Creating Contoured and Plastic Parts - Autodesk Inventor 2010: No Experience Required - page 376

Snap Fit
A Snap Fit has two halves. One is the tab and the other, the catch. They are
located by placing points in a sketche or by using points that occur in the model.
Once the points for locating the snap are selected, a wizard will walk you through
sizing and positioning the feature.
Boss
If your components will be fastened together using screws, then Boss is the tool
you want. It too is a multifunction tool, creating the boss into which the screw
is recessed and the one the screw fastens to on the opposite part.
Rule Fillet
The regular Fillet tool that you've been using is very fl exible, but it's based on
edges, faces, and other selected elements. The Rule Fillet tool can tell one feature
that if it comes in contact with another feature, it automatically constructs a fi llet
of a specifi ed radius. A number of different rules can be applied, all of which are
fantastic.
Rest
It can be diffi cult to mount things to highly contoured parts. A rest is a feature
that builds a place to attach to. Based on a sketch, it adds or removes material in
order to create a fl at face from the sketch.
Lip
Lips are among the most common features on plastic parts. These overlapping
features locate parts to one another and are critical for creating the effect of a
seamless body.
You've already been exposed to the rule fi llet, and you'll use other plastic-part
tools as we go through the next several exercises.
Placing the Bosses
Let's begin by placing Boss features on the Bottom solid; then you'll place them
on the Top solid:
1. Start the Boss tool from the Plastic Features panel.
2. Select the four corners of the sketched rectangle for placement.
3. Set type to Head.
4. On the Shape tab, set the Fillet value to .03 .