When I'm working with very large assemblies, I will sometimes use this workflow to create lightweight, low-poly visualizations of my models:
- Export my model to OBJ or GLTF/GLB
- Import into Blender
- Apply a Decimate modifier to collapse nearby vertices into a highly simplified mesh
- Export back to OBJ (with colors)
- Re-import into Inventor
- Create a substitute model state from that imported mesh.
Using this workflow, I can quickly take a 1 GB imported STEP assembly and turn it into a single 20 MB file that still reasonably approximates the appearance of the original. It can be used for real-time presentations, and looks much better than a simplified bounding box model.
Could this be incorporated as an option into the Simplify dialog (with a Ratio option for how much to collapse the mesh vertices)?