mirror solid body

[ahogue]

Is it possible to reflect a solid body about a center line, while deleting the reference points?

For example. I want a part to be mirrored fully, but I want to discard the existing file.

[CCarreiras]

Hi!

Yes, it's possible to have the mirror of a part in any XYZ direction.

Are you familiar with the "Derived" Tool?

Did you find this reply helpful ? If so, use the    Accept as Solution or Kudos - Thank you!

[ahogue]

No, actually I'm not familiar. Could you explain?

Avery Hogue
Drafting & Design

HLS HARD-LINE SOLUTIONS INC.
53 Main Street West, Dowling, ON Canada P0M 1R0
Tel: +1.705.855.1310
Fax: +1.705.855.9463
HARD-LINE.COM

This e-mail is confidential and it is intended only for the addressees. Any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, kindly notify us immediately by telephone or e-mail and delete the message from your system. The sender does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message which may arise as a result of the e-mail transmission.

[JDMather · Accepted solution]

I suspect that you haven't worded your problem correctly.

You can mirror the body and "Remove" (not discard) the original

  This allows you to edit from original if needed.

or

you could start a new part, exit sketch if in sketch mode, Derive Component and Break Link to the original (or Suppress Link).  Break Link "discards" (or at least is no longer tied to) the original, but if you need to edit later down the road.....

[stephenson513]

are you saying that its not possible to mirror an object and discard the orginal, then later down the road not beable to edit the 'holes or cuts"

ive been wanting to mirror components but if i have to edit something, red lines appear in the open space as if the removed "original component' was there

[JDMather]

I'm not sure what your first sentence means, but I can think of at least 4 different mirror techniques depending on the desired end results.

The red lines you see is because the generating feature definitions are still there so that you can edit the model before mirror if needed.   You can always return to an earlier time in history if needed for some reason and make changes.  There is nothing wrong, and in fact, a lot of benefit to having the definition of the original features preserved in history.  Drag the red End of Part marker up and down the history tree. 

Inventor is a history based modeler.  A child (feature) cannot exist without having a parent (feature).  So, even though the parent is "gone", the parent is required in order to have the existance of the child. (or start from different "parents" in a new file.

The mirror could then possible become a parent of additional children (features) that do not exist in the now "grand-parent".

Using the Derived Component technique with Break Link could make independent of the parent, but also looses feature history tree (I would Suppress Link rather than Break Link unless the geometry set in stone.)