by
Mark Lautenbach
Applications Engineer - Inventor Certified Expert
| The Autodesk® 2007
suite of products has finally arrived, and on the manufacturing
side, the latest edition of Autodesk Inventor Professional® 11
offers many exciting new features. First among these is that
three versions of Inventor Professional are now available: Autodesk Inventor Professional for Simulation which includes the new Dynamic Simulator function and the Finite Element Analysis tools. Autodesk Inventor Professional for Routed Systems which includes the Tube & Pipe Design, Cable & Harness Design and IDF import tools. Autodesk Inventor Professional is still available which will consist of all modules listed in the other systems. With these new versions, companies can now own a more-tailored version of Inventor Professional that suits their individual needs. As we look at the new breakdown of the Inventor Professional products, you might notice that there is a new module. A new Dynamic Simulation set of tools is available, ideally suited for users eager to add more advanced motion analysis to their designs. With Dynamic Simulation, you can design your mechanisms, analyze them and verify that you have the appropriate motors or actuators to drive the complete function. There are graphing capabilities that will output the values required at all points throughout the cycle time. Coupled with the Dynamic Simulation tool is the Finite Element Analysis module. This module can import reaction forces and support Information that gets output from the Dynamic Simulation tool. A new Dialogue controls the color bar once an analysis runs. The Tube and Pipe Design module introduces some enhancements to make it easier to design tube and pipe runs. Now, a 3D sketch can be created and then turned into a pipe route. This allows greater control over designating which path is being used for the pipe. We can also create bending tables based off of the model in either X, Y, Z or Y, B, C formats. When it comes to the Cable and Harness tools, there are two great enhancements that will enable companies to output designs faster. The first is the ability to utilize virtual parts in their designs. This enables the designer to add a part to their design without having to make a solid model of it, all while keeping a correct Bill of Material. Secondly, the Cable and Harness tool will now Import or Export wire lists in the original CSV format, and now will also utilize .xml format. When exporting to an xml file, AutoCAD Electrical can use the file to quickly create the schematic of the point-to-point wiring. Look for more on this last item in future newsletters. To learn more about any of these items, plus any of the new information on 2007 solutions from Autodesk, contact your Hagerman & Company, Inc. sales associate.
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