CAD, or Computer Aided Design, is the use of computer software or systems to design parts and models. Autodesk Inventor®  is a CAD software system used for 3D mechanical design, producing, validating, and documenting digital prototypes to design mechanical parts or structures. We begin our tutorial series on Autodesk Inventor with an introduction to CAD and Inventor. Please visit us www.STEAMism.com to learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts (& Design) and Mathematics.

1. Autodesk Inventor
Tutorial Series
presents
Lesson 1 - Introduction to CAD
and Autodesk Inventor

2. CAD, or Computer Aided Design, is the use of computer software or systems to design
parts and models.
It is widely used in the engineering industry to produce designs and models for
mechanical parts and structures. Engineers and designers use CAD software throughout
the engineering process.
What is CAD?
By Thorsten Hartmann (Own work) [GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.0
de (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/2.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons
By Freeformer [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or
CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)],
via Wikimedia Commons

3. Why do we need CAD?
Historically, engineers and designers used manual
drafting or drawing techniques to create a blueprints or
visual designs for a part or system to be manufactured.
• These drawings are extremely detailed and highly
trained professionals like architects and drafters
with an eye for detail would work on these designs
for an extended period of time to be able to produce
the right specifications for design.
• As mechanical systems and structures got more
complex, it was harder to find skilled drafters and
the design process took a long time, delaying
production of parts and structures.
• If mistakes were identified, or changes needed to be
made, the entire drawing had to be drafted all over
again.
By bls.gov [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

4. Why do we need CAD?
Advantages of CAD
•Computer Aided Design or CAD software gives us the ability to design the same
parts and structures with the quality, accuracy and precision that is required for
engineering and manufacturing.
•The production process becomes faster as design can be completed on software.
•Changes can be made easily on designs and mistakes can be fixed quickly.
•Designers and engineers can work together to design parts and divide parts of
system design among themselves.
•They can also reuse elements from previous designs.

5. What is Autodesk Inventor?
Autodesk Inventor® is a CAD software system used for 3D mechanical
design, producing, validating, and documenting digital prototypes to design
mechanical parts or structures.
As a digital prototyping tool, it allows you to build parts like a single gear, or parts
of an engine, and then put them together and test how the entire system would fit
together and function before you manufacture any actual parts.
Autodesk Inventor workflow
There are three major steps in using Autodesk Inventor to design your parts:
• building parts,
• assembling parts, and
• documenting your designs with drawings.

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