How to Edit a STL in Inventor

[jvn0606]

I have this stl from online and I am trying to edit it. I want to edit this cap that fits a coke bottle to have an end that will fit onto a water pump. But to do that I need to edit the file but it wont let me remove any of the file or make changes. So how do I edit this file?

I want to test a water pump I am working on for a water gun, but the water pump does not draw in water and only pushes it out. So I need to feed water into the housing by gravity.

[kacper.suchomski]

Hi

You can edit this with the surface modeling tools.
But the geometry is so simple that you can do it faster simply by measuring the dimensions and classically modeling this geometry in a new file.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Inventor has very limited mesh workflows. It can be used as a reference to create new body geometry. Or, you may create drawing views from the mesh. I suggest you look into Fusion 360. It has a dedicated Mesh Design environment where many mesh handling tools (repair, scale, simplify, combine, and so on) are available. Also, you may convert the mesh back to the body geometry.

Many thanks!

[JDMather]

@jvn0606 

The geometry is rubbish.

There is not a single curve in the geometry - not even one.

If you examine the geometry it is all straight lines and faceted planar triangles - no curves.

You will not get anywhere with this in Fusion 360 either.

Use it only as reference in creating proper native Inventor Geometry.  Fortunately it is relatively simple geometry.

[WillL84]

There's no curves because it's an STL. You do know what an STL is right? It's literally a mesh of triangles. That's the point, the OP wants to convert the STL into an IPT.

There IS workflow to do it in Fusion but you can't do it with the free version.

[kacper.suchomski]

Just do it manually. It will take you 10 minutes.

[JDMather]

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@WillL84 wrote:

1. You do know what an STL is right? 

2. There IS workflow to do it in Fusion but you can't do it with the free version.

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@WillL84 

1. As a matter of fact, I do have some familiarity with using >>stl files<<.

2. Let's see you convert this mesh with Fusion 360 (I have some familiarity with that workflow as well).

Fortunately the geometry is relatively simple and as @kacper.suchomski it can be modeled with much better results and faster than trying to convert mesh.  The GIGO principle applies here.

[WillL84]

Looks like you can't (easily) anymore since the Fusion team decided to remove the "Mesh to BREP" feature.

[JDMather]

@WillL84 

You do know what brep is, right?

Convert stl mesh to brep is still in Fusion 360.

[jvn0606]

 would say that this is a solution, but that would require me to be good at 3d modeling well screws. I wouldn't be able to replicate this with my skills. I fixed this by taking it to tinker cad, adding a cylinder and setting it as a hole. I made it remove a large part of the cap, with that I could save it and then open it in Inventor. I just then added back the top of the cap and since its something I added I could edit that part. 

[JDMather]

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@jvn0606 wrote:

...but that would require me to be good at 3d modeling well screws. I wouldn't be able to replicate this with my skills. 

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@jvn0606 

That is what this forum is all about.  Model as best you can and then ask one of the experts here with help modeling the screw thread.  That is how I learned Inventor.

If you are on subscription and a faceted solid body is OK for your needs - the check http://apps.autodesk.com

for the AutodeskMeshEnabler to covert mesh to solid body.

@jvn0606 

Edit the dimensions in Sketch1 in Attached file as needed and then we can discuss creating the threads...

[JDMather · Accepted solution]

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@WillL84 wrote:

There IS workflow to do it in Fusion but you can't do it with the free version.

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@WillL84 

If you do a section view of the geometry in Fusion 360 (or in Inventor or in MeshMixer) you will see that there are ambiguous surfaces left over from constructing the geometry that would confuse Fusion.  There is no Easy Button solution for editing poor quality triangulated mesh.