Bill Tillman Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I have created a nice 3D model of a part made from sheet metal. I was told that Inventor will easily take the part and unfold it so I can create a sheet metal layout drawing. I have installed the trial version of Inventor 2012 and now want to bring in the ACAD file which I already spent so much time on. But I don't seem to find how to bring the file in as a sheet metal part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdharvey Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Can't you just open it normally? inventor should do the import for you ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tillman Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Can't you just open it normally? inventor should do the import for you ... Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have been able to open the file and view the model I created in AutoCAD. But I'm trying to follow one of the tutorials I found and it says to click on the Sheet Metal icon on the ribbon. By just opening the file I don't see a Sheet Metal tab in the Ribbon. So I first opened a new project and defined it as a sheet metal drawing. Then I tried importing the AutoCAD file and it seemed to come in but I don't see my model. I'm enjoying a day off today and I'm going to work through some tutorials. If things go as planned I will be an Inventer novice by the time lunch gets here and an expert by dinner time. More to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdharvey Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 haha you sure will! maybe if you have managed to open the model normally there will be a convert to sheet metal button that you can select... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdharvey Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 eg - if you have you model in inventor, select the model tab, this will show a "convert to sheetmetal" button on the right hand side of that ribbon... Select that and it will let you use all the relevant sheet metal tools. Are you using this to produce a drawing or a dxf file for a laser cutter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tillman Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Thanks again for the assistance. I seem to be having trouble getting the model into Inventor. My tutorials are teaching me all about constraints so I'm jumping the gun here to get to this sheet metal process, but the show must go on. So if I open the AutoCAD file I can see the 3D isometric view of it in the Window. But I don't see any Model Tab. There is a Model Folder in the Browser Window on the left. But I don't see anything which says Model nor anything which references "Convert to Sheetmetal". When I do an Import, the file opens but all I have is a blank sheet, with nothing on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdharvey Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Just to clarify is it a 2d auto cad model or 3d? can you upload the file here and i'll have a look to see if i can trnasfer it to inventor sheet metal for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tillman Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 It is a 3D model. I was informed that I could take this 3D AutoCAD model and import it into Inventor. At least that is what another Inventor user told me. The file is attached and any advice you can offer will be appreciated. I'm using Inventor Professional 2012. Cosmetic Cover Plate(04).zip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdharvey Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I'm afraid I have just finished work until Monday. if anyone doesn't post you a solution I will gladly help you out further. good luck. Maybe if you cant figure it out start again in inventor... something like that should be relatively easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagga Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Hi, Don't know how any 3d acad model can be used directly in inventor and then unfolded. Even if exported in another 3d format it will just be a dumb solid. I'll have a try at modelling it in Inventor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Mather Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) Of course any 3D model from any CAD program (including AutoCAD) can be used in Inventor, no need to remodel if it was modeled correctly to begin with. In any case - it is easy to edit an solid part (dumb or not). Edited June 3, 2011 by JD Mather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Mather Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 This part was not modeled correctly - I'll show how to do it correctly (in AutoCAD or Inventor) when I get a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagga Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Of course any 3D model from any CAD program (including AutoCAD) can be used in Inventor, no need to remodel if it was modeled correctly to begin with. In any case - it is easy to edit an solid part (dumb or not). O.K. professor – take the AutoCAD dwg from post number 8 into Inventor, convert it to a sheet-metal part (in Inventor) , then create a flat pattern. Describe how you did it in detail, I’m sure the CAD world would love to know how to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tillman Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 JD is right. I forgot about a couple of short cuts I took with that particular model where the goal was just to get a 3D isometric so the shop guys could see the final shape of the brake metal. That's what basically started this exercise with Inventor in the first place. The horizontal flanges on this model are in two different planes, elevation wise, and the client wanted the ends of these flanges to be parallel with the WCS, not parallel to the edges. Arguing ensued over how to make the flat pattern correctly and I offered to do it in Inventor for them. Which is turning out to be a real undertaking because you can basically throw out all the tools I've learned to draw with in AutoCAD when you move over to Inventor. So I have 30 days to play with the trial version and become proficient enough to justify the investment. Too bad life is more often than not driven by the profit motive rather than the intellectual motive. Who said that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagga Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Here you go Bill, see attached. this took about half an hour this morning. just move the end of part down to the end of the last mirror 3 Cosmetic Cover Plate.zip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kencaz Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 I would have just remodeled in Inventor rather then trying to import from AutoCAD. Especially if your doing flanges and flat patterns. It's easier going from Inventor to AutoCAD, (parametric to freeform), then vice-verse. Fusion is suppose to address these issues but I have not had the chance to try it yet... KC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tillman Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 Here you go Bill, see attached.this took about half an hour this morning. just move the end of part down to the end of the last mirror 3 Thanks again...but again, my noob status with Inventor is showing. When I unzipped and opened your file, all I see is a blank grey screen. Nothing shows up. When I choose some of the Face and Cut items I see some dashed lines but nothing that shows me the complete model and nothing in the flat pattern item which is what I'm really after. In fact, the flat pattern is red and has a yellow exclaimation point next to it. I am making good progress with the Inventor 2012 No Experience Required book. The fan assembly is well underway and I know 100% more about using Inventor than I did yesterday. Tomorrow I should know 100% more than today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagga Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Bill In the browser window, where you see the face and cut items, you should also see a red circle with a white cross and the words end of folded, grab it and move it to the bottom of mirror3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Mather Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Looks like wayyy too much work to me. When I get a chance - I'll give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tillman Posted June 5, 2011 Author Share Posted June 5, 2011 (edited) Looks like wayyy too much work to me. When I get a chance - I'll give it a try. Indeed, I'm coming along nicely with the tutorial in the book and learning alot. But as I struck out on my own this morning with trying to make the model completely in Inventor I see I have so much to learn. I'm having problems with Over-Constraints like when I try to make an angle which was drawn at 90° to 99°. One time it worked fine but then the next time I try it...not! Many other things are proving daunting like trying to add a flange and no matter how many times I click on the edge it won't accept it. There is one more problem as well. Occassionally, (about 8 times now in the last 24 hours) the screen has just gone bizerk. The grid gets all whacko, the lines I drew no longer make sense. I can sometimes end the sketch and it all comes back but other times even that doesn't do it and I have to stop and restart Inventor. And on now 3 different occassions in the last 24 hours, this rock solid machine which runs every other application I use without failure for over a year now, just crashes Inventor. Inventor just disappears from the screen and the Send Error Message to Microsoft/AutoDesk pops up. This is an i7, quad core with 12 GB RAM and it never gives me these kinds of problems. UPDATE: I've just had two major break throughs. I've got the bottom FACE drawn, seems I couldn't add a flange until I had a FACE. And I got past the darn constraints on my angled lines. So I have the basic shape of my model now in Inventor, I just need to subtract and add back in the lower set of flanges I need for the front part. For my next trick, I will split the atom. I've attached a copy of the file as far as I've gotten it. I'm having extreme difficulties in getting the parts cut from it that I want. Recall this is a sheet metal model and that may be why some of the steps being explained are not available to me. I wish I had SLICE and SUBTRACT with Inventor of finally get the hang of how I equal that with Inventor. ADDITIONAL UPDATE: I went back into AutoCAD 2011 and using LOFT was able to get the model corrected. I then imported this DWG file into Inventor using the Sheet Metal Template and it came in fine. But when I asked Inventor to show me the flat pattern layout it just gave me a different view of the model. Part1.zip Cosmetic Cover Plate(05).zip Edited June 5, 2011 by Bill Tillman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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