AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite 2012
The AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite includes both Autodesk Inventor LT and AutoCAD LT software, helping make it more practical and affordable for mechanical design professionals to start adding the productivity benefits of 3D, participate in Digital Prototyping workflows and compete more effectively. Inventor LT offers powerful part-level 3D parametric modeling, multi-CAD translation capabilities, automated DWG drawing views and other capabilities found in Autodesk Inventor. Inventor LT is interoperable with the included version of AutoCAD LT, one of the world's top 2D drafting and detailing software, so manufacturers can still work confidently with real DWG data and help boost their 2D productivity.
Model part designs in 3D instead of simply drawing them in 2D.
Model Your Part Designs in 3D
With parametric 3D solid part modeling in Autodesk Inventor LT software, you can model your part designs in 3D instead of simply drawing them in 2D.
Autodesk Inventor LT is also sold as part of the AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite, which includes AutoCAD LT software. By turning to Inventor LT, you get many of the capabilities found in Autodesk Inventor software, including part-level 3D modeling, multi-CAD translation, and automated DWG drawing views. Interoperability with AutoCAD LT lets you continue to work with real DWG data.
3D models enable you to visualize, validate, and improve your design concepts to make good design decisions before you spend time, money, and effort on physical prototypes, tooling, and manufacturing. This helps you reduce the amount of rework and bring higher quality products to market faster and more profitably.
And since Inventor LT software uses the exact same part file format as the full version of Autodesk Inventor software, you can enter the world of 3D with Inventor LT knowing you have a scalable path to the benefits of Digital Prototyping if your design and business challenges ever call for a higher level of software capability.
3D Part Modeling
With Inventor LT software, you can easily visualize even the most complex of part designs, eliminating the guesswork of interpreting 2D drawings.
Sketching: Evaluate design ideas as versatile 2D layouts before you create detailed part models. With Inventor LT, you use 2D sketching tools that include parametric capabilities to modify sketches. As you try different concepts, clearly convey your ideas by controlling color and line style.
3D Modeling: Allows you to extrude, revolve, or sweep your 2D sketches into 3D models. Add holes, fillets, chamfers, patterns, and more to complete your 3D part designs. Advanced shape description and surfacing tools include Loft to a Point, N-Sided Patch, Sweep Normal to Surface, Centerline Loft, G2 Continuous Fillets, Full Round Fillets, Face-to-Face Fillets, and many more complex part modeling capabilities.
Direct Manipulation Part Modeling: Inventor LT employs the principles of direct manipulation to make fundamental improvements to the mechanical design process. Direct manipulation offers an uninterrupted workflow that not only helps to accelerate design, but also fosters greater creativity.
With direct manipulation, all of the input needed for a command (radius, angle, dimensions, and so on) can be controlled right at the point where you are directly affecting geometry. By optimizing the command interaction, direct manipulation allows you to focus on your design, rather than the software. With fewer distracting dialog boxes and less mouse travel, you can enjoy a faster, more intuitive design experience.
iParts: Save time by using one basic design to define and document entire part families. With table-driven part configurations--iParts--you define part variables in a spreadsheet to configure part families.
Physical Properties: Make better decisions by automatically calculating real-world properties during the design process. With Inventor LT software, your 3D part models carry physical property detail, such as center of gravity, material type, density, color, and texture.
Quickly create drawings by calling out specific drawing views.
Automatic drawing updates for faster results and reduced errors.
Automated Drawings
Use Autodesk Inventor LT software to deliver accurate, standards-compliant manufacturing drawings faster than ever before.
Automatic Drawing Views
Create drawings dramatically faster by calling out specific drawing views, including front, side, ISO, detail, section, and auxiliary views. Inventor LT projects the geometry for you. Timesaving options include: automatic retrieval of dimension data from the 3D model; automatic arrangement of dimensions; and a robust palette of dimension, annotation, and 2D symbols for faster, more flexible completion of the drawing set.
Automatic Drawing Updates
Gain speed, reduce errors, and help eliminate the need for manual updates when something changes. Inventor LT associates drawing views with the original components, so any change to a part model is automatically reflected in the drawing.
Standards and Styles
Make your drawings automatically comply with industry and corporate standards and formatting styles. The Drawing Manager tool supports international technical drawing standards, including GB, JIS, BSI, ISO, DIN, ANSI, and ESKD. You can easily define, store, and apply a common set of styles or preferred formatting characteristics.
DWG Integration
Autodesk Inventor LT software makes it easy for AutoCAD LT software users to realize the benefits of 3D by delivering an industry-leading integration of 2D and 3D design.
DWG Save: Directly save Inventor LT drawings as DWG files. These DWG files have exceptional visual fidelity and associativity with the parent 3D models, so you can view, plot, and measure design elements in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical, and AutoCAD LT software.
DWG Open: Easily access existing 2D design data without needing to use AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical, or AutoCAD LT. With Inventor LT software, you can open, view, plot, and measure DWG drawings directly.
Copy and Paste from AutoCAD: Speed up your 3D part design process by reusing existing 2D data in new designs. Simply copy and paste 2D design data into your 3D designs.
AutoCAD Blocks from Inventor LT Views: Incorporate views of new 3D part designs created with Inventor LT into existing DWG assembly drawings. You can generate AutoCAD blocks from Inventor LT drawing views, and then integrate the new drawing views directly into your original 2D drawings.
DWG Block Browser: Save time reusing data from AutoCAD software. Browse for various blocks in DWG files and precisely insert them into an Inventor drawing without ever needing to open the AutoCAD drawing.
