Top 10 Reasons to Move from
AutoCAD to Autodesk Inventor 2008
® ®
Add the Power of 3D
with the Company
That Brought You 2D
Autodesk® Inventor™
software products are the
best choice for AutoCAD ®
software users who want to
add the power of 3D without
compromising investments in
2D design data and AutoCAD
technical expertise. The
Autodesk Inventor product
line provides a comprehensive
and integrated set of design
tools for 3D design and
documentation, creating
routed systems, and validating
designs. As the creators of
AutoCAD software, Autodesk
understands the design
process and created Inventor
to make the process of adding
3D as easy as possible.
Only Inventor lets users read
and write native DWG™ files
without translators, giving
AutoCAD users the freedom
to easily share and reuse both
AutoCAD DWG files and
3D design data with other
Autodesk® manufacturing
applications and their users.
It even includes powerful
data management software
and AutoCAD® Mechanical
software so designers always
have the latest version of
AutoCAD.
Create better products,
manage the design process,
and share data with the
extended design team with
Autodesk Inventor.
The best choice for
AutoCAD users.
™
1. DWG™ TrueConnect
Take advantage of the industry’s most DWG-compatible 3D design
software and stay ahead of the competition by adding the power of
3D with the company that brought you 2D. Only Inventor provides
direct read and write of DWG files without translators while
maintaining full associativity to the 3D design data.
Inventor drawings saved as DWG files provide view, plot, and
measure capability with exceptional visual fidelity for improved
sharing of manufacturing information. Save valuable time opening
AutoCAD designs in Inventor. DWG TrueConnect enables users to
combine views generated from 3D part and assembly designs with
AutoCAD data, such as schematics and plant layouts, and update
old 2D drawings by inserting views of new 3D designs to reduce the
cost of upgrading existing equipment.
2. Functional Design
With Inventor Software, engineers can focus on the functional
requirements of a design before committing to creating the model
geometry that supports the design intent. Inventor software
captures the functional requirements of a design to drive the
creation of 3D models, enabling engineers to build parts and
assemblies based on real-world design input, such as load, speed,
or power. With a workflow driven by functional design, engineers
can rapidly build digital prototypes that validate design functions
and catch errors before they reach the manufacturing floor. The
result: accelerated design cycles and higher-quality designs.
3. Automatic Drawing Views
Dramatically reduce drafting time by automatically creating
front, side, ISO, detail, section, and auxiliary views of parts
and assemblies from the model. Quickly annotate drawings
by retrieving the dimension information directly from the
design. Generate item numbers and part lists automatically,
and complete the drawing using a robust set of dimension,
annotation, and 2D symbols with full support for technical
drawing standards, including ANSI, BSI, DIN, GB, GOST, ISO,
and JIS.
4. Automatic Drawing Updates
Change it once, change it everywhere. Inventor associates
drawing views to the original components so a change made
to any part or assembly is automatically reflected in all
associated drawing sheets. For example, with the intuitive 3D
grips functionality designers can quickly make changes to a
model, and all related drawing views update automatically.
5. Digital Prototyping
Building physical prototypes is expensive and time consuming.
By creating a 3D model with Inventor, designers can create and
test a complete virtual prototype, helping to ensure that all parts
fit correctly before committing to manufacturing. Inventor also
includes tools to detect interference and other design errors,
reducing or eliminating the need for physical prototypes while
delivering better products at a reduced cost.
 6. Bill of Materials
Create automated and associative part lists and BOMs that are
specifically developed for manufacturing and that automatically
update as the design changes. Included is support for multiple parts
lists per drawing, collapsible assemblies, automatic recognition of
standard parts, and customizable options so features can be revised
to match current company practices. Change a design once and
updates ripple through the entire drawing to keep everyone on
schedule, reducing costly stops in production from incorrect part
counting, identification, and ordering. Export or link BOM data
to manufacturing resource planning (MRP), enterprise resource
planning (ERP), or data management systems such as Autodesk®
Productstream® software.

7. Technical Documentation
With drawing views users can quickly create assembly drawings
and exploded assembly views for use in training manuals and
manufacturing instructions. In the Inventor presentation
environment designers can easily create compelling animated
sequences for use in training videos, assembly instructions, and
sales presentations, helping them visually communicate their
design intent.

8. Pipe and Cable Routing

Autodesk® Inventor™ Professional software provides the power
to quickly and accurately add routed systems, tube and pipe runs,
or cables and wiring harnesses to 3D designs. Routed designs
automatically comply with user-defined design rules to reduce
errors and save time. And just as with all Inventor files, the
assembly drawings automatically update whenever the routing
model is modified.

9. Stress Analysis and Simulation

Create better quality parts and avoid field failures by using the
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) functionality in Autodesk Inventor
Professional to determine the stresses and deflections under load.
Use FEA to optimize part strength and reduce material costs without
compromising performance. 

The Dynamic Simulation functionality in Autodesk Inventor

Professional extends the benefit of your digital prototype enabling
you to predict the forces and accelerations experienced by each part
in the assembly under real world conditions with time-varying loads,
friction characteristics and dynamic components such as springs
and dampers.

10. State-of-the-Art Rendering

Autodesk® Inventor™ Studio provides state-of-art rendering
and animation tools within the Inventor design environment.
Use Inventor Studio to quickly and easily create high-quality
photorealistic renderings and animations that improve
communication with customers and other decision makers.

Now Is the Time

Now is the time to take a look at Autodesk Inventor software
and add the power of 3D at your own pace with the most trusted
resource for leveraging and safeguarding your DWG data. Inventor
is not only the leader in bringing innovative capabilities to the
manufacturing market, but is also the best-selling 3D design
software, having outsold all competitors six years running.

For more information about Autodesk Inventor, go to

www.autodesk.com/inventor. Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, DWG, Inventor and Productstream are registered trademarks or trade-
To locate the reseller nearest you, visit marks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks
belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any
www.autodesk.com/reseller. time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
©2007 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Digital Prototyping image courtesy of Prensa Jundiaí, Brazil