Converting 3D Sketchpoints into shell

[Anonymous]

Hello,

i have a 3D sketch with about 230 sketchpoints. How can I use the Inventor API to convert these points into a brep or shell or triangulate the points into a meshobject? Is there a way to do this? 

Here is the part of my code that creates the 3D points:

Dim oSketch As Sketch3D
oSketch = invApp.ActiveDocument.ComponentDefinition.Sketches3D.Add

Dim oTG As TransientGeometry
oTG = invApp.TransientGeometry

Dim oSkPoints As SketchPoints3D
oSkPoints = oSketch.SketchPoints3D

For i = 1 To nVertex

Call oSkPoints.Add(oTG.CreatePoint(oSurfaceBody.Vertices.Item(i).Point.X, oSurfaceBody.Vertices.Item(i).Point.Y, oSurfaceBody.Vertices.Item(i).Point.Z), False)

Next

What should I do next to connect the points to a solid(brep)/mesh/shell?

If you need any more information i'll gladly provide.

Thanks in advance,

Omar

[Anonymous]

Hi @Anonymous 

I would suggest that you come up with a manual workflow first (i.e which buttons would you push), once you have the manual workflow working, you can then look at how to automate it. Remember that iLogic does not change the way Inventor works.

I think this post needs to be moved to the Inventor Customisation forum.@johnsonshiue please can you move this post?

Once you have a worflow, share it here and I'm sure someone will be able to help.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Clint and Omar,

I am moving the thread to Inventor Customization forum. BTW, I don't believe there is a simple workflow to facilitate the desirable outcome. The issue here is that there isn't a straight forward way to create a Brep body from a bunch of points. Humans can infer the shape from a bunch of points easily, but a program without AI cannot do that. The points do not carry any more information than the coordinates. Even if Inventor was capable of forming a watertight volume from the points, the ability to operate on such geometry would be limited. Inventor is a precise modeler. It is not yet good at handling imprecise data like mesh, point cloud, and raster images.

Many thanks!

[cadman777]

omar,

Your best bet is to use something like DesignX, which is used specifically for the work you want to accomplish.

It will take a pointcloud and convert it to a mesh.
Then you can use the tools inside it and convert that to CAD usable elements.

I don't know about their API.

Another program that may be able to do it is Rhino3D + Mesh2Surface.

Maybe they have a suitable API for your project?

I think you need to look at Surface Modeling and Reverse Engineering software to do what you want, not Inventor and that kind of software.

[Anonymous]

Hello cadman, 

thanks for your input. I already chose Inventor as the software to use, but will take your advice and take a look at the other programs and possibilities. I made some progress in the meantime with Inventor, but at the end of the day it does not look like the right software for this kind of project.

Thanks

[cadman777]

Yes, and Rhino3D has Grasshopper (free) add-on that will do more things then you can imagine.

Go look at it to see what they're doing with the two:

https://discourse.mcneel.com/c/gallery/46/l/top

You may find that software a good fit for projects like this, and a good budget price-point for you.

Best of success!