Inventor Professional | Intermediate - Introduction to Nastran

Inventor Professional | Intermediate – Introduction to Nastran is an intensive two-day private course, available virtually or in person, and led by an experienced Autodesk Certified Instructor specialising in finite element analysis (FEA). This course provides participants with essential FEA simulation techniques and workflows to tackle engineering challenges and optimise designs effectively.

During this course, you will explore a wide range of FEA topics and practical techniques to strengthen your simulation skills. Starting with digital prototyping, you will learn how to prepare models for analysis and transfer scenarios and results from Inventor Professional. The course introduces linear analysis, covering idealisation techniques, material properties, constraints, loads, and mesh refinement strategies to achieve convergence and ensure accurate results. You will practise generating and refining meshes, reviewing analysis results, and interpreting plots to validate performance and identify design improvements. Additionally, you will gain hands-on experience with ply and laminate composites, exploring their behaviours and understanding material orientation for precise analysis. You will learn how to use frames for structural analysis, focusing on idealisation, constraints, and loads. The course further delves into nonlinear materials, guiding you through stress-strain curves, elasto-plastic behaviour, and surface contact analysis to simulate complex material responses. Additionally, you will explore dynamic simulations in depth, including modes, frequency response, and nonlinear transient response. You will also learn how to perform transient response and fatigue analysis, applying damping elements and evaluating designs under cyclic loading. These tools and techniques will enable you to assess durability and performance confidently in real-world engineering scenarios.

By the end of the course, you will have a strong understanding of FEA workflows in Inventor Professional. You will confidently perform simulations, evaluate material behaviours, and optimise designs to ensure durability, reliability, and performance in your engineering projects.

During this course, you will explore the following topics:

• Module 1 – Digital Prototyping: Explore the fundamentals of finite element analysis (FEA) and learn how to prepare your models for accurate and efficient analysis. This module provides an understanding of how to structure and organise your workflows to optimise analysis processes, ensuring reliability and precision in your results. You will also learn how to transfer scenarios and analysis results from Inventor Professional, enabling you to integrate digital prototyping into your design workflows effectively.
• Module 2 – Default Analysis Setup: Learn the fundamentals of linear analysis and subcases, including idealisation techniques, material properties, constraints, loads, and connectors. This module provides detailed guidance on mesh basics, including strategies for refining your mesh to achieve convergence effectively. By understanding these techniques, you will ensure that your analysis results are both accurate and reliable, supporting informed design decisions.
• Module 3 – Mesh | Results Plot: Practise generating and refining meshes to prepare your models for accurate analysis. Learn how to customise mesh settings to suit various design scenarios and achieve optimal results. This module also guides you through loading and reviewing analysis results, visualising them on detailed plots, and interpreting the results effectively.
• Module 4 – Composites | Frames: Learn how to work with ply and laminate composites, gaining an understanding of idealisation theory and material orientation for accurate analysis. This module also covers the use of frames in structural analysis, focusing on topics such as idealisation, constraints, and loads. These techniques will enhance your ability to analyse and optimise composite and frame structures efficiently.
• Module 5 – Assemblies | Nonlinear Materials: Learn how to analyse surface contacts and symmetric objects within assembly models to ensure accurate results. Begin working with nonlinear materials by exploring key topics such as stress-strain curves, nonlinear elastic behaviour, elasto-plastic properties, and plastic material characteristics. This module provides the foundational knowledge needed to understand and simulate complex material behaviours in advanced design scenarios.
• Module 6 – Dynamic Analysis Algorithms | Nonlinear Transient Response: Gain an understanding of the theory behind modes and frequency response in dynamic analysis. This module guides you through setting up nonlinear transient response analysis, including the use of damping elements to simulate real-world conditions. Learn how to interpret result plots accurately, enabling you to analyse and optimise designs under dynamic loading scenarios.
• Module 7 – Normal Model | Frequency Response: Practise performing normal modal analysis to determine natural frequencies with precision and identify potential modal avoidances. This module also covers running frequency response analysis to evaluate how designs behave under dynamic conditions. Learn how to interpret results and visualise plots effectively, enabling you to optimise designs for real-world performance.
• Module 8 – Transient Response | Fatigue Analysis: Learn how to set up transient response analysis with precision, including the application of damping elements to simulate realistic conditions. This module includes best practice on implementing dynamic and modal setups. You will learn how to perform fatigue analysis to evaluate the durability of designs under cyclic loading, and develop the skills to interpret results and plots accurately for informed decision-making.

Before the course, you will receive a Course Pack containing training notes and/or files that need to be downloaded prior to joining the training.

This course includes 12 months of complimentary access to the course-related ASCENT Center for Technical Knowledge e-book (valued at 70 USD) which contains files that need to be installed prior to joining the training. This e-book provides comprehensive training notes that you can refer to after the training to further ensure your knowledge retention. Login details for the ASCENT platform will be issued a few days before the training. To learn more about ASCENT, please visit their website.

Participants joining this course virtually will need:

• Inventor Professional ‘24 and Inventor Nastran ’24 installed on their computer (required). Please contact us if you need to purchase a software licence.
• The latest Zoom version installed on their computer (required).
• A stable internet connection with a minimum download speed of 10 Mbps (required).
• A secondary screen to follow instructions shared by the course instructor during training, along with a mouse for easy software navigation (recommended).
• A headset to ensure clear communication with the instructor, and preferably a microphone and webcam for interactive conversations (recommended).

Participants joining this course in person will need:

• Inventor Professional ‘24 and Inventor Nastran ’24 installed on their computer (required). Please contact us if you need to purchase a software licence.
• A large computer screen, along with a keyboard and mouse for easy software navigation (recommended).

Additionally, the training venue should be equipped with:

• A projector setup or a large screen enabling the instructor to connect their laptop, facilitating attendee visibility of the instructor's screen (required).

To join the course, participants must be confident in their use of Inventor Professional. It is recommended that individuals have a thorough understanding of all topics covered in the Essentials course, along with at least six months of regular usage of Inventor Professional on projects. This foundational knowledge ensures full engagement with the intermediate concepts and techniques presented in the course.

ARKANCE, an Authorized Autodesk Training Center, delivers high-quality training for Autodesk software users. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive an official ARKANCE Certificate of Completion, demonstrating their commitment to ongoing professional development.

Additionally, participants are encouraged to register their attendance with Autodesk Education to receive a Certificate of Completion from Autodesk. To obtain this certificate, participants must follow the steps provided in the confirmation email sent after registration and submit a post-training feedback survey within 60 days of completing the course.

Our private training sessions are offered at a flat rate per course and accommodate up to eight participants. Delivered on request, these courses can be conducted virtually or on-site at your venue.

The training can follow a standard agenda or be customised to align with your team’s specific workflows, existing templates, and project requirements. Please note that in-person training will incur additional travel costs, and pricing may vary for customised curriculums.

Please contact us to discuss organising this training for your team.