Creating Table of X-Y-Z Coordinates from Point Work Features

[janelson33]

**New to Inventor 3D sketching and 3D sketching in general, not new to CAD.**

I have drawn a part using the 3D sketch feature. I need to properly constrain this part in a print now; This is proving too challenging, so I'm here to make sure I'm not trying to do something that doesn't exist.

In a 3D sketch, it's a little more funky than a 2D sketch, sure, but wouldn't you think there are key things to make easy to dimension for telling people how you want the part made reliably?

For instance, this part is a radiator hose. That means it's changing X-Y-Z and thus has center points for each tube bend. It's been FAR TOO CONVOLUTED to make those center-points whether in the ipt or idw world, and I want a table with coordinate locations anyways which is why I am asking about Point Work Features.

I have drawn sketches on both the ipt part, and idw print to try an accomplish what I want as a shortcut first, I also needed the ipt sketch to place the work points.

When I tried this in the idw world, for some reason, a sketch line will remain visible after exiting the sketch in the idw file, but the center point won't??!!

In Sketch

Out of Sketch

As you can see, my layers show that it should show (even though the sketch center-point is different here, so why no layer option?) but nothing is there?!

I really tried work features with more hope of easy success, but they seem useless, with respect to easily accomplishing my end goal like I should be able to in 2018. When you're sketching, you can import a spreadsheet with X-Y-Z points, can I export these work features to do the same? I sure hope that I'm missing it since all the data is literally already there.

However, I've seen these posts and was hoping they weren't serious:

• Extracting x, y, z, coordinates of Inventor model features
• Export 3D Points to Excel Inventor 2016
• Unable to export 3d point co-ordinates data to excel
• Get Coordinates of workpoint using ilogic

Software this price, with the data already present, 15+ iterations from Version 1.0 and I still have to do the work, ugh...am I missing something?

[janelson33]

I just had to manually insert two more images because, whatever update has been done to this website, makes photos not upload now?! THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME I POST SOMETHING NOW. I've literally lost so much time to Autodesk today, thanks!

[swalton]

I've never had to make a bend table for tubing, but Google to the rescue!?

Does the attached YouTube video show a useful method?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhAr9yOqGVI

How did you make your 3d curve?  I tend to make mine as an intersection between two 2d curves.  I find it easier to control and document.

[janelson33]

This bend table was something exhibited on a manufacturing print made by a very reputable radiator hose company. Their rep whom tried to satisfy my hose needs told me how they are best constrained by using these tables. It's basically just extra stuff to fact check, you know? I know most everyone can just copy a STEP file using the print dims, but I want extra dims for certainty.

That method would be applicable if I had drawn the radiator hose in an assembly, using Pipes I suppose. I guess I could try that, it's just already made one way and I think it should be achievable in the way that I'm envisioning too.

I used 3D and 2D sketches in harmony as well, but the main sweep was done along the 3D sketch so that all segments were continuous.

I suppose I could try that Pipes method. My radiator hose is only 1.75" ID so I believe that should still fit an existing piping standard. I have an adjoining tee that might prove challenging.