Datasheet

Chapter 1 • Finding Your Way in the Inventor Interface
10
Another element of the common graphical language is the way dialog boxes are
organized. Many dialog boxes have tabs across the top, with each tab offering
additional options. Although most common functions are contained on the fi rst
tab, when you begin working with a new dialog box, it’s worth taking a few
moments to explore the options on the other tabs. For example, in the Extrude
dialog box illustrated here, the Shape tab offers the basic options to select the
shape and defi ne the distance it will be extruded, whereas the More tab offers
options to apply taper or draft to the shape.
Context Menus
You can access a large number of Inventor’s tools by clicking your secondary
mouse button — typically the right button — at different places on your screen.
As in other Windows software, right-clicking displays a context menu of options
that are relevant to what you’re doing at the time. In the exercises and examples
in this book, I’ll often instruct you to right-click and select the next operation
from a context menu.
To make it easier to get a feel for Inventor’s interface, let’s open a fi le to see the
changes that occur to the interface and get your fi rst glimpse at its dynamic nature.
The Open Dialog Box
The tool to launch the Open dialog is available in several locations, as you prob-
ably noticed in the earlier parts of the chapter.
As in any contemporary software, this dialog box allows you to select a fi le or
fi les to open in Inventor, as shown in Figure 1.9. If you’re accustomed to
Microsoft Windows Explorer and some of its viewing options, this dialog box will
seem familiar. Using it should be comfortable for you right away. The dialog box
includes several components, and it’s important to understand what these parts
are and what they will do for you.
Inventor LT users see a slightly different Open dialog box. Inventor LT doesn’t
have assembly capabilities, so it doesn’t need some elements. It will still be ben-
efi cial for LT users to understand the capabilities of Inventor Suite or
Professional 2010 in case you use it in the future.
NOTE It’s possible to resize many dialog boxes by clicking and
dragging the corners, in order to allow easy viewing of the information
displayed.
81691c01.indd 1081691c01.indd 10 7/10/09 6:24:18 PM7/10/09 6:24:18 PM