To make a drawing in Inventor, save your part, start a new drawing (File > New > Standard.idw or .dwg), click Base View on the Place Views tab and pick the part. Place the first view, then move the cursor to place projected views around it. Double-click any view to change its style, scale or hidden lines.
Lesson 3 of my Autodesk Inventor series. So far we’ve only made 3D parts. But a shop doesn’t build from a 3D model on a screen; it builds from a drawing. In this lesson we’ll make a simple part, add a chamfer, and then put it on a drawing sheet with orthographic views and a shaded view. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Sketching and extruding a simple part
- Adding a chamfer
- Creating orthographic views on a drawing sheet
- Changing how a view looks
How do I make the part for this lesson?
Sketch and extrude the part below. If you need a refresher, see lesson 1 and lesson 2.
Add a chamfer
- Start Chamfer: 3D Model tab > Modify panel > Chamfer.
- In the dialog, pick the edge option and Two Distances.
- Select the edge, enter the two chamfer distances shown below, and click OK.
- Save the part. It should look like this:
How do I make a drawing in Inventor?
- Click New on the ribbon and choose Drawing from the drop-down.
- In the dialog, choose English > ANSI (in).idw and click OK.
You get an empty sheet:
The ribbon looks completely different now, because you’re in a drawing, not a part.
- Click Base.
- The Drawing View dialog opens. If your part doesn’t show up, find the file with the file browser. Then pick the display style, change the view name if you want, and set the scale.
- Use the ViewCube to choose which side of the part the base view shows.
- Use the arrows around the view to place the other views (top, side, isometric) on the sheet.
Your sheet should look something like this:
How do I change how a view looks?
- Click the green dots of a view, choose Edit View, and click OK.
- Under Style, choose Shaded.
The view is now shaded:
The whole drawing should look like this:
How do I show hidden lines?
Double-click the view and pick the Hidden Line style at the top right of the Drawing View dialog. Projected views follow the base view style unless you change them.
How do I change the drawing units?
Units and dimension formats come from the drawing’s styles. Open Manage tab > Styles Editor and edit the dimension style, or start from a template that uses the units you want.
Next up: Lesson 4: Advanced detail drawing procedures, where we add auxiliary and section views and dimensions.
