Autodesk Inventor Supplemental Study Guide

Certified User Concept Review

By Peter Moutzalias
MIAT
 [1.0 – Introduction]

The information contained in this document is meant to help

the reader, who ideally has a basic understanding of AutoCAD
software, to further their mastery of Inventor in a classroom
and professional environment. By the end of this document,
the reader should be familiar with the expectations they will be
met with on the Autodesk Certified User (Inventor)
examination, and will be able to use the contents included to
supplement their learning / mastery of Inventor at a basic level.

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE AN ALL PURPOSE STUDY GUIDE –

RATHER, AN AID TO ONE.

NOT INCLUDED is the installation and configuration of AutoCAD

Inventor or any associated softwares.

AT ANY TIME; Select the section’s header to return to the table

of contents.
 [1.1 – Table of Contents]

|1.0 – Introduction

|1.1 – Table of Contents

|1.2 – Certified User Expectations

|2.0 – User Interface and Navigation

|2.1 – Understand Inventor file types and standard templates

|2.2 - ViewCube

|3.0 – Browser Editing

|3.1 – Reorder/Delete Features

|3.2 – Other Browser Functions

|4.0 – Sketching

|4.1 - Parameters

|4.2 – Dimension Types

|4.3 – Sharing Sketches

|4.4 – Sketch Constraints

|4.5 – Project Geometry

|5.0 – Part Modeling

|5.1 – Fillets & Chamfers

|5.2 - Extrusions

|5.3 - Patterns

|5.4 - Ribs

|5.5 - Shell

|5.6 - Holes

|6.0 - Drawing

|6.1 – Sheet Size / Title Block

|6.2 – View Types / Use & Place Front View

|6.3 – Create a View from an Existing View

|6.4 – Annotating and Dimensioning a Drawing View

|6.5 – Add Sheets to a Drawing

|6.6 – Create a Drawing View on an Assembly

|6.7 – Add Balloons

|6.8 – Parts List

|7.0 – Assembly Modeling

|7.1 – Assembly Constraints

|7.2 – Ground Base Component

|7.3 – Apply an Offset to Constrained Parts

|7.4 – Degrees of Freedom

|7.5 – Create a Presentation Model

|8.0 – Test Taking Strategies

|8.1 – Challenges / Additional Work

 [1.2 – Certified User Expectations]

As an Autodesk Certified User for Inventor, the following skillset will be

expected of you (Certiport, 2020);

This document will cover, briefly, each of the sections listed in a

structured manner.
 [2.0 – User Interface and Navigation]

In this section, we will discuss topics relating to User Interface and

Navigation; This will include identifying different file types commonly
used in inventor as well as using the ViewCube to change the current
and default views and view settings.
 [2.1 – Inventor File Types & Templates]

Inventor has a few different file types that each serve different
purposes; As well as a selection of templates for these different file
types. You should become comfortable with identifying these file types
based off of their extension (.iam, .ipt, etc). If at any time during your
ACU examination you should forget these file types – you can always
open a new file to get to the following window for reference;

By default, Inventor uses four main file types that each have a varying
number of templates. While preparing for your ACU Examination, we
should only need to use the Standard template for new creations.
 The four types of files Inventor uses are as follows;

• Part (.ipt)
o Parts, in inventor, are files containing a single item or creation
(Pochimcherla, 2020). By default, Inventor contains a Sheet
Metal and Standard template.
• Assembly (.iam)
o Assemblies, in inventor, can be thought of as a collection of
parts that are assembled together by constraining the parts
to one another. By default, Inventor contains a Weldment
and Standard template.
• Drawing (.dwg, .idw)
o Drawings, in Inventor, are files that we can use to annotate
and document our models we create. (Pochimcherla,2020)
Drawings allow us to create different types of views and
implement customizable sheets.
o Drawing files have three default templates within Inventor –
[Link], [Link], and [Link].
▪ Drawing files with the .dwg extension are those native
to Autodesk AutoCAD. We will not be using these files
very much.
▪ Drawing files with the .idw extension are those native
to Autodesk Inventor. When using and creating
drawings, we will primarily be using drawing files of this
type.
• Presentation (.ipn)
o Presentations in Inventor are files used to create exploded
projections of assemblies in a presentable manner. By
default, presentations have the Standard template.
 [2.2 – ViewCube]

Whether modeling a part, constraining an assembly, or placing views of

different orientations on a drawing, one of the first things you will need
to acquaint yourself with to become proficient with Inventor is the
manipulation of the ViewCube. When creating a part or assembly, your
ViewCube should be in the top right; It should look something like this.

You will notice there are multiple faces on this cube; These are what we
will refer to as ViewPoints, or the orientation from which we choose to
view our model. To change the viewpoint, you can either use the orbit
tool found on the taskbar below the cube –

Or you can manually click the viewpoints on the viewcube, which may
require navigation of the cube. For the Certified User Examination, you
should be prepared to change the settings of the ViewCube. Right
clicking the cube should produce a drop down menu with which to
change these settings; Particularly, changing the home view will be
important, as well as changing which position the current view
represents on the Cube (Front, Back, etc.).
 • We should be familiar with the differentiation between Isometric
and Orthographic view representations.
o Isometric views show an object from one angle; We should
see a 3 dimensional representation of the object for these
views.
o Orthographic views should show a 2 dimensional
representation of an object; These views are most
commonly used for annotative purposes.

