Autodesk Inventor: Add/Subtract One Model from Another - Boolean Modifier/Operation

I am venturing into the world of 3D design, and 3D printing, by learning Autodesk Inventor. It is mechanical and methodical compared to other programs like Sketchup and Blender- and I was wondering if Inventor could merge models together, or use one model as a cutter for another model. I guess for applications like Blender, this function is called a boolean modifier (here's a video of that). Autodesk Inventor can do something similar- here are the steps.

I should say that I watched a video on YouTube by symetriuk- but it is fast, and there is no audio or written instructions.

I am using Autodesk 2014. Before beginning, you should have two models in separate part files. For our tutorial, you just make something simple like a box and a smaller box. I would recommend, especially for the part you want to add/cut, that you create a copy of this part to edit. The editing we will perform is not necessarily destructive, it can be undone, but it may be more of a hassle than simply opening a prior revision.

1. Create an assembly file, and place both parts into the assembly. Save the assembly somewhere- probably next to the part files, and give it a distinctive name. You would like not to lose this later.

   

   Models in an assembly

   
   
2. Place the models where you need them. You can use Free Move/Free Rotate/Constraints.
   

   

   Position the models

3. Select the model you want to cut or add to (I will refer to this as the edited model), right-click to bring up the canvas marking menu > Edit. This brings you to the editor mode for the edited model.

   

   Canvas Marking Menu

4. Notice how the other part appears semi-transparent/gosted (I will refer to this as the modifying model). We need to copy the modifying model into the edit model.
   


1. On the Design Ribbon, 3D Model tab > Modify sub-tab > Copy Object, and select the modifying model (when you cursor highlights over it, straight edges may appear dotted).

   

   Copy Object tool

2. You are presented with the Copy Object dialog box. Make sure under the Create New radio button, that the Composite button is selected, and that Associative is checked. Click Apply, and Ok.
   
3. The modifying model is now placed into the edited model. The modifying model now appears as an transparent-orange material Composite (I encountered this material in a previous post).

   

   Composite surface

5. We now need to add/subtract this modifying model Composite to/from the edited model.
1. On the Design Ribbon, 3D Model tab > Surface sub-tab > Sculpt, and select the transparent-orange Composite modifying model.

   

   Sculpt tool

2. On the left side of the dialog box are some buttons, choose Add or Remove. For the purpose of this tutorial, we are going to choose Remove.

   

   Using the Sculpt tool

3. On the bottom right, you will see a >> button, click it and it will reveal more to the window. This is difficult for me to explain because I don't know the technical terms for it; but for each listed surface of the edited model, you need to choose one of the directional options- they almost look like options from extrude or emboss. I think of the first one as add to, and the second one as subtract from. We are subtracting, so select the second. Depending on your models and positioning, you may have more surfaces to affect. Click Ok.

   

   Selecting directional options in the Sculpt tool

4. The modifying model again appears semi-transparent/gosted, but the edited model now appears cut in to. If something doesn't look right, you may need to redo step 5-3 if you missed some surfaces and/or choose different directional options (sorry I don't have anything more concrete to say on the matter).
   
   
   
   
5. On the Design Ribbon, you can go to the right-most end and click Return to exit the edit mode and return to the assembly mode.
6. Save now. You will be presented with a dialog box that asks if you want to save changes to this assembly and its dependents. Select Yes-to-all, and Ok. You have saved this modification to the edited model part file.

   

   Save dialog

This assembly file is performing a sort-of dynamic modification to the edited model's part file. The added or subtracted change is saved to the edited model when you Save in step 6 and you run through the dialog box. This change is dynamic because in the assembly, you can move the modifying model in relation to the edited model, and the Sculpt will be moved with it. When you Save again, this modified-change will be saved to the edited part file. This is especially useful because if you edit the modifying model part file, then open the assembly file- updating the part in the assembly file, and saving to save that change through to the edited model.

Click-drag the modifying part, and you will see the subtraction move with it.

Earlier before step 1, I recommended saving and editing a copy of your original model. This is because the only way to return to the non-modified model after doing the assembly modification, is to return to the assembly and delete the modifying model- which may be counter-productive depending on how hard it was to arrange the parts in the assembly in the first place.

There is another video on YouTube by InventorMasters that seems to show the same process as symetriuk did.