msmaxwellMon Jul 18, 2011 1:46 pmTo new users it's important to note a general rule of thumb ... at least one sketch per feature. When I was first learning Inventor it took me several days to realize this. I drew the entire front, top, or side view every time I made a sketch ... That got time consuming & confusing. A co-worker pointed out the 'one sketch' per feature rule of thumb & I was off to the races.
Think about only sketching what's in the feature. Think about whether things like a chamfer or fillet should should be a feature or part of the sketch.
Of course there are exceptions to the rule ... no sketch is strictly required to make hole features ... some, like loft or sweep, require two or more sketches. But if you do not realize the one sketch per feature rule of thumb you will be quite lost.
Thank you for providing this great tip and describing your experiences learning Inventor. You are spot on that sketches should be simple and multiple features are used to build your part. Fillet and chamfer are excellent examples of this.
This type of feedback and experience is what we are hoping to uncover with the WikiHelp. Thanks again!
Patrick Miller
Subject Matter Expert\Technical Writer
Autodesk MFG Learning Experience
ccen3Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:12 amNew user here. It's not clear to me what you mean by "one sketch per feature". It seems to me that there are many "features" on the bracket in the part in this video. I see only one "sketch" (sketch2) in the model menu. I don't understand what "sketch2" stands for, as I have been seeing lots of "sketches" listed in the model menu on other tutorials. I also can't figure out how to choose the x-y, y-z, or x-z planes. Saw a video on how to do it in 2011, but 2012 is completely different, and don't know how to confine my lines to a particular plane. I'm sure it will become clear in the coming days, but confused right now on relationship between "sketches" and "workplanes".
The principal behind "one sketch per feature" is to keep it simple and not make the sketches overly complicated.
There are two types of features; sketched features and placed features. Placed features require an existing solid body. For example filleting an edge creates a placed feature. There are two sketched features in this video - the extruded box, and the side profile. The video ends before the side profile is extruded into a solid feature. Sketches are typically consumed by the feature you create and appear under the parent in the browser.
Regarding the choice of sketch planes, most users use the default XY plane. Because a part can be oriented however you like when you put the parts together in an assembly, you don't really need to worry about choosing the correct plane to start. You can also define Top and Front using the view cube regardless of the original sketch plane.
Check out the tutorials for hands on examples.
http://wikihelp.autodesk.com/Inventor/enu/2012/Help/2144-Tutorial2144/2145-Inventor2145/2221-Parts_12221
Cheers,
Paul Normand (autodesk)
ccen3Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:54 amThanks, Paul.
I figured it out after watching the video several times, and noticing what was happening inside the Model menu as the video progressed, so I now know what the sketches represent. I see now that they are converted from sketches into extrusions once they've been given depth. I also figured out how to manipulate and use the various workplanes from the previous video.