Challenge
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Create a circular sketch on the origin of the XY plane. Finish your
sketch, and select the bottom viewpoint on your ViewCube. Reset
the Front, and set the bottom view as the front.
 [3.0 – Browser Editing]

In this section, we will discuss the features we should know for

Browser Editing -

Reordering features and deleting features. While these skills are listed,
we should also be comfortable editing feature properties through
usage of the model browser. But before we move on, what is our model
browser? By default, on the left side of an inventor project, you will
have a tray under a “Model” panel with all of the 2D and 3D features
used to create a part, assembly, or drawing. It will look like this.
 [3.1 – Reorder/Delete Features]

Using our browser, we can easily reorder and delete features. Consider
the following Model Browser;

• To REORDER a feature, let’s say we wanted to shell our object

before implementing our hole. All we would do to reorder these
features is left click and drag Shell1 directly ABOVE Hole1.

• To DELETE a feature, let’s say we don’t like the way our shell
looks. We would right click Shell1, and navigate the drop down
menu until we find delete. Left click delete, and this feature is
now deleted.
 [3.2 – Other Browser Functions]

When taking the ACU Exam, you may encounter other browser specific
features and notation that you will be required to utilize. Such
functions include, but may not be limited to:

• Suppressing Features – In Inventor, suppressing a feature will

cause it to revert back to the state it was in before the
modification was made. If you shelled a part, for instance,
suppressing the shell would cause the model to appear as it was
without the shell. Features dependent on the shell, in this
example, would also be suppressed; A feature suppressed in the
model browser will appear grayed out with a line through it, in
the following manner.

o To suppress a feature, right click it in the browser and click

suppress. To unsuppress them, right click and select
unsuppress feature.

• Certain features, such as sketches or planes, have the option to

have their visibility toggled. As an example, if you wanted to
toggle the visibility on the XY plane, you would go to its location in
the Browser under “Origin”, right click the plane, and left click
Visibility. This would make the plane visible until toggled off.
o A feature that is not visible in the browser will appear gray;
Consider the following picture. Which features are visible,
and which are not?

Here, the XY Plane and Z Axis are visible –

the other planes and axes all have visibility
toggled off.
 [4.0 – Sketching]
In this section, topics included in the sketching portion of the ACU will
be discussed.

This will include :

• Assigning, creating, and identifying parameters; Learning about
Numeric User Parameters;
• Identifying and differentiating between driven and driving
dimensions;
• Sharing sketches to be used in new sketches, without altering the
existing shared sketch;
• Using, applying, and identifying sketch constraints;
• Using project geometry
 [4.1 – Parameters]

In Inventor, we use what’s called Parameters to define the dimensions

of lines, geometry, and objects. We will primarily be assigning,
identifying and changing parameters for the purposes of our exam. For
starters, we have 2 types of parameters;

• Model Parameters – These can be thought of as those parameters

that define nominal values of dimensions that exist and constrain
the lines, geometry and model itself within our part or assembly.

• User Parameter – User Parameters are those parameters that do

not exist on a model. They are defined to be used as part of
practical model parameters; Essentially, they just provide numeric
values that can be used in equations for model parameters or
other user parameters.
To access parameters, we can pull up our parameter table, in the
following manner;
 By first clicking “manage,” labeled 1 in red, you can then access the
“Parameters” tool, labeled 2 in green. This pulls up the table pictured
above, where you can view, identify, and manage parameters.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to identify a specific line or object’s
parameter, you can activate the sketch they’re on and double click the
dimension whose parameter you’d like to manage and obtain its name
and respective information.
 [4.2 – Dimension Types]

For dimension types, you should be comfortable differentiating

between driven and driving dimensions.

• Driving dimensions are those dimensions controlling other

dimensions’ values.
• Driven dimensions are those being controlled by the driving
dimensions.
 [4.3 – Sharing Sketches]

• In inventor, you can reuse sketches after they have been

consumed by sharing the sketches. This can let you cut or join an
extrusion using a sketch that’s been previously consumed with its
same original profile, and you can do this as many times as
necessary.

• In order to share a sketch and reuse it, all you need to do is find
the location in the model browser where the sketch was
consumed, most likely an extrusion, and right click the consumed
sketch; Share sketch should be an option in the drop down menu
thereafter. Once shared, the sketch will be visible on your model
once again and reusable;

• To stop sharing the sketch, find the unconsumed, shared sketch in

the model browser, likely under origin, and right click to bring up
the drop down menu and unshare.
 [4.4 – Sketch Constraints]

On your ACU exam, you will likely have at least one or two
questions asking you to apply constraints to geometries within a sketch.
You should practice applying and understanding the following sketch
constraints;

• Coincidental Constraint: This is a constraint that will first let

you select a point on one geometry, and constrain it relative to
another selected point on another geometry.

• Horizontal Constraint: This is a constraint that will cause the

selected line to run parallel to the X axis on the sketch coordinate
system.

• Vertical Constraint: This is a constraint that will cause the

selected line to run parallel to the Y axis on the sketch coordinate
system.

• Concentric Constraint: This is a constraint that will cause two

arcs, circles or ellipses on a sketch to have the same center points.

• Collinear Constraint: This is a constraint, that when used, will

cause two lines or ellipse axes to lie on the same plane.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE is that you need to be comfortable with
identifying WHICH constraints need to be applied in a situation. You will
become comfortable with this as you -PRACTICE-!
 [4.5 – Project Geometry]

Project Geometry is a tool that, when sketching on a plane, will let you
project geometry from a different plane onto the current work plane. In doing so,
this will NOT delete the projected feature. Let’s go through a new sketch to create
a simple loft.

