometry, the application frame rate can drop significantly and make it difficult for the system to smoothly animate a viewpoint transition.
Keep model upright	When clicking on edges, corners, or faces of the ViewCube, the orientation algorithm normally attempts to turn the viewpoint so that upside-down orientations of the scene are avoided.
Default ViewCube Orientation	Set preferences for the default orientation of the ViewCube. When a new part or assembly is created from a template, it inherits the orientation from the base template.
Front View Plane	Sets the model-space plane to which the front plane of the ViewCube should align.
Top View Plane	Sets the model-space plane to which the top plane of the ViewCube should align.
Document Settings	Set preferences for the display of the Compass. By default, the display is off.
Show the Compass below the ViewCube	Sets the preference for the display of the Compass.
Angle of North	Sets the angle between the ViewCube FRONT face and the Compass direction North.

REFERENCES:

1. Autodesk Inventor 2011 Help System

I hope you learnt a lot from this lesson. If you have any questions, please drop a comment, and I will answer ASAP. Thank you.
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Navigation In Autodesk Inventor - The PAN Tool

PLATFORM: AUTODESK INVENTOR PROFESSIONAL 2011/2012

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: BEGINNERS

AUTHOR: NDIANABASI UDONKANG

FOLLOW ME ON: Twitter | Facebook

This is a continuation of the series of lessons for new Inventor Users. Check out this blog's table-of-content page for more topics in this series.

TOPIC: NAVIGATION IN AUTODESK INVENTOR - THE PAN TOOL

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

1. Download the dataset.
2. Save it to a project folder of an existing Inventor project. Set the project active. Learn more about Inventor Projects and Project Files.
3. Open the part file: Menu Browser > Open menu > Open > Navigation_Infant_Scooter_Front_End_Assy.iam

INTRODUCTION

Navigation in Autodesk Inventor embodies those operations carried out in order to view the model from different positions, directions (or orientations) and perspectives. When you navigate around your model, the position and orientation of the model with respect to the user-coordinate system is not altered.
Autodesk Inventor contains very interesting tools that allows you to have complete control of how your model is viewed and positioned in your Graphics Area.
The Pan tool is used for moving the Graphics Area around.
Now let's use this analogy to help us visualize the work of the Pan tool. Imagine the drawing board used for manual drawings. The drawing board, itself, represents the application (i.e Inventor). So your ruler, T-square, pencil, compass, protractor,eraser, etc are the various provided in Autodesk Inventor. The drawing sheet placed on the drawing board represents the graphics area - this is where you carry out this design. So you draw or design on the graphics area just as you would draw on a drawing sheet.
Now, imagine having a very big drawing board - the type that contain B-grade sheets, but you have an A-grade drawing sheet on it. You can move this drawing sheet to different positions on the drawing board. The effect here is that, the actual designs on the drawing sheet will move with the sheet but the position of the design with respect to the drawing sheet is not altered. This is the PANNING effect!
So the PAN merely moves the Graphics Area around (with the designs/models on it) but the position of the designs/models with respect to the User Coordinate System is unaltered.
Only the MOVE tool can translate (or relocate) a model with respect to the user coordinate system - this is equivalent to erasing and redrawing the design on another location on a drawing sheet.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the reader should be able:

1. Explain the concept of navigation in Autodesk Inventor.
2. Explain the concept of the PAN tool.
3. Locate and use the PAN tool in Autodesk Inventor.

LOCATING THE PAN TOOL

We can locate the PAN tool in the following ways:

1. RIBBON

You can locate the PAN tool on the Ribbon by going to the View tab > Navigate panel and clicking on Pan -
Refer to Figure 1 for guidance.

Once the PAN tool is launch, the mouse pointer arrow will change to a HAND pointer. Then you simply press down the left button on your mouse and drag the mouse to pan your design.

2. NAVIGATION BAR

The PAN tool can also be launched from the Navigation Bar. The Navigation Bar is found at the right-hand side of the Graphics Area (in Inventor 2011 and above). Refer to Figure 2 for guidance.

Once the PAN tool is launch, the mouse pointer arrow will change to a HAND pointer. Then you simply press down the left button on your mouse and drag the mouse to pan your design.

3. MOUSE WHEEL

The fastest way to launch the PAN tool is to use the mouse wheel of your external (or USB) mouse. You simply press down the mouse wheel and then drag the mouse the pan your design.

