topic Re: How can I simplify a large assembly? in Inventor Forum

How can I simplify a large assembly?

JaegerJ2EW8W — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 14:19:20 GMT

Hello, recently we have received a large model from a supplier and in order to use it effectively, I needed to make the file much smaller so that we could realistically use it in our BIM software. The supplier provided two model files, an inventor part file and a step file being 350mb and 550mb respectively. I have tried importing both of them into an assembly so that I could use the simplify tool, but it seems to get stuck at 75 out of 76 bodies.

I initially let it go for 12 hours in the hopes that it would eventually finish but it never did. It reaches the 75 out of 76 bodies point within a few minutes but then stalls out.

I am only removing emboss and fillet features since I have noticed those are the most common. I have only used the simplify feature a handful of times in the past and for smaller projects, so I'm not too familiar with which options I should be using.

Here are the settings that I am currently using:

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Re: How can I simplify a large assembly?

NigelHay — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 14:26:04 GMT

Not too sure if this will help. You could try starting a new part, finishing the sketch then using 'Derive' to see if will pull in either the .ipt or .stp file.

Re: How can I simplify a large assembly?

andrewiv — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 15:53:19 GMT

I would suggest starting the simplify with no or very little features removed. I have found that some assemblies fail if you try to do too much on the initial creation. I usually start by just using the simplify command to derive the assembly and once the part is created I'll go back and remove parts, features, fill voids, etc.

Re: How can I simplify a large assembly?

JaegerJ2EW8W — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 16:37:12 GMT

I tried this and found that one of the bodies contains like 80% of the content, so I have isolated that part and trying you suggestion now. It took a while to highlight all of the emboss features but it was able to, so I am optimistic that this will work with removing them. I will let you know how this turns out. Thank you!

Re: How can I simplify a large assembly?

johnsonshiue — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:19:51 GMT

Hi! Simplification is such a broad request. Inventor has a dedicated Simplify workflow to help remove certain detail geometry or replace with boxes or cylinders. Depending on the geometric complexity and the quality, the simplified bodies may or may not be satisfying.

If the Simplify workflow does not yield the desirable result, you may consider exporting the assembly as a low resolution mesh and import it back to the assembly as a mockup representation (make sure the export/import unit be consistent).

Many thanks!