Inventor 2016 Block Doesn't Update In Derived Parts & Can't Delete

[Anonymous]

I am having problems with using blocks.

I created a block in a part, call it Part "A", Block "6 pin Mounting Hole".  I then create a part, "Case", and with a set of sketches and extrusions, create the case for the project.  Then I derive from Part A, including only the block "6 pin mounting hole".  I create, in part "Case", a sketch on the back of the case, place the mounting hole block, and extrude it.  All Is Good.

I then copy the file a.ipt  to b.ipt.  I open b.ipt, and modify the dimensions to define another part in the same family, with fewer pins.  I call it "3 pin Mounting Hole".  Alas, I forgot to resize the block.  So I go back to Part B, resize the mounting hole, go back to case, click on the "Local update" button.  The hole does not resize.

OK, I decide that I will delete the block, re-derive, and re-place it on the drawing.  I open the back-of-case sketch, delete the mounting hole, and try to delete the block.  It doesn't delete.  Inventor tells me it cannot delete the block because it is in use.  Hmm.  Oh, I see it mentioned in the browser as a separate item.  OK, I delete that.  I still can't delete the block.  I discover that the extrusion still thinks that the block is present.  OK, I "Edit feature" and delete the unused profile from the extrusion.  Still can't delete the block.  OK, I rename the block "Vestigial block to delete".  I then re-derive from the repaired part B, and it all works.

I then discover that another sketch block has an error.  I fix it, update the derived part (I have not broken the link), and the block does not reconfigure.  I go through the same set of exercises, but also try to see if breaking the link has any effect on the ability to delete the bad block.  It doesn't, so I have another "Vestigial block to delete" and I re-derive.

So two questions:

a) How can I delete a block?

b) Why doesn't the block update in the derived parts?

I am using Inventor Professional 2016.

      joe

kelly.young has edited your subject line for clarity: Problems with Blocks

[Mark.Lancaster]

@Anonymous

It would be easier if you could just share your part files.  There's a lot of info here that may not come across the way you think it would.  Can you share your files?

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of files to share, and I have never created a project file (and am unsure how to do so) to use the pack-and-go option. I was hoping the description would capture what is going on.  My success rate at managing to get all the necessary files into a .zip file has been abysmal. There are a lot of files in this case.  I will try to pare it down to a minimalist set tonight and then I should only need two files.

joe

[Anonymous]

OK, it has been a busy time.  I have had to deal with doctors' appointments, volunteer activities, mentoring various sets of students (one age 14, who is using lidar for his robotics project, two college seniors working on our remote temperature sensor project, three graduate students doing an advanced 3D geometry project for us, and a 58-year-old learning how to parse input text on an Arduino), a funeral, and minor distractions like eating and sleeping, I finally got back to this project.

I created the most minimal project I can imagine.  I created a new part.  I created a 2D sketch, placed it on the XY plane, creating a simple figure representative of the problem I have.  Before exiting the sketch, I did Create>Block, selected all the elements of the sketch, selected the 0,0 point in 2D space as the insertion point.  I closed the Create Block dialog, and exited the sketch editor.  Then I tried to delete the block, with the result as shown in the .png file.

That is the entire process.  I did not try to use the block anywhere.

Presumably, if I can learn how to delete this block, I can learn how to delete all the other blocks in my project.

In my actual project, I edited the sketch, and tried to create a new block with the new features as part of the geometry.  I got things like

Block19 - obsolete

Block20 - obsolete

   Block 19 - obsolete

Block 21 - cover schema

   Block 20 - obsolete

     Block 19 - obsolete

This apparently happens because I cannot create new blocks from a sketch that has already been used to create a block, but since I  can't delete the erroneous block, I can't create the one I want.

When I included this block in a separate file, then went back and changed the sketch, the changes appeared in the derived part, unlike the previous behavior I saw.  But, if I decide that the block is deeply erroneous, there is no way to delete it from the derived part.  Which is the behavior I expected, but not the behavior I experienced.

What I would like to do is go back to the original project, delete ALL the blocks, and re-create them, but, as shown, I am unable to delete a block once it is created.

This was all done using Inventor 2016.  When I tried to download Inventor 2018 student edition, the site insisted on downloading Fusion 360.

      joe

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Joe,

I guess there is a little bit misunderstanding of how Inventor Sketch Block works. In the image, you are trying to delete the Block1 definition. It cannot be deleted, because there is an occurrence in Sketch1, as seen in the graphics window. You will need to the occurrence, Block1:1 within Sketch1 before you can delete Block1 definition.

Regarding downloading Inventor Professional for education purpose, did you go to the following download page? If yes, you said you could not download INV and instead you got F360. Is that true? Do you mind showing me the screenshots?

https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/inventor-professional

Many thanks!

[Anonymous]

I wish there were easier way to do this, but I have done the following.  I clicked on the root node in the browser and selected "expand all children".  I then read through the very lengthy browser listing to see if Block 19, Block 20 or Block 21 were contained in any sketch [Note to self: go to suggestion forum and request a "search" capability for the browser].  The blocks do not appear anywhere.  With a bit of creative screen capture and Corel Photo-Paint, I have reproduced what I saw, in the attached image. Other than saving it as a 256-color PNG to reduce size, this is an accurate representation of what I saw.

So how do I delete the blocks when it is clear that it does not follow the model of my trivial example?

       joe

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Joe,

Indeed, there isn't an easy way tell if a given sketch block definition has an occurrence somewhere. Particularly when the feature tree is long, it can take some time to look for an occurrence. On Inventor 2018, you can do a browser search by typing in the browser name. For example, you can type in "Block1" and all the occurrences will be shown in a filtered search result. Would you be able to upgrade to 2018?

Many thanks!