[Riceburner98]

Never seen this happen before, and no idea how it happened or how to fix it.. Lots of Googling and I haven't found anything so far... Basically, I have a simple part that a microswitch mounts inside. I've been using it in an assembly for a while now (test fixture) and decided to incorporate it into another part instead of it being an add-on that I need to mount. I have the physical part that I printed in ABS from the file, so it did work at one point.

Somehow (I think while in the assembly) I must have clicked on some button or menu while sneezing or something like that and my part turned invisible. It's not "transparent", it's just not there. If I open the part by itself, still not there... Part rebuilds fine, and I can save it as a .STEP file or .STL file and sure enough, it exists and looks like it should. But in the .SLDPRT file, it's not there. I even did a "Pack and go" to a new file, same thing. Removed all appearances, changed part material, it just isn't there. My feature tree says it is, and when I mouse over a feature it highlights the outline of that feature on the invisible part........

Wireframe does the same thing, section view shows a slice of "nothing".... Anyone have *any* idea what I possible could have done? I can rebuild the part from scratch by looking at the STEP or STL, but since I'm building it into another part it doesn't matter that much... But I really want to know what happened so if (when!) it happens again to a part I really need, I'll be able to fix it..

Anyone with SW 2011 care to open the .SLDPRT and see if it exists for you? And if it's still invisible, care to offer a guess as to why? Strange.... I love SolidWorks, but this kind of stuff drives me nuts.

What it should look like:


SW'11 part file: (~240Kb)
http://home.comcast.net/~riceburner9...bracket.SLDPRT

[CNC Lurker]

You accidentally hid the Main Body.

Pick "Main Body" > right-click > show > smile

[Riceburner98]

DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

Wow. (runs and hides)



Honestly never used "Hide" in a part file before, so had no idea to even look there. I might have been aware the glasses were there somewhere way back in the brain, but didn't realize it 'till now. Thanks!!!!!!!!

[cosner]

Hello, I'm sorry if my english is a little bit bad but I'm from switzerland, so speaking french. I've got the same problem but I didnt understand your answer. Where do you find this option "main body"? Because my objet is invisible in the assembly and in the orginial part file. Please i really need your help, I have to do an assembly for my exams, and i was at the end of the conception...

[Riceburner98]

The "Main Body" is the first sketch / extrusion of your part file. (Normally this would be called something else, I just automatically rename it "Main Body"..) So you make a sketch in a part file, and whatever the first action you do to make a solid part from it, that's your "main body". Everything else that you do in the part file starts with that. In my case I accidentally "hid" that, which of course hid everything else after it.

I just did a new sketch, and the first thing created was called "Boss-Extrude1". If you right-click on that and click "hide" the whole part becomes invisible.

Hope that helps!

[cosner]

Yes thank you i found my conception back!! :cheers: in my case the place was hidden too but i had to right click on the "main body"->hidden parts->volumic shape ( something like that but in french). I really dont know how I hid it. But the problem is solved. Thanks!

[Riceburner98]

Great to hear!

[fatal-exception]

I think its a bit stupid that you can accidentally hide the 'main body', as you call it, and it doesn't change the icon in the feature manager tree.

I've banged my head a few times trying to figure out why the stupid part is invisible!

Paul