: The punch tool dialog now displays a count of the number of punch instances selected, improving documentation for machine shops.

Autodesk Inventor 2016 introduced several significant enhancements to the sheet metal design environment, focusing on productivity and more realistic fabrication modeling. Key technical papers and guides for this version highlight features like , zero-radius bends , and automatic material thickness detection . Key New Features in Inventor 2016 Sheet Metal

: The software calculates material stretching during the unfolding process. For the most accurate manufacturing, it is recommended to design to finished dimensions and let Inventor's K-factor or Bend Allowance calculate the flat pattern.

: When converting a standard solid part or imported non-native geometry into a sheet metal part, Inventor 2016 can now automatically detect the material thickness, eliminating a manual setup step.

: This highly requested feature allows for the creation of sharp corners (zero radius) in sheet metal components, which more accurately reflects certain fabrication methods and avoids error messages in the Bend Radius field.

: Reference materials like the Inventor 2016 SheetMetal Design-EVAL offer a 38-page breakdown of the module's capabilities.