• IN MILLIMETERS:
▪ Start a new part
▪ Start a 2D sketch on the XY plane
▪ Create two circles concentric with the origin
of the XY plane; One with a 10 mm
diameter, one with a 25 mm diameter
▪ Finish Sketch
▪ Under Work Features, click the drop down
on Plane. Offset from plane.
▪ When you’ve selected Offset from Plane:
Under Origin in the Model Browser, select
the XY plane.
▪ Enter a value of either 20 or -20 mm.
▪ Start a 2D sketch on the new work plane.
▪ Once the sketch has started on the XY
plane, under the Create ribbon, select
Project Geometry.
▪ Left click the larger of the two circles. Finish
Sketch. Orbit to ensure the larger of the
circle exists on the newly created work
plane.
▪ Using the model browser, activate the
sketch with your original circles. Delete the
larger of the two. Finish Sketch.
 ▪ You should now have one small circle and
one large circle offset from each other by
20 mm. Under the 3D model tab, under
create, select Loft.
▪ Select the two circles. Select ok.
▪ You should have the following part;

To make sure we created the part properly, we will verify its

volume. Right click the Part1 tab at the bottom of the window. On the
new window, select the tab to the right labeled “Physical.” Click
Update. The volume should read as follows;

5105.088 mm3

Precision is important for the ACU exam. Your value should be

exactly the same. If not, redo the problem.
 [5.0 – Part Modeling]

In this section, the tools necessary for 3D part modeling will be

discussed; Such tools include –

• Usage and differentiation of fillets and chamfers

• Pattern tools (Circular, Rectangular, Mirror)
• Ribs
• Shells
• Extrusion
• Holes
• Creation of Parts
 [5.1 – Fillets & Chamfers]

Two distinct features that we will use rather frequently are the fillet
and chamfer tools. While similar in what they accomplish, they are
structurally very different.
• A fillet will round off an edge or face as selected and designated
by the user.

• A chamfer will create a slanted, cut-off edge with an angle.

 Let’s review applying the tools, as well;

• In inventor, open a new part file.

• Start a 2D sketch on the XY Plane.
• Create a 20 by 20 rectangle (Millimeters.) Finish the sketch and
extrude the block by 20 mm.
• Under “Modify,” first select chamfer.
• Select two of the corners. Under Distance, type 3. Click OK.
• Under “Modify,” select fillet.
• Select the other two corners that haven’t been changed.
• Under Radius, type 3. Click OK.
• Right click the Part tab at the bottom of the window. Select
iProperties.
• Go to the Physical tab and update. Read the volume, and ensure
that it is 7742.743mm3.

Familiarize yourself with these tools and the differences between

the two. Usage of the two should be second nature come test time.
 [5.2 – Extrusions]

The extrusion tool will consume a 2D sketch to create a 3D model.

Almost every part created in Inventor will use the extrude tool. While
not overly complicated, there are certain nuances to familiarize
yourself with the extrusion tool. For example, you can extrude one
sketch multiple times before consuming the sketch or define
its extents and behavior, etc. Let’s create the part depicted below;

• On the XY plane, start a new sketch.

• Create a 20 by 20 rectangle with the center on the origin.
(Millimeters)
• Change your rectangle tool to Slot(Center Point.)
• From the centerpoint of the left and right lines of the rectangle,
create a slot with length 2.5, and diameter 5.
• Trim the slots such that they resemble the image on the next
page.
 • Finish Sketch.
• Extrude the sketch. Select the extrude tool and the profile should
automatically be selected.
• Extrude in one direction by 5 millimeters and add a taper of 5
degrees.
• Instead of clicking “OK,” click the green plus sign to apply the
extrusion and create another extrusion using the same profile.
• For the new extrusion, change the direction to “Flipped.”
• Extrude by 5 millimeters and add a negative taper of 10 degrees.
Click OK.
• Using iProperties, update the physical values and ensure that the
volume is 3455.212 mm3. If you obtain any other value, go back
and redo the part.
 [5.3 – Patterns]

In inventor, multiple types of patterns exist. They can be

implemented to simplify repeating the same features in an equidistant
manner, or otherwise. The following pattern tools will be important to
become proficient with – you should be able to identify the patterns
based on their icons, as well as understand how to apply them to
features on existing models. First, let’s break down the individual
patterns we will be using.

• Circular - Create a pattern of a feature that is circular about

another feature or axis.
• Rectangular - Creates a pattern of a feature that is
rectangular using a row and/or column format.
• Mirror - This tool will mirror a feature from an equal distance
across a plane.
We will practice using this tool using our part we made in section 5.2.
Save the part as it was made; We will make changes to it and use it as a
template for each pattern tool.

Circular
We have yet to discuss the hole tool, so we will instead use our extrude
tool to create features to pattern. Orient your part in the following
manner.
 • Start a 2D sketch on the central face.
• Create a circle 2MM in diameter, centered on the origin.
• Extrude the circle 2MM.
• Select the circular pattern tool.
• For features, select the new extrusion we created.
• Select the cursor next to rotation axis.
 • Select the arc where the elliptical cutout ends inward.
• For placement, change Occurrence Count to 3. Change
Occurrence Angle to 180 deg.
• Click the midplane icon, and then click OK. This should complete
your pattern.

