Autodesk Inventor 2026: Sheet Metal Design (Mixed Units)

Please note: The print version of this guide is printed in black and white with images in grayscale.The Autodesk® Inventor® 2026: Sheet Metal Design guide introduces the concepts and techniques of sheet metal modeling with the Autodesk Inventor software.The structure of the guide follows the typical stages of using the Autodesk Inventor software. That is, to create and edit sheet metal parts, generate flat patterns, and document the designs in drawings.Topics CoveredUnderstanding the Autodesk Inventor Sheet Metal interface and workflowCreating base faces, contour flanges, and contour rollsCreating secondary faces, contour flanges, and contour rollsWorking with sheet metal parametersCreating flangesAdding hems, folds, and bends to sheet metal modelsAdding corner rounds and chamfers to sheet metal modelsRemoving geometry from a sheet metal model (holes, cuts, and punch features)Controlling sheet metal geometry using corner seams (seams and miters)Generating flat patternsCreating lofted flangesCreating rip features to permit the flattening of the sheet metal geometryUnfolding and refolding sheet metal geometryDesigning multi-body sheet metal modelsDocumenting and annotating sheet metal drawingsConverting solid models to sheet metal modelsWorking with sheet metal stylesPrerequisitesAccess to the 2026.0 version of the software, to ensure compatibility with this guide. Future software updates that are released by Autodesk may include changes that are not reflected in this guide. The practices and files included with this guide are not compatible with prior versions (e.g., 2025). The material covered in this guide assumes a mastery of Autodesk Inventor basics as taught in Autodesk Inventor: Introduction to Solid Modeling.Knowledge of sheet metal processing is an asset, but not required. Read more