ACP Inventor cheat sheet

Extrude requires a closed profile for a solid; open profiles produce surfaces only unless 'Match Shape' is used on an existing face.

Revolve axis must lie in the same plane as the profile; a profile crossing the axis creates a self-intersecting solid and fails.

Hole feature: 'To Next' terminates at the first face; 'Through All' passes through the entire part; 'Distance' uses a numeric depth.

Fillet constant radius: edge selection order does not affect result; variable-radius fillet requires a radius value at each point along the edge.

Chamfer distance-distance requires two distances; distance-angle requires one distance and one angle; equal-distance is the default.

Shell removes a face and offsets remaining faces inward by a thickness; selecting no faces creates a hollow closed body.

Pattern types: rectangular, circular, mirror, sketch-driven; circular pattern axis can be an edge, work axis, or sketch line.

Loft requires two or more section profiles; rails or centerline constrain the shape between sections; 'Closed Loop' joins first and last sections.

Parameters: model parameters (d0, d1...) are consumed by features; user parameters are created in the Parameters dialog and can drive multiple dimensions.

Constraint types: Mate (flush/opposed), Angle, Tangent, Insert, Symmetry; each removes degrees of freedom (DOF) from the component.

A component with all six DOF removed is fully constrained; the status bar shows remaining DOF in the assembly browser.

Joint types (Joint command): Rigid, Rotational, Sliding, Cylindrical, Planar, Ball, Welding; joints replace legacy constraints for new assemblies.

Bill of Materials (BOM): structured, parts-only, and purchased lists derive from component properties; 'Default BOM Structure' is set per component.

Subassemblies can be set to Flexible to allow movement of their components within the parent assembly; rigid subassemblies move as one unit.

Interference check compares selected components; 'Analyze Interference' reports volume and can create a new part of the interference region.

Pattern components in assembly: rectangular, circular, mirror; 'Associative' pattern follows changes to the source component pattern.

Constraint limits: Mate constraint can include a maximum and minimum offset, enabling movement within a range.

Base view must be placed first; projected views derive from it; section views require a sketch line or existing view boundary.

Detail view: circular or rectangular boundary around a region; scale can be independent of the parent view; label uses the detail letter.

Auxiliary view is projected perpendicular to a selected edge or line; used to show inclined faces true size.

Break view removes a portion of a long part; 'Break Style' options include straight, jagged, and structural; gap size is set in the style.

Parts list is placed from a base view of an assembly; it reads the assembly BOM; item numbers can be renumbered or static.

Balloon: attaches to a component in a view; 'Attach Balloon to' can be a parts-list item; leader termination can be a dot, arrow, or none.

Dimension styles control arrowheads, text, and tolerances; overriding a dimension creates a 'dimension style override' shown in the browser.

Drawing resources: title blocks, borders, and sheet formats are stored in the drawing template; sheet size and orientation are set per sheet.

Sheet metal defaults: thickness, bend radius, and relief shape are set in the Sheet Metal Style; the style drives flat pattern generation.

Bend allowance formula: BA = (π/180) × A × (R + K × T), where A is bend angle in degrees, R is inside radius, K is K-factor, T is thickness.

K-factor is the neutral axis location ratio; a common default is 0.44 for soft materials; the value is stored in the sheet metal style.

Flat pattern is a derived representation; it exists only after the sheet metal feature is created; 'Create Flat Pattern' is a separate browser node.

Contour flange requires an open profile along an edge; it creates a flange of the sheet metal thickness following the profile.

Punch tool: iFeature or punch library; a punch creates a hole and a corresponding feature in the flat pattern.

Corner seam: closes a gap between two flanges; 'Corner Round' and 'Corner Chamfer' modify the seam edges.

Multi-body parts: each solid body has its own features; 'Make Components' converts bodies into assembly components with derived links.

Derived part: inserts a base part into a new part; 'Derive' can include or exclude specific bodies, features, and parameters.