If done correctly, your part should resemble this image;

Verify using iProperties that your Z-axis center of gravity is equal to

0.265 mm.
 Rectangular

Using the template from the last pattern, orient your part in the
following manner;

• Begin by starting a 2D sketch on the central face shown.

• Create a circle centered on the origin, 2mm in diameter.
• Finish sketch and extrude by 2mm.
• Select the rectangular pattern tool.
• Select the circular feature we created.
 • For direction 1, click the cursor and select one of the top lines to
indicate the first direction.
• For direction 2, click the cursor and select one of the bottom lines
to indicate the second direction.
• For directions 1 & 2, make column and row count 2. Make spacing
5. Click OK.
• Ensure that your Z axis center of gravity is 0.296 mm using
iProperties and updating your physical values.
• Ensure that your part resembles the one shown below.
 Mirror

Using the same template, we will orient our part in the following
manner;

• We will begin by first starting a 2D sketch on the central face

shown above.
• On the center point of the left line from this orientation, create a
circle 3mm in diameter. Finish the sketch, and extrude the circle.
For behavior, change the extents to “Through All.” Ensure that the
circle cuts through the part.
 • Select the mirror tool. For your feature, select the extrusion we
just made in the model browser.
• Select mirror plane. Select the XZ plane under origin in the model
browser.
• Click OK – Ensure your Z-axis center of gravity is as follows; 0.286
mm.
 [5.4 – Ribs]
In inventor, ribs are described as supporting structures.
Implementation of ribs is not overly difficult. The rib tool can be found
under the create panel. It is unlikely you will create a rib on a part from
scratch, but rather more likely that you will be given a feature to convert
into a rib; Familiarize yourself with the tool. It can be found under the
create panel in the 3D model tab. The icon looks as follows;
 [5.5 – Shell]

Per the Inventor software, the Shell tool is described as a tool used
to remove material from the interior of a part, to create a “cavity.”
The shell icon is as follows, and found under the Modify panel, in
the 3D model tab.

To get familiar with the Shell tool, we will make a part.

• Start a 2D sketch on the XY plane
• Create a 50x50 MM rectangle
• Extrude by 20 MM
• Orient the box in the following manner

• Select the shell tool and select the face shown

• Set the thickness to 5mm
• Ensure that the volume is 26,000 MM3
 [5.6 – Holes]

The hole tool, along with extrude, is one of the most common
tools you will encounter either practically or during your ACU
examination, and you should master this one completely in order
to do well with Inventor. The hole tool will create holes in a part
with varying behaviors and extents. You can technically make a
hole but making an extrusion as a cut, but you will not have the
same options as if you used the hole tool.
The icon is as follows, and can be found in the Modify panel under
the 3D Model tab.

We will create a part.

• Start a 2D sketch on the XY plane.
• Create a circle centered on the origin, 20MM in diameter.
• Finish the sketch and extrude the circle by 50MM.
• Select the front view on your viewcube.
• Start a 2D sketch on the apparent face.
• Select your hole tool, and click on the origin.
• For hole type, select simple hole. Select none for seat.
• For behavior, select through all as termination, and do not change
the direction.
• Change your hole diameter to 10MM. Press OK.
• On all the rounded edges, apply a 1MM fillet.
• You should have a part similar to the image shown below.
• Verify that the volume is 11740.521MM3.
 [6.0 – Drawing]

In this section, we will go through drawing files in Inventor. Per

the image, the content you should learn includes;

• changing sheet size & adding a title block

• Select and placing a front view
• Create & differentiate between drawing views from existing views
(Sectional, projected, etc.)
• Add annotations and dimensions to the drawing
• Add multiple sheets to a single drawing
• Create a view based on an assembly and/or presentation file
• Add and edit balloons to a drawing
• Create and edit parts list
 [6.1 – Edit Sheet Size and Title Blocks]

Two skills you will likely encounter during your exam are Sheet Size, and
Title Blocks; this could include the alteration or identification of the two
through the model browser, or creating them entirely anew.

Edit Sheet Size

--------------------
To edit the sheet size of an existing sheet is a fairly simple and straight
forward task. With a standard drawing template open, your model browser
should resemble this;

In order to edit the sheet size and obtain information such as its
paper sizing, one should right click the Sheet:1 Feature in the
model browser, and then left click in the new window “Edit
Sheet.” See the image below for reference.
 Under format, you will have options for sheet size, name, height,
and width. Height and width are proportional to the sheet size
chosen; The values in these cells will change according to the
sheet size.

Title Blocks
------------------------
Before creating a title block, consider its place in the Model
Browser; When you open a standard Drawing file, you will have a “title
block” within the template. If you first drop down Drawing Resources,
you will find a Title Block folder; By default, Inventor will have a title
block named “ANSI A” contained in this folder. To delete a title block,
you would follow its location here, right click the title block in the
model browser, and select delete. To CREATE a title block; You can
either right click Title Blocks under drawing resources and define a new
title block as one of the options; OR you can follow the manage tab,
and under the define panel you will find an option for Title Block. Both
of these options will create a title block. To better understand the
creation of title blocks, we will create one of our own.

