Model and Assembly Simplification with Simplify, Derive, and Model States

When working with assemblies and individual parts, creating simplified models with a reduced Level of Detail is often required as a part of the manufacturing workflow. Within Inventor, there are several workflows and tools that can be employed to achieve this. The Simplify tool (Shrinkwrap in versions 2021 and earlier) allows you to take your existing parts and assemblies and simplify them into a state that not only is easier to use but also allows you to protect your intellectual property. The Derive tool enables you to reference existing parts and assemblies as base components for modifications. Model States (Level of Detail in versions 2021 and earlier) allow the configuration and simplification of parts and assemblies and are an alternative to iParts and iAssemblies (see Chapter 3, Driving Automation and Parametric Modeling in Inventor, for more details).

In this chapter, you will learn about the following...