Imported STEP assy that isn't there?

[Anonymous]

I just spent several hours importing a step assembly of an engine and when
Inventor finally got done I had all the parts and sub assy's showing in the
browser and could open each one of them up but the assy shows no parts
whatsoever in the graphics window....what gives?

I am not looking foreword to putting several hundred puzzle pieces together
to make the engine but it looks like that's the way it's going to be.

Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

Did you Auto Stitch and Promote? If not, you will have to stitch and promote
construction geometry manually for each part. If you have many part files, it
might be easier to re-import the STP file. After choosing file, pick options and
check "Auto Stitch and Promote"
If you did this originally, then you have a greater problem. Most likely,
surfaces are not good enough for Inventor to stitch together. You might have to
use a different software to get it stitched together. (MDT, Rhino, TransMagic)

--
Dave Jacquemotte
Automation Designer

[Anonymous]

Albert Allen wrote:
> I just spent several hours importing a step assembly of an engine and when
> Inventor finally got done I had all the parts and sub assy's showing in the
> browser and could open each one of them up but the assy shows no parts
> whatsoever in the graphics window....what gives?
>
> I am not looking foreword to putting several hundred puzzle pieces together
> to make the engine but it looks like that's the way it's going to be.
>
> Any ideas?
>
>

Start with the obvious, did you zoom all? Did you try RMB on a part in
the browser and select "find in window"? I've had STEP assys that were
created so far from the origins that when you opened them they were just
small blips in the screen.

When you opened individual parts were they fully healed or were they
still surfaces? Did they seem to be created near the origin?

--
Hal Gwin
Mechanical Designer
Xenogen

Dell Precision 650
Dual 2.66 GHz Xeon
1.5 GB DDR
Quadro4 900 XGL
nVidia 6.14.10.4201 drivers
Dell UltraSharp 19" LCD

[Anonymous]

A guess.... If you see nothing at all in the graphics window you might have
a wireframe model. Edit the file in Notepad and search for BREP or SURFACE
and see if anything is found. MDT will read in wireframe data.

==================

"Albert Allen" wrote in message
news:1AE9851592544B406DABD97FC64A3BA0@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> I just spent several hours importing a step assembly of an engine and when
> Inventor finally got done I had all the parts and sub assy's showing in the
> browser and could open each one of them up but the assy shows no parts
> whatsoever in the graphics window....what gives?
>
> I am not looking foreword to putting several hundred puzzle pieces together
> to make the engine but it looks like that's the way it's going to be.
>
> Any ideas?
>
>

[Anonymous]

After reading your post again and seeing Albert's reply, I just realized you can
see the individual parts when you open them. If this is so, you won't have to
re-import. I have often brought in STEP assemblies and had to Zoom all to see
them.

--
Dave Jacquemotte
Automation Designer

[Anonymous]

Got it but why didn't "zoom all" work? I had to do the "find in window" to
see it.

anyway I see it so that's all that matters,

thanks!


"Hal Gwin" wrote in message
news:B712FD9FB33D1BDB2443E91D63B02D04@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> Albert Allen wrote:
> > I just spent several hours importing a step assembly of an engine and
when
> > Inventor finally got done I had all the parts and sub assy's showing in
the
> > browser and could open each one of them up but the assy shows no parts
> > whatsoever in the graphics window....what gives?
> >
> > I am not looking foreword to putting several hundred puzzle pieces
together
> > to make the engine but it looks like that's the way it's going to be.
> >
> > Any ideas?
> >
> >
>
> Start with the obvious, did you zoom all? Did you try RMB on a part in
> the browser and select "find in window"? I've had STEP assys that were
> created so far from the origins that when you opened them they were just
> small blips in the screen.
>
> When you opened individual parts were they fully healed or were they
> still surfaces? Did they seem to be created near the origin?
>
> --
> Hal Gwin
> Mechanical Designer
> Xenogen
>
> Dell Precision 650
> Dual 2.66 GHz Xeon
> 1.5 GB DDR
> Quadro4 900 XGL
> nVidia 6.14.10.4201 drivers
> Dell UltraSharp 19" LCD
>

[Anonymous]

Albert Allen wrote:
> Got it but why didn't "zoom all" work? I had to do the "find in window" to
> see it.
>

Turn the visibility of the origins on. The parts may be far away from
the origins. In an assy, zoom all will include the origin, at least in
the STEP assys I have imported.


--
Hal Gwin
Mechanical Designer
Xenogen

Dell Precision 650
Dual 2.66 GHz Xeon
1.5 GB DDR
Quadro4 900 XGL
nVidia 6.14.10.4201 drivers
Dell UltraSharp 19" LCD

[Anonymous]

Some step files also have an extremely large box compared to the part
itself. So any zoom all would zoom to the extent of the box.

Kathy Johnson

[Anonymous]

Ok I think I got it now thanks to KJ's explanation; I was zooming the whole
thing including the bounding box but it was so big that I could not see the
assembly because of the distance.

Thanks


"KJohnson" wrote in message
news:6D5E39105C120B4264FB9A64CE776CD1@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> Some step files also have an extremely large box compared to the part
> itself. So any zoom all would zoom to the extent of the box.
>
> Kathy Johnson
>
>

[Anonymous]

I have this same thing happening. The origin axis and planes are centered
on the assembly but they are so large that when I zoom all or hit isometric
view the assy turns into one pixel in the center of my screen. Is there any
way to reduce the extents of the "bounding box"?

Thanks
Paul

[Anonymous]

The only way that I have is to export as sat bring into MDT. Export as sat
again. Then cross your fingers and face north.

Kathy Johnson

[Anonymous]

A Step is part of a stair case, so perhaps this poem applies...

Yesterday upon a stair,
I saw a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today,
I really wish he'd go away.