Unable to Select Features of Sketch in Extrude

[ReeceEngineering]

I have a fully defined sketch and I can't select the closed shapes within it. The outer lines in blue are the only shapes it picks up on that I can select. All the other shapes are fully enclosed and defined. Does anyone know how I could select individual shapes within my sketch? -Thanks

[JDMather]

1. It looks like your battery is getting low - find a power source.  

2. It would be far better to attach *.ipt file than a pretty picture.

3. The Red Cross indicates that you need to run the Sketch Doctor.

and

4. and most importantly - you are doing way too much work - pattern features rather than sketch entities (do an experiment - right click and select Show all Constraints.  What do you see?).

Spoiler

[CCarreiras]

Convert the geotry that you dont need for profile in "Construction geometry" . It will be a lot easier to the program understand what you need as a profile in complex sketches.

Sometimes it's normal to have open profiles when using mirror geometry or pattern in sketch enviroment.

Check if the profile is closed.

Tip: You can extrude only a portion of the model, and pathern the solid instead pattern the skech. 

[ReeceEngineering]

So its easier for the program to pattern a feature rather than "circular" a feature of a sketch? I can design like that but it will make this project much more time consuming. Can I not make the section of this tube shaped like I need it, extrude 10mm and make the next section, and so on untill its 100mm long? If I have to build each feature of each section indivudally its a lot longer.

Unfortunately I didn't save that file so yea it would have been great if I uploaded it instead of a picture. Thats also more time consuming than anything else haha! Thanks for the help but Im going to have to ask a simalar question while redesiging the same part now:

In this sketch I am unable to indivudually trim or edit lines that I made in a "circular" command. How can I do this? I need the undefined lines trimmed at the inside circle. Thanks for the help!

[JDMather]

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@ReeceEngineering wrote:

... I can design like that but it will make this project much more time consuming. 

Unfortunately I didn't save that file so yea it would have been great if I uploaded it instead of a picture.... 

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I don't understand how logically it is any more time consuming for the operator to pattern a feature than it is to pattern a sketch.

A pattern is a pattern (as far as the operator is concerned).

But from computer logic point of view a simple sketch with say 10 geometry constraints solved in one feature that is then patterned is a lot more simple to solve than a complicated sketch with the 10 geometry constraints patterened say 10 times.

I can't imagine spending as much time as  you must have spent on that first part and then not saving it?  Posting it here.  And solving the problem.  Far more efficient learning process than tossing (and then asking questions about why it didn't work).  If you want to save time and become efficient - I recommend that you post lots of files and ask lots of questions.

It the latest file you attached - once again you are patterning sketch entities even though it was recommended to NOT do that.

Keep sketches simple.  Even if it is the "hard way" for you - I recommend you go in little itty bitty steps to create at least one part and attach it here.  Then someone will show you how it should have done and suddenly everything will start to make logical sense.

As it is, I have no idea what you are trying to create.  Do you have any images of an actual part or url to something similar?

BTW - as far as your trimming problem - in the rare case where it is better to pattern the sketch you must, of course, trim the entities before doing the pattern (after all, it wouldn't logically be a pattern if you could edit it after the fact).

Another tip:  A good part of the time - you don't even need to trim sketches - Inventor will find internal boundaries.

[CCarreiras]

HI!

Just show me what you want to do in 3D.

You have seen that using patterns in sketch has some incovenient, so.... avoid it!!!

Dont worry, there's others method's, you don't have to waste more time. Show us what's the goal... and wegive you some ideas.

[ReeceEngineering]

Ok cool, after being asked if I had purchased support I was wondering to what extent I was allowed to recieve help on here.

I wanted to circular the feature in the sketch and add a lot of other features that are constrained off of where the next pattern is located. Yes it would be possible to guestimate dimensions till it gets the job done but I think it would be easier if I could circular this feature and constrain future parts from that and extrude it all in one section, as opposed to making many many sketches and extrusions.

"BTW - as far as your trimming problem - in the rare case where it is better to pattern the sketch you must, of course, trim the entities before doing the pattern (after all, it wouldn't logically be a pattern if you could edit it after the fact)."

I was wanting to pattern the lines and work with those new lines rather than use it as a true pattern.

Right now Im working on a product for gas powered airsoft rifles. The gas blow back system includes a significant over voluming of the propelling gas and when the BB exits the barrel the after wash can affect trajectory and reduce accuracy. I want to make a muzzle device with expanding channels to vent the gas while the BB passes through openings that are barely larger than itself. This will use the BB's obstruction of the passage way to channel the gas outward. Although I am wanting it to visually appear simalar to a supressor its effect will be the opposite as the expanding channels will amplify the noise.

I have a few ideas for how to vent the gas so for testing I was going to make them in sections and design a sort of skeleton-ized muzzle screw on tube that I can slide the sections into to test. Once one design is selected it would then made to be 100-200mm as opposed to the 10-20mm test sections.

