Checking Solids for Interference
When you create several 3D solids or surfaces and place them together, you may want to be able to check to see if any of those objects interfere or overlap. The Interfere tool lets you check for areas of interference within a set of 3D solid or surface models. You can compare two sets of objects, or you can check all of the 3D solids and surfaces in a drawing.
When you perform an interference check, the program creates temporary solid or surface objects and highlights where the models intersect.
The exercise file includes a cylinder that has been inserted into a hole in a wedge-shaped part. You need to make sure that the cylinder is placed properly in the wedge. You can use the Interfere tool to do this.
On the Home ribbon, in the Solid Editing panel, click the Interfere tool. The program prompts you to select the first set of objects. You can use any object selection method. Click to select the wedge and then press ENTER. Next, the program prompts you to select the second set of objects. Click to select the cylinder. Again, when you are done selecting objects, press ENTER.
The program immediately performs an interference check. In this case, there is no interference. The command line notification informs you that the objects do not interfere.
But what happens when objects do interfere? Expand the Layer Properties Manager, turn off the cylinder1 layer and turn on the layer named cylinder2. Now the cylinder in the model looks more like a bolt with a tapered head. Click the Interfere tool again. The program prompts you to select the first set of objects. Note that you do not have to select two different sets of objects; you can select all of the objects at once. You only need to use two separate sets when you want to compare the first set to the second set, but do not care if there is any interference among the objects within each set.
Since you are only comparing these two objects, use a crossing window to select both the wedge and the cylinder, and then press ENTER. Since you have already selected all of the objects, when the program prompts you to select the second set of objects, simply press ENTER again. The program immediately performs the interference check.
This time, there is some interference between the two objects. The program displays an Interference Checking dialog and also creates a red temporary object to show you the interference condition. In the Interfering objects group box, the program shows a list of interfering objects, which can help you to better understand the interference condition. Since you selected both objects as part of the first selection set, the list indicates that there are two objects in the first set, no objects in the second set, and one pair of objects that interfere.
Controls in the Highlight group box let you highlight various objects in the model and automatically zoom to the pair of interfering objects. You can also zoom, pan, and orbit the model while the dialog box is open.
By default, the Delete interference objects created on Close option is selected, which means that the red temporary objects will disappear when you close the dialog. If you clear this checkbox, however, any temporary objects will remain in the drawing. This can often be useful, since you can use them to perform a Boolean subtract to remove the interfering volume from the model.
For example, clear the Delete interference objects created on Close option and then click Close. Next, in the Layer Properties Manager, turn off the cylinder2 layer. Now you can see that the program has created a new solid on the current layer.
On the Home ribbon, in the Solid Editing panel, click the Subtract tool. When the program prompts you to select objects, click to select the wedge, and then right-click. Then you are prompted to select the objects to subtract. Select that new solid, and then right-click. As soon as you do, the program subtracts the new object from the wedge.
In the Layer Properties Manager, turn the cylinder2 layer back on again. Then, use the Interfere tool again to check the interference again. Notice that now there is no longer any interference.
Source: Autodesk
