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Autodesk Inventor - A SOLID solid modeler
March 26, 2020

Autodesk Inventor - A SOLID solid modeler

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Autodesk Inventor

We leverage Autodesk Inventor for mechanical product design. Not only does it function as our primary CAD software, but it saves time and money by automating many of our design tasks. The included FEA and shape generation tools further enhance our design capabilities by giving designers direct access to simulation without swapping to a new software.
  • Automation using iLogic
  • Weldments using the frame generator
  • FEA and dynamic simulations
  • 2D documentation
  • Rendering
  • Exploded views
  • Mesh integration
  • MBD
  • iLogic has enabled rapid design changes and model automation that save us time and money
  • Cross-platform compatibility with other Autodesk products (e.g., CFD) keeps us in a single ecosystem with a single software vendor.
  • Included data management tools save us from chasing files or components around and prevent data loss.
When it comes to solid modeling, the bad choices died out years ago. So we looked at the total ecosystem and chose Autodesk Inventor because of the integration with Nastran, HSM (machining), Autodesk CFD, MoldFlow, and AutoCAD. This means our legacy data (2D) is still a valid part of our design methodologies going forward, and we have the full breadth of engineering tools at our disposal. Other solutions in this space have similar offerings but not nearly as potent of a portfolio in total. It's worth saying that we do not consider Inventor in the same space as CATIA or NX, but that the entire Autodesk portfolio (e.g. Alias, PowerMill, etc) includes a total toolset that exceeds these industry giants.
Autodesk support is great, but phone support is hard to come by unless you're using a reseller with independent application engineers. Email support and the public forums are fantastic though.

Do you think Autodesk Inventor delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Autodesk Inventor's feature set?

Yes

Did Autodesk Inventor live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Autodesk Inventor go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Autodesk Inventor again?

Yes

For general design, Autodesk Inventor is a top-tier solution. The solid modeling tools are strong and the 2D documentation tools are second to none. Being from the same company that pioneered AutoCAD, this isn't surprising. The creation of non-engineering documentation like renders and videos leaves something to be desired, though. The render engine is antiquated and the materials system is rather inflexible. For photorealism or high-quality video, look to other tools.