2009
Table Of Contents
- Contents
- 1 Introducing Autodesk Inventor
- 2 Creating Sketches
- 3 Working with Sketched Features
- 4 Creating and Editing Placed Features
- 5 Creating and Editing Work Features
- 6 Using Projects to Organize Data
- 7 Managing Assemblies
- 8 Placing, Moving, and Constraining Components
- 9 Creating Assemblies
- 10 Analyzing Assemblies
- 11 Using Design Accelerator
- 12 Setting Up Drawings
- 13 Creating Drawing Views
- 14 Annotating Drawings
- Annotation Tools
- Using Styles to Format Annotations
- Working with Tables
- Creating Dimensions In Drawings
- Controlling Dimension Styles
- Placing Center Marks and Centerlines
- Adding Notes and Leader Text
- Using Hole and Thread Notes
- Working with Title Blocks
- Working with Dimensions and Annotations
- Printing Drawing Sheets
- Plotting Multiple Sheets
- Tips for Annotating Drawings
- 15 Using Content Center
- 16 Autodesk Inventor Utilities
- Index
When working in a 3D sketch, points can lie on any plane. Like 2D sketches,
you can constrain sketch geometry to control its shape, add dimensions, and
precisely position points relative to the last placed point.
One way to learn about sketching in 3D is to create a box.
TRY IT: Create a box and sketch 3D lines on X, Y, and Z planes
1 On the 2D Sketch panel bar, click the rectangle tool and create a rectangle
and then enter E on your keyboard to use the shortcut to start the Extrude
command.
2 On the Extrude dialog box, enter any distance and click OK.
3 Right-click in the graphics window and choose Isometric View. On the
standard toolbar, click Display and choose Wireframe Display.
Now you have a 3D “space” in which to visualize the sketch.
4 On the standard toolbar, click the arrow beside the Sketch button and
select 3D Sketch. In the browser, a 3D sketch icon is added and the 3D
Sketch panel bar is activated.
5 On the 3D Sketch panel bar, click the Line tool. Notice that the 3D triad
displays with arrows to indicate the X, Y, and Z axes. The Autodesk
Inventor Precise Input toolbar may display, but you can sketch without
entering coordinates.
Click anywhere in space to start the line. On the 3D triad, click a plane
or arrow to change the sketch plane and then click to place another sketch
point. As you change sketch planes, notice the sketch grid for that plane
becomes active.
Bends might be automatically added as you sketch the lines. This setting
is controlled on the Sketch tab of the Application Options dialog box.
6 Continue to place points as needed, changing sketch planes as you go to
make sure that you are sketching in all dimensions. When finished,
right-click and select Done.
7 On the standard toolbar, click the Rotate tool and rotate the box in all
directions.
You can see that the 3D line has points on X, Y, and Z planes.
Now that you can see the line in the context of the box, start a new file and
experiment with creating a 3D sketch without the box. Because the file opens
with a 2D sketch active, click Return on the standard toolbar to close the
sketch, and then click Sketch ➤ 3D Sketch.
Learning about 3D Sketches | 51