On the Autodesk Labs web there is a new Inventor tool – “2D to 3D”. It should assist on making 3D models from standard 2D views. You can start with 2D front, top, side, etc. views of a part (imported from AutoCAD or taken from a paper drawing) and make a 3D model semi-automatically.
I have played with this utility for a while but I need to learn it better – it still takes time to make a 3D model from 2D views. Maybe I have expected too much – some fully automatic process. And the tool is still in beta – Autodesk calls its Labs tools “technology preview“.
