Need to rotate imported objects...

[info45]

I am Keith, using my boss' account.

Inventor does not make this easy. I need to rotate imported STEP files that are off from being perfectly perpendicular to the camera by several degrees, in multiple axes. I tried bringing them into an assembly, with a right-angular object as a constraining force to line them up, but the pipes' end cuts are also not at perfect 90 degrees with respect to the tangent of their centerline. Yay.

The pipes are all bent from end to end. But, this bending only occurs along one plane, so that I ought to be able to "flatten" the view to derive accurate side and front measurements from them. I hope this is making sense. 

ANY ideas how I can line these things up?

Thanks much.

[hollypapp65]

You can align any edge to horizontal or vertical in drawing and dimension there.

Should be able to "assembly" it in assembly with planes and axis.

[SBix26]

I'll be happy to look into it, but I need to see some actual STEP parts and some images of what you're hoping to achieve.  And, what version of Inventor you are using.

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Sam B

Inventor Pro 2025.2.1 | Windows 11 Home 24H2

[info45]

Thanks guys.

v2024. Not sure if I can just send the parts out though. They seem to have been saved at angles, not aligned with the 90 degrees of the world axes. This is making it very hard to derive measurements for actual production. The client should have sent us drawings with this info, but they didn't. 

My boss told me to get it close, not to worry about extreme accuracy. But, even doing that is time-consuming. When I try to rotate one of these using Modify > Move Bodies > Rotate, Inventor throws its own axis of rotation in there, and I cannot manipulate the part the way I need to. 

Holly, you mentioned using Assembly mode. I tried that. Used constraints, until I realized that the cut ends of some of these pipes are not at 90 degrees to the direction of the pipe, so 90 deg alignments are not possible. 

Why on earth must this be so difficult?

[pcrawley]

"Direct Edit" can Move/rotate/snap/(scale) body objects.

It's fantastic for exactly this sort of problem.

[info45]

Hey guys, I MAY have found a solution. If I temporarily extrude portions of a pipe, I give Inventor a needed axis with which to work. This is INSANE, and stupid, but I am much closer than I was earlier.

Thanks guys. 

[info45]

Hmm... direct edit.. I'll look it up. Thanks. 

[Michiel.Valcke]

@info45 When in an assembly file, if it's a tubular shape you might be able to align it's center axis (or a created work axis) to one of your origin axii. 

[robbeRtek]

If you place a UCS (User Coordinate System) in the part files (preferably in the template), you can use the following strategy:

Provide an assembly with a layout part where you define all the relative positions. Later, you can place the 3D parts based on these predefined positions.
it's a trick i use everyday
i hope it helps 🙂