Inventor is a design program that allows you to create 3D objects on a computer. Once you have made them on Inventor you can either share your ideas or 3D print a interesting design of your choice. In our scenario we used inventor to create a small widget, but you can use inventor to make designs of buildings, bridges, and many more.
Inventor process:
First, you would need to select the "XY" plne for the 2D image.
Second, you need to start a 2D sketch, then select the line tool and create the outline of your figure. This does not need to be exact, just a rough estimate.
Third, select the dimension tool and make all the sides of the figure equal.
Lastly, finish your 2D sketch, then extrude it to the given length.
6 Widgets:
Final print:
Overall thoughts:
Overall, I have learned that using Inventor and creating a 3D print is not very difficult as long as it is a simple design. Knowing how to use a 3D design software will be useful for the future if I decide to go into computer design. Also, I thought that 3D items printed fast, similar the the vinyl cutter, but the 3D printer took about 20 minutes to create a one inch cube. lastly, I learned that it matters what side you print it on. If you print on a side that has gaps that need to be printed over then the machine tries its best but it usually makes it rough on the underside of the open gap being printed over.