Plan, Model and Render a Micro Apartment

As a student, I have experienced that the available space for living is becoming less and less with time (because people don't want to burn through their pockets just only to live-). That's why I'm interested in mini and micro living space and thinking of plan, modeling and rendering one to see if it's possible to build realistic micro apartment. This apartment is 3*3.5*3m, equals 10.5m2 to live. I modeled all the furniture by myself also. The total working time was around 17 hours. I added my Inventor files for each step as references.

Supplies

1. Autodesk Inventor Professional: I got to know Inventor because of my module. Despite it's said to be more for modeling mechanical parts, I wanted to try modeling something architectural with it.
2. An okay-ish PC to render otherwise *explosion*

Step 1: Drawing House Plan in Different Views for the Micro Apartment

Firstly, sketch out a house plan. Mine is in scale 1:10. One small square is equivalent to 0.1m, one big square is equivalent to 0.5m. While modelling there will be some adjustments when I realize it, but still the house plan should be as correct of scale as possible.

Step 2: Start Making Model in Autodesk Inventor

1. Import house plan
2. Calibrate units (I use meters: Tools > Documents Settings > Units > Length > Meter) and scale the plan to have the right dimensions.

Step 3: Modelling the House Walls

1. Making sketches following the plan and then extrude them to make floor and walls. I extrude the floor to the other side of the plan so that it doesn't cover the house plan. The walls are 3m high and 5cm thick.
2. I made a sketch for the connecting part between the wall in the middle and the frontmost wall (0.3*0.8x*0.05m), then extruded it, fillet 0.3m to make the edge round (makes the way to the kitchen feel less cold).
3. Similarly, the doorway is extruded (0.5*0.8*2m). The position of the doorway in the model is different from the house plan because I realized there is more space in the kitchen :) No need to squeeze everything in one place.
4. The window of the kitchen is placed 1m high on the middle wall with dimensions of 0.05*1.5*1m
5. Making the shower by tracing the house plan, one blue glazing glass finish side is 1*3*0.01m, the other side is 1.5*3*0.03m with 1.5in Square - Medium Blue finish.

Step 4: Making and Assembling the Bed

The bed is a loft by itself, serving as a separate space from the communal space of the kitchen and living room.

1. Making the bed floor (2*2.43*0.05m) and bed (1.5*2*0.2m).
2. Making handles to prevent people rolling down from the bed to the floor by sketching 4*4cm square and then using a rectangular pattern to have 6 of it. Select these 6 squares and extrude them. Finally, sketch and extrude the horizontal pole. Fillet all the edges.
3. Making nightstand (0.5*0.5*0.3m) and lamp (dimensions are in the image). I drew the sketches for the side cut of the lamp and then revolve the sketches 360 degrees to get the full lamp.
4. Create a new Assembly then assemble the bed by using Constraints on the furniture.

Step 5: The Storage Shelf for the Kitchen

Kitchen storage dimensions: 0.4*0.92*3m

First made the sketch then extrude and shell it (thickness 1cm). The big space of the lower part is for the fridge (1.5m tall). I chose birch natural finish for the shelf.

Step 6: The Fridge

Making the fridge by importing a png picture of fridge, scaling it to fit the space of the kitchen storage (<1.5m tall). Then sketch over it and extrude. Finally, create another 2D sketch then import and scale the picture again to put it as decal on the front of the fridge.

Step 7: The Storage Shelf for the Living Room

Living room storage dimensions: 0.4*2.42*2.5m

Create a sketch 4 rectangles 0.3*0.59m with 0.01m spacing, then copy them to have 8 rectangles. Extrude them to cut the shelf by 1mm to get 8 compartments. Make a new sketch in form of slot, using rectangular pattern to get 4 slots, copy them again to get 8 slots. Extrude them inward by 2mm to get 8 handles. Use shell to hollow out the upper part then make shelves with sketch and extrude.

Step 8: The Sofa

Making the sitting of the sofa (0.8*1.2*0.2m), fillet the 4 side edges by 0.05m, fillet the upper and lower edges by 0.02m. Making the back part of the sofa (0.15*1.2*0.4m). Fillet the edges. Sketch a circle then copy and extrude in order to get 4 feet of the sofa.

Step 9: Dinner Stool

Making the sit of dinner stool (diameter 0.4m), extrude and fillet 2 edges by 0.005m. Create a rectangle sketch then use Circular pattern to get 4, extrude and fillet by 0.005m to get 4 poles.

Step 10: Dinner Table

Making the dinner table (0.7*1*0.015m) and fillet the corner by 0.05m for safety. Making 2 feet (because the table is foldable so that when not uing it saves space).

Step 11: Kitchen Island

1. Making the kitchen island (0.5*1.5*0.8m), fillet the upper front edge by 0.02. Cut in 2cm thick of a rectangle 0.05*1.5m. Cut in 2cm thick for the 2 door trenchs. Cut in 1cm thick for each of the cabinet door. Making slots of 3mm thick cut in for the door.
2. Making the stove by extruding a rectangle 2mm, sketch a circle diameter 0.15m then copy it for receive 4 cooking places. Extrude the circle by 2 mm.
3. Making the sink by extruding a rectangle inward by 0.2m and fillet the edges by 0.02m. Making the faucet body and tap each by extruding a rectangle 0.1m the fillet the side edges 0.01m. The water way is a 2mm extruded circle at the under side of the tap.

Step 12: Ladder to the Loft

Making 2 vertical poles each 0.04*0.04*2.1m, the distance between 2 poles 0.3m. Making horizontal poles, each 0.04*0.04*0.3m, distance 0.2m. Cherry - Natural Low Gloss finish.

Step 13: Shower Head

Making the shower head following this tutorial.

Step 14: Toilet

Making the toilet lower part by extruding a rectangle 0.2*0.24m, fillet by 0.05m. Select work plane and move up the plane by 20cm. Sketch the upper bigger part 0.38*0.5m, fillet 2 front corners by 0.19m. Using loft to create toilet shape. Thicken the upper face by 4cm.

Step 15: Door

Door dimensions: 0.8*2*0.02m. Make the door handle and key lock (see picture for reference): Extruded Slot, Extruded (Cut-in) Circle, Extruded (Cut-in) Rectangle inside Circle as key lock, 2 extruded and filleted rectangle as the door handle.

Step 16: Assembling the House Model in Inventor

Using constraints and joints to assemble the house. I include my assembly as a reference for the position of the furniture.

Step 17: Rendering

Enable Ray Tracing with GPU (Tools > Application Options > Hardware > Enable Viewpoint GPU Ray Tracing)

Then move around, change visibility of some parts and click Ray Tracing. I screenshorted the final renders.

This is the final step, thanks for following my Instructable >:3

I myself learned a lot more about Inventor through the project, and also how documenting what I did is extremely helpful in making this Instructable.