Autodesk Inventor is one of the most widely adopted 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) software, it isn’t only used for 3D modeling, but it’s also used in; stress analysis, simulation, and mechanisms animation. There are many alternatives to Autodesk Inventor; SolidWorks and Solid Edge are two of the major alternatives to it.

Learning Autodesk Inventor is very important for mechanical engineers and designer as it’s one of the most useful tools that many design and engineering firms require for engineering/design positions.

This post is a road map for anyone willing to start learning Autodesk Inventor online for free from scratch, the post will present and compare between the best online sources where beginners can start from and follow along, the sources stated in this post are full structured courses so you won’t find a link to a single video or a group of unrelated tutorials.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn Autodesk Inventor) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Start Learning Autodesk Inventor for Free from Scratch

Inventor Tutor

Inventor Tutor is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Inventor through video tutorials; you don’t need to register to have access to the tutorials.

Structure: The training is divided into 4 sections; each section is divided into video lessons (33 lessons in total). Each of the lessons covers a certain topic in Autodesk Inventor.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to a new page where the video resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The course is well-structured and organized for beginners.
3. The instructor makes it very easy for beginners to follow along.

Cons

1. The training covers an old release of Autodesk inventor (2010), but that won’t be a big problem for beginners, as the basics are still the same.
2. There’re three sections that are still work in progress “coming soon”.

Verdict: This’s the best online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Inventor through video tutorials.

Autodesk Inventor Website

Autodesk Inventor Website is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Inventor, the training is available as video as well as text. You don’t need to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The video training is divided into 8 lessons; each lesson covers a certain topic in Autodesk Inventor. The text-based training is divided into 7 sections; each section is divided into tutorials that cover certain topics in Autodesk inventor. The training is more of an overview about the software.

Interface: The interface is quite simple, just select the tutorial you’re interested in from the menu on the left hand side and it’ll open on the right hand side of the screen.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The course is well-organize for beginners.

Cons

1. The training is more of an overview about the software.

Verdict: This training available on this outlet is more of an overview and is more suitable for anyone using alternative software (SolidWorks/Solid Edge) and wants to have an overview about Autodesk Inventor and its basic features.

Autodesk Inventor Tutorials YouTube Channel

Autodesk Inventor Tutorials YouTube Channel is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk Inventor through video tutorials.

Structure: The training is divided into 44 video tutorials; each video tutorial covers certain topics in Autodesk inventor. The training is covering an old release of the software.

Interface: YouTube standard interface.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized and structured for beginners.

Cons

1. The training covers an old release of Autodesk inventor, though that won’t be a problem for beginners as the basics are still the same.
2. Assembly isn’t covered in this training.

Verdict: This’s a good outlet for beginners to start learning Autodesk inventor online for free; it covers the basic of the software in great details but “assemblies” isn’t covered in this training.

Inventor Tutorials

Inventor Tutorials is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Autodesk inventor through a text-based tutorial. As the above sources, you don’t need to register to have access to the course.

Structure: The training is divided into two sections (beginners and intermediate); each of these two sections is divided into lessons (47 lessons in total) and each of the lessons covers a certain topic in Autodesk Inventor.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where the video resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.
3. This outlet is an excellent source to revise from.

Cons

1. An old release of Autodesk Inventor is covered in this outlet.

Verdict: This’s the best place for beginners who prefer text-based tutorials to start learning Autodesk Inventor.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning Autodesk Inventor

1. Inventor Tutor is the best place for beginners who prefer video tutorials to start learning Autodesk Inventor.
2. Inventor Tutorials is the best place for beginners who prefer text-based tutorials to start learning Autodesk Inventor.
3. Autodesk Inventor Website is the best place for those who want to get an overview about the software.
4. For beginners who prefer books, then the free book Autodesk Inventor 2013 for Designers is their best option.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in Autodesk Inventor.