Inventor 2012 What’s New

Here we are again, another year and another new version of Autodesk’s Inventor is here. With this release comes a new set of functionality to make things more productive and efficient. Follow along to see how this new version can help make your daily job easier.

The first thing a user might notice is how things have changed with regard to user interaction. The right mouse button has a whole new menu. This is now called the marking menu. This menu is meant to assist with getting to common commands faster and more efficiently.

As you see by the image, the menu has 8 tools arranged around the location of the Right Click. Once a user understands the location of the different tools, they will no longer have to wait for the menu to appear prior to starting the command. They can just right click and drag in the direction of the desired tool and it will start.

This menu is specific to whatever context the user may be in. Whether they are in an assembly, part, drawing or presentation file, the tools will be specific for that context. If the user wants a different set of tools, no problem, this menu is customizable.
The mini toolbars have been updated as well. Previously, the tool bars have had some functionality, but not everything that was contained in the dialog boxes. With the new release of the software, more of that information is available.

Part modeling has seen some changes as well. The ability to sweep along the edge of a part without the need to create a sketch path is all new. Face Draft tool has been completely rewritten and has a parting line draft option. Also, the previews you see when creating or editing features have been improved.
This release is also about speed. Autodesk has gone through and reworked the software to make it startup faster than ever. Depending on your system, a startup time is 2X faster.

Combine that with a “right-away” splash screen and you will not be thinking the software is not running.

Creating drawing views has been enhanced. When creating views of models, multi-core processors are now supported. This can speed up the view creation by ten times (or more). All this allows you to do more and wait less.

The days of switching from one DVD to another during Installation has passed. Software now is either downloaded, or for physical shipments, a flash drive is sent. This makes things simpler for both standalone installations as well as creating deployments for network administrators.

The new Function Eco Materials Advisor will help produce more sustainable designs. This tool allows you to take a part and its base material and do what-if type scenarios to test out different materials. From there you will get feedback letting you know whether or not this new material would be more cost effective or not.

These are just some of the new and exciting items in Autodesk Inventor 2012. If you need additional information or would like to take a closer look, please contact your Hagerman & Company Sales representative today!

This page last edited on Thursday, September 08, 2011