Troubleshooting Design Errors and Messages

This topic includes information on why an issue might occur, approaches to resolving issues, and links to information that can assist in working through an issue.

Tip: When you use any of these links, consider the following:
  • When a link takes you to a topic page and you want to find any mention of the word error, use CTRL + F (standard browser Find command) and enter error in the search field. This finds all occurrences of the word error in the topic page.
  • Review related subtopics as you may find the answer there.

This list of links is designed to help locate information that may be useful in resolving an error.

Best Practices for Fixing Errors

When fixing several errors, work from the top of the list or browser to the bottom. Features with dependencies appear below the features on which they depend.

When errors occur in a design, you may see:
  • , a browser node state icon indicating a design issue. From the context menu you can select Recover (takes you to the Design Doctor) or Diagnose (displays the Relationship Conflict Analysis tool).
  • in the QAT (Quick Access Toolbar). Click the red cross to use the Design Doctor. More information about the Design Doctor is included later in this topic.

  • Error dialog box displaying a hierarchical list leading to the error and a red cross. From this dialog box you can start the Recover (Design Doctor) process or resolve the error without assistance.

Items populating the document browser change states when they are worked on or when an issue occurs. The state icon displays so you are aware there has been a change. To understand more about the state icons and their use, see:

Part Errors

Design errors sometimes occur if your changes interfere with other features. For example, an error occurs if:
  • You specify a fillet radius that is larger than the size of the adjacent face.
  • You do a cut extrusion and the profile/direction doesn't remove material from the body or bodies.

Roll Back History

In Part models rolling back the history can help locate where a potential error occurred. To roll back the history:

  1. Do either of the following:
    • Find the End of Part (or End of Feature) symbol at the bottom of the browser, and drag it up to “roll back” the model.
    • Right-click a feature in the browser and select Move EOP Marker to move the EOP marker to that feature.

    This temporarily removes the features below the EOP symbol from the model. This can be useful as you troubleshoot the model by moving the marker down one feature at a time until the errant feature is discovered. Then, analyze the reason for the error.

  2. To update the model, drag the symbol back to the bottom of the browser, or right-click the EOP marker and select Move EOP to End.

If an error occurs during the process, a message box displays an error list. The error occurred because the change affected a feature or one of its references and it fails to resolve the rebuild. Expand the levels in the message to reveal the root cause for the failure.

If it is not clear why the error occurred, move the EOP marker back to the point where the change was made. Then, move the marker down the browser one node at a time until the error occurs, then determine the cause for the error.

Resources for more information about Part modeling include, but are not limited to:

When the message dialog box displays an error list, the design failures display in red underlined text. If you select a design failure message in the list, the location of the failure highlights in the graphics window.

Because you can choose to accept errors and proceed, Inventor also provides Design Doctor and Sketch Doctor to help find design errors in parts, sketches, drawings, and assemblies.

Imported Data Errors

Imported data can contain errors based on export precision settings or other modeling issues. Inventor provides options for working with this data to resolve the issues. There are two methods for importing as AnyCAD data. Each method has a particular use and advantage. See the following topics to determine how to resolve errors:

Sheet Metal

Flat Pattern Errors may occur when editing and updating the model. A dialog box indicates any error conditions that exist in the flat pattern. You can accept and continue working, although the error warnings persist until the error conditions are eliminated (not available in Inventor LT).

Intersecting Features (such as flange features that overlap in the flat pattern) may prevent the model from unfolding. A warning dialog box indicates intersecting features. You can Edit or Cancel the dialog box, or you can Accept the intersecting errors. If you accept, the flat pattern is developed with intersecting features. Subsequent feature creation in the folded model displays the dialog box until you edit the features that intersect in the flattened state.

Punch Tools
  • To Work with Sheet Metal Punch Tools - If you attempt to save a sheet metal punch iFeature that contains no centermarks, an error message advises you to edit the sketch to add the centermarks.

Assembly errors (not available in Inventor LT)

When you work in an assembly, you can view the errors in all components.

Assembly Features

If you delete a component that contains a dependent assembly feature, the assembly feature “goes sick,” and the dependent assembly sketches remain in the browser. In the Design Doctor, you can replace the deleted component with a new component using the Redefine command.

Assembly Relationships

For help resolving issues with assembly relationships see the following:

Frame Generator

To learn about Frame Generator error messages, see:
iAssembly

Content Center

If an error occurs when attempting to replace the family template with a file that has errors in parameters or their mapping, see:

iLogic

To learn how to ignore round-off errors in comparisons, see:

Routed Systems

To learn about errors in Routed Systems, see:

Design Doctor

The Design Doctor tracks design errors and provides recovery guidance. The goal is to help detect design problems that occur as you work and provide paths to correct the problems. To work with Design Doctor, see Use Design Doctor to repair relationship errors.

