What’s the difference between Inventor iLogic and Inventor Fusion, and Inventor itself (Inventor Professional and Inventor LT)
by Video-Tutorials.net– July 5, 2013
Just in reply to a couple questions I’ve had from customers about what is the difference between the various Inventor products… there’s Inventor Professional, Inventor Fusion, Inventor iLogic, Inventor LT and more. And uh, we have Inventor tutorials for all these products!
In a nutshell, it works like this: Inventor Professional is the full version of the 3D CAD parametric software modeller by AutoDesk. This is the package you get for the fullest functionality, and this is the package that is the peer of SolidWorks. Inventor LT is less expensive, and is a “light” Inventor, without the full functionality of Inventor Professional. Inventor Fusion is not stand-alone software. Also, it comes bundled with many other AutoDesk products like Inventor and AutoCAD. (Yep, we also have Inventor tutorials and AutoCAD tutorials at www.video-tutorials.net.) Inventor iLogic is a scripting utility within Inventor that you can use to create, for example, custom controls for your interface. It is Inventor’s VBA or application programming interface. Inventor iLogic is for advanced Inventor users; the rest don’t really need to create custom controls for the software interface, which works just fine as is for most of us.
Thus if you already use Inventor Professional, you don’t need to learn Fusion. While Fusion is a 3D CAD parametric modeller (meaning you create your models and fix them in space with relationships and geometry so they can be manufactured accurately), it doesn’t have any tools for animation or simulation. It works best with static models, not, for example, big assemblies. But Fusion is useful in one particular capacity: if you are importing files from other 3D CAD modelers, like SolidWorks and CATIA, you can bring them in history free. You don’t need to convert to any native format, which normally causes some interpretation problems that are frustrating to fix. Fusion opens AutoCAD drawings, SolidWorks files, CATIA files, as well as Inventor parts and assemblies, and more. Fusion opens these files without conversion and lets you get right to work.
Keep in mind that Fusion only exports to .dwg, not to the native file formats of the other CAD modellers, but all the other CAD programs can import .dwg files, so it’s a manageable limitation. If you buy AutoCAD, it comes with Inventor Fusion, so in my humble opinion, this is where Fusion can be most useful. AutoCAD works well for direct modeling of your geometry, but when you need to make it all work in 3D, it’s more cumbersome and less accurate. In fact, if you are accustomed to any of the other major 3D modelers, you will be annoyed using AutoCAD for any 3D work; it takes that many more steps to get something simple done. But when you take your work from 2D AutoCAD to 3D Fusion, you end up with the smooth 3D functionality of the major programs.
Are you wondering if you should get Fusion or Inventor LT? IMHO Fusion is not as dynamic as LT. Sometimes when you modify your sketch in Fusion, the solid doesn’t update. In fact, the sketch might disassociate instead. So there can be some extra steps to make sure the work gets done. Also, Inventor Fusion has fewer menu choices than Inventor LT. The interface looks pretty similar, but there are just fewer options and tools. You may be able to still get the job done, but it just might take you quite a bit longer, or might require more planning on how to execute.
Are you working with complex assemblies? Do you require animation of your assemblies for presenting to clients or colleagues? Then, Inventor Fusion is not for you. But, if your company is an AutoCAD diehard and you need some 3D flexibility, Inventor Fusion might be just what you need.
I hope this helps!
So, the playlists for our AutoDesk Inventor Tutorials are listed below. (10% discount with coupon code “youtube.” Pardon my saying it, but my complete Inventor tutorial library is your best deal. :)
Inventor 2013 Tutorials What’s New Playlist
Inventor 2013 Studio Tutorials Playlist
Inventor iLogic Tutorials Playlist
Inventor 2013 Tutorials Playlist
Inventor Fusion Tutorials Playlist
Misc. Inventor Video Tutorials – Playlist
Rosanna D, Video-Tutorials.Net