Configuring Feature Recognition To Suit Your Needs

A Mr. Richard Feder of Fort Lee, New Jersey wrote in:

I downloaded and installed the Feature Recognition add-in for Inventor 2011. If you open a STEP file or other containing Base Solids, it prompts for "Do you want to recognize features." Years ago, this was discussed, and there was supposed to be an option added to shut off that message. In fact, you only need to run recognize when you need to run recognize. That would be an infinitesimally small amount of the time. The odds of needing to edit via recognition base solids out of thousands imported is pretty low. I want to run recognition when I want to run recognition. I know it is there, all I have to do is RMB on the Base solid. It should NOT present itself when you open a part with a base solid.

Principal Engineer for Manufacturing Digital Simulation, Shekar Sub, was quick to respond by extracting some information from the 2010 User’s Guide for the Feature Recognition Technology Preview:

Typical workflow process for using Feature Recognition within Inventor®

• Open a translator file (.IGES, .STEP, .SAT, .X_B, Etc.) - that has solid(s) in it.

• During translation open, (if a single part/solid file) - a dialog will prompt you if you want to automatically "Recognize Features" - if you say yes here, you will be placed in the Feature Recognition environment.
  

  Note: You may choose to turn this dialog prompt off - If you do, you will merely need create a "User Environment Variable" (Accessed from Control Panel > System > Environment Variables) - named: "FRNOPROMPT" and set it to a value of "1".
  

The 2010 user guide applies equally to the 2011 release of the technology preview.

Recognizing that feedback is a two way street (question and answer) is alive in the lab.