Next peeve of the day... solid parts are transparent in view

[pc-6]

I'm Having a similar problem. While drawing up a replacement part for the flush button on a toilet which requires a threaded part I get the same transparent surface if the helix is extruded to some lengths. Other lengths seem to be fine. To try and work around this I have drawn the helix to a longer length than required and then extrude cut the extra off. Unfortunately the extrude cut fails as it will not cut through the helix. I have also tried to extrude cut a keyway on the side of the helix and this fails too. The only successful cut of the helix was a revolve cut on the bottom to give a taper to the end of the thread.

If anyone has some insight or similar issues and workarounds to fix this I might be able to grow back some of my hair I have extracted from my scalp.
I'm using Alibre Version 2017
Cheers,
PC-6

 

[bigseb]

Long-standing issue with AD. You are not the only one.

 

[jaysinn]

I've run into this problem, usually with cuts, fillets, or lofting. A surface will be transparent from one side, but not from the other! My work-around solution is to very, very slightly change the size of one of the sketches used to make the loft. Technically, then, the newly lofted boss