• Open a new [Link] drawing file

• Delete ANSI A through the method listed above
• Define a new title block
• Place a rectangle with any dimensions anywhere
• Using the line tool, section off the rectangle into rows and
columns; Determine their spacing at your own discretion. It
 should loosely resemble the picture below, but maintain 5
columns and 2 rows;

• We will now use the text to label our title block; Under the create
panel, you will find the Text tool next to the rectangle command.
• Using the text tool, fit “Row 1, Column 1” into the first square in
the top left. We will label each cell. This may require changing the
size of the text and adjusting where the lines are placed in the
title block. Your first cell should now fit the text into the cell as
such;
• Continue to label and edit the title block until each cell is labeled
in the following manner; “Row X” and “Column X” should each
span one line within the entirety of the cell.
• For the last column; We will add a picture on the top row. Row 2
will remain labeled as a cell. Any picture you want should be fine.
TO DO THIS; First, download an image you’d like to use for the
cell.
• Under the insert panel, you will find the image command. Select
this tool and define the image’s location and size.
• Once you’ve selected the image’s placement, follow the file
location and select the image you’ve chosen.
• Minus the specific image, your title block should look like this at
this point;

• Finish the sketch and save your title block. Name is up to the user.
 [6.2 – View Types / Use & Place Front View]

Selecting and placing frontal views in Inventory is by no means an

overly complex process – in Drawing sheet files, you can place multiple
types of views; Let’s first familiarize ourself with the different types of
views and their terminology. Under “Place Views,” you will find a
ribbon containing all the options for views.

• Isometric – An isometric representation of a part or assembly is

one that shows it as a 2D representation with the 3 axes
appearing 120° apart. (Wikipedia, 2021)
• Orthographic – An orthographic representation of a part or
assembly is one that will display it along two axes.

• – The first view in a new drawing.

• - Generates an isometric or orthographic view from a
base view of a drawing.

• – Projects a view perpendicular with a designated line or

edge.

• - Shows the inside of a model at a section/plane defined

by the user.

• – An enlarged view of an entire part or a portion of it, used

generally to display smaller features.

• - A single view representation that shows a part or

assembly in multiple positions.

To select and place a front view, see the next page.

 To select and place a front view;

For this example, I’ll be using a part file for a Rivet Gage; Use any
part you want.

• Begin by opening a new drawing file in inventor.

• Under Place Views, look in the Create panel. Select “BASE.”
• If you have a part or assembly open, by default inventor will want
to use the last open file as the view selection; You can change this
by altering the directory under the file menu on the window that
pops up.
• Excluding the part used, your drawing sheet should look similar to
this; Notice the viewcube to the left of the window. It is oriented
in the front position. By default, base views will orient to the front
position when placed; If this is not the case, orbit the viewcube
and select the front face. Click OK.
• Your view should now be placed similar to the following view
shown;

Practice placing front views with other parts if this section was
difficult or otherwise confusing.
 [6.3 – Create a view from an existing view]

Creating a view from an existing view can mean making one of

multiple different types of views, and to that measure you should be
prepared to make a projected, auxiliary, sectional, detail, or overlay
view as well as inspect, measure, or annotate dimensions with respect
to that view and its scale. There will be more challenges to enhance
your familiarity with view creation in the problem set section, but for
now we will work with creating a detail view from an overlay view; For
this process, we will use the view we made in section 6.2.

• USING THE BASE VIEW FROM 6.2 –

• Select Detail View
• Click on the base view
• Under Fence Shape, select Rectangular
• For cutout shape, cut edges as smooth
• Change scale to 2:1
• BEFORE CLICKING OK:
• Enclose the left half of your existing view in a rectangular fence;
Where you click will be the center point of your view.
• Left click when you have your desired half selected.
• Select where you would like to place your view.
• You should have a view that shows half of your part in the
following manner; See next page.
 [6.4 – Add Annotation & Dimensioning]

In drawings, annotations are important to document the technical

specifications, or measurements, of a design. It will be equally
important to be able to dimension a part on a drawing as needed.
Before we begin with using either, let’s discuss the tools we’ll use;

The dimension tool, located in the Annotate ribbon in a drawing

file, will be what we use to annotate the dimensions of a part on our
drawings. As we use VIEWS in drawings, we will be annotating the
views we placed. This is -NOT- to be confused with the Dimension tool
also found in the Sketch ribbon. First, we’ll create a simple part;

• Open a new [Link] file in Inventor

• Start a new sketch on the XY plane
• Create a circle centered on the origin 100mm in diameter
• Finish sketch and extrude by 10 mm
• Start a new sketch on the front face
 • Create two circles, centered on the left and right 50mm in
diameter as such;

• With your sketch completed, finish sketch and extrude the

portion of the circles that intersect with the larger main circles.
• For the extrusions, you will CUT THROUGH the main circle. Your
part should look like this;
• Create a hole that cuts through the center of the part, 10mm in
diameter. Save as circular part, or complete the next step and
then save.
• For extra practice; Fillet each of the edges to 2mm.

• WITH THIS PART STILL OPEN AND SAVED; Open a new

[Link] file on the same Inventor window you have opened.
• IN THE MODEL BROWSER; Delete ANSI – Large.
• IN THE MODEL BROWSER; Change Sheet Size to B.
• In the Place Views ribbon, select base. The part you’ve just
created and saved should be selected by default. Move the view
towards the center and click OK. You should now have a front-
facing view of your part.
• With your view placed, move to the annotate ribbon and select
the dimension tool.
• Proceed to place a dimension on each side of the circle. When it is
finished, ensure that all the measurements and drawing sheet
look like this; Dimension placement is not important.
 [6.5 – Add Sheets to a Drawing]

Adding a sheet to a drawing is a simple process. With your drawing

file from Section 6.4 open, look at the Model Browser; You will notice
there is a feature called CircularPart at the very top.

