Sure, we’ve all heard of the Unwrap tool in Autodesk Inventor, but what can we use it for? In this quick blog, we’ll see how we can use it to make a sticker for a complicated shape.
Let’s start with our complex shape…
![Complex Shape in Inventor](https://www.manandmachine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/inventor-complex-shape.png)
We’ll perform an unwrap command…
![Inventor Unwrap Command](https://www.manandmachine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/inventor-unwrap-command.png)
![Inventor Unwrap Section](https://www.manandmachine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/inventor-unwrap.png)
Now, this is a pretty surface, but it’s useless on its own. Next, we’ll export it as a DXF, and convert it to an image. Rick-click the Unwrap feature, and click ‘Export Object’.
![Inventor Unwrap Export Object Menu](https://www.manandmachine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/export-object-menu.png)
![Save Exported Unwrap](https://www.manandmachine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/save-export.png)
Lastly, we convert the DXF to an image, and superimpose any image we want! This can then be made into a sticker decal for your part.
![Convert DXF to Image](https://www.manandmachine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/convert-dxf-to-image.png)
![Image Overlay on Unwrap](https://www.manandmachine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/superimpose-picture-for-sticker.png)
![Sticker on Complex Shape](https://www.manandmachine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sticker-on-shape.png)
We have fought nature and created something beautiful with Autodesk Inventor.
If you would like to learn more, Man and Machine welcomes you to one of our Inventor masterclasses! Our applications engineers will get you up to speed in no time!
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