disjoint bodies when modifying imported models

[adampunch]

I have imported a model of a gearmotor (from Inventor), which is made up of a number of imported solids. I wanted to add some tapped holes in a bolt circle to the gearbox (they were missing when i got the original file). The first hole works fine, but i get a Disjoint Bodies error when i try to make a circular array of the hole feature. I tried switching "Geometry pattern" on/off- no effect. What is a disjoint body and how can i fix this part?

 

[josephv]

Hello adampunch,

Not 100% sure, but I am thinking one of the holes is too close to an edge. And therefore creating geometry that is impossible to machine. Change the array (number of holes, angle etc.) and see what happens.

Cheers,

 

[J-C]

What version of Solidworks?

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
UG NX4.01.0 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2007 SP3.1 on WinXP SP2

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Can you post an image of the part and where you are trying to add the hole pattern.
See faq559-1100

 

[Theophilus]

Is this thing a solid or a surface? Sounds like it may have imported as a surface (or lots of surface bodies). Check your folders high in the feature tree to see what you've got (solid or surface body).

(This doesn't explain why one hole would work, unless you have a partial solid body, and the rest of it as surfaces--which could be.)



Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reason trumps all. And awe transcends reason.

 

[matherjd]

Can you zip and post the orginal files here

http://www.mcadforums.com

Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert
Certified SolidWorks Professional

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Or ... instead of changing forums halfway through;
faq559-1177

 

[rfus]

Because you have multi bodies you need to be careful of your end conditions on this hole, especially when you pattern the feature. What is your end condition? This is carried into the pattern. Also, what is in your feature scope (you can select which body(s)to apply the featue to)? This is carried through in your pattern as well, I suspect you have auto select checked. My guess is that the combination of your end condition with your feature scope on this hole you are attempting to pattern is creating a disjoint body on a body other than the one you are trying to cut.

I would right click on each body in the solid bodies folder in the featue tree and select insert into new part. Save these single bodies as their own parts and break their references to the initial multibody part. Then rebuild the assembly with mates and all of this gearmoter and edit the parts such as your gearbox in context of the assembly if need be. It would also be easier to run diagnostics on each body.

Configs are also very helpful when you want to live soley in the multibody part world

RFUS

 

[matherjd]

>Or ... instead of changing forums halfway through;
FAQ559-1177: How Do I Make Files Available For Download?

When I go to that link I get:

"The purpose of this FAQ is to get around the "problem" created by the Eng-Tips policy..."

Which is basically instructions to go to another url - not eng-tips.

So the logical solution would be to use an open forum like MCADforums or the company forum

http://forum.solidworks.com/

where the files can be posted along with the problem statement and all files are in the same location so that anyone wanting to go through a large number of posts for learning purposes doesn't have to jump through hoops. Is there something fundamentally wrong with this obvious logic?

Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert
Certified SolidWorks Professional

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

"Is there something fundamentally wrong with this obvious logic?"

Yes ... it is encouraging the discussion to move away from Eng-Tips. Not everyone has access to, or wants to subscribe to your forum.

I agree that it would be more convenient to be able to upload files directly to Eng-Tips, but untill that happens, the FAQ I gave lists sites which can be used to host a file for others to download. It does not encourage people to jump ship.

 

[adampunch]

thanks for all the feedback, guys. Things just got really weird- let me try to describe what is happening.

1. I got the "disjoint bodies" error when i created the bolt circle.

2. I suppressed circular array feature, yet all 4 holes remained, and the error went away.

3. I deleted the circular array feature, yet all 4 holes remained, still no error.

I was able to duplicate these steps this morning starting with the Inventor part file.

The model, when imported, is made entirely of solid bodies.

As far as I am concerned, there is no longer any problem, but I will upload the model with the bolt circle if anyone wants to play with it.

http://www.yourfilelink.com/get.php?fid=323766

 

[matherjd]

>I agree that it would be more convenient to be able to upload files directly to Eng-Tips,

>not encourage people to jump ship.

I don't understand, why the blind loyalty even at the expense of convenience? I guess there is no incentive for Eng-Tips forum to improve with logic like that.

Autodesk Inventor Certified Expert
Certified SolidWorks Professional

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

The inconvenience of using a 3rd party host is insignificant when compared to the value of the knowledge received from the Eng-Tips forums. There are a multitude of forums here covering all kinds of disciplines, not just MCAD.