Tutorial: Getting Started

Learn how to use the ribbon, mouse controls, view controls, and how to create a force and draw direction.

In this lesson you will learn about:
  • The ribbon
  • Importing files
  • View controls
  • Showing and hiding parts
  • Creating and editing forces
  • Creating and editing draw directions


Explore the Ribbon

  1. Start Inspire.
  2. The ribbon across the top of the application displays all of the tools available in Inspire. Click on the tabs at the top of the ribbon to switch between the various menus and ribbons.


  3. Each icon on the ribbon provides access to one or more tools. As you mouse over an icon, the individual tools glow with a blue border.
  4. Click the icon next to the ribbon tabs to create a custom ribbon.
  5. Click the Custom tab to view the custom ribbon. The Home icon group is automatically included.
  6. Drag and drop tool icons on the ribbon to the Custom tab. You can also drag and drop to rearrange the order of the icons along the custom ribbon.
  7. Right-click an icon or a custom ribbon tab to rename or delete it.

Open the Dual Bracket Model

  1. Press F7 to open the Demo Browser.
  2. Double-click the dual bracket.stmod file to load it in the modeling window.
  3. If not already visible, press F2 to open the Model Browser.
  4. Click on the Unit System Selector in the lower right corner of the modeling window, and set the display units to MKS (m kg N s).

Use the View Controls

  1. Pan the model by holding down the right mouse button while dragging the mouse. Press the C key and click a point on the model to center it around that point.
  2. Rotate the model by holding down both the Shift key and the right mouse button while dragging the mouse. This rotation method is called turntable rotation and is useful if your model's vertical direction is aligned with the z-axis.
  3. Now hold down the middle mouse button while dragging the mouse. This is called trackball rotation and is useful for tumbling your model in any direction. Press the N key to rotate the model to the closest principal axes.
  4. Use the scroll wheel to zoom centered on the mouse cursor. To zoom around the center of the modeling window, press the Ctrl + Shift keys and drag the middle mouse button vertically.
  5. The view controls are located in the lower left corner of the modeling window. Click the icon in the lower left corner of the modeling window or press the F key to fit the entire model in the view.
    Note: If parts are selected rather than the entire model, clicking the icon will zoom in on the selected parts. Clicking the icon again will zoom out to show the entire model. Try pressing F repeatedly with different parts selected to see the effect.
Note: To customize your mouse controls to mimic a different application, select File > Preferences to open the Preferences window. Then select Mouse Controls > Presets and choose an application from the drop-down list.


Show and Hide Parts

  1. Click the Show/Hide icon in the lower left corner of the modeling window.
  2. Hover over a part. The mouse cursor will change to , indicating that you are in show/hide mode.
  3. Left-click one or more parts in the modeling window. The parts turn transparent as you select them and are grayed out in the Model Browser.
  4. Right-click to exit the show/hide mode. The selected objects are hidden in the modeling window.
  5. To show parts hat are hidden, select the Show/Hide tool again.
  6. Click on a transparent part while holding down the Shift key. While the Shift key is pressed, the cursor changes to .
  7. Click on the remaining transparent parts, then right-click and mouse though the check mark or double-right-click to exit show/hide mode.
  8. Using keyboard shortcuts is another way you can show, hide, or isolate parts.
    • Press the A key to show all parts.
    • Press the H key to hide selected parts.
    • Press the I key to isolate selected parts.
    • Press the R key to reverse the selection (hide all selected parts, and show all hidden parts).

Apply a Force and Draw Direction

  1. Select one of the brackets and press the I key to isolate it.
  2. Select the Structure tab on the ribbon
  3. Click the Apply Force tool on the Loads icon.

  4. Move the mouse cursor over the front face of the bracket and left-click to apply a distributed force.
  5. A microdialog appears when creating or editing forces. Enter 45 N in the text field and click the +/- button to change the direction of the force.
  6. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.
  7. Apply a draw direction constraint to the bracket by left-clicking the Draw Direction tool on the Shape Controls icon. (You'll learn more about draw directions in later tutorials.)
  8. Click the Single Draw tool on the secondary ribbon.
  9. Left-click the bracket. A blue plane appears with four corner arrows pointing toward the face of the bracket, indicating the draw direction (the direction the mold will be pulled away from the part).
  10. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.

Edit the Force and Draw Direction

Once objects have been created, it is easy to create more objects of the same type or edit those objects by double-clicking on them in the modeling window.
  1. Double-click the blue plane to edit the draw direction. You are now in edit mode, and a microdialog appears.
  2. Click one of the gray planes to activate it and change the orientation of the draw direction.
  3. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.
  4. Double-click the red force arrow on the front face. You are now in edit mode, and a microdialog reappears.
  5. You can edit the force by entering a magnitude in the text field, or change its direction by pressing the +/-, X, Y, Z buttons.
    Note: To quickly edit an integer value in a microdialog, highlight any digits in the number and use the scroll wheel on the mouse.
  6. You can also create more forces by selecting another face, as shown below:
  7. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.