Right click on Circular Part. Select New Sheet. You will notice the
Model Browser has Sheet:2 under Sheet:1. You have now added a new
sheet to your drawing. Right click on the Sheet:2 and select Edit Sheet.
Familiarize yourself with the format options.
 [6.6 – Create a Drawing View on an Assembly]

This section is rather straightforward; We will create an assembly

from our Circular Part and then a drawing view. Click here for a
refresher on assembly creation.

• Open a new [Link] file.

• Under component, click “Place.”
• Select your Circular Part.
• Place your part.
• Click create and accept the default parameters.
• Select the front face of the Circular Part to sketch with.
• Orient the view cube to the front position.
• Create a circle 10mm in diameter on the origin.
• Extrude the circle. Make sure that it extrudes THROUGH the
center hole, and not opposite. Set extrusion length to 50mm.
• OPTIONAL: Fillet the end of the rod extruding out of the circular
part. Your assembly should resemble the one shown below.
• Save assembly as CircularAssembly.
• At this point, open a new Inventor drawing ([Link])
• Delete ANSI – Large in the model browser
• Under Sheet 1, delete Default Border.
• UNDER PLACE VIEWS; Select place base view.
• Assuming you saved your assembly before opening up the
drawing template, base view should default to the assembly you
created.
• Change scale to 2:1.
• Orient the view to the right on the viewcube.
• Center the assembly on the drawing sheet.
• Click OK to place the view.
• To the right, place a top view.
• To the left, place a front view.
• Ensure that your drawing sheet resembles the following; Do not
worry about exact positioning.
 [6.7 – Add Balloons]

Per the Inventor software, a balloon is an annotation tag that identify

items listed in a parts list. You will likely encounter a question or two
utilizing balloons when you take your ACU examination.

• Using our assembly from Section 6.6, open a new [Link]

file.
• Place a base view of the assembly we created in the center of the
drawing sheet. Orient it on the right view with the viewcube.
Ensure that the scale is 2:1.
• With your view placed; Go into the annotate tab, and under the
table panel, you will find the balloon command as follows. Select
it.

• You will note that the assembly we created features two parts;
The circular part, and the extruding rod through its center hole.
When implementing balloons for our annotations, regardless of
which part we select first or second the unique identification tags
should remain the same.
 • We will first use the balloon tool to add an annotation to our
extruding rod. With the tool selected, left click on the extruded
rod.
• Accept the defaults and click OK. A notification saying BOM View
Disabled may pop up. Click OK.
• You should now have an adjustable line following your cursor.
Click a point away from the part on the drawing sheet to fix the
line.
• With your line fixed, right click and select continue. Your balloon
should read “2.”
• Repeat the process for the circular base. The balloon should read
“1.” Ensure your drawing resembles, loosely or otherwise, the
image below; The balloon numbers should match.
 [6.8 – Parts List]

In Inventor, a parts list is quite literally just a list of the parts used.
Your parts list tool will be found under the table panel, located under
the Annotate tab. See the picture below.

To use the parts list tool;

• Open a new [Link] drawing file.
• In the Model browser, delete the ANSI – Large feature and the
border.
• Change Sheet Size to “B”.
• Place a view of the Circular Part Assembly oriented from the Right
on the viewcube. Place the view towards the left hand side of the
drawing.
• With your base view placed; Select the Parts List tool.
• Select the view you placed by left clicking it.
• If asked to enable BOM View, click OK.
• Place the table in the upper righthand corner.
• To edit the parts list; Double click on one of the lines to bring up
the parts list window with the listed table.
• Under the part number column; Change the name of Part2 to
CircularRod. To change the content of the cells; Click on the cell,
and enter the desired text with the cell highlighted.
• For the descriptions of the parts, type the name of the parts with
spaces. For example, CircularPart would be Circular Part.
• Change the name of “PART NUMBER” column; Right click the
header cell, select Format Column, and under Heading remove
“Number” and type in “Name.”
• Your drawing sheet should look similar to the image shown
below; Ensure that the contents of the table are equivalent to the
image shown.
 [7.0 – Assembly Modeling]

Assembly Modeling is a portion of inventor that will involve

assembling and constraining multiple parts together. In the assembly
modeling portion of the exam, you should be knowledgeable on the
following skills enough to call on them as needed;

• Apply assembly constraints

• Ground base component of an assembly
• Apply an offset to constrained parts
• Determine degrees of freedom of a portion of an assembly
• Create a presentation model, or explosion
 [7.1 – Assembly Constraints]

In assemblies, you take your parts and assemble them together, so

to speak. This is done through the usage of constraints, which control
the position and behavior of assembly components, with respect to one
another. We have five types of constraints we will use when assembling
parts; Mate, Angle, Tangent, and Insert. There is a Symmetry constraint
feature, but we do not need to know this one. For additional
information beyond what is listed; Visit the link provided at the source
listed here.
• Mate – A mate constraint positions the components so the
selected faces are parallel to one another. (Autodesk, 2012)
Often times, multiple mate constraints are applied in order to
ensure the parts have a “snug” fit.

