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Autodesk Inventor

Sheet Metal (2025)

Its 3D modeling, simulation, and automation features not only accelerate the design process but also help reduce errors and costs associated with physical prototyping. For manufacturers, Inventor helps ensure that the final product is well-engineered, manufacturable, and meets the desired quality standards.

With Inventor online training through Pinnacle Series, users have the flexibility to learn the ins and outs of this powerful software from anywhere, on their schedule.

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Learning Path Courses:

Rules and Standards
Rules and Standards Course Introduction

In this course, you will learn how to work with Sheet Metal part Styles and Standards.
The Autodesk Sheet Metal environment is specifically built for thin, uniform-thickness parts.
The purpose-built sheet metal environment has tools designed for thin parts that can be flattened.

Course Objectives

The material presented in this course will teach you:
- Sheet Metal Overview
- Sheet Metal Styles
- Understanding Sheet Metal Bend Tables
- Sheet Metal Multi-Body Unique Rules
Course Prerequisites

To participate in this training course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:
- Part Modeling Essentials
Approximate Duration: 20 Minutes

Tips:
- Turn off your phone, and close your email, text, and social media apps.
- Plug headphones or earbuds to your computer.
- Go Full Screen when watching videos.
Faces and Flanges

Faces and Flanges Course Introduction

In this course, you will learn how to create Faces and Flanges in a Sheet Metal part file.
When building Sheet Metal components, you will be required to use specific commands in the environment.
Fundamentally, the Face and Flange commands will be most frequently used to create Sheet Metal parts.

Course Objectives

The material presented in this course will teach you:

Creating Faces
Creating Double Bends
Single Sheet Metal Flanges
Sheet Metal Contour Flange
Sheet Metal Lofted Flange

Course Prerequisites

To participate in this training course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

Part Modeling Essentials

Approximate Duration: 25 Minutes

Tips:

Turn off your phone, and close your email, text, and social media apps.

Plug headphones or earbuds to your computer.

Go Full Screen when watching videos.
Bending and Folding

Bending and Folding Course Introduction

In this course, you will learn how to modify your existing Sheet Metal part by adding rolls, hems, folds, and bends.
Sheet Metal parts often need to connect faces, roll over existing edges, or fold over un-bent faces.

Course Objectives

The material presented in this course will teach you:

Contour Roll
Hems
Folds
Adding Bends
Unfold and Refold

Course Prerequisites

To participate in this training course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

Part Modeling Essentials

Approximate Duration: 25 Minutes

Tips:

Turn off your phone, and close your email, text, and social media apps.

Plug headphones or earbuds to your computer.

Go Full Screen when watching videos.
Seams and Corners

Seams and Corners Course Introduction

In this course, you will learn how to modify Sheet Metal parts by applying rounds, chamfer, and corner relief.
Sheet Metal parts often have flanges on adjacent edges creating the need for corner relief cuts.

Course Objectives

The material presented in this course will teach you:

Cutting Sheet Metal
Corner Chamfer and Round
Editing Corner Relief

Course Prerequisites

To participate in this training course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

Part Modeling Essentials

Approximate Duration: 15 Minutes

Tips:

Turn off your phone, and close your email, text, and social media apps.

Plug headphones or earbuds to your computer.

Go Full Screen when watching videos.
Conversion and Direct Editing

Conversion and Direct Editing Course Introduction

In this course, you will learn how to Convert parts into Sheet Metal when they weren’t designed using Sheet Metal tools and use Direct Editing tools on Sheet Metal parts.

Course Objectives

The material presented in this course will teach you:

Converting Sheet Metal Parts
Direct Editing

Course Prerequisites

To participate in this training course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

Part Modeling Essentials

Approximate Duration: 10 Minutes

Tips:

Turn off your phone, and close your email, text, and social media apps.

Plug headphones or earbuds to your computer.

Go Full Screen when watching videos.
Punching

Punching Course Introduction

In this course, you will learn how to create and place Sheet Metal Punches.
Sheet Metal punch tools are iFeatures with extra attributes that cut simple or complex holes in the face of your part, including across bends.

Course Objectives

The material presented in this course will teach you:

Creating Punch iFeature
Inserting Punch Tool

Course Prerequisites

To participate in this training course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

Part Modeling Essentials

Approximate Duration: 10 Minutes

Tips:

Turn off your phone, and close your email, text, and social media apps.

Plug headphones or earbuds to your computer.

Go Full Screen when watching videos.
Assemblies

Assemblies Course Introduction

In this course, you will learn how to work with Sheet Metal assemblies, use Multibody modeling practices, and add PEM Fasteners to Sheet Metal.

