How to rotate a model in its ipt file

[BeKirra]

I insert a part drawing, which is created by someone else, to my assembly as the 1st part.

Supposedly it should stand upright but in fact it lays on the XY plane in the IAM.

I want to reposition the model (in the case the sample is "bend.ipt" as attached) in its IPT. So I can use it to other assemblies straightaway in latter time.

I can't find a way to modify the model by making it stands up automatically when it is inserted into IAM.

Yuor helps are much appreciated.

I use Inventor pro 2014.

[Anonymous]

I've only got IV2013 so can't actually see the part, but...

the easy & slightly dodgy way is to use the 'Move Body' command to rotate (and/or move) the part to where you want it

the alternate method is to remodel the part from the ground up in the orientation you want it, this might be as easy as rolling up the EOP marker and redefining a few sketch planes/extrusion directions or it could be a case of totally remodelling it.

[-niels-]

Click the + on the first extrusion and then right-click on sketch1 and select "redefine".
Then select the origin plane on which you want the first sketch.
That should reorient your example part.

I have to ask though: why do you need/want to do this?
Are you using the origin to constrain it in the iam?
Otherwise i would've probably just used normal constraining to get it oriented the way i wanted.

There are some drawbacks to redefining sketches, most notably the loss of "projected geometry" which can really mess with dimension.
So be sure to edit the sketch you redefined and correct anything wrong with it.

[BeKirra]

1st, thanks to CAG_DRAFT and -niels-.

The reason I rose the question is that I have seen many models created laying on the XY plane even a simple cylinder (it is created from a rectangle on XY plane and revolved it to "Y" axis).

On my inventor setup in "application options", I select "place & ground the 1st component at origin" and I use it all time.

I won't worry too much if I insert such model to my IAM if it is not the 1st grounded component.

It just looks weird if I use it as the 1st part then everything will not stand upright as they are supposed to.

Yes, by reading your tips I can reorient a simple model. If the model used has more figures then it is hard to fix - I want to know if it can be fixed easily.

[-niels-]

Ah ok, grounding at origin, then it makes sense...

Well, as long as it's not a sheetmetal part, you could use the "move body" command like CAG_DRAFT suggested to rotate the part around it's origin.
But once you have a "move body" feature you can't convert it to sheetmetal anymore, that's something to keep in mind.

I can't really think of an easier way to reorient a part, it might be easier to not "place & ground" automatically and constrain to the iam's origin as needed...

Might be something to put on the ideastation, being able to select multiple orientations along the major axis's before "place & ground".

[blair]

IV2014 did add the option to select the orientation of the first part that is placed in a IAM. Not sure if this will/would help you.

[-niels-]

D'oh :S
I use that so little i completely forgot about the "rotate X 90"... it's even smart enough to keep that orientation when "place & ground" is selected...
Well... that should be the easiest way to get proper rotation then...

[BeKirra]

Thanks. Both of you are too smart!

Yes, I can see the "rotate 90" option when I right click the mouse after placing the 1st part into IAM.

However, this does not rotate the 1st ground part but its 2nd copy.

I found that the "place & ground the 1st component at origin" is useful.

And I agree that the "ground at origin" function should have more flexibilities that allows users rotate the ground part.

[blair]

Check your Options settings, you should be able to rotate about different axis upon placement of the first item. When you have selected the item to place, then RMB click on the screen, this will bring up the rotate dialouge box. Check in the Application Options under Assemblies that you dodn't have the Place and Ground at Origin checked.

[BeKirra]

OK, I can see what you mean. I wiil figure it out and see if I want to unselect "place & ground the 1st component at origin" in options.

Thanks.

[JDMather]

The answer to the original question is the Move Body command in the *.ipt file - if that is what you really want to do - "Rotate a model in it's part file."  (This part is so simple that it might be just as easy to re-model, but I do not see why it's original orientation should matter.  Also, it was modeled the hard way and perhaps not even correctly considering bend allowance.  All that was needed was a single arc in the sketch and Contoured Flange to model the part.)

But a part can be oriented in any desired orientation within the assembly file by the use of assembly constraints.

If it is the first part in the assembly and not oriented the way you want - unground the part and use Mate and/or Mate-Flush constraints between the part origin planes and the assembly origin planes.

[BeKirra]

Thanks JDMther.

Yes, I can technically unground the 1st part then rotate it.

The purpose of my question is looking for a simple solution.

If you were often given such parts like what I described and they are supposedly used as 1st part in IAM, you would be frustrated.

OTOH, it is possibly an education issue, apart from a Inventor technical solution.

BTW, the IPT attached with my 1st post is just a sample - I created it as simpler as possible.

[JDMather]

Does not present any frustration to me at all as I understand that conventions like "top", "front" or left or right "side", "up" or "down" are all relative.

When I start assembling something in the real world, the intial part has 6 degrees of freedom - 3 translational and 3 rotational.  In many cases certain aspects of the geometry might naturaly define "top" or constrain (weight) DOF.  Rather than expect Inventor to think for me, I simply treat the problem as virtual extension of the real world and don't let it bother me.