Split a single drawing into multiple bodies

[Anonymous]

I have a file which has a single body part that I now want to split.

I created a file which I used to test splitting.  It is attached.

In this example, I

(a) created a sketch

(b) placed a circle on it

(c) closed the sketch

(d) extruded the circle into a 30mm rod

(e) placed a work plane relative to the end of the rod, 15mm

(f) Selected the split command

(g) selected split solid body

(h) selected the split tool to be the work plane

(i) clicked OK

(j) selected move bodies

(k) moved the selected body 10mm from the other part

The result is that I now have a single rod which has been split into two bodies.  OK, I understand that.

I then

(a) edited the sketch

(b) placed the square

(c) closed the sketch

(d) extruded the square profile into a 30mm rod; to make this work, I had to indicate which body it was going to be part of.  I selected the (as shown in this screen snapshot) the "left" body I created in the first phase.

I now have a drawing that has two bodies: half the circular rod; the other half of the circular rod combined with the square rod

Now, assume I realize I have made a mistake.  I want to have three bodies.  So I

(a) create a work plane based on one side of the square rod, positioned about 5mm away.

(b) select the Split command

(c) select solid bodies

(d) select the body by clicking on the round rod that has the square rod as part of the body

(e) select the split tool to be the work plane

(f) click OK

I get the error message shown on the screen shot.

The real problem is that the two parts are not round rod and square rod, but complex drawing 1 and complex drawing 2.  I want to split these two disjoint drawings into two bodies.  So I created the simplest case that reproduced the problem I have.

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I have a file...

(d) ...; to make this work, I had to indicate which body it was going to be part of.  

(d) select the body by clicking on the round rod that has the square rod as part of the body....

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What if you edit Extrusion 2 and select New Solid instead of Join?

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, this does not solve the existing problem. Iit can prevent a future problem, assuming I properly anticipate the need to create a new solid, but I need a solution that will convert a single-body drawing to a multi-body drawing.

[JDMather]

See attached file.

Revised problem description - I have a solid body that is actually two disjointed bodies.  I would like for them to be two separate solid bodies.  Because of parent/child dependencies - I cannot simply go back in history and edit one of the earlier features and change to New Body.  How can I solve this problem since Split will not work with disjointed solids?

Answer - use a simple Extrusion-Intersection-New Body.

[Anonymous]

I have no idea how to achieve the result you showed.  I tried the following:

Open the part file with the single body.

Go  to one of the objects and create a plane above it

Create a 2D sketch on the plane

Edit the sketch

Draw a rectangle that completely covers the object I want to split into a separate body

Exit the sketch

Select "extrude" and extrude a shape that completely encloses the segment of the part that I want to split off

Select "intersect"

Select output as "body"

So what I end up with is a part which has only the one body; everything else has disappeared.

After spending an hour trying to learn anything at all from the next-to-useless documentation, I gave up.  So I thought I understood what was done, but all I see in the file you attached is the final state of the part, not the process that led from what I had to what it became.

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

So what I end up with is a part which has only the one body; everything else has disappeared.

.....

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You did not attach your attempt here.

The master of Inventor must master the reading of the history tree - all is there.

I would need your actual part file - not a word description - to read your feature history tree.

[Anonymous]

It is hard to "attach" a drawnig which has a lot of part files going into it. I found some utilities in the store that should make this possible, and the next time I am at my main computer I will see what zi can put together.

joe

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:
....I found some utilities in the store that should make this possible, ...
joe

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No other "utilities" needed?

Simply drag up the EOP before zipping with Windows Explorer

or

upload to A360 http://autodesk360.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=autodesk%20360&utm_campaign=a360

and provide url to download here.

[Anonymous]

The "Zipper" app that was supposed to create a zip file containing everything relevant failed completely.  I have several conjectures as to why, and sent them the information required to find the correct directory.

So I'm still working on the problem, I'll get back to you.

      joe

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:

The "Zipper" app  

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Doen't need any third party software - Windows OS has everything you need.

Place the parts and assembly files in a folder (Windows Pack and Go will do this for you).

Right click on the folder and select Send to Compressed (zipped) Folder (Windows will zip your folder for you).

[Anonymous]

While I don't "need" third-party software, it's the sort of thing that makes life easier.

Unfortunately, the "zipper" plugin had some serious defects, which have been fixed.  I got the new version a few days ago, and then found myself in the middle of a process to upgrade several of the drawings.  Life being what it is, I just got all of that integrated,  and used the new zipper app to make a zipfile that is supposed to have all the required files that create the assembly.  That's the file I'm attaching.

The device is a bedroom light.  The ultrasonic sensor detects movement, and if I am moving into the bedroom, and the CdS sensor sees insufficient light, the 1W LED on top will turn on for some duration.  Shown in the drawing is the Trinket Pro processor, the Bluefruit wireless programmer, and the Sparkfun constant-current driver for the LED.  My error was when I created the first instance of "case2.ipt", not extruding the cover as a separate body, a fact which I did not realize until I came to do the printing.

To do the printing, the goal is to suppress one of the two bodies, and all the non-case components and then 3D-print it.  That's why I have to split case2.ipt into two bodies.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but I'm retired, which means I'm busier than I have ever been.