Using Copy object to create surface from organic scanned shape to cut into solid using sculpt: issues

[mgrosma1]

Hi all,

As the title states I am having issues using the sculpt command with a shape and an organically shaped solid. I'll dive into the details and attempt to attach the files, but for now, the error I am getting is telling me no meaningful result is created. 

So I start by assembling my solids and I am looking to use the organically scanned solid I have selected in blue as the toolbody to cut into the solid it is embedded in. 

The steps I go through are:

edit the parametrically created solid in assembly (the one not selected in blue), use copy object to create a surface copy of the blue selected solid (I have used various combinations of the settings to make a surface copy, this may be where I am going wrong but at this point I am not sure). I then use the sculpt command with cut. I then receive the error stated above. 

I have also tried this by copying the object as a solid and using the combine feature to cut and I get an error as well, although I can't remember the exact working of the error.

I have noticed that when I moved the scanned object around sometimes the sculpt command will randomly work. I have no clue why. 

Can someone shed some light on this issue?

Thanks so much.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! I don't believe Inventor has a good workflow dealing with this kind of geometry. The mesh converted geometry contains unnecessary complexity, which can lead to modeling failure. I suggest you import the mesh to Fusion Mesh Design environment, check the mesh, repair it, and convert it back to an organic, smooth body.

Many thanks!

[mgrosma1]

Hi John! Thanks so much for the reply. So I've got the original mesh that I've received from the scanning software, and it's been all repaired in geomagic essentials. From there, I autosurface it in geomagic, create a solid, and then input it into the assembly. In assembly, it is a solid! In this process, I am taking the solid, and using copy object to make it back into a surface to use sculpt. Are you recommending that I decimate the mesh on the front end in geomagic essentials, or is there another process that you are suggesting? 

Thanks!

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Inventor has very limited mesh handling workflows. This is why I suggest you look into Fusion 360, which has a dedicated Mesh Design environment. It may help yield a more useful result.

Many thanks!

[mgrosma1]

John, thanks for your reply. I think I am miscommunicating the issue, and we are getting into the weeds of surfaces and meshes. My apologies! I will try to briefly re-explain my issue.

I am trying to make a cut into a solid using existing solid geometry. I have included a better image showing the two solids intersecting each other below.

I was simply using the copy object command to make a surface from this solid to use the sculpt tool (as the sculpt tool uses surfaces) so that I can make a cut into the larger (non-organic) shape that the other object sits on. The methodology I was using was dealing with surfaces, not the object itself. I understand fusion has good mesh editing tools, but this is less about the mesh and more about cutting into a solid. The copy object to surface methodology was just on that I had been recommended and was attempting. I am open to all methods!

Thanks again for all your help and advice.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Please refrain from apologizing! You did not do anything wrong. I may have misunderstood the issue. But I still think you will run into more issues in Inventor sooner or later. Although the mesh object or the mesh converted body may look smooth, the actual body data is quite complicated (tons of triangles or rectangles). These prismatic shapes create an elusion of the body. When Inventor operates one such body, it works with the individual tiny triangular faces or rectangular faces. Even if the body is successfully attached or stitched or combined to another body, there will be other modeling failures. The most reliable mesh workflow in Inventor is the import the mesh and create drawing views of the mesh object.

Many thanks!

[J-Camper]

Can you verify a couple things for me.  Part1 [Scanned solid] and Part2 [Parametric modeled solid] are in an assembly together.  You are editing Part2 in place and copying the solid from Part1.  The resulting surface causes a sculpt feature using it to fail.  Is this all correct? [image of model browser will help]

Can you sculpt the copied surface into a solid?  If you can then you can try a combine cut feature with that new solid in Part2.

[mgrosma1]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies! 

Josh, I think I have a better grasp on what you are saying, thank you for the advice.

J-Camper, you are correct about everything you just said. I will post a picture of the model browser ASAP. The issue is that when I copy Part1 as a solid instead of a surface and use combine to make the cut, it also fails. I am away from my workstation currently so I can't remember the exact failure message but for both surface copying Part1 or solid copying Part1, both sculpt and combine will fail respectively. I have found that for some reason if I mess around with the distance that Part1 is intersecting into Part2, sometimes it will work and other times it won't. I haven't been able to distinguish a pattern I have just been messing with the positioning and mates.

Thanks for all your help!

[mgrosma1]

Hi there,

I just wanted to bump this so that you saw my reply and let me know if you had any recommendations! Thanks!!

[J-Camper · Accepted solution]

@mgrosma1,

Sorry about that I saw you planned to post an image of the model browser, so I put off any further attention expecting to come back to it when i got a notification of the image being posted.

When i was talking about the combine cut command, i was intending the body still gets copied as a surface, then you would sculpt the surface into a new solid and combine cut that away.

I feel like part if the issue might be assembly constraints.  It is hard to really tell without more context though, so model browser images of the two parts and the assembly with them together would help.  It would also help if you could share the files themselves, but do not do so if you need to protect any information within them.

[mgrosma1]

Hi J-Camper,

So sorry for the lack of response on my part. None of it ended up working, and I am unable to share the files for information purposes, so I ended up figuring something else out. 

Thank you all nonetheless for the help!

[crudolp37GDCG]

Has anyone figured this out?

[J-Camper]

@crudolp37GDCG,

I never got any files/further explanation for this.  If you can share more about what you are trying to do I may be able to help.