AUGIWorld Magazine - September/October 2008 - (Page 29)

Construction environment At some point you are sure to run into a third-party file that contains flawed data that you would like to repair for one reason or another. You might want to add features, but Inventor only returns errors. You might need a solid for mass properties, but the file contains only surfaces that won’t stitch to a solid. It would take a book to discuss much beyond all but the most basic repairs. I will cover only the steps you might want to become familiar with in preparation to get the most out of an advanced class. To begin a repair you will want to enter the Inventor Construction Environment (CE). In some cases the imported geometry will already be in a folder labeled Construction at the top of the browser. If that is the case, then simply right-click on the folder and select Edit Construction to enter the CE. If the geometry is not in the CE, then right-click on the Base or Composite node in the browser and select Copy to Construction. You can then delete the geometry in the Modeling Environment (ME) and enter the CE as described above. You will see a new set of tools in the Panel Bar for editing in the CE. Experiment with the tools on several files, read the Inventor Help and, now that the tools aren’t totally foreign to you, sign up for that advanced class! Figure 4: Construction environment Inventor LT You might only use AutoCAD®, but you have a need to convert a third-party CAD file to DWG format. The free Autodesk Inventor LT from http://labs.autodesk.com can be used to convert other CAD file formats to DWG. Currently Inventor LT is available in only certain parts of the world. And it is limited to single-part conversions rather than files that contain an assembly of parts. To covert a solid in Inventor or Inventor LT, click on the Application>AEC Exchange pull-down menu and you will see a Save as DWG Solid in the panel bar. able for download on the Internet. Learning the tips and tricks of utilizing this data in your designs can quickly add up to significant increases in productivity. For some, learning to translate third-party data is a requirement for acquiring or retaining business from certain vendors and customers. If you have a problem with a third-party file, another useful resource is the Inventor peer-to-peer discussion forum at http://discussion.autodesk.com/ forum.jspa?forumID=78 . Simply post a description of your problem along with an attachment of the file. J. D. Mather is Assistant Professor of CAD and Product Design at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He has taught various CAD courses for 14 years and is an Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert and a Certified SolidWorks Professional. Previously he worked in industry for 15 years. Dr. Mather can be reached at jmather@pct.edu Learn more Working with third-party CAD data can be a frustrating task, but every week there are more and more 3D data avail- Sep/Oct 2008 29 http://discussion.autodesk.com/forum.jspa?forumID=78 http://discussion.autodesk.com/forum.jspa?forumID=78 http://labs.autodesk.com http://www.terrainondemand.com/autodesk/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AUGIWorld Magazine - September/October 2008

AUGIWorld Magazine - September/October 2008 Contents The CAD Manager 2008 Salary Survey Save Time with Impression Blocks In the Family Way Structural Stairs Autodesk University 2008 Preview Action Recorder How to Embrace Third-Party Data On the Back Page

AUGIWorld Magazine - September/October 2008

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