Repair environment

You can import data from other CAD systems in Inventor. Usually, the files open as solid bodies in the part environment. When surfaces and wireframe are imported, depending on options selected during import, they are placed in the Part, Repair, or the Construction environment.

There are differences in the tools and behavior of bodies in the Repair and Construction environment.

The Repair environment:

• Uses advanced diagnostic and healing tools.
• Participates in modeling operations and history.

The Construction Environment:

• Does not participate in model history.
• Participate in modeling operations only if objects are copied to the part environment .

Workflow for importing files:

Open the model with all checking and healing options off to translate the file and view the results quickly.

If the model has no obvious errors like the following image, close the file. Import using the options Import into Repair Environment, Multiple Composite Features, and Auto Stitch and Promote.

If the parts can be stitched into solids, the repair operation is complete.

If some or all of the imported bodies fail to solidify, repair the data after translation in the Repair environment. The tools in the repair environment provide you with the greatest amount of control over the tolerance values. You can also accept or reject changes to obtain optimum results.

Reopen the file and enable the option Import into Repair Environment. The model opens in the Repair environment.

If the repair environment option is not available, in the 3D Model tab, Surface panel, use the command Repair Bodies, and select a base body to activate the repair environment after translation. To enter the environment, in the browser, double-click the repair body.

Use the Repair environment to analyze the quality of imported data and repair surfaces or solids for use in part modeling. After data is repaired, the repaired body participates in the model history.

Some of the errors occur during translation, or are the result of loose modeling techniques. These errors include:

• Self intersecting surfaces or curves
• Intersecting faces
• Modeling uncertainty (miscellaneous topology and geometry errors)
• Irregular surfaces
• Face normal direction is pointing the wrong way
• Gaps between surfaces
• Holes in surfaces
• Overlapping faces

You can detect and repair these errors using specialized tools found in the Repair environment.

Find Errors examines the selected bodies for errors in topology, geometry, and modeling.

The data is marked in the browser with one of the following icons:

	Healthy Geometry
	Geometry that requires further checking
	Geometry that contains errors and requires repair

Heal Errors fixes errors in the selected bodies using the Allowable Change tolerance value.

Use the surface tools to repair data not fixed by the Heal Errors command.

Procedures

Check and repair imported data

Find and fix errors in imported data in the repair environment

• Use the specialized commands in the repair environment to help analyze and repair model errors.
• To enter the repair environment immediately after import, select the file open option Import into Repair Environment.
• To enter the repair environment from the part environment, select Repair Bodies in the Surface panel and then select the base bodies to repair. You can also right-click a base body in the browser and select Repair Bodies in the context menu.
• To re-enter the repair environment from the part environment, double-click the repair node in the browser. You can also right-click the repair node and select Repair Bodies in the context menu.

Show me the basics of the repair environment

Show me how to use the repair environment tools

Create a repair body after import

1. Create a base body by importing a file or using the Copy Object command.
2. On the ribbon, click 3D Model tabSurface panel Repair Bodies.
   Note"Bodies" refers to solids and surfaces.
3. Select the bodies to repair in the browser or the graphics screen.
4. Click OK to create the repair node in the browser and activate the repair environment.

Repair environment workflow

1. Enter the repair environment.
2. Click Find Errors.
3. Examine the browser for errors.
4. Click Heal Errors.
5. Set the Allowable Change tolerance value.
6. Click Analyze Selected Bodies to preview the number of errors fixed using the current tolerance.

Note Fixing multiple errors using a large tolerance can alter the model shape and cause downstream modeling operations to fail.

7. Click OK.
8. If errors remain:
   • To view all error tags on the body, in the browser, click the body folder.
   • To view all error tags for a type of error on the body, in the browser, click the error type folder.
   • In the browser, click an individual error to view the location. Click the error icon in the display to zoom to the error and enable the repair mini-toolbar.
   Tip Select the Next and Previous arrows in the ribbon to activate the repair mini-toolbar.
   • To examine and repair individual errors, use the navigation and repair tools in the mini-toolbar.
   • Optionally, use Stitch to repair gaps and join surfaces in a quilt. Click Find remaining gaps and free edges to preview the stitched edges in black, the unstitched edges in red, and the near tangent edges in magenta. Adjust the gap tolerance if necessary. If the selected surfaces form a closed boundary, a solid is created.
   • You can use Unstitch to remove surfaces from the quilt.
   • You can use Transfer Surface to move the selection set to a selected body or a new composite. Use this function to group the imported data.
   • You can use the remaining surface tools to repair the data.
9. To exit the repair environment, click Finish.

The redefined repair body participates in modeling operations and history.

References

Check and Repair imported data.

Create a repair body using the import option Import into Repair Environment or the command Repair Bodies located in the 3D Model tab, Surface panel.

To activate the repair environment:

• In the browser, double-click the repair body node.
• In the browser, right-click the repair body node, and select Repair Bodies.

Access

On the ribbon, click 3D Model tabSurface panel Repair Bodies. Right-click a base body or composite in the browser and select Repair Bodies. When surfaces and solids are designated as repair objects, the repair node is displayed in the model browser. To enter the repair environment, double-click the repair node. You can also right-click the repair node and select Repair Bodies.

Bodies	Selects the base bodies to create a repair node.
Icon Legend
Repair node	You can inspect the quality of the data. Using commands on the Repair tab, you can edit and repair surfaces or solids for use in part modeling.
Solid	Displays the solid entities.
Composite	Displays the surface group.
Quilt	Displays the stitched surface entities.
Surface	Displays the surface entities.
3D Sketch	Displays the locked 3D sketch resulting from an imported 3D sketch or an edge projection.
Error folder	Displays errors by type.
Healthy geometry	Displays healthy geometry.
Modeling uncertainty	Displays geometry that contains miscellaneous topology and geometry errors. Geometry can fail in downstream modeling operations.
Contains errors	Displays geometry that contains serious errors such as overlapping or self-intersecting faces.