Reverse Hollow tool exist?

[YPSDude]

Hello, Is there a Reverse Hollow tool out there or method available?

Basically what we have are complex models with full internals given to us for our AutoCAD drawings. Imagine the Complex model is a Car engine or a house. We don't need all the internals and with them our 3D video cards and processing speeds drop considerably and sometimes crashes our PC's. What we want to do is get the .sat files from them as just the external skin of the models. Would there be a tool out there for this?

PS: IT gave us all the best hardware and can't go any further they said. So we're not interested in fighting that battle again. Right now we need to see if the above exists yet.

Thanks.

[Bishop]

You can do it with Shrinkwrap, I think, but I haven't really worked with that too much so I don't know the exact steps.

[abstracted]

Yes, use shrinkwrap. It is designed specifically for simplifying models to consume less computer resources.

[YPSDude]

Anything else other than Shrinkwrap? Shrinkwrap creates Meshes in AutoCAD and when your looking at a complex assembly in Wireframe/2D Wireframe (or whatever the default view is considered now), the model gets extremely hard to see. Not to mention getting it to correctly Shrinkwrap everything is rather long.

So back to my question. Is there anything else other than Skrinkwrap?

[Bishop]

If you're using Inventor, then why do you care about AutoCAD views?

Use Inventor, do your drawings in Inventor, and then if someone needs AutoCAD versions, export your Inventor drawings to .DWG, and they'll look just fine. If you've got Inventor but you still do drawings in AutoCAD ... then you wasted a whole metric crapload of money on Inventor, and you're wasting a whole lot metric crapload of productive time by not using it.

[rkent]

You can use Level Of Detail (LOD), derived parts from assemblies, or shrinkwrap. Those are the three that I know of so far in my steep learning curve.

[JD Mather]

Anything else other than Shrinkwrap? Shrinkwrap creates Meshes in AutoCAD ...

Then you are not using it correctly for your purposes. You can get a solid dwg (one way or another). There is also a tool on labs.autodesk.com to simplify working with shrinkwrap.

You might also look into Derived Component. A good understanding of Derived Component might help with Shrinkwrap.

[YPSDude]

I have no choice on the matter of Inventor use or not. My department is not allowed to use Inventor due to restrictions of planning and size of our projects. I simply want to take a complex model and turn it solid (removing all intellectual property) so we can use it in our larger models.

Level of Detail just seems to turn on and off objects. It does not seem to meet our needs. Sorry.

The Simplify Tools seems to be a better option for a more advanced control. The only down side is that I have almost 100 models to Simplify lol. (Currently showing some coworkers.)

Any other options?
(See below for update)

[JD Mather]

Nothing you wrote makes sense to me. I don't understand why there is a problem. Good luck!

[YPSDude]

The Simplify Tools seems to be a better option for a more advanced control. The only down side is that I have almost 100 models to Simplify lol. (Currently showing some coworkers.)

Just found out it's for Inventor 2013. My company has 2012 and won't update until maybe Oct.

Any other options?
Like pouring a liquid into a mold and being able to export the final shape? I know there's subtraction tools but with using that in AutoCAD you have alot of editing to fully get what we want. This take alot when the entire shape is quite complex.