In calculus the derivative is a measure of how a function changes as its input changes. Yes I went there, old school math, I knew there was a reason I went to Engineering school and learned about derivatives. Because someday, I would have to make an synonymic relationship to a similar named feature in a software package. Here is a little taste of your past. I could make it scarier, but you get the picture.
Autodesk Inventor's Derive command does just what the definition implies, as the input changes (original model) changes the function (resulting model) changes along with it. The use of the Derive command varies in application but is normally seen with casting or forging parts that require separate documentation for the original cast/forging and the machining documentations for that part. Normally you may only have one machining for a casting but in some industries and designs there are needs for up to 20 or more machining drawings for a single casting for different finished parts. It also has application for mold work, assembly simplification, plastic part designs, and tool body Boolean operations. The best part of all this...when you change the original part, the derived part changes to reflect that update. So when this forging gets 3 mm longer, you don't have to change it in all parts that are made from it. The Derivation does that tedious work for you.
The traditional process of deriving starts with opening a new file and exiting the sketch immediately, then starting the Derive command. Now in Inventor 2010 this was located on the Manage tab of the Ribbon. In Inventor 2011 they moved it to the Model tab because it is used so frequently. See that CIP data you send to Autodesk does pay off. You turn that stuff off, then you essentially mute yourself to data deciding changes in Inventor, don't worry, its anonymous.
Once this process is started you are prompted to grab an existing model to base the derivation on. This would be the casting, forging, assembly, plastic part, or other data that needs to be added to the model. Then you are prompted for certain contents of the file to carry through with it. The following dialog box will look different for parts or assemblies.
As you can see here you can bring in the solids, surfaces, sketch blocks, 3D sketches, work geometry, imates, and even all the types of parameters. Furthermore you can also perform Mirror operations and scaling due to isotropic shrinkage or heating and cooling.
Now a faster way in Inventor 2010 and 2011 is to actually create the derivation from the original file! To do this simply open your original file that needs a derivation and go to the Manage tab. Here on the Layout panel use the Make Part command to start the deriving process into a new file rather than having to start a new one and then exit the sketch, and then go hunting for your original file. This tip can save you a TON of time if you need this functionality all the time and lets you set all your options and even a setting for assembly placement and BOM Structure.
Now, how many of you got our your old textbooks and starting doing calculus again. Come on, its okay, I won't tell. With Inventor's Derive functionality you will have all the time you need to study up for that pesky FE and PE exam.
I have inventor 2014. There is no derive command on the model tab, or the options tab. How can I get these commands back onto the ribbon?
Posted by: David R White | 10/02/2014 at 12:53 PM
The command is in the same spot in Inventor 2014. Make sure you are in the Part environment, NOT the assembly environment.
The command is found on the 3D Model tab or the Manage tab of the ribbon.
Posted by: Mark Flayler | 10/02/2014 at 12:58 PM