TO DO: Use the above-mentioned techniques to PAN the assembly in the dataset.

I hope you learnt a lot from this lesson. If you have any questions, please drop a comment, and I will answer ASAP. Thank you.
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Navigation In Autodesk Inventor - The Orbit Tool

PLATFORM: AUTODESK INVENTOR PROFESSIONAL 2011/2012

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: BEGINNERS

AUTHOR: NDIANABASI UDONKANG

FOLLOW ME ON: Twitter | Facebook

This is a continuation of the series of lessons for new Inventor Users. Check out this blog's table-of-content page for more topics in this series.

TOPIC: NAVIGATION IN AUTODESK INVENTOR - THE ORBIT TOOL

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

1. Download the dataset.
2. Save it to a project folder of an existing Inventor project. Set the project active. Learn more about Inventor Projects and Project Files.
3. Open the part file: Menu Browser > Open menu > Open > Navigation_Infant_Scooter_Front_End_Assy.iam

INTRODUCTION

Navigation in Autodesk Inventor embodies those operations carried out in order to view the model from different positions, directions (or orientations) and perspectives. When you navigate around your model, the position and orientation of the model with respect to the user-coordinate system is not altered.
Autodesk Inventor contains very interesting tools that allows you to have complete control of how your model is viewed and positioned in your Graphics Area.
The ORBIT tool is used for viewing the model from different directions.
A simple analogy will help us understand the tool better. Now, imagine that you are a video cameraman taking motion pictures (which of course is your job). You have a person or object you are videoing, and you are going around the person or object (that is, the person or object is stationary). When you playback the video, it will appear as if the person or object was rotating, meanwhile the person or object was stationary during the entire shoot. The ORBIT tool mimics this process by allowing you to going around your model and viewing it from different angles and sides. During the entire process, the model is never rotated (that is, it's angular position with respect to the user coordinate system is never altered). This is the ORBITING effect.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the reader should be able:

1. Explain the concept of navigation in Autodesk Inventor.
2. Explain the concept of the ORBIT tool.
3. Locate and use the ORBIT tool in Autodesk Inventor.

LOCATING THE ORBIT TOOL

We can locate the ORBIT tool in the following ways:

1. RIBBON

You can locate the ORBIT tool on the Ribbon by going to the View tab > Navigate panel and clicking on Orbit -
Refer to Figure 1 for guidance.

2. NAVIGATION BAR

The ORBIT tool can also be launched from the Navigation Bar. The Navigation Bar is found at the right-hand side of the Graphics Area (in Inventor 2011 and above). Refer to Figure 2 for guidance.

3. MOUSE WHEEL

The fastest way to launch the ORBIT tool is to use the mouse wheel of your external (or USB) mouse. To use this shortcut, you first of all hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, then while the SHIFT key is still being held down, press and hold down the mouse wheel and drag the mouse. This will execute the ORBIT tool.

COMMON FEATURES OF THE ORBIT TOOL

Here we are going to discus the features you will always notice when you launch the ORBIT tool. Refer to Figure 3 for guidance.

THE RETICLE
The reticle appears once the ORBIT tool is launched. The reticle consists of two horizontal handles, two vertical handles and a circle.
THE MOUSE POINTER
The Mouse pointer changes at different positions around the model.

1. When the pointer is positioned far from the model, it appears as shown in Figure 4. Clicking the Graphics Area exits the Orbit tool.
   
   
   
2. When the pointer is placed inside the reticle, it appears as shown in Figure 3.

TYPES OF ORBIT TOOL

There are two ways you can use the ORBIT tool in Autodesk Inventor, namely:

1. (Free) Orbit, and
2. Constrained Orbit.

1. (FREE) ORBIT

The Free Orbit tool is used for orbiting the model in screen space. Screen space is the coordinate system that corresponds to present position of your Graphics Area. It does not have anything to do with the orientation of your model.
To demonstrate Free Orbit, let's do the following:

1. Make sure that the assembly supplied in the dataset is opened.
2. On the View tab > Navigation panel > Click Home View.
3. On the View tab > Navigation panel > Click the drop-down arrow beside Orbit and click the Orbit.
4. Click and drag the left horizontal handle of the reticle. Notice how the model is orbited about the vertical screen axis.
5. Click and drag the top vertical handle of the reticle. Notice how the model is orbited about the horizontal screen axis.
6. Click and drag inside the reticle. Notice how the model is orbited freely in the screen space (i.e. about all the screen axes).

