Trim boundary on face

When IGES or STEP surface data is imported and translated with Autodesk Inventor, faces can be trimmed in unexpected ways. To repair surfaces:

• Use Extract Loop to untrim surface loops.
• Use Boundary Trim to generate and rebuild a new surface using the surrounding surface edges or wires in the file.

Guidelines for extracting loops and trimming boundaries

• Only wires or edges of faces in the construction environment are valid selections.
• When a closed loop is formed, the color of the selected edges changes to the constrained sketch color (usually black).
• The Extract Loop command works only on a single face.
• Right-click to select an option to undo the last wire or edge selection.

The following is a typical workflow for repairing a loop using the Extract Loop and Boundary Trim commands.

1. An IGES or STEP file is opened, and the quality check command reports a bad loop on the highlighted surface in the construction environment.
   Note: Change the visibility of the surface to make selecting edges easier.
2. Use the Extract Loop command to remove the outer boundary, leaving the underlying surface exposed. Check Delete Wires to delete the original wires used to generate the trim, and then click Apply. The adjacent face edges are used to repair the face. Click Done.
3. On the ribbon, click Construction tab Surface panel Boundary Trim .
4. Click Cutting Edges if it is not already selected, and select the first edge of the boundary. The red arrow in the Cutting Edges command changes to white when the first edge is selected. As you pause the cursor over an edge, its color changes to red. Only valid wires that intersect can be selected. When the edge is selected, the color changes to cyan (blue-green).
5. Continue selecting edges for the boundary, in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, until the edges form a closed boundary. When all edges are selected, the color of the closed loop changes to black, and Loop or Face is enabled (its arrow turns red).
   Note: Once the closed loop is formed, you cannot cancel the selection of any of the previously selected edges.
6. In the Boundary Trim dialog box, click Face or Loop if it is not already selected.
7. A preview of the surface is displayed. You can choose which side of the surface to keep.
8. Click Apply to trim the surface. Click Done after you trim all surfaces.