When unresolved errors occur in a model, a red cross appears on the Quick Access toolbar or in the message dialog. You can click the red cross to open the Design Doctor where you begin the recover process.

Tip: When fixing design errors, use the shortcut keys to change the view in the graphics window: F2 to pan, F3 to zoom, and F4 to rotate.

At any time you can close the window to stop using Design Doctor and proceed to resolve issues without guidance. Or, return later and use the Recover option in the browser node context menu.

To suppress Design Doctor error messages, see Prompts Tab Reference (Application Options).

Sketch Doctor

Sketches form the basis of most model features. Finding an error in a sketch requires that you understand the relationships among all of the pieces of sketch geometry. Also, be aware of how you plan to use the sketch to create subsequent model features.

The Sketch Doctor, part of the Design Doctor, can help you find overlapping curves, redundant points, missing coincident constraints, self-intersecting and open loops. Issues involving incorrect angles or dimensions require closer scrutiny.

Dimensional sketch constraints allow you to use formulas that include parameters. If there are parameter syntax errors, the text is red in the edit field. Correct the error and continue.

To use Sketch Doctor:
  1. Edit the sketch where the error occurs.
  2. In the browser, right-click the sketch node and click Sketch Doctor.
  3. In the Sketch Doctor dialog, click Diagnose Sketch.
  4. Specify the tests to apply to the sketch and click OK to run the diagnosis.
  5. The error(s) display in the Sketch Doctor and is highlighted in the display. If more than one error occurs, you can select each error in the dialog and see the error highlighted in the corresponding area in the display.
  6. Click Next to see the next step for resolving the error.

If your sketch includes imported geometry that another designer created, identifying design errors can be challenging. Common issues include the following:

The Sketch Doctor, part of the Design Doctor, can help you find problems with overlapping curves, redundant points, missing coincident constraints, self-intersecting and open loops. Issues involving incorrect angles or dimensions require closer scrutiny. Dimensional sketch constraints allow you to use formulas that include parameters. If there are parameter syntax errors, the text is red in the edit field. Correct the error and continue.

Sketches and Sketch Dimensions

For errors pertaining to sketch equation curves see:

Sketch Dimension Precision

If you use formulas in sketch dimensions you may have experienced a result where a dimension has a very small value that is not visible in the rounded value seen in the edit field. For example, you might see a dimension such as 0.37500004 in display as 0.375 or 9.52500004 mm display as 9.525. In the status bar, click the dimension Value list and select Precise Value . Adjust dimensions that are not conforming to your intention.

Offset value does not match your input

When creating an offset you input a value and the result is imprecise. Check whether or not Snap to Grid is turned on. If On, turn it Off. It is likely that Snap to Grid is causing the imprecise result by enforcing the use of a nearby grid point.

Driven (Reference) Dimensions

When a sketch is fully constrained all geometry is fully defined. If you attempt to add more dimensions, these are added as driven dimensions, enclosed in parentheses. You can change a driven dimension to a normal or driving dimension. Doing so, without removing other conflicting dimensions or constraint, will cause an error message to display. Accept the message and make the necessary changes so there are no conflicts. Some changes to consider making are:
  • Changing another dimension to a Driven dimension
  • Removing or relaxing geometric constraints. For example, removing a perpendicular constraint will allow a line to change angles relative to the line it is perpendicular to.

Drawings

For more on errors in Drawings, see:

Analysis and Simulation

If you receive warnings or errors when running simulations, see:

Project Files

If you have not previously worked with Inventor Project files we strongly recommend reviewing the following information before you start a design. See About Project Files

See

File Open Errors

If you encounter an issue related to opening a file, start the troubleshooting process here.

File Save Errors

File Save errors can occur when there is a network connectivity issue preventing Inventor from reaching a server. When errors occur check that the network location is accessible. This can also occur this when the disk space is full.

Task Scheduler

Mold Design

To learn what the error symbols mean in Mold Design, see:

Installation

See AKN (Autodesk Knowledge Network) topics pertaining to Troubleshooting Installation Issues.

Error Reporting

You can send error reports directly to Autodesk when software closes unexpectedly. You can determine who receives notification when reported errors are resolved. When reporting errors provide as much detail as needed to explain the workflow being used when the software closed.

It may be helpful to copy error messages to the clipboard when possible. With the dialog box active, use "Alt + Print Screen" to capture an image of the dialog box and place it on the clipboard. Paste the captured image into the error report or include it as an attachment.

Topics in this section

Related Tasks