Exporting face-level finishes applied in an assembly.

[schaferb24]

I am unable to export an assembly and maintain its appearance, even if I import back to Inventor. I have finishes applied to the faces in assembly, and I was hoping that exporting as STEP 214 or 242 would convert those appearances to RGB values, but it is not working. How can I solve this?

[schaferb24]

I would like to note I do have all of my finish parameters marked for export.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! The way Inventor manages appearance within Inventor files could be different than the neutral formats like STEP. If possible, please share an example that is not working well for you. I would like to understand the issue better.

Many thanks!

[schaferb24]

Thank you so much for your help! This took me eleven days to model.

[kacper.suchomski · Accepted solution]

To the best of my knowledge, the finish function is primarily informative. The appearance is just a side effect, and the tool itself is used to create parameters and, consequently, information about the technical finish of the element (hardening, anodizing, etc.), which can later be read from the model.

The step format is not intended to transmit such information.

Try the classic methods of defining colors - open the part and define the color from the drop-down list (or indicate a specific surface if it requires an individual finish).

[schaferb24]

Thank you for helping me understand that. I've been adding finishes via the drop-down menu and they come out great! So far I've tried OBJ+MTL, STEP 242, and STL Binary. All but STL displayed color. Thank you!

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Ben,

Many thanks for sharing the files! I have taken a look at it and confirmed the behavior. Indeed, the assembly-level Finish appearances are not exported. It does seem like a limitation at the moment. I have contacted the project team to see if there is a near-term plan to enhance it.

Thanks again!