How to edit this part (with "Base" component) ?

[Anonymous]

Newbie alert!

I've been given a set of Inventor files for a project I'm working on. One of the files I'd like to edit and make changes to, however I can't seem to figure out how. It appears the author made a copy of the part and made it into a single Base object. If that even makes sense ... So I have a few questions:

a) Why would someone do that? Is it to prevent others from editing the part?

b) How does one do that to begin with?

c) Is there a way to still edit this?

I have attached the ipt file in question.

[Mark.Lancaster]

The file was opened as STEP file format and then saved as a Inventor part file.   If you look in the Inventor browser you will see the 3rd Party information.   Basically right now its considered a dumb solid...

Because it was saved with Inventor 2016 you could use the direct edit function to edit the information or you could install the Inventor recognize feature add-in to see how many features you could create for it but its not always 100%.

[Mark.Lancaster]

Actually the orignal part was designed in CATIA V5 and then exported out as a STEP file format.

[CCarreiras]

HI!

A) Can be a part coming from other CAD System, so when you import, you will loose the feature tree. Yes, also can be for prevent bigger changes based in sketch edits, but the main reason, you have to ask to the person who had sent it.

B) Like i said before, can be a part coming from other cad system, or a part which was saved in a neutral cad format like a STEP, or IGES, and carried again in inventor, also loses the tree operation.

C) You can also edit, depend what you need to change.... you can continue to add or remove material, and also there's a bunch of direct edit operations that permit you change the part (Check "DIRECT"tool), but isn't the same thing as edit based in sketch. Can be better, can be a lot worse.

Tell us wht you need to change and we help you, or ask your friend for the native inventor file.

[Anonymous]

Ok, that makes sense. So the question now is, once I figure out either the direct edit or some other way of editing it, can I then continue within Inventor to make my changes? Essentially, the back side, where there are screw bosses and a rectangular slot of sorts, I need to flatten than out, get rid of all of that, then build a regular battery holder for 16850 sized cylinder batteries. Which means I need to add the side walls that will hold the contacts and the curved slots for the batteries to sit in. But it's the removal of what's there now that I was trying to get to ...

[CCarreiras]

Hi!

Yes of course. Wait a few seconds and i will show you.

[Mark.Lancaster · Accepted solution]

To remove stuff that's there, select the outside of the boss surface and you should see the direct edit icon appear.   Select it and direct edit mini toolbar will appear.   Select delete and apply and your boss surface will be gone.

[Anonymous]

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@Mark.Lancaster wrote:

To remove stuff that's there, select the outside of the boss surface and you should see the direct edit icon appear.   Select it and direct edit mini toolbar will appear.   Select delete and apply and your boss surface will be gone.

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Aha! That's great info to have ... I will see how far I can get. It seems some of them have the holes going through into the next "surface" so after I remove the boss I'm left with a hole ... I need to check if I'm removing that next piece as well, or if I need to just build on top of it.

[Mark.Lancaster]

Well if you don't need the boss hole going through the main part, you can select its surface as well, direct edit and delete it as well.   You could also move it to suite your design if needed.

[Anonymous]

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@Mark.Lancaster wrote:

Well if you don't need the boss hole going through the main part, you can select its surface as well, direct edit and delete it as well.   You could also move it to suite your design if needed.

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Yeah, moving the mouse around as I was deleting the portruding boss and I noticed I can select the hole as well. Makes things much easier now as I can completely clean the area and start over, drawing ontop of the platform that's already there.

Thanks!

[CCarreiras · Accepted solution]

i!

Well, i think you figured out by yourself almost all, but just to add, you can use also delete face with "Heal" option. You will figure that it's a lot faster for a lot of cases, because inventor doesn't give you a one time preview or calculation, only at the end of selection, so it makes it a lot faster.

Check the video.

[Anonymous]

Ah nice. Learn two new things today! Awesome. Thank you all!