Datasheet

Waguespack c01.tex V2 - 08/30/2008 1:44pm Page 7
USING THE INVENTOR GRAPHICAL INTERFACE 7
With the part active for editing, you will notice that the Model browser now shows all the
features present in the active file. Examining these features within the active part, you can see
the standard origin features, some user work planes, some additional features such as extrusions,
and a fillet feature. You will also notice a red X at the bottom of the part signifying an end-of-part
(EOP) marker.
Using EOP Markers
You can use the EOP marker to insert a feature anywhere in the model tree, where the new feature
should have been created. In addition, dragging the EOP marker to the top of the part file reduces the
overall part size significantly, similar to zipping a file. If you encounter a blank file in your modeling
session, be sure to check the Model browser to make sure the EOP marker has been dragged to the bot-
tom of the part file.
To return to the top-level assembly, you can simply double-click the filename (Stapler.iam)at
the top of the Model browser, or you can click the Return icon at the top of your screen. Each click
of the Return icon will move you up one level in the assembly. Regardless of which method you
use, you will notice that the tool panel returns to the assembly tools (from the part feature tools)
once you are back to the top-level assembly.
As demonstrated in this quick tour of a typical assembly structure, the Inventor tool panels
are unique and intuitive to the environment you are in at the time. In addition to the toolbars you
encounter in each environment, you will notice that some of the pulldown menu items will also
change. In the next example, you will explore the changes encountered in the styles editor located
in the Format pulldown menu.
Pulldown Menus
The pulldown menus within Inventor are similar to menus in other Windows applications. As in
the previous topic, we’ll discuss how Inventor changes menus and toolbars depending upon the
file type that is open. In this section, we’ll discuss a typical switching toolbar menu in the current
assembly file.
While in an assembly file, with either the top-level assembly or a subassembly active, select the
Format pulldown menu and then select Style and Standard Editor, as shown in Figure 1.4.
Figure 1.4
The Inventor Format
pulldown menu
When the Style and Standard Editor dialog box opens, the styles relating to the assembly file
will be shown as in Figure 1.5. You will notice that while in assembly or part mode, three style
areas are available: Color, Lighting, and Material.
Next, in Inventor, create a drawing file using the standard DWG template. Note that you could
also use the standard IDW template as well. With the new drawing file active, select the Format