Ever since I posted a note in the Inventor discussion forum and published "Student Access to Mesh Enabler for Inventor" on my blog, I get emails from students requesting a copy of the Mesh Enabler for Autodesk Inventor. This add-on is available to Autodesk Subscription customers only. In the case of students, they have access to our free software, such as Inventor, but not our Subscription benefits. Though I get several messages a day, I try to respond as quickly as I can.

Here is an example of one from last month:

Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2014 11:20 AM
To: Scott Sheppard
Subject: Autodesk Mesh for Students
Good day Scott,
I saw in a help forum that you were the person to contact about the mesh to solid app for students. Could you provide me a little more information about the options available? I'd be happy to discuss the need/motivation and any other information. We are trying to modify someone else's original design on Thingiverse that is available for download. My team at the university is building a 3D printed mechanical arm for a 1st grader who was born without an elbow, and we want to try out a different hand we found to compare some components. It works with a electromyography sensor via a servo/Arduino as well. Stratasys sponsored us with print material, and the design to print in Inventor is really great. (I started in high school in 2003 on Inventor 3.0. We have come a long way!).
Albert Manero II
Fulbright Scholar
The University of Central Florida
"Man must rise above the Earth... for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives." — Socrates

I know all students want to complete their projects, but I am particularly happy I responded to that email. I received a follow-up the other day. With Albert's permission, I thought I would share it with you.

Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2014 4:49 PM
To: Scott Sheppard
Subject: RE: Autodesk Mesh for Students
Greetings Scott,
I wanted to give you an update on our 3D printed arm. Today we reached full functionality of the V1. Tomorrow we will be having young Alex try it on for the first time. We are planning for a media demonstration next Friday after tomorrow's calibration and practice. Inventor 2015 has been great for this project.
Albert Manero II
Fulbright Scholar
The University of Central Florida

It's great to see our tools put to such good use. Our company vision is to help customers imagine, design, and create a better world. This is certainly an example of that. On Saturday their work was featured on NBC's Today show.

Watch the news story.

Using the mesh enabler, the team was able to read in STL files intended for 3D printing, customize them using Autodesk Inventor, and then print the modified parts on a Stratasys 3D printer. They were a perfect fit in more ways than one.

Goodwill is alive in the lab.