I will go ahead and do this in smaller steps as suggested. As for not saving the file I think my computer died when I had left it open or something. I can be rather absent minded and was very irritated upon findig it missing. I probably left it open intending on saving it or getting the answer and proceeding, laptop died, turned it back on and since it was closed forgot. Oh well no more of that.

[CCarreiras]

Hi!

wow ! such a drama!! 🙂

Ok, do it as you want...

Tips:

1 - ALWAYS Fully constrain your sketch, you will see if it fully constrainin lower right (see pick), and in the  color change of geometry

2 - Despite inventor understand several different profiles, is usual, sometimes if  the geometry is complex, that inventor have more diffilculties in understand what you want as profile. Transform geometry that you don't need for profile in construction geometry.

3 - Instead trim circles, split them. Even splited isn arcs, it will maintain as circle.... and is easier to control one circle than a arc.(in terms of position, constrains, etc)

[ReeceEngineering]

I made some more progress and got to where I would thread the device in 14/1mm CCW and I received this error upon clicking "Thread"

[ReeceEngineering]

Where is the construction geometry command? Where is the split command? I agree a circle is easier than a lot of arcs. Thanks

[CCarreiras]

Hi!

As you can see, if the sketch is clean, inventor finds a lot better the profile you need.

You can think is a waste of time transform in construction, split, etc, but believe me, if you spend time to open/close the sketch, editing ... etc ... until have a nice sketch in several steps, you will waste more time. Ok, if the profile is easy, don't need to do this so deeply.

Check the video, will answer some of your questions.

....and, go make some tutorials... you will waste time now, but you will gain it later...

[JDMather]

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@ReeceEngineering wrote:

I will go ahead and do this in smaller steps as suggested. .....

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Are you making any progress on this?

The solution will be trivially simple once we have a better idea of your true design intent.

[dag_h]

"Split" is found under the "modify" section in my version of Inventor (2014). "Construction" is a linetype. Highlight the lines or circles you want to change, and hit the button. It's in the "format" section. Both section are in the sketch environment.

[ReeceEngineering]

I have been making some progess on this, The TCG file is what I arrived at with the original idea. The GasVentVersion is my latest desgin for a part to execute this function. I think making this shaped more like a flash hider with the angled vents will function better.

In the GasVentVersion, how can I make each row of vents off set 45 degrees from the last? Having them all in line won't be as effective as having them staggered.

Also can you take a look at post 9 in this topic? It was about an issue Im having with the thread command not working.

Again thanks a lot for the help!

[JDMather]

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@ReeceEngineering wrote:

Also can you take a look at post 9 in this topic? It was about an issue Im having with the thread command not working!

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Have you installed Update 1?

Do you have MS Excel installed on this machine and did you run Excel at least one time before installing Inventor?

[ReeceEngineering]

I dont think Inventor has run any updates. I searched "update" and nothing came up for the software itself. Where can I update the program?

Also will Open Office's version of Excel provide the same function? I have never used Excel on this OS.

[JDMather]

A Google search on Autodesk Inventor 2016 Update 1 turns up this link Update 1.

Inventor uses Excel.

[ReeceEngineering]

I was able to install update 1. I am currently working on getting Excel.

I started this thread with the issue of not being able to select a closed profile to extrude. Again Im having this issue. How can I extrude this part? Once extruded 4.4mm it will be complete. Its an arm that fits in a Hop Up Chamber. This part is attached as "ProWin Hop Arm (Stock)"

Also how can I rotate the gas ports in "GasVentVersion" about 30 degrees between each row of vents?

Thanks for the help

[JDMather]

In your part file ProWin Hop Arm your sketch appears to have far more dimensions than needed - and only 3 of the dimensions make logical sense to me.  Did you use the Autodimension tool on this sketch? (Tip: I have never ever used that tool in all my years of using Inventor).

The sketch appears to be missing what I would expect logically to see a Tangent constraint.

Once I know if you used the Autodimension tool - I can show you how to correctly create this sketch.

[ReeceEngineering]

How does the presence of dimensions have any effect on what profiles I can select for extrusion? It makes no sense. Its a closed profile. I did not use the auto dimension tool, I was guessing at which one I needed to make it fully constrained.

I'm having an issue selecting profiles again. Attached is the part. Im making these two parts into one:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/VNABR6XW5/killflash-34mm-v3-3-ncstar-xrs?li=user-profile&optionId=...

https://www.shapeways.com/product/SB85VWLPU/railring?li=user-profile&optionId=56804098

I cannot feature the triangle shaped cutouts because the circle they are extruded with is counted as part of the feature & gets patterned with it. Im able to get close to what I need doing it all in sketch mode before the last extrusion, but I cannot select the profiles I need accurately. I dont understand why something so basic can't be done in this program. They are fully defined & closed profiles. I would appreciate help. 

I've been making great leaps & strides in how quickly I can work with Inventor since you guys started giving me input. Thanks a lot!