Sketch

    Don't create sketches on features. Use your work features instead.

    Look for opportunities to split your profiles over multiple sketches.

    Keep projected geometry to a minimun - use your named parameters and construction geometry to coordinate sketches.

    Use sketch blocks wherever possible

    Don't let Inventor over constrain your sketches

Pulling geometry with the derive tool

Workflow

    Create a new part

    Close and delete the default base sketch

    Click on the derive tool

    From the file open dialog, pick a part or assembly that you wish to derive from

    From the derived part dialog pick the solids, surfaces, 2D & 3D sketches, sketch blocks, work features or parameters that you want to derive into your new part

    Note that you can mirror the geometry as it comes in

    Hit OK to complete the process

Pushing geometry with the make part tool

Workflow

    Open your skeletal or multibody master part.

    Click on the make part tool.

    From the make part dialog pick the solids, surfaces, 2D & 3D sketches, sketch blocks, work features or parameters that you want to derive into your new part.

    Chose a part name, template, BOM structure and file location for your new part

    Note that you ccan derive geometry into an existing part.

    To optionally push your part out into an assembly, check the place in target assembly box

    Note that you can create a new assembly, or pick an existing assembly.

    Click on OK to complete the process.

Pushing out multiple derived parts with the make components tool

Workflow

    Open your multibody master part

    Check that your named parameters are available for export, save if necessary

    Click on the make component tool

    From the make components: selection dialog, pick the solids that you want to derive

    Optionally choose to derive your parts into an assembly

    Note that you cann derive your parts into an existing assembly

    Click the next button to move onto the make components: Bodies Dialog

    Note that you can go back to the Selection Dialog at any time with the <Return to selection> button

Top down: Skeletal modeling - Moving Assemblies

Workflow

    Plan your assembly.

    Add your known parameters.

    Create work planes and other work features as required.

    Create sketch blocks.

    Constrain sketch blocks and get your design functioning.

    Use the make components tool to derive your sketch blocks into an assembly.

    Add 3D features to the individual files at the part level.

Cons

    Working with just the geometry on its own is not very intuitive.

    Building the part models from derived geometry can be time consuming.

    Building the part models without context can mean lots of editing in the assembly model later.

Pros

    The derived parts are very lightweight.

    Assemblies can quickly be laid out in 2D to see how they function before time is invested in 3D modeling.

Top Down: Multibody - Design part

Workflow

    Plan your assembly.

    Add your known parameters.

    Create work planes and other work features as required.

    Create sketch blocks.

    Create the geometry you need to define your design.

    Model the 3D features, separating the features for each 'part' into solids.

    Use the make components tool to derive your solids into an assembly.

Cons

    Multibody design parts can quickly become huge, a structured approach is rquired.

    Parts derived from a multibody model can be large in file size.

    Assemblies containing lots of derived parts can take a lot of computing power to update.

Pros

    An intuitive design technique.

    Quick and easy to edit.

    No assembly constraints means no constraints to fail.

Don't create features or solids in your multibody design part that represent the same part in different locations. Instead use the same part in your assembly multiple times and constrain it into position.

Top Down: With iLogic - Library parts with parametric assemblies

Workflow

    Create an assembly containing names parameters.

    Create a part containing the same parameters.

    Place the part into the assembly.

    Map the parameter values using iLogic.

Cons

    You must design and maintain a library of templates.

    Your users must understand which templates to use.

    You must educate your users in iLogic, so they don't get thrown if it doesn't work.

Pros

    No linking means fast updates and small files.

    Suits building with library components.

    No need to 'unpick' relationships between parts should a model fail.

The Hybrid approach

Workflow

    Plan your assembly

    Add your known parameters

    Create work planes and other work features as required.

    Create Sketch blocks

    Create the geometry you need to define your design.

    Derive your Master skeletal model into multiple parts files.

    Each user models the 3D features for one area separating each part out as a solid.

    Bring together the Design models into a preview assembly for cross checking and clash detection.

    Each user uses the make components tool to derive the solids into sub-assemblies.

    Build the final assembly from the sub-assemblies.

Cons

    Your whole team needs to work in a structured and methodical manner.

Pros

    The workload can be shared across the whole department.