2. CONSTRAINED ORBIT

The Constrained Orbit tool is used for orbiting the model about axes in model space. Model space corresponds to the current user coordinate system indicated by the UCS Icon at the lower-left corner of the Graphics Area.
To demonstrate Constrained Orbit, let's do the following:

1. Make sure that the assembly supplied in the dataset is opened.
2. On the View tab > Navigation panel > Click Home View.
3. On the View tab > Navigation panel > Click the drop-down arrow beside Orbit and click the Constrained Orbit.
4. Click and drag the left horizontal handle of the reticle. Notice how the model is orbited about the vertical model axis which corresponds to the Z axes (as if the model was on a turntable).
5. Click and drag the top vertical handle of the reticle. Notice how the model is orbited about the horizontal model axes (as if the turntable was being tilted).
6. Click and drag inside the reticle. Notice how the model is orbited freely in model space (i.e. about all the model axes).

Later, we will learn about an additional feature added to the ORBIT tool when used via the SteeringWheel.

I hope you learnt a lot from this lesson. If you have any questions, please drop a comment, and I will answer ASAP. Thank you.
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Navigation In Autodesk Inventor - The ZOOM Tool

PLATFORM: AUTODESK INVENTOR PROFESSIONAL 2011/2012

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: BEGINNERS

AUTHOR: NDIANABASI UDONKANG

FOLLOW ME ON: Twitter | Facebook

This is a continuation of the series of lessons for new Inventor Users. Check out this blog's table-of-content page for more topics in this series.

TOPIC: NAVIGATION IN AUTODESK INVENTOR - THE ZOOM TOOL

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

1. Download the dataset.
2. Save it to a project folder of an existing Inventor project. Set the project active. Learn more about Inventor Projects and Project Files.
3. Open the part file: Menu Browser > Open menu > Open > Navigation_Infant_Scooter_Front_End_Assy.iam

INTRODUCTION

Navigation in Autodesk Inventor embodies those operations carried out in order to view the model from different positions, directions (or orientations) and perspectives. When you navigate around your model, the position and orientation of the model with respect to the user-coordinate system is not altered.
Autodesk Inventor contains very interesting tools that allows you to have complete control of how your model is viewed and positioned in your Graphics Area.
The ZOOM tool allows you to magnify or de-magnify the view of your model in the Graphics Area.
Now let's use this analogy to help us visualize the work of the ZOOM tool. Imagine you discovered a blueprint of a secret government facility with lots of very tiny prints not easily readable by the naked eyes. You would probably use a hand glass( or lens) to magnify the prints so that you could easily read them. Now, the hand lens merely magnifies the view of the prints without affecting the actual sizes of the prints on the blueprint. This is the ZOOMING effect.
So the ZOOM tool merely allows you to magnify (increase) or de-magnify (decrease) the view of the model, without affecting the actual size of the model.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the reader should be able:

1. Explain the concept of navigation in Autodesk Inventor.
2. Explain the concept of the ZOOM tool.
3. Locate and use the ZOOM tool in Autodesk Inventor.

LOCATING THE ZOOM TOOL

We can locate the ZOOM tool in the following ways:

1. RIBBON

You can locate the ZOOM tool on the Ribbon by going to the View tab > Navigate panel and clicking on Zoom -
Refer to Figure 1 for guidance.

Once the ZOOM tool is launch, the mouse pointer arrow will change to a HAND-LENS pointer. Then you simply press down the left button on your mouse and drag the mouse to zoom your design.

2. NAVIGATION BAR

The ZOOM tool can also be launched from the Navigation Bar. The Navigation Bar is found at the right-hand side of the Graphics Area (in Inventor 2011 and above). Refer to Figure 2 for guidance.

Once the ZOOM tool is launch, the mouse pointer arrow will change to a HAND-LENS pointer. Then you simply press down the left button on your mouse and drag the mouse to zoom your design.

