Rhino to Inventor

[Anonymous]

Unusual request here guys.

My friend has expert rhino surfacing skills, and has created a 3D model in rhino that I wish to open into Inventor 2013 and make edits to but its being extremely difficult to make edits to. I've tried STEP, IGES, STL but none of them want to play ball. Does anyone have any ideas?

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

As far as I know you can't do what you want to, as inventor only recognizes the imported geometry as a "dumb solid" and I suppose dumb surface.

Inventor also has limited freeform surface tools and cannot generate a NURBS surface like Rhino does. So either finish the part in Rhino or some other program, or create from scratch in Inventor.

p.s. there is a free parametric NURBS freeform surface design program called PolyCAD which may help. You MAY be able to import an iges from Rhino and play with it, save as iges and open in Inventor. I have generated surfaces in PolyCAD myself and imported into Inv, so I know that part works.

[Anonymous]

You are up against the fundamentals of CAD I'm afraid. STP & IGES are 'neutral' formats which will allow minimal further editing, pretty much just subtractive operations such as extruding holes through, etc. If you want full control over the file you will need to also use Rhino. At least, that's my take. Others might be able to offer a glimmer of light!

[Anonymous]

sometimes for whatever reason I can't get Inventor to even pick up on the imported surface. I offset the surface to zero and it seems to let me do a bit more with the copy.

I always think of iges and step as the PDF of the CAD world.

[JDMather · Accepted solution]

Attach your STEP or IGES file here and explain the edits you wish to make.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry but the file needs extensive editing it would be impractical to ask anyone else to do it, I've gone back to the rhino user and me and him are going to collaborate together using just rhino for now, but in the mean time i will try the polycad solution, perhaps it will work as a sort of laundering solution! I will repost if it works, if it doesn't I won't post.

[JDMather]

At least post a screen capture of what you are dealing with.

I don't entirely agree with the other two responses here.

The fact that you even mention stl would lead me to believe that you need someone with more experience to look at the geometry.

[Anonymous]

Um JD, while you are here. It so happens that I am struggling with a step file as well. Some of the surfaces are off on a couple of the components and Inventor can't create solids.

I've spent hours with the things, learning the Inventor surface repair environment (which I can't find much on).

Is there any chance you could help me out? P.S. I am still on 2013.

http://www.lewmar.com/products.asp?id=8357&channel=1

sorry, I can't attach the file too large (9 megs)

[Anonymous]

The issue is resolved. The rhino user was using a surface that was too complex, by reducing the complexity of it, then exporting to STEP file format, inventor was far more compliant.

Problem solved, no more help needed.

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

http://www.lewmar.com/products.asp?id=8357&channel=1

sorry, I can't attach the file too large (9 megs)

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I didn't see any STEP files 9Meg (only dwg and dxf).
Send directly to me jmather_at_pct_dot_edu