Import from AutoCAD

I have an Inventor project which include aluminum extrusions. I'm still in the learning curve so I still fall back on AutoCAD's 3D capability to check my work. I made the attached part in AC 2012 and then went back into Inventor and tried to import it while making a new part.

Must have done something wrong because after the import completed I couldn't see anything of it. Zoomed in and out but it appears to not be there. Can anyone check to see if this is possible. Can I take an AutoCAD 3D drawing which has all the machining and such shown on the ends and import it directly into Inventor and end up with a finished part?

Drawing2.dwg

Works fine here.

When it opens - two files are created, on blank file (delete) and a second file with the solid geometry off the screen (Zoom All).

Proceedure

File Open files of type AutoCAD *.dwg

Click on the filename and Options (before opening)

Set Options to Import

Open

in the Wizard set to 3D solids

Don't you just hate it when aces like JD make it look so easy. Thank you sir. Now, if I can just get this positioned right in my assembly, I'm going to really be dangerous. It's so much easier, at least for the moment, to create 3D parts with all this machining in AutoCAD. I know I will eventually get the hang of Inventor but since I have most of the parts already done in AutoCAD I'm more than halfway home with this project.

Thanks again.

Now, if I can just get this positioned right in my assembly,....

Mate constraint on planar faces or Insert constraint on holes. (first part in your assembly should show as grounded (thumbtack)

BTW - the Import option can be set by default in Tools>Application Options

Again, my lack of Inventor experience is showing. I have an assembly consisting of parts I made with inventor. It's all in mm. I got the part above saved and then opened up the assembly. I then did a place and chose the part21.ipt file but it comes in gigantic to the rest of the parts. I must be missing something else. The menus and option selections didn't tell me much on what was going on.

Your part is drawn approximately 154 inches x 104 inches in AutoCAD.

I assume imperial template was used in AutoCAD rather than metric.

You will have to scale the model.

The easiest way (for a beginner) to do that is Scale in AutoCAD before importing in Inventor.

OK now let me get this straight. No doubt I've got something wrong but I drew everything 1 to 1 in model space using mm as the units. I just double checked the original drawing I submitted and the units is set to mm, not inches. So where did I blow it?

Where do you think you set the units in AutoCAD?

You must start from Metric template.

or Metric - no template

Assuming what you really did is start from Imperial (default) template and typed command Units,

what does this say? -

I checked your file by simply typing Dimstyle and saw that it was inch dimension style.

You can also set your drawing up with -DWGUNITS in AutoCAD.

Aha, I see the error was in assuming that setting units to mm was sufficient. I will start this process again from scratch tonight. Got to have it all wrapped up by this weekend. Gotta learn my metric setups better.

I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque.

I will start this process again from scratch tonight...

No need to start over - it is a simple Scale to make 1"=1mm

No need to start over - it is a simple Scale to make 1"=1mm

-DWGUNITS will scale it also.

Command: -dwgunits
Drawing units:
 1. Inches
 2. Feet
 3. Millimeters
 4. Centimeters
 5. Decimeters
 6. Meters
Unit for length <1>: 3
Drawing unit display formats:
 1. Scientific
 2. Decimal
Linear display format <2>:
Linear display precision <5>:
Scale objects from other drawings upon insert? [Yes/No] <Yes>:
Match INSUNITS to drawing units? [Yes/No] <No>: y

** WARNING: you have changed the unit for this drawing database.  **
** All new objects will be drawn according to the new unit, but   **
** existing objects will not change size unless you specifically  **
** ask to have automatic scaling occur.                           **
Scale objects in current drawing to reflect change in units? [Yes/No] <Yes>:
Include objects in Paper Space? [Yes/No] <Yes>: