topic Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please... in Inventor Forum

How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

william.gossVQSC6 — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 13:58:00 GMT

I am a rank newbie with Inventor, but have been able to add-in the Autodesk Mesh Enabler to my Inventor Pro 2020 version. I opened the .stl file from Thingiverse (attached) that I want to modify but have not been able to figure out how to convert it to a solid first. I am looking for some very basic step-by-step instructions on how to do this, things that would translate well to my students, so that I can explore ways to modify the part for giveaways to Award winning students. Days of Googling answers and sifting through the pile of data looking for the information I need to be successful has been frustrating. But, it has also given me an appreciation of how my students must feel sometimes when I assume they know more than they do.

Could someone be patient enough to help me out? I'd greatly appreciate the support.

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

Gabriel_Watson — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:43:48 GMT

Steps to import STL and convert it into Inventor Solid geometry (screenshots are from Inventor 2022, sorry):

1- Close Inventor, login with your Autodesk account at https://apps.autodesk.com and search for "Mesh Enabler", then download and install it.
2- Launch Inventor and make sure Mesh Enabler is loaded (under Tools tab > Add-Ins > select "Autodesk Mesh Enabler" in the list and checkmark both boxes under "Load Behavior", then hit OK to close).
3- Either drag and drop your STL file from Windows Explorer onto the Inventor application (top bar, tray icon, or empty/blank space if no other files are open), or in Inventor go to File > Open > Import CAD files.
4- If you selected "Import CAD files" to open, you can select special Options to load the content.
5- After loading the component on screen, expand the Mesh folder and select all MeshFeatures (you could have several and select them separately, but typically you might prefer to always select all nodes under there), and right-click > Convert to Base Feature.

6- You may receive a warning prompt if there are too many mesh elements to be converted, but this is Ok to proceed (it only warns of how this could take long if over 5000 triangles).

7- Select the Solid output icon to convert the meshes into Solid geometry whenever possible (or, if preferred, surfaces).

8- Delete the Mesh folder if you would like (it should be empty already if you had "Delete Original" selected in the previous prompt.

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

JDMather — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:39:42 GMT

The source file is too much of a mess to bother with.

I recommend that you create the geometry from scratch.

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

william.gossVQSC6 — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 15:19:24 GMT

Thank you so much Galaxybane for the help, your solution worked flawlessly! Although I had already accomplished steps 1, 2, and 3/4, it was 5 -7 that were my missing links and you explained them clearly and concisely. As another poster mentioned, it may well be easier to build such a part from scratch rather than wait the couple of minutes it took to follow your instructions and I hope to get to a level of competency where that will be a viable option for me, but as I mentioned in my post I am just a rank newb and am trying to learn Inventor Pro on my own. Even trying to tap into the Tutorials tab sets one into a vast ocean of data searching in my little rowboat for the best path to become even an apprentice. In Star Wars terms, Jedi Masters likely would consider me too old to start apprenticing but hopefully Inventor will be less mystical to learn once I find the right tutorial sequence!

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

Gabriel_Watson — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 15:37:10 GMT

You're welcome, and haha, Star Wars accepts all sorts of powers right now, so it's more like Marvel and you can be whatever you wish to be in that Disney universe...

About the geometry being flawed upon import, you can try to repair it by right-clicking the Solid and picking "Repair Geometry". That's a bit more of an advanced tool, but sometimes you can't simply build another model because your customer stubbornly saved in STL or non-Inventor format, so you fix what you can.

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

WHolzwarth — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 17:03:13 GMT

Limited refining is possible. Too late I noticed that you're using Inventor 2020.

2022 IPT is more than 35 MB, but STEP added, too.

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

27flojac — Mon, 05 May 2025 03:12:29 GMT

Whenever I try to do this, it just freezes and crashes. Any suggestions?

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

johnsonshiue — Mon, 05 May 2025 23:55:53 GMT

Hi! I suspect there is bad geometry in the file. Press Ctrl+F7 (make sure "C:\Temp" is available. If there are bad bodies reported, try using Repair Bodies workflow to fix the badness.

Many thanks!

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

GeordieRich — Wed, 07 May 2025 14:21:27 GMT

I have the same problem, could this be a problem with the computer

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

kacper.suchomski — Wed, 07 May 2025 16:10:20 GMT

This is an individual matter. The cause may be either too weak hardware, or too complicated geometry or faulty geometry.
Each case of STL conversion should be analyzed individually.

You can create a new topic and upload your file for analysis.

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

dean.ehnes — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 02:50:56 GMT

Same here. It seems very fragile and maybe only works on the simplest of parts.

Re: How do I convert mesh part from stl file to solid in Inventor Pro 2020, step-by-step please...

JDMather — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:22:38 GMT

@dean.ehnes

Can you post an example *.stl file?