Mirror a part without creating a new part

[gert-leonvanlier]

I am trying to mirror a part in my assembly. The original part can be the same as the mirror part, just turn it 180 degrees. Unfortunately the only thing I can do with the mirror function in Inventor is to create a new part/file with the suffix "_MIR" or adding it (same file), but for some reason the part is then flipped upside down and not constrained. See pictures below.

Orignal part  ----->  Mirrored new part with "_MIR" as suffix

Orignal part 2  ------>  Mirrored part, no new file, but upside down, not constraint

In my previous job I worked with SolidWorks and there it works like I describe and is the mirror function a feature in my assembly. Is this not possible in Inventor? Why would I want to create a new part when it is effectively the same as the original or should I again constrain everything? What's the whole point of the mirror function in that case? It's definitively not behaving like a pattern in my opinion.

[gert-leonvanlier]

No, unfortunately still no feasible workaround. The only option is that Autodesk implements a solution like SolidWorks.

[Marcin.Szklarek]

There would be a possible solution. See my screen cast. If inventor would allow mor choice of miroring options ( 2 planes) it would probably solve it. It would actually mean double mirroring.Screencast

[gert-leonvanlier]

More options is one thing, but a mirror should always reflect the state of the base component: if the base component is moved, the mirrored component should move with it. So not just place an extra component in the assembly, but let the mirror function appear as a feature in the modelling tree of the assembly, (here I go again) like SolidWorks.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Gert,

I recalled this was discussed a while back. I did report it as a defect. Unfortunately, the defect was considered a limitation. The algorithm checking symmetry seems to work for this case if there are no flanges. You can try it. If the flanges are there, the symmetry isn't detected. I am not aware of a solution at the moment besides placing it and manually add Symmetric constraint.

Many thanks!

[ngowans]

I personally just go into the part and mirror all the features.

[gert-leonvanlier]

But that means you are creating a complete new item (on your BOM) which may not be necessary. The feature I would like to see can also mirror bolts and nuts for example, if you need them left and right, symmetrically.

[ppolcynBNVFN]

That works for me, thanks

[jreidenbaugh2MD67]

This is just another frustrating example of how bad Inventor is compared to the other popular 3D modeling software. You people from Autodesk need to stop defending all the BS Inventor is guilty of and fix the problems. Once upon a time the price of Inventor reflected its lack of functionality and logic but now it's the same price as Creo and Solidworks without having made any improvements - Autodesk made $5 billion last year - how much did they put back into their product? GOOSE EGG!!

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! I understand your frustration. Inventor's Mirror Component workflow has a lot of room for improvement. I am not trying to defend anything. I am merely telling the truth.

In the meantime, we are working on a project hoping to address some of the pain points in Mirror Component. If you want, please sign up Inventor Feedback Community (https://autode.sk/InventorBeta). A testable build could be available soon for you to try the workflow in a browser without having to install anything.

Many thanks!

[jhoneywillS7YJ7]

This doesnt work for parts which arent square to the plane you're mirroring on, it's not a perfect solution