The features you explored in this tutorial represent powerful additions to your sheet metal modeling skills.
- Transitional shapes defined by selecting two profiles for a Lofted Flange feature are common in some sheet metal design situations.
- The ability to define the output of a Lofted Flange targeted at either a Press Brake or Die Form manufacturing process provides flexibility in both design and manufacturing.
- The ease of adding a Rip feature to a Lofted Flange created from two closed profiles provides for ease of flat pattern creation during the design process.
- Bend Order Annotation on the sheet metal flat pattern allows documentation of the correct fabrication sequence.
- The ability to add cosmetic centerlines provides additional efficiencies by allowing the documentation of bends that have not been created in the folded model state.
- Certain features are easier to create while the model is flat: Unfold and Refold features allow efficient creation of these features while showing them correctly in both the final folded model and the flat pattern.
What Next? As a next step, consider exploring the creation of Lofted Flange features with two open profiles. Or, create a variation of the folded and rolled square tube with cut features that cross over both the 90-degree square corner bend as well as the 30-degree rolled faces. You can also explore the capabilities of the Inventor Studio environment which was used to create several of the photorealistic images that were used in this tutorial.