Autodesk Inventor
Introduction '''Autodesk Inventor''' is a computer-aided design extension application for 3D mechanical design, simulation, visualization, and documentation developed by Autodesk.
Features Inventor allows analyzing 2D and 3D CAD models by creating a virtual representation of the final product in order to validate the form, fit, and functioning before it is built.Autodesk Inventor supports parametric, direct edit, freeform modeling part modeling, and assembly modeling. It provides support for various CAD  formats and standard DWG drawings.Inventor uses ShapeManager, Autodesk's proprietary geometric modeling kernel. The software can be licensed as a subscription or through pre-paid Flex Tokens (daily use, consumption-based). Autodesk Inventor Professional is also a part of a collection license ''Autodesk Product Design & Manufacturing Collection''. Autodesk Inventor competes directly with SolidWorks, Solid Edge, and Creo.
Editions The latest Autodesk Inventor product line includes the following software titles:*Autodesk Inventor LT 2021 (discontinued)*Autodesk Inventor Professional 2024
Release dates and names  Version Internal number Code name Date of release What's New 1 1 Mustang  September 20, 1999  2 2 Thunderbird March 1, 2000  3 3 Camaro August 1, 2000  4 4 Corvette December 1, 2000  5 5 Durango September 17, 2001  5.3 5.3 Prowler January 30, 2002  6 6 Viper October 15, 2002  7 7 Wrangler April 18, 2003 New DWG Support for AutoCAD 2004, Autodesk Express Viewer Compatibility, Large-Assembly Design Performance 8 8 Cherokee October 15, 2003  9 9 Crossfire July 15, 2004  10 10 Freestyle April 6, 2005 Task Scheduler, Inventor Studio, Associative import of Mechanical Desktop data, Design Accelerators, Assembly constraints use colors to differentiate between the first and second constraint selection. 11 11 Faraday April 6, 2006  2008 12 Goddard April 11, 2007  2009 13 Tesla April 16, 2008 Frame Generator, Sheet Metal, skeletal modelling 2010 14 Hopper February 27, 2009 The Ribbon, New FEA 2011 15Sikorsky March 26, 2010 Dynamic Input, Direct Manipulation, Assemble tool, Visualization, iCopy, iLogic 2012 16 Brunel March 22, 2011 Provides easier ways to interact with 3D mechanical design data; new opportunities for sharing, accepting and updating CAD data regardless of source and complexity; and high-impact performance and productivity improvements for both users and IT departments 2013 17 Goodyear March 27, 2012 Equation curves 2014 18 Franklin March 27, 2013 Express mode, Connection, Symmetrical constraint, Slot geometry, Enhanced rectangle geometry, Thin wall FEA, Frame FEA, Assembly relationship folderMouseover grounded constraint visibility, Model & assembly simplification, Joint constraints. 2015 19 Dyson March 28, 2014 Freeform, Direct Edit 2016 20 Shelby April 16, 2015 Multi-CAD, AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor Interoperability, Shape Generator, 3D Printing Environment, Graphics/Visualization/Studio Enhancements 2017 21 Enzo March 28, 2016 Modeling enhancements, expanded AnyCAD support, 3D PDF export, enhanced presentation environment, guided tutorial authoring 2018 22 Elon March 24, 2017 Model Based Definition, expanded AnyCAD support, large assembly performance improvements, simplification/shrinkwrap enhancements, multiple rules for sheet metal parts, mesh support in drawing views 2019 23 Zora April 10, 2018 Performance improvements, large assembly performance improvements, shared view collaboration, expanded hole command, iLogic enhancements, model-based definition, improved part modeling workflows, and sheet metal for manufacturing 2020 24 Senna March 27, 2019 Overall GUI improvements 2021 25 Ada March 31, 2020 New UI Panel, Large Assembly Performance Improvement, Modeling enhancements 2022 26 Ren April 4, 2021 Model States, Performance, Revit and Fusion 360 interop 2023  27  March 28, 2022 Autodesk Inventor 2023 is packed with customer-driven updates and enhancements to help you speed up your design workflows, reduce repetitive tasks, and improve experiences so you can focus more time on design and innovation. 2024  28  March 29, 2023
See also * Comparison of computer-aided design software* PTC Creo* Solid Edge* SolidWorks
References
External links *  Autodesk Inventor official website*  Autodesk Inventor Forums*  Autodesk Inventor Blog*  Autodesk Education Community*  GrabCAD - Upload, Download, and View Inventor files