3. MOUSE WHEEL

The fastest way to launch the ZOOM tool is to use the mouse wheel of your external (or USB) mouse. To use this shortcut, you simply roll the mouse wheel forward or backward. By default, rolling the mouse wheel forward, zooms out (i.e. de-magnifies) the model. While, rolling the mouse wheel backwards, zooms in (i.e. magnifies) the model.
TO DO: Use the above-mentioned techniques to ZOOM the assembly in the dataset supplied.

THE ZOOM OPTIONS

The ZOOM options (sorry if I'm caught using an AutoCAD terminology) are the various ways you can use the ZOOM tool. In Inventor, we have:

1. The ZOOM All;
2. The (Dynamic or Realtime) ZOOM;
3. The ZOOM Window; and
4. The ZOOM Selected.

ZOOM All
The ZOOM All option allows you to bring all visible objects of your parts and assembly into view (i.e the Graphics Area is filled with all visible objects).
To use ZOOM All, do the following:

1. On the View tab > Navigation panel > Click the drop-down arrow beside Zoom All to reveal the other Zoom options. Refer to Figure 4.
2. Click Zoom All. If the model have been panned out of view, it will be brought inside the Graphics Area.

Note: You can also launch it from the Navigation Bar. Also note that if the Zoom All is already the default icon, you can click on it directly without having to click the drop-down arrow. This can be applied to any of the options.

(Dynamic or Realtime) ZOOM
The ZOOM option is known as Zoom Realtime in AutoCAD. It allows you to dynamically zoom in or out of your model (i.e it allows you to see how your model is zoom in or out in realtime).
To use the (Dynamic or Realtime) Zoom, do the following:

1. On the View tab > Navigation panel >Click the arrow beside Zoom All to reveal the other Zoom options. Refer to Figure 4.
2. Click Zoom. The mouse pointer will change to a big, black, bold, double-headed arrow.
3. Click and hold the left-mouse button and drag the mouse up or down to zoom out or in, respectively.

ZOOM Window
The ZOOM Window option allows you to zoom into a particular portion of your Graphics Area. When you use the ZOOM Window option, the Graphics Area is filled portion or area specified.
To use the ZOOM Window option, do the following:

1. On the View tab > Navigation panel >Click the arrow beside Zoom All to reveal the other Zoom options. Refer to Figure 4.
2. Click Zoom Window. The mouse pointer will change to a two mutually perpendicular lines.
3. Click on the Graphics Area and draw a bounding box over the portion of the Graphics Area (which could be your model) you wish to zoom into. Refer to Figure 5.

ZOOM Selected
The ZOOM Selected option allows you to zoom into a particular object of your part or assembly.
To use the ZOOM Selected option, do the following:

1. On the View tab > Navigation panel >Click the arrow beside Zoom All to reveal the other Zoom options. Refer to Figure 4.
2. Click Zoom Selected.
3. On the Model Browser, click Clip:1. The Graphics Area is filled with Clip.

HOT TIP:
You can perform Zoom All with your mouse. To do this, double click your mouse wheel!

I hope you learnt a lot from this lesson. If you have any questions, please drop a comment, and I will answer ASAP. Thank you.

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Navigation In Autodesk Inventor - Overview

PLATFORM: AUTODESK INVENTOR PROFESSIONAL 2011/2012

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: BEGINNERS

AUTHOR: NDIANABASI UDONKANG

FOLLOW ME ON: Twitter | Facebook

This is a continuation of the series of lessons for new Inventor Users. Check out this blog's table-of-content page for more topics in this series.

TOPIC: NAVIGATION IN AUTODESK INVENTOR - OVERVIEW

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

1. Download the dataset.
2. Save it to a project folder of an existing Inventor project. Set the project active. Learn more about Inventor Projects and Project Files.
3. Open the part file: Menu Browser > Open menu > Open > Navigation_Infant_Scooter_Front_End_Assy.iam

INTRODUCTION

Navigation in Autodesk Inventor embodies those operations carried out in order to view the model from different positions, directions (or orientations) and perspectives. When you navigate around your model, the position and orientation of the model with respect to the user-coordinate system is not altered.

Autodesk Inventor contains very interesting tools that allows you to have complete control of how your model is viewed and positioned in your Graphics Area.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the reader should be able:

1. Explain the concept of navigation in Autodesk Inventor.
2. Outline the tools available for navigation in Autodesk Inventor.
3. Explain the basic concept of the navigation tools.

TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR NAVIGATION IN AUTODESK INVENTOR

1. PAN Tool

The Pan tool is used for moving the graphics area around.

2. ZOOM Tool

The Zoom tool is used to magnify or de-magnify the view of your models.

3. ORBIT Tool

The Orbit tool is used for viewing your model from different directions.

4. SteeringWheel Tool

The SteeringWheel is a graphical tool that brings together all the navigation tools including Pan, Zoom, Orbit, Rewind, Look, Walk, Up/Down, and Center.

5. ViewCube Tool

The Viewcube is a UI element that is used for changing the views of the model in the Graphics Area.

6. View FaceTool

The View Face tool is used for reorienting the Graphics Area normally to a planar face, plane, or sketch.

Other related lessons are:

1. Navigation in Autodesk Inventor - The PAN tool

2. Navigation in Autodesk Inventor - The ZOOM tool

3. Navigation in Autodesk Inventor - The ORBIT tool

4. Navigation in Autodesk Inventor - The SteeringWheel tool

5. Navigation in Autodesk Inventor - The Viewcube tool

 

I hope you learnt a lot from this lesson. If you have any questions, please drop a comment, and I will answer ASAP. Thank you.

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Redefining A Sketch Plane In Autodesk Inventor

PLATFORM: AUTODESK INVENTOR PROFESSIONAL 2011/2012

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: BEGINNERS

AUTHOR: NDIANABASI UDONKANG

FOLLOW ME ON: Twitter | Facebook

This is a continuation of the series of lessons for new Inventor Users. Check out this blog's table-of-content page for more topics in this series.

TOPIC: REDEFINING A SKETCH PLANE IN AUTODESK INVENTOR

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

1. Download the dataset.
2. Save it to a project folder of an existing Inventor project. Set the project active. Learn more about Inventor Projects and Project Files.
3. Open the part file: Menu Browser > Open menu > Open > Redefining_A_Sketch_Plane_PivotBracket.ipt

To learn more about work planes, check out this lesson: Using and Understanding Work Planes in Autodesk Inventor.

You may also be interested in this lesson: How to Share a Sketch in Autodesk Inventor.

INTRODUCTION

Any sketch in Autodesk Inventor is created on (or is based on) a plane. This plane is called a "Sketch Plane." A sketch plane could be the default work planes found under the Origin folder in the Model Browser, user-created work planes, or the planar faces of your models.

When you create a new part file in Autodesk Inventor, a new sketch, by default, is automatically created on a default work plane known as the "XY plane." These settings can be modified on your Application Options dialog box > Part tab > Sketch on new part creation area as shown in Figure 1.

So you will most likely begin the part by sketching (using the default settings) and then creating your base feature. But after creating the base feature (and probably other features), you discover that the part is not positioned in the coordinate system the way you intended it to. So what do you do? The answer is simple: redefine the sketch plane.

NOTE: Changing the view orientation of the model using the viewcube and locking the view as your Home View does not change the position of the model with respect to the coordinate system.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the reader should be able:

1. Change the Sketch on new part creation settings on the Application Options dialog box,
2. Use the Viewcube to navigation to a required orientation of the model on the Graphics Area,
3. Redefine the plane on which a sketch was created.

REDEFINING THE SKETCH PLANE

When you redefine a sketch plane, you are changing the plane on the basis of which it was created. For example, if a base sketch of a model, was created on the default x-y plane, you can redefine the sketch plane and assign it to say the default YZ plane or any other custom plane.

Let's see how we define the sketch plane of the base sketch of the model from the dataset. Figure 2 shows how we intend the model to be positioned after redefining the sketch plane of the base sketch (called Sketch1). Sketch1 was created on the default XZ plane

1. On the Model Browser, expanding the Origin folder to reveal the default work planes.
2. Still on the Model Browser, expand Extrusion1 (the base feature) to reveal Sketch1 (the base sketch). Refer to Figure 3 for guidance.
   
   
   
   
3. On the Model Browser, Right-click Sketch1 and click Redefine.
4. On the Model Browser, click the XY plane.
5. The model is repositioned with respect to the user coordinate system.
6. Save and close the model.

I hope you learnt a lot from this lesson. If you have any questions, please drop a comment, and I will answer ASAP. Thank you.

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