Inventor 2022: Combine Does Not Work

[Farzad_K]

Hello.

When producing a second extrusion (Bottom Ring) after having created the first extrusion (The Base), having selected "Join" as the Boolean Output, should I not be given an option of selecting an existing extrusion to Join the new one onto? And when I do let it produce a separate one any way by clicking on the Combine tool, I get a message that the Part needs to have at least two solid bodies, which it does.

Have I forgotten all that I have learned?

I realize the Ring sketch needs 2 dimensions for it to be fully restrained, and I am still searching for those two dimensions and will find them eventually 🙂

Is the Combine behaving normally?

Thanks

Farzad

[wrw0007 · Accepted solution]

I was able to download the model and had no problems creating an extrude and using "join" to join it to the existing solid.

I also was able to instead create a new solid and later "combine" the two into a single solid with no issue.

I'm not sure I'm understanding what you are after. Can you explain your workflow or provide a screencast?

"having selected "Join" as the Boolean Output, should I not be given an option of selecting an existing extrusion to Join the new one onto?" - No. The reason you are not being asked what to "join" the new extrude to is because only one solid exists at this time. You are only asked which solid to join to if there are multiple solids.

[SBix26 · Accepted solution]

Looks normal to me.  When adding a new feature to a part file (with Join option), Inventor assumes which solid you want to join it to.  This can be changed if more than one solid body exists in the part.  But your part has only one existing solid body so of course it doesn't offer a choice!

For the second image you posted, it looks as if there are two solid bodies, but the Combine error dialog indicates not.  Please post the file in this condition so someone can diagnose the problem.  When I extrude the Ring as a new solid, the Combine operation works as expected.

By the way, what is the purpose of Hole Axis in your file?  It coincides with the part's Y-axis, so it is redundant and clutters your browser.

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Sam B

Inventor Pro 2023.0.1 | Windows 10 Home 21H2

[Farzad_K · Accepted solution]

I have attached the model in the state when two solids do exist and yet Inventor does not see them when trying to Combine.

Thanks also on the Axis pointer - I have been using the workflow without knowing if the UCS is aligned then I won't need it. I will improve my workflow.

[Farzad_K]

I don't have screencast; hopefully the screenshots I shared can help.

When creating a second extrusion, I had thought that selecting Join would prompt me to select an existing solid, and it does not. Someone else has said the behavior is normal. But it might not be normal that when two solids actually do exist I am not able to use the Combine tool to make them into one.

Farzad

[SBix26 · Accepted solution]

In the file you just posted, there is only one solid body:

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Sam B

Inventor Pro 2023.0.1 | Windows 10 Home 21H2

[Farzad_K]

I don't know what has happened - maybe it did it for me even though it complained? Below is the screenshot of when I finally gave up and asked for help. There were two solids and I could not combine them together.

Thanks for checking.

[SBix26]

If you can reproduce that condition, post it here.  In your image, I can see that the entire part is outlined in light blue, indicating that it is all one solid, but it also shows two bodies listed in the browser.  Can't imagine how both of those can be true!

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Sam B

Inventor Pro 2023.0.1 | Windows 10 Home 21H2