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Modeled threads

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Message 1 of 11
AustinRasmussen
3738 Views, 10 Replies

Modeled threads

My campany has recently moved from autocad to inventor.  in autocad we would model all of the threads on fasteners accuratly in 3D.  My problem is, with my limited understanding of inventor (i know how to model threads in inventor though) what are the cons of forgoing the content center and making models of all my hardware so i can have them with accurate threads.  We make a lot of instruction sheets and model representations and we dont want to have to give up having the 3d modeled threads we were used to in autocad.    is anywone currently doing this or have a workable solution.  Also we are using Vault with our inventor subscription.

10 REPLIES 10
Message 2 of 11
mpatchus
in reply to: AustinRasmussen

We have never found a reason to create actual threads.

 

Mike Patchus - Lancaster SC

Inventor 2025 Beta


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Message 3 of 11
AustinRasmussen
in reply to: mpatchus

is there an easy way to "fake" the threads in an idw file, just showing a round cylinder is not acceptable to us.

Message 4 of 11
JDMather
in reply to: AustinRasmussen

If you can have shaded views in your drawings the cosmetic texture threads look reasonable.

 

If you were happy with actual modeled threads in AutoCAD and it didn't slow things down to unbearable - I don't know why you can't continue the practice in Inventor if cosmetic threads aren't good enough (or if you can't use shaded views).

 

I suspect you could also make a scalable Detailed Representation - Sketched Symbol for use in drawings.


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Message 5 of 11
AustinRasmussen
in reply to: JDMather

so can i take that to mean that becouse i had little trouble with the file sizes with modeled threads in autocad i should not really have much trouble in inventor?

Message 6 of 11

our engineering machines specs are:

4 core intel Xenon CPU's (X5355 2.66Ghz) X2 (8 cores total)

8 GB ram

running 64bit windows 7

NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500 256 mb ram

Message 7 of 11
JDMather
in reply to: AustinRasmussen

I haven't checked the file size with and without the feature tree, but if smaller without the feature tree you can always step out and back in.

 

If you have them already done in AutoCAD then simply Import (Options) the dwg solids.


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Message 8 of 11

I can understand you wanting your illustrations to look as real as possible by having the threads shown, but in all actuality, showing the threads of screws, bolts, etc in their actual form is not needed (unless you are depicting the actual dimensions of said threads) as in the first attached image.

 

The general ANSI depiction of threads is the straight line or diameter with a hidden line just inside, as in the second attached image.

 

Modeling your hardware from scratch is a huge time consumer not to mention the tons of extra space the files with require. Each face of the threads will constantly have to be calculated for viewing purposes, etc. It's just not a wise choice in my book, there's really no value added reason to detail something as trivial as threads unless you are the manufacturer of the hardware and you need to detail those threads. But this is why there are industry standards for things such as these.

 

Save yourself (and your employer) a boat load of un-needed costs and do them right.

I use Content Center for as much as I can, why re-invent the wheel every time?

 

Just my 2 cents

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Message 9 of 11

Hi turnoverball,

 

I started to reply to this and then was pulled away from my desk. Now I see that the questions have been mostly answered, but I'll add this anyway, since I had it typed up.

 

I hope this helps.
Best of luck to you in all of your Inventor pursuits,
Curtis
http://inventortrenches.blogspot.com

 

 

Modeling the threads in 3D is typically a poor choice because all of the extra edges/faces created increases the graphics requirement to display them in the assembly or assembly drawing, when you use fasteners with 3D threads over and over and over in the assembly.

 

If you need to do some 3D printing you might need to model the threads, in which case you can use this:

http://apps.exchange.autodesk.com/INVNTOR/Detail/Index?id=autodesk.appstore.exchange.autodesk.com%3a...

 

Note that you can also download 3D models of many fasteners with the threads modeled from McMaster Carr as a STEP file and import and then save as an IPT file.

 

Be aware of the following concerning drawing views and cosmetic threads, also:

The thread dashed lines should show when using a side view, assuming that the Edit View > Display Options > Thread Feature checkbox is selected. The threads will not show for an isometric view, if it is not shaded.

 

Autodesk Inventor Threads In Drawing IDW.png

Message 10 of 11

thank you for the information, this is all very helpfull.

Message 11 of 11


@Curtis_Waguespack wrote:

 

If you need to do some 3D printing you might need to model the threads, in which case you can use this:

http://apps.exchange.autodesk.com/INVNTOR/Detail/Index?id=autodesk.appstore.exchange.autodesk.com%3a...

 



Make sure this generates the correct thread form. I haven't checked recently, but there was a problem that only British Whitworth threadforms were generated.


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