Inventor LT-AutoCAD LT Interoperability: Inventor LT software allows you to leverage your AutoCAD expertise and your investments in 2D design data. Seamless DWG interoperability lets you simply copy and paste your existing 2D design data into Inventor LT as an accurate starting point for your new 3D designs.
Design Communication and Multi-CAD Collaboration
Use Inventor LT software to accurately exchange data between common CAD file formats used by you and others, improving your communication and collaboration with suppliers, stakeholders, and customers.
Native Translators: Streamline projects that require sending or receiving files from vendors or customers in native formats. Exchange part-level data between Inventor LT software and CATIA V5, NX, SolidWorks, and Pro/ENGINEER systems. Inventor LT supports direct import and export of CATIA V5, Parasolid, GRANITE, and SAT part files. You can also open, import, place, or drag and drop CATIA V4, CRG, NX, SolidWorks, and Pro/E part files.
STEP/IGES: Meet supplier and customer needs by sharing and reusing 3D design data between common 3D CAD and CAM systems. With Inventor LT, you can read and write part-level design and drawing data using industry-standard formats while maintaining data accuracy.
BIM Exchange: Enhance service to your customers by providing 3D models ready for use in their building designs. The Building Information Modeling (BIM) Exchange tool creates and publishes simplified 3D representations, intelligent connection points, and additional information in the new ADSK (Autodesk Exchange File) format for use with AutoCAD MEP, AutoCAD Architecture, and Revit software.
DWF Publishing and Design Review: Increase design review efficiency and streamline collaboration between your organization, suppliers, and customers. Securely publish and share detail-rich DWF files that can contain both 2D and 3D designs. Reviewers can easily view and mark up the files. Then overlay DWF markups directly onto your Inventor LT designs to quickly apply requested changes to the 3D model.
Even More Publishing Formats: Share product information with partners and customers who need to include your designs in their projects. Publish Inventor LT drawings as PDF files and 3D part models in SAT or JT formats. You can also create stereolithography (STL) files for output to 3D printing machines.
Top 5 Reasons to Move from AutoCAD LT to AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite
1. Design parts faster and better using 3D.
Designing complex geometry in 2D can be difficult and error-prone. When you model your part designs in 3D instead of drafting them in 2D, you can increase your productivity and reduce design errors. With Inventor LT, you can easily visualize even the most complex of part designs, eliminating the guesswork of interpreting 2D drawings. And because the 3D model you create in Inventor LT is an accurate digital prototype, you can validate your designs before you cut metal, saving hours of expensive rework and scrap.
Model part designs in 3D.
2. Create and update production DWG drawings faster.
Modeling your parts in 3D with Inventor LT enables you to create production-ready drawings faster than manually drafting them in 2D. The automated view creation and dimensioning tools in Autodesk Inventor LT let you quickly produce a full set of detailed DWG drawings. With Inventor LT, maintaining an accurate set of drawings is easy, because all of your drawing views update automatically whenever you change the 3D part model.
Quickly produce a full set of detailed DWG drawings.
3. Work with 3D data from customers and suppliers.
In today's competitive marketplace, 3D is a necessity. Manufacturers need to accept and provide 3D models as well as 2D drawings. Inventor LT gives you the ability to import and export 3D part models in common file formats without relying on expensive file translation software. With Inventor LT, you can easily share 3D design data with customers and suppliers, improving communication with your extended supply chain.
Import and export 3D design data in common file formats.
4. Reuse your AutoCAD LT data to start designing in 3D.
AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite lets you choose the right tool for the job. Seamless DWG interoperability lets you simply copy and paste your existing 2D design data into Inventor LT as an accurate starting point for your new 3D designs. Inventor LT software allows you to leverage your AutoCAD expertise and your investments in 2D design data.
Use existing 2D design data to start designing in 3D.
5. Boost your 2D productivity with the latest version of AutoCAD LT.
The AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite is the most cost-effective way to maintain and improve your current 2D productivity while introducing the benefits of 3D gradually. AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite includes the latest release of AutoCAD LT that you already depend on, plus Inventor LT--all at a remarkable value. So, you can start adding the power of 3D at a risk-free pace that's right for you and your organization.
Design Visualization
Inventor LT software provides state-of-the-art visualization capabilities to provide stunning representations of designs to improve design communication with partners in the design process.
Realistic Rendering at All Times: With high-quality shading, lighting, and material properties in the default work environment, Inventor LT helps you better conceptualize designs with the ability to view a realistic representation of your design at all times.
Preset Visual Styles: Inventor LT helps to evaluate and share designs by allowing engineers to optimize the display style of their 3D models to suit the particular task. In addition to the default rendering mode, Inventor LT provides one-button access to a variety of preset visual representations of your designs, including wireframe, shaded surfaces, hidden line removal, photorealistic, and illustration modes.
High-Quality Visual Materials: The extensive library of visual materials in Inventor LT enables users to display accurate and stunning representations of their products. High-resolution textures for downstream rendering means that designers can share higher quality images with management and customers.
Visual Fidelity across Products: Visual and material designations made in Inventor LT will carry forward to other Autodesk applications. In particular, lighting and material selections made in Inventor LT will transfer seamlessly to Autodesk Showcase and Autodesk 3ds Max Design for further development of marketing imagery. Visual fidelity will also be maintained when transferring Inventor data to Autodesk building design products, including Revit and AutoCAD products.
