Help editing this file

[jpc4kp]

Hey everyone,

I found a set of files on Thingiverse that I want to have printed at my schools RPL lab. However I want to edit them and shell them out first so they are cheaper to print. They are pieces to a board game (settlers of catan) So I need a lot of them so the less plastic the better. However the files are in .stl format. I opened them in inventor but I still can't edit them. An error message says they have no volume and they are called mesh feature in the side bar which I have never seen. I attached one below as an example. If anyone can help me out that would be awesome. 

Thanks so much!

EDIT: the message baord wont let me attach a .stl so here is the link I downladed them from. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:26979

[cwhetten]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

In order to attach files of a type that are not attachable, zip the file first and then attach it.

We should be able to figure this one out, but a lot of people would prefer not to download files from 3rd-party sites.  So you will probably get more help if you directly attach it here.

Cameron Whetten
Inventor 2012

[swhite]

What format are they in? Not going to download them just to find out, but there are plenty of file converters on the net for free. Somethin that would convert them to ASCII or STEP files or any of the number of files Inventor can open. Also when you chose to open them if they are not Inventor files you need to select the options button at the bottom and select import. It will only open native format, all other types must be imported.

[cwhetten]

You say that you were able to open the STL file.  I am curious, how exactly did you do that?  I am using Inventor 2012 and I don't see an option to import STL files.

Cameron Whetten
Inventor 2012

[jpc4kp]

Thanks for getting back to me so quick guys, I attached the zipped file here. I am using the 2013 Student version went to open then used the drop down menu to select .stl and was then able to open it. The only import option I have is import DWG, and I am not familiar enough with file types to know what that is. Thanks for the help!

[JDMather]

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@cwhetten wrote:

You say that you were able to open the STL file.  I am curious, how exactly did you do that?  I....

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Inventor has been able to open stl files as far back as I can remember.

File Open>Files of type *.stl
But using them is a different story.

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/inventor_mesh

Some 3D printer software have setting for Sparse Fill (honeycomb) to reduce material use when setting up the print.

[ic198]

Hi,

IPT file attached- I imported your file into Rhino and converted it to a NURBS solid there. Note I had to roll the EOP marker above the base solid to make it reasonably small and even then I can't post it here (even zipped!)- below is a dropbox link

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i39o1to6u2ujnbu/Ore.ipt

Good luck with your project

Ian

[jpc4kp]

Thanks so much for the help everyone , I really appreciate it!

[cwhetten]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@cwhetten wrote:

You say that you were able to open the STL file.  I am curious, how exactly did you do that?  I....

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Inventor has been able to open stl files as far back as I can remember.

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I thought so too, but here are the options I get:

Also shown is the message I get when I just set it to all file types and try to open an STL file.

Anyway, I was able to open it in 3ds Max and save it to SAT format.  When I opened the SAT in Inventor, it came in as a solid.  But quick attempts to shell and then to delete face and thicken proved unfruitful.  It looks like a more detailed (and lengthy) approach would be required to remove some material.

So, if you can try JD's suggestion, that might be the easiest way.

Cameron Whetten
Inventor 2012

[jpc4kp]

Alright so I downloaded the mesh feature and that allowed me to convert 2 of the 6 tiles to a solid and crashed Inventor while trying the other 4 so I dowloaded Rhino and figured out how to turn it into a solid then export it from there and that worked so I can make them all solids in inventor now. However when trying to shell any of them it either says that the geometry is to complex or crashes inventor. I sent an email asking about the spase fill option. But in the mean time does anyone know of a different way to shell complex objects? Does any other program work better or anything?  

[JDMather]

What RP machine are you using?

Stratasys, Dimensions, uPrint have Sparce Fill option in the print set-up software.

[SeanFarr]

Seems like Inventor 2012 doesn't have the STL support: here are my options for opening files in 2014:

[jpc4kp]

It'll be uPrint so I'll check that out, thanks!

[swhite]

Maybe try a larger shell thickness so it only tries to take out a smaller portion and not follow every convoluted surface? Might not help at all though. Although you could open the part, copy and scale scale it by a few percent and then subtract it out of the original. Just a suggestion, it may be a too complicated surface even for that.

[cwhetten]

Hey, the scaling thing is a good idea.  I might give that a try to see how it works.

That also reminds me:  Pay attention to the scale of the model if you are translating between file types.  When I opened the model in Inventor after using 3ds max to translate it from STL to SAT, I noticed the scale was way off.  I don't think this game piece is really 4 feet long on a side, and 1.5 inches thick!

Cameron Whetten
Inventor 2012

[ic198]

You could also try the Drape command (in Rhino) to create a simplified copy of the outside surface, then offset that and use it to hollow out the inside.

I often find that Rhino is much more versatile for editing 3rd party files than Inventor- possibly not a popular opinion on an Inventor forum... 😉