Autodesk Inventor

[#1]

Screen shots of what I did

1) Verified the selection mode

2) Select surface

3) Select alternate color/matl

4) Result - Notice face is still selected

Tell me what I am missing, please

Doug

[#2]

Select the middle of the face, stay away from the edges.

[#3]

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divingdoug wrote:

I indeed did try the appearance drop down, many times and it always changed the entire part, regardless of how much or how little I had selected (faces, bodies, etc.)

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If you want to change the whole body to a certian appearance, select the body under the Solid Bodies node, then select the appearance from the appearance drop-down.... done.

Heres a video of how to change the color of the faces.

[#4]

I do know how to select faces.  The pic shows the face being highlighted, not an edge.   I can zoom in so that no edges are visible, select only the face and it changes the entire part.

Watched the video.  Did exactly the same thing.  Changes the entire part.

Version info:

Build 190,  Release: 2012 SP1 - Date: Mon 08/08/2011

32-Bit Edition - 2.00 GB

3 clicks, pick surface, click on dropdown, select new color.   Doesn't work.

As long as I have a workaround, I can live with it. Will just cuss a bit every time I do.

Doug

[#5]

Ah, I see now.  You are not using Inventor 2013.  2013 has both the Material and Appearance drop-downs at the top of the window, but prior versions did not.  And in prior versions, the Color drop-down that you are using was only for the entire part.  For 2012 and earlier, the only way I know of is the one that you used-- Face properties. 

[#6]

One of the drawbacks of working for a fortune 250 company. You use what the say, when they say and how they say.  My limited history shows they only up the version about every 2 years so I don't expect anything until 2014.

Since my frame of reference for the tools I expect to see is SW, I am still surprised that this simple function has only been added in the latest version.  I had way more properties control in SW as far back as 2007 (and maybe before that if I could remember back that far)

It is painful to have to use so much time on the job learning to use your tools but as I have previously indicated, I find limitations, obstacles and such in nearly every function I use.  To that end, as I am doing a lot of finalization and cleanup on the documentation for an entire production line I implemented,  I will be using this forum quite a bit to look for answers.

I have found the built in IV help to be completely useless.  Searching for an answer results in topics that have no connection to the search term(s)

It is just frustrating because in the 7 plus years I used SW, I only had to look for help maybe 4 or 5 times total.  SW is a synonym for intuitive while IV appears to be an antonym. (Within a week of starting one project, I was able to do complex fly through animations of self assembling assemblies in SW with no outside help)

I would ask many things in a single post but I'm sure that it would appear to be nothing but a bitch session and would solicit little response.

And so it continues......

Doug

[#7]

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divingdoug wrote:

One of the drawbacks of working for a fortune 250 company. You use what the say, when they say and how they say.

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I feel your pain!  XP 32-bit and IE7 are my lot in life until the IT gods decide differently.  Fortunately, I do have much more control of our Inventor setup.