Course Objectives

The material presented in this course will teach you:

Adding PEM Fasteners to Sheet Metal
Multibody Parts

Course Prerequisites

To participate in this training course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

Part Modeling Essentials

Approximate Duration: 10 Minutes

Tips:

Turn off your phone, and close your email, text, and social media apps.

Plug headphones or earbuds to your computer.

Go Full Screen when watching videos.
Flat Pattern

Flat Pattern Course Introduction

In this course, you will learn how to flatten a folded model and edit it for fabrication.
Once your Sheet Metal design is completed, it is necessary to convert the folded model to a flat pattern for manufacturing purposes.

Course Objectives

The material presented in this course will teach you:

Creating a Flat Pattern
Flat Pattern Feature
Specifying the A-Side of a Sheet Metal Part
Punch Representation
Exporting Flat Patterns
Sheet Metal Unwrap
Common Commands Between Part and Sheet Metal
Compute Errors
Cosmetic Bend Lines

Course Prerequisites

To participate in this training course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

Part Modeling Essentials

Approximate Duration: 45 Minutes

Tips:

Turn off your phone, and close your email, text, and social media apps.

Plug headphones or earbuds to your computer.

Go Full Screen when watching videos.
Sheet Metal Documentation

Sheet Metal Documentation Course Introduction

In this course, you will learn how to Place and Annotate Sheet Metal parts in drawings.
Creating a drawing for a Sheet Metal part is a similar process for other models but incorporates additional tools to support Sheet Metal.

Course Objectives

The material presented in this course will teach you:

Placing Views
Annotations

Course Prerequisites

To participate in this training course, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

Part Modeling Essentials

Drawing Essentials

Approximate Duration: 10 Minutes

Tips:

Turn off your phone, and close your email, text, and social media apps.

Plug headphones or earbuds to your computer.

Go Full Screen when watching videos.
Seams and Corners Course

 

Seams and Corners Course Outline

(Course Duration: 10 minutes)

Course Description

In this course, you will learn how to modify sheet metal parts by applying rounds, chamfer and comer relief.
Sheet metal parts often have flanges on adjacent edges creating the need for corners relief.

Comments

Modify your sheet metal part with rounds, chamfer and comer relief. Course content could include wall, floor, column, chair/lighting placement
Punching Course

 

Punching Course Outline

(Course Duration: 10 minutes)

Course Description

In this course, you will learn how to create and place Sheet Metal Punches.
Sheet metal punch tools are iFeatures with extra attributes that cut simple or complex hole shapes in a face of your part, including across a bend.

Comments

Reuse complex geometry easily and create a library of common shapes for sheet metal.
Sheet Metal Documentation Course

 

Sheet Metal Documentation Course Outline

(Course Duration: 6 minutes)

Course Description

In this course, you will learn how to Place and Annotation sheet metal parts in a drawing.
Creating a drawing for sheet metal part is a similar process for other models but incorporates additional tools to support sheet metal.

Comments

Sheet Metal parts require extra View placement and dimension tools.
Flat Pattern Course

 

Flat Pattern Course Outline

(Course Duration: 15 minutes)

Course Description

In this course, you will learn how to flatten a folded model and edit for fabrication.
Once your sheet metal design is complete it is necessary to convert the folded model to a flat pattern for manufacturing purposes.

Comments

All bends and folds will be flattened using the unfold rules.
Faces and Flanges Course

 

Faces and Flanges Course Outline

(Course Duration: 15 minutes)

Course Description
In this course, you will learn how to create faces and flanges in a sheet metal part file.
When building sheet metal components, you will use specific commands in the environment.
Fundamentally, the face and flange commands will be the most frequently used to create sheet metal parts.

Comments

The task in building sheet metal parts is creating faces and flanges.
Bending and Folding Course

 

Bending and Folding Course Outline

(Course Duration: 20 minutes)

Course Description

In this course, you will learn how to modify your existing sheet metal part by adding, rolls, hems, folds and bends.
Sheet Metal parts often require the need to connect faces together, roll over existing edges or to fold over un-bent faces.

Comments

Modify existing sheet metal components.
Rules and Standards Course

 

Rules and Standards Course Outline

(Course Duration: 12 minutes)

Course Description

In this course, you will learn how to work with sheet metal part styles and standards.
The Autodesk Sheet Metal environment is specifically built for thin, uniformity thickness parts.
The purpose-built sheet metal environment has tools designed for thin parts that can be flattened.

Comments

Sheet Metal parts are commonly used to create guards and brackets in a design.