NoteThe construction environment is disabled by default. Consider using the repair environment to evaluate and repair geometry. Go to the Part tab in the Application Options dialog box to enable the construction environment.

You can import data from other CAD systems in Autodesk Inventor. Usually the files can open as solid bodies in the part environment. When surfaces and wireframe are imported, they are either automatically stitched into quilts or placed in the construction environment.

In the construction environment, you analyze the quality of imported data and repair surfaces or solids for use in part modeling. After data is repaired, you can use the Copy Object command to move the data to the part environment, where it behaves like native Autodesk Inventor data.

When data is imported into the construction environment, a Construction folder is created where wireframe and surfaces are placed. These surfaces may not have come from a single body in the sending system. In the construction environment, you can stitch surfaces into a single body, making it easier to manage large numbers of surfaces. Errors that can occur during translation include:

Intersecting loops
Faces on which the normal direction is pointing the wrong way
Gaps between surfaces
Holes in surfaces

These errors can be detected and repaired using specialized tools found in the construction environment.

Base features in the part environment can also be copied to the construction environment and stitched. A feature copied to the construction environment has the same group name as the base feature name in the part environment.

Data in the Construction folder can be placed into a default group or sorted into many different groups. The system automatically generates subfolders for the different data types in a group, such as solids, surfaces, and wireframe. Construction environment bodies, such as solids, surfaces, and quilts, can have appearances. It is common for faces to have colors in the original source file. The same colors are applied to the faces in Autodesk Inventor, and remain after translation. If all the faces are in a single collection, feature or group, then the feature has the color, and the face appearance overrides are removed.

Use the specialized tools in the construction environment to analyze errors of imported surfaces and repair data. Quality Check checks for errors in topology, geometry, and modeling. The damaged data is highlighted and, where possible, a repair is suggested. Use the Refit option to select and repair problem faces by attempting to refit them, and by selecting or entering a maximum allowable tolerance between faces.

You can stitch and unstitch surfaces, reverse the normal direction, extend a face, and break or trim intersecting faces, all non-parametrically, while in the construction environment. Use Stitch and Copy Object to move selected surfaces or solid bodies to the part environment.

Procedures

Enter the construction environment

Repair imported data in the construction environment

Imported data can be translated directly to the construction environment. You can also copy base features and surfaces to the construction environment.
Double-click the Construction folder to enter the construction environment. Then, use the specialized commands in the construction environment to help analyze and repair any translation errors.
After repairing the data, use Copy Object to move or copy the data to the part environment, where it behaves like native Autodesk Inventor data.
To re-enter the part environment, right-click the Construction folder and select Finish Construction.

Use Copy to Construction to update imported data associatively

Use Copy to Construction to verify imported data and repair errors in imported data. Copy to Construction duplicates a base feature (either surface, composite, or solid) in the construction environment, where you can use special commands to analyze and make corrections. You can then redefine the feature in the part environment to replace the old data with the repaired data.

Use this procedure to update a part model with changes made to a base feature generated by non-native files such as .prt, IGES, STEP, SAT.

NoteBy default, Autodesk Inventor applies the part name (file name of the inserted part) to browser file nodes, whereas other CAD systems may apply the part number property. When a STEP file is imported into Autodesk Inventor, its name may differ from the name of the CAD system which generated the STEP file. To avoid confusion, use Rename Browser Nodes to specify the browser node naming scheme.

See Assembly Tools for more information about Rename Browser Nodes.

Open any supported neutral file format. A base feature is created in the part browser.
Right-click the base feature, and select Copy to Construction. A duplicate feature is created in the construction environment.
In the part environment, right-click the base feature, and select Suppress Features. The construction copy is still visible.
In the browser, double-click the Construction folder to enter the construction environment. Click to expand the construction groups. The copy has the same group name as the base feature name in the part environment.
Use commands on the Construction tab to analyze and repair data errors.
Right-click the Construction folder, and select Finish Construction.
Right-click the base feature, select Redefine, and then select the visible repaired data, onscreen in the construction environment.
Right-click the suppressed base feature, and select Unsuppress Features.

The base feature is now redefined. The construction data copy is consumed by the redefined feature, but the group remains in the Construction browser.

References

Construction environment browser

Use the construction environment browser to display information on imported data in Autodesk Inventor.

NoteTo increase system performance in the Part modeling environment, turn off the construction environment folder to prevent the data from being loaded into memory.

Access:

When surfaces and solids are copied to the construction environment, the construction environment browser is displayed in the model browser.

Construction folder	You can check the quality of the data. Using commands on the Construction tab, you can edit and repair surfaces or solids (non-parametrically) for use in part modeling.
Group	Depending on the import option, generates either a group for each layer or each group. If the IGES or STEP data does not have a layer or group attribute, the data is placed in the default group. Note If the imported model does not include a specific data type, an associated subgroup is not created. Composites are copied to a Group of the same name. Faces and base surfaces are copied to a new Group.
Surfaces	Displays the number of surface entities.
Solids	Displays the number of solid entities.
Wires	Displays the number of wireframe entities.
Diagnostics	Displays the number of surfaces or solids found by the Quality Check command.

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