Kicker for you, I work primarily in the automotive field and all the files I bring in from auto manufacturers is in solid works. I brought in a whole assembly in both step, parasolid, iges, etc. The direct solidworks file opened faster and right off the bat was easier to work with. As far as importing, I did so as a step file and tried to convert to sheet metal using the tab, as well as brining in an actual native solidworks part file. But I thank you for your input on which software you prefer instead of answering the initial question. Step for step, I can create the same sheet metal part in solidworks in far less steps/clicks required in inventor. This seems counter productive to have to go in and bypass this default in the sheet metal default tab. 120'material when Inventor pulled it in as the proper thickness. It was a default setting that so far I have yet to find why it is set to a. It wasn't a solidworks import issue either. I found out the issue as I stated above after seeing one of the guys here post what the actual issue was in Inventor. I so far am not a fan of inventor just in the few days that I have been playing around on it. I have been using this software for 5 years now without a single issue. I prefer solidworks and have never had any issues using it for sheet metal parts. To each their own when it comes to the cad software that you prefer. I am hoping I can get some direction here. I have had some of the long time users from the company in my office trying to figure out why this is happening on just a few of the parts to no avail. While some of the parts will show the conversion to sheet metal giving the parts tree the correct designation of folded part, but the part will not actually unfold. My issue is that some of the parts came in great with the conversion to sheet metal, giving me a parts tree in inventor and allowing me to 'unfold' the parts to make my drawings and dxf off of. I have saved all the parts in the part number system they have given me and replaced all the imported parts with the Inventor files.

Now that I am finished with the parts, I have opened them in Inventor to set up the files for the other team members to be able to use. I have drawn quite a few parts for my new company using my personal computer and my Solidworks program in the interest of speed and knowing that program.

I am new to the Inventor program as all the other companies I have worked for have used SolidWorks and I am certified and proficient in that particular cad software.

Solidworks sheet metal