Composite to Solid

[brent_e_barbour]

I know there are numerous discussions of this so I apologize but I can't seem to find a helpful solution.  I'm not very experienced at working with surfaces.  Anyway, the attached STEP file imports as one composite.  I'd like to turn it into a solid so I can easily manipulate it.  I'd like to suppress the mounting plate and remove the outer connectors of the 4 connector array.  Any suggestions?

[Cadmanto]

Brent,

Have you tried using the Thicken command?

If this solved your issue please mark this posting "Accept as Solution".

Or if you like something that was said and it was helpful, Kudos are appreciated. Thanks!!!! 

     

[andrewdroth · Accepted solution]

It looks like the surface you are starting with is missing some faces. You could re-create those missing faces, then stitch it together, but I might suggest using the faces that are there as templates to rebuild the part as a solid. 

See screencast and attached part. I only started the rebuild, but you get the idea.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Brent,

You can use Repair Environment or Construction Environment to fix up the geometry and then stitch the surfaces into a solid or multiple solids. The process can be tedious. It looks like the original model came from SWX 2014. It should be an assembly but the author wanted to conceal the structure and export it as surfaces instead.

It really depends on what you want to do with the surfaces. If you have to have solid bodies, you will need to go through Repair workflows or recreate from scratch. If the geometry is only for reference and you do not need to modify it, you can simply right-click on Composite node -> uncheck Translucent. The surfaces will look like solid, although they are not water-tight solids.

Many thanks!

[darryn_mott]

Before you dig into the repair yada-yada or rebuilding it, try importing it into autocad first.  I have had a few items that come in as surface/composites that i cant really do anything with.  Importing them into autocad first brought in multiple solids that can be manipulated and then exported back out as an iges to import to Inventor.  It pains me severely to say anything nice about autocad, but that has worked for me. 

[TheCADWhisperer]

That sounds like an unnecessarily convoluted workflow.

Can you Attach example files that illustrate this workflow?

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Darryn,

I also disagree that IGES would be a better route. In some case, it may help but in most cases it may lose tolerance and accuracy using double-conversion. The most natural geometric format shared between Inventor and AutoCAD is dwg or sat.

Many thanks!

[darryn_mott]

I only use this workflow if the generic part file that i want to import into Inventor does not come in as a solid.  The last file I did this with was a rotary valve.  When I imported it into Inventor it was all surfaces and would take too much time to redraw in inventor.  When I imported it into autocad it came in as solids.  I then exported it out of autocad and imported it into Inventor and it was solids.  It takes less than 2 minutes.

I would post the file but it came from a vendor and I do not have permission to do so.

[darryn_mott]

Thank-you Johnson.  I did not realize that the sat file is better than the iges.  I do notice that some file formats work better than other formats, depending on the type of part, from McMaster, but I suspect that has much to do with the vendors that supply the files to them.

[RyanRausch]

Hello, would someone be able to help me with the attached.  I would like to convert the attached file of a composite surface into a solid body so it can be manipulated, but I am having issues with suggestions listed above.

Thank You

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! You have already posted a new thread. Please use that thread for further discussion.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-forum/issues-with-composite-surface-part-in-drawing/td-p/122...

Many thanks!