Hi:  

I just ran across your web site: machinedesign.com.  I have a question.

  have been using Inventor since release 10 and now have 2008.  I have gone through several books by Schroff.com on Inventor.  However most of the books are basic drawings with very little assembly etc.

 I am looking at Solid Works, because of COSMOS imbedded into Solidworks.  This allows the end user to employ Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to a particular design.  The question is:  Does Inventor address the issue of FEA?  If so, where is it, what is it called?

 I am interested in designing some telescoping tubing that will be cantilevered (antenna) and want to examine the droop, rather than going out and spending $500.00 on tubing to fine out which wall thickness is the best for my application.  Somewhere there has to be some mechanical software that would allow me to model this????  Does INVENTOR support this type of analysis?

 In South Texas there are no courses on Inventor, thus I am teaching myself.

Please email: mmalloy@davlin.net

Regards,

 Mike Malloy

Corpus Christi, Texas

Hi, Mike.  Welcome to the forums at MachineDesign.com, the Web home of Machine Design magazine.

I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with the Inventor software, but it appears that the Autodesk Inventor Simulation Suite might be what you're looking for. Autodesk has a whitepaper on their website that addresses how the Simulation Suite is used with Inventor to produce FEA-type results. Apparently the Simulation Suite imports the inventor file directly.

Autodesk Inventor Simulation Suite whitepaper link.

Mike,

There are two versions of Inventor that will allow you to do the type of analysis that you are looking for. The first, “Autodesk Inventor Simulation Suite” has both dynamic simulation and analysis tools which allow users to not only query the structural properties of their  designs, but also to analyze at a much higher level, the overall mechanical performance of an assembly.  The other version, “Autodesk Inventor Professional” is a bundle of both the Simulation Suite described above, and the Autodesk Inventor Routed Systems Suite which is a set of specialized tools for performing both Tube & Pipe as well as Cable & Wire Harness design.

I hope this helps!!

Jay Tedeschi

Sr. Solutions Evangelist

Autodesk, Manufacturing Solutions Division

Thanks guys for your comments.  Since my last posting, I have gotten AutoDesk INVENTOR FEA to work (version 2008 professional).

Now there are more questions. 

 It appears that the INVENTOR FEA is an abbreviated version of ANSYS?  Based on my conversation with schroff.com (book publisher) their books on ANSYS are not applicable to the INVENTOR version?  Is that so?

At present I would like to find a book on  Dynamic Simulation/FEA of INVENTOR, that provides the reader a step by step methodology for developing their skill with INVENTOR FEA.  I don't know that that book exist?

Any further suggestions?

 Mike Malloy

f.malloy@sbcglobal.net 

Hello,

A am a CAD/CAm editor on Machine Design. I will refer your question to some people at Autodesk so keep on eye out here to see any answers.

Leslie Gordon

lgordon@penton.com

Q: It appears that the INVENTOR FEA is an abbreviated version of ANSYS?  Based on my conversation with schroff.com (book publisher) their books on ANSYS are not applicable to the INVENTOR version?  Is that so?

A: Autodesk Inventor incorporates FEA technology from Ansys for part level stress analysis.  Access to and control of the technology is effected through the Inventor UI.  This reader might want to check the on-line help rather than having to read a large text to get started with the product.  Having said that, the general principles – i.e. theory of finite element analysis should be the same so there may be some value in reading another text to gain an appreciation of FEA technology.

Q: At present I would like to find a book on  Dynamic Simulation/FEA of INVENTOR, that provides the reader a step by step methodology for developing their skill with INVENTOR FEA.  I don't know that that book exist?

A: Autodesk does have a book in the works on this topic, but it has not yet been released.

Hope that helps!

Leslie Gordon

lgordon@penton.com