Autodesk has unveiled its plans for Autodesk Inventor Fusion Technology, new Digital Prototyping technology that unites the power and control of parametric, history-based modelling with the ease of use and productivity advantages of direct, history-free modelling.
“Just as manufacturers need both 3D and 2D design tools, we believe manufacturers need the full power of both parametric, history-based modelling and direct modelling,” says Andrew Anagnost, vice president of CAD/CAE for Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. “Customers shouldn’t have to make a choice. Inventor Fusion Technology is a unique approach that enables the coexistence of both these modelling approaches within a single digital model.”
Inventor Fusion Technology delivers bidirectional parametric and direct workflows. This technology enables companies to make rapid changes to a design through direct manipulation, even if they have many years worth of feature- and history-based data and design intent that they need to access, use and maintain.
Using Inventor Fusion Technology, designers and engineers can explore what-if scenarios and make rapid design changes without the limitations of feature order, dependencies or the original 3D CAD system used to create the design.
Context-sensitive, point-of-access tools present only what is needed right at the cursor, thus moving the user’s attention from toolbars and dialog boxes and refocusing it on directly manipulating their digital prototypes.
“Many companies are seeking to take advantage of direct modelling in certain situations,” said Anagnost. “Meanwhile, parametric, history-based modelling continues to be relevant and important. Inventor Fusion Technology is an exciting new step in realising the promise of Digital Prototyping, bringing a new level of ease of use and productivity gain to an even broader group of manufacturers.”
Autodesk intends to offer a free download of Inventor Fusion Technology Preview on Autodesk Labs later this year.