Using Inventor to model a cell phone?

[tzframpton]

Is it reasonable to use Autodesk Inventor for small, micro-processing electronics, such as cell phones? I've been dabbling in Inventor the past few months on a "getting familiar with the interface" basis. I took apart my old HTC One X cell phone yesterday thinking it would be my next AutoCAD 3D rendering project, but I want to get away from AutoCAD. I know if I do it in AutoCAD it'll look phenomenal when I'm done, but I'd rather apply my efforts to learning a new software rather than simply refine my current AutoCAD skill. Before I begin I'd like to hear from the experienced Inventor professionals if this is a reasonable project for (1) learning and (2) rendering purposes. I have a digital vernier caliper to obtain all the necessary measurements. I'm just not sure if Inventor is good with exceedingly intricate and small measurements such as circuit boards, transistors, wires, screws and the like. I know with AutoCAD I have a virtually unlimited environment for designing exceedingly small pieces.

 

Thanks in advance! -TZ

 

Pic of the phone:

[MarkFlayler]

It would work just fine, but I would say there are plugins companies use to make the process easier such as Altium Designer for PCB and circuit board design in Inventor and for the Industrial Design aspect most companies bring in the shell of the phone from Autodesk Alias. Not saying you couldn't do it, but large companies have more in their toolbox than most individuals.

[tzframpton]

  MarkFlayler said:

It would work just fine, but I would say there are plugins companies use to make the process easier such as Altium Designer for PCB and circuit board design in Inventor and for the Industrial Design aspect most companies bring in the shell of the phone from Autodesk Alias. Not saying you couldn't do it, but large companies have more in their toolbox than most individuals.

Thanks Mark for your response. I'm not looking to reverse engineer electrical circuits, only model them for visual purposes. I'm in the AEC industry as an MEP BIM Specialist, so this is nothing more than a personal project. I have Inventor with my BDSU package.

 

Since you say it'll work just fine, then I'll see what I can get started and if it begins to click I'll push forward. Thanks again for the confirmation.

 

-TZ

[Lazer]

Everything including the printed board, wires, resistors ect can be done in inventor. I would say the wires are the difficult bit if you are not using the wire and harness module and even if you are it's a steep learning curve if you want them to run correctly. As it's a personal project then you will be fine in a 3d sketch and a sweep. Rendering for this is best done in Keyshot, can be done in Inventor thou but not the best rendering engine for this type of shot.

[tzframpton]

Thanks Lazer. I'm still not completely ready to jump in on THIS particular project with Inventor quite yet. I need to start with simpler projects. I still haven't made up my mind just yet.

 

I don't have access to Keyshot. Does Inventor have the mental ray rendering engine, by chance? If so, I am confident that I can make things look pretty decent since I'm fairly knowledgeable with mental ray to begin with in AutoCAD and 3ds Max.

[Lazer]

A smaller project would be wise but you are experienced in 3d so do challenge yourself. The best Inventor can do is Ray Tracing so not anywhere up there is mental ray sadly.