extrusion problem

[Anonymous]

Hello, I am new to Inventor, running Inventor 2012. I know Solidworks.

I have a sketch with ellipse and then squares inside the ellipse. I am trying to edit the part not create. The program extrudes either ellipse or squares.  New problem: the extrusion is picking wrong sketch. I need to finish the part.... Thank you

[JDMather]

You can Ctrl unselect and then select the contour you want or multiple contours.

Roll up the EOP, zip the file and attach it here.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, I have one file with extrusion 20 that I have hard time edit without everything falling apart, file EE is done without touching extrusion 20 but i think you can see my problem comparing those two. Thank you very much.

[JDMather]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I am new to Inventor, running Inventor 2012. I know Solidworks.

---

If I were creating this in SolidWorks - I would constrain the first sketch.
It looks like you are doing too much work.

I recommend starting here http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/skillsusa%20university.pdf

I'll be back in a bit with more analysis of the problem.

[JDMather]

In Inventor or SolidWorks - I would never have repeating dimensions like this.

Equal or symmetry constraints

[jletcher]

1st thing JD will say is you have a lot off sketches that are un-constrained..

Also whats up with all the planes? most of them where not needed.

I do see what you are talking about.

But wow could have been made a lot easier..

[JDMather]

I saw a lot of unusual stuff in there for a relatively simple part.

Extra workplanes, duplications of the origin workplanes, Alias Edit.....

I recommend you start over in a new file with Sketch1 and post it here.

Someone will walk you through to the end of completion of the part in Inventor.

[Anonymous]

I know!!! 🙂 nothing else worked, symmetry didn't work, nothing ... I am mdoing something wrong but I don't know what. I think it's better to start from scratch. Person who created the parts doesn't know Inventor and I am editing ... I know solidworks I assume the rules are similar but don't really know where to start.

Thank you very much for your help.

[Anonymous]

I am 100% sure about that ... I don't understand the way he did it, it's fairly simple part .... I found out he didn't know Inventor ... fun times 🙂

[JDMather]

Looking at Sketch1 - these lines are not parallel (or vertical), notice the angle dimension when I try to dimension.

Not good,  in SolidWorks or Inventor.

[JDMather · Accepted solution]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I am doing something wrong but I don't know what.

I think it's better to start from scratch.

---

The only thing you are doing wrong is fooling with this file.
Follow your  thoughts - start over from scratch and make it right.

[Anonymous]

Yes, do I delete constraints and start over? I have a lot of parts like that....  start from scratch? I noticed those things, tried to fix but did not succeed. The only way I could control the sketches was dimensions everywhere ...

[JDMather]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Yes, do I delete constraints and start over? I have a lot of parts like that....  start from scratch?

---

No, don't even bother to try to fix this one - it would be much faster to start over from scratch using this one only for reference.  Hope you have a very wide monitor or dual screen, otherwise I would create some dimensioned drawings to use to start over.

[jletcher]

I would have to agree with JD on this I trried to follow how the part was built but I gave up to many issues stating from scratch would be the best

[Anonymous]

I will start over, thank you very much.

[JDMather]

I if you run into trouble finding the way to do something in Inventor that you know how to do in SolidWorks - don't beat your head against the wall too long before asking how it is done in Inventor.

One advantage of using a drawing is you don't get too tied up in the convoluted method the original designer used.  You recreate the geometry based on getting the end result.  Of course because of things like lines that aren't parallel (but obviously should be) - you will have to keep consulting the orginal sketches and trying to figure out the true design intent.