• Angle – An angle constraint positions linear OR planar faces on

two components at a specified angle. (Autodesk, 2012)

• Tangent – A constraint between planes, cylinders, spheres, cones,

and splines that causes geometry to contact at the point of
tangency. (Autodesk, 2012)

• Insert - Positions cylindrical features with planar faces

perpendicular to the cylinder axis. (Autodesk, 2012)

For the ACU exam, it is -very- unlikely that you will encounter questions
or problems requiring the usage or knowledge of tangent/angle
constraints. However, you should almost certainly expect a question or
two involving an insert constraint; Familiarity with the mate constraint
will be important as well.

Let’s begin by creating a couple parts to constrain.

Part 1
• Open a new standard part file in inventor.
• Start a 2D sketch on the XY Plane.
• Create a 6 sided polygon about the origin of the XY plane.
• Dimension the polygon such that each opposite side is a distance
of 20mm apart.
• Extrude the polygon by 7MM.
• Start a 2D sketch on the front face of the polygon.
• On the origin, create a circle 10MM in Diameter.
• Extrude the new circular feature by 35MM AWAY from the front
face.
• Add a thread to the new extrusion created. Keep the defaults, and
adjust the depth to 15mm. Ensure your part looks similar to the
part shown and save as [Link].
 Part 2

• Create a new Standard part file in inventor.

• Start a sketch on the XY plane.

• Create a 6 sided polygon centered on the origin of the work plane.

• Dimension the sides such that they are 15 MM apart from the
opposite end.

• Extrude the sketch by 5MM.

• Start a new sketch on the front facing face of the extrusion

created.

• Create a 10MM Circle centered on the origin of the polygon.

• Extrude the circle through the polygon to create a hole.

• Add a 0.5 mm fillet to all of the edges on the part, including the
corners around the hole created.

• Add a threading to the newly created hole and accept the

defaults. Save the part as [Link] and ensure that it resembles
the part shown on the next page.
 Part 3
Now, we are going to assemble the parts through usage of an
assembly, or .iam file, using our insert constraint.

• Create a new [Link] file in inventor.

• Under the assemble tab, you will immediately notice the
component panel with the place and create tools as shown;
 • We will use the place tool to first locate the Bolt and HexNut file
parts we created, and then select and place them next to
eachother in the following manner;

• Using the constraint tool, constrain the Hex Nut to the end of the
bolt’s length where it meets with the hexagonal face in the
following manner;

• To verify the assembly was created correctly; Measure the length

of the bolt sticking out beyond the hex nut. You should get a value
of 31.304 mm. Save the assembly as [Link].
 [7.2 – Ground Base Component]

Grounding a base component in an assembly is simply dictating

where the main component, per user designation, will lie with respect
to the origin. The tool is not directly shown by default, barring an
updated version of inventor – You will use the Ground and Root tool,
found under the Productivity panel located in the Assembly tab. The
“Create Derived Substitutes” tool may be shown with a drop down
menu; Located in the drop down menu is the Ground and Root tool.

Using our Bolt Assembly:

• Open the [Link] assembly created in Section 7.1.
• Select the Ground and Root tool.
• With the tool grabbed, select the HexBolt (NOT the Hex Nut.)
• With ONLY Ground at Origin checked off, click OK.
• To ensure it is grounded properly –
• Go to the Model Browser and expand the origin folder.
• Enable visibility on the XY plane.
• Ensure that the base of the Hex Bolt lies squarely on the XY plane
as shown on the next page;
 [7.3 – Apply an Offset to Constrained Components]

Applying an offset to a constrained component is done during the

application of the constraint between the objects itself. There isn’t a
specific tool used to create the offset, but rather an offset tab in the
place constraint window.

• Open a new [Link] assembly.

• Place your HexNut and HexBolt components.
• Using an insert constraint, constrain the HexNut to the very end of
the bolt’s length such that it lies at the base of the threading as
shown;

• You will note, that in the window that you’re working with to
place the constraint, there is an option for offset. After the
constraint has been configured, but before applying it, change the
value of the offset to 15. This is the total length of the thread
depth; If done correctly, the Hex Nut will rest at the very end of
the Hex Bolt.
• Verify that the grip length is equal to 15 MM using the measure
tool in the following manner. Save the assembly as “[Link]”
for later use in section 7.5.
 [7.4 – Degrees of Freedom]

When taking the ACU Exam, it is likely you will encounter a

question either asking you to check a component’s degrees of freedom,
or identify and match between the different degrees of freedom that
exist.

Different degrees of freedom

In Inventor, there exist 6 degrees of freedom as well as 2 different
types.
You have rotational degrees of freedom, which denote the
component or subassemblies’ ability to rotate about the designated
axis (x, y, z);
And you also have translational degrees of freedom, which denote
the component or subassemblies’ ability to move, or transition, along
the designated axis (x,y,z);
For a total of six total degrees of freedom (Rotational – X/Y/Z,
Translational – X/Y/Z).
To view degrees of freedom
• 1. Click one or more parts in the browser/graphics window
• 2. Right-click and select iProperties, then select the occurrences
tab
• Select the Degrees of Freedom check box, and then click apply
• Click OK to close the dialog box
(Autodesk, 2020)
 [7.5 – Create a Presentation Model]

While it is unlikely you will have to create a presentation model

during the exam for your certification, it is nevertheless a valuable skill
to know.

• Open the [Link] file from Section 7.3.

• Orient it such that the Y axis lies vertical and the Z horizontal; If
the X is horizontal rather than Z, you will not get a workable view
of your assembly. Consider the picture below.

Notice the position of the axes.

• With no components selected; Left click the hex nut such that it is
the only component highlighted in blue. IF ANOTHER
 COMPONENT IS ALREADY HIGHLIGHTED – Simply left click in the
open space such that all the components are unselected.
• With the hex nut selected, click tweak components. You will
notice arrows pop up that indicate the direction of each of the 3
axes; Select the arrow facing the Z axis. Rather than dragging the
nut, input a value of 35.00 MM. Click the green checkmark to
denote that it is positioned where you want it.
• Save the file as [Link]. Ensure that the center
axes on the bolt and nut are aligned.
 [8.0 – Test Taking Strategies]

In this section, we will discuss strategies for taking the ACU Exam;
It is important to note that this is a TIMED test and you will have
50 minutes to complete 30 questions. Because of this time
constraint, it is important that you take a good few measures
prior to testing to ensure you can tackle the work ahead of you
with the utmost confidence and the appropriate strategies; We
will discuss a few.

• Go above and beyond what the test prep software gives you to
study from. While being comfortable with the entirety of the
content given to you on test prep software will adequately
prepare you for the exam itself, studying from outside resources
beyond that will only serve to increase your confidence and
readiness come exam time, should you inevitably go through all of
the material.

• Familiarize yourself with the GMetrix software used to prepare for

the test - you will likely be using the same, or similar software for
the exam itself; Make sure you understand how to navigate the
software prior to testing and you will be giving yourself a huge
advantage, as 50 minutes is not a lot of time to experiment with
and decipher a new software when you already have a test to
worry about.

• If a question starts to give you trouble, flag it for review and come
back to it later; If you simply focus on the questions that you
 immediately know and knock those ones out, you will have much
more time than if spent tunnel visioning on one problem.

• Use split screens. There will be a lot of alternating between

windows as you work through this exam, so it may be most
beneficial to split your screens and minimize the amount of
tabbing necessary.
 [8.1 – Challenges/Additional Work]

1. Create a new inventor part file. Create a 50 x 50 x 50 box. Shell

the inside wall thickness to 3MM. Using a center point rectangle,
create the bridge feature shown offset from the top of the box
by 25MM with a width of 5 and an extrusion depth of 5.
Measure the surface shown, and ensure that an area of 220
mm2 is given.
 2. Create a new inventor part file. Create a rectangle 72
millimeters by 36 millimeters; Change the smaller dimension’s
parameter such that it is equal to the larger dimension/2. Create
a vertical line on the rectangle off to either the left or right side
such that your sketch resembles the image shown;

Constrain the newly created line to the center of the rectangle.

What constraint is used?

3. Create a new inventor part file. Create a rectangle, 150 x 180

MM; finish sketch and extrude by 15 mm. Anywhere on the
newly created feature – create 2 holes. One should be a simple
hole, 50mm in diameter, through all termination. The other, a
counterbore hole, with a 25MM counterbore diameter, 5MM
counterbore depth, and a 15MM diameter – termination should
 be through all. Using the measure tool, ensure that the surface
area of the front face is 24545.631 mm2. Part should resemble
image shown.

4. Create a new inventor part file. Start a sketch on the XY plane.

Create a circle, 25MM in diameter on the origin. Finish the
sketch and extrude by 50MM. Create a simple through all hole
going through the center of the cylinder, 5MM in diameter.
From the center of this hole, create another hole, 10MM to
either the left or right of the existing hole’s center point; Make it
2 MM in diameter. Create a work plane between the two holes’
axes. Measure the angle between the newly created work plane
and the YZ plane – you should get an answer of 90° and a part
that resembles the image shown below.
5. Create a new [Link] drawing file in inventor. Delete the
default border and ANSI – Large in the model browser. Start a
sketch on the current view. Anywhere on the drawing, create a
circle 100MM in diameter. From the center of the circular
sketch, start a line; For the parameters, give it an angle of 45°
and a length of 300 MM. At the endpoint of this newly created
line, create a new circle 50MM in diameter. Trim all of the
excess lines and finish the sketch. Create a centerline between
the two center points of the circles. Add a centermark to the
larger of the two circles. Ensure that the angle of measure
between the two circles is 45° and that the annotative lines
 added resemble the image depicted below;

6. Recreate the part shown on the next page with the

annotations/dimensions given.
7. [Link] (HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED; GOOD PRACTICE FOR ACU EXAM)
 [Sources Cited]

Objective domains (ACU). (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2021, from

[Link]
domains?ot=collapseACU

Pochimcherla, A. (2020, June 02). Autodesk inventor - Lesson 6 - What are the different file
types? Retrieved March 01, 2021, from [Link]
different-file-
types/#:~:text=4%20Main%20Types%20of%20Inventor,Drawing%20files%2C%20and

Isometric projection. (2021, January 01). Retrieved March 15, 2021, from
[Link]
%20a%20method,of%20them%20is%20120%20degrees.

Autodesk. (2012, April 02). Assembly constraints overview. Retrieved March 24, 2021, from
[Link]
com/v/Inventor/enu/2011/Help/User-s-
Guide/104Assemblies/1374Buildassemblies/1407Constraints/[Link]
ml

Autodesk. (2020, July 28). View degrees of freedom in assemblies. Retrieved March 26, 2021,
from [Link]
explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2018/ENU/Inventor-Help/files/GUID-3BCBF614-
CF92-4980-A965-80AEAFEF768E-
[Link]#:~:text=To%20view%20degrees%20of%20freedom,close%20the%20Properties
%20dialog%20box.