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About Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Inventor is a desktop CAD program for parametric 3D mechanical design. It covers modelling parts and assemblies, simulation and producing engineering documentation such as drawings. The current release is Inventor 2027.
It is sold as a subscription through the Autodesk store or Autodesk partners and suits engineers and product designers working on mechanical parts. It is a separate product from Autodesk Fusion 360, which is Autodesk's cloud-connected CAD tool.
Strengths
- Parametric modelling for mechanical parts and assemblies
- Includes simulation and documentation tools
- Actively maintained with yearly releases
Limitations
- Subscription only, no free tier
- Closed-source commercial software
Details
- Pricing
- PaidSold as a subscription from Autodesk or an Autodesk partner.
- License
- Proprietary
- Developer
- Autodesk
- Platforms
- Windows
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Best suited for
- Mechanical engineers and product designers doing professional 3D CAD work
- Categories
- 3D and CAD
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to Autodesk Inventor
Compare allSoftware that can replace Autodesk Inventor for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
SolidWorks
Industry-standard parametric CAD software for 3D design and product development.
SolidWorks is industry-standard parametric CAD with broad training resources and simulation add-ons, also Windows only and costly for individuals.
Autodesk Fusion 360
Cloud-connected parametric CAD, CAM, and CAE platform with a free personal tier.
Autodesk Fusion 360 adds CAM, runs on Windows and macOS, and has a free personal tier, but is cloud-connected and needs internet for full functionality.
Solid Edge
Mainstream parametric CAD software with a free Community edition.
Solid Edge is Siemens parametric CAD with a free Community edition and an integration path with NX, still Windows only with full features in paid tiers.
Siemens NX
High-end CAD, CAM, and CAE suite used in aerospace and automotive design.
Siemens NX integrates CAD, CAM and CAE for aerospace and automotive design, aimed at large enterprise teams with matching pricing and complexity.
Onshape
Fully browser-based parametric CAD platform with real-time collaboration.
Onshape runs entirely in the browser with real-time collaboration and version history, but needs a stable internet connection and its free tier projects are public.
FreeCAD
A parametric 3D modeller for real objects: design by sketching constrained 2D shapes, then change the parameters later.
FreeCAD is free and open source on Windows, macOS and Linux with parametric modelling and production drawings, though large assemblies can be slow.
Alibre Design
Parametric 3D CAD software for designing mechanical parts and assemblies, with optional CAM add-ons.
Alibre Design is lower-cost Windows parametric CAD for parts and assemblies, with weldments in the Expert edition and optional CAM, FEA and motion add-ons.
IronCAD
Commercial 3D and 2D mechanical CAD software with drag-and-drop design and hybrid modelling.
IronCAD is commercial Windows mechanical CAD with drag-and-drop catalog design and hybrid direct and feature-based modelling, sold through sales and resellers.
Autodesk Inventor as an alternative
Listings that name Autodesk Inventor as an alternative.
VariCAD
A 3D and 2D CAD program for mechanical engineering design on Windows and Linux.
Autodesk Inventor provides parametric mechanical modelling with simulation and documentation on Windows, sold by subscription only, whereas VariCAD includes all features in one licence.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
AutoCAD
Autodesk's 2D drafting and 3D CAD application, available on the desktop and in the browser.
DesignSpark Mechanical
A direct-modelling 3D CAD program with push-pull tools, aimed at engineers and makers without deep CAD experience.
Elmer FEM
Open-source multiphysics simulation software based on the finite element method.
KeyShot
Commercial real-time 3D rendering software for producing product visuals from CAD data.
Zoo Design Studio
A mechanical CAD application on Zoo's own geometry engine, with a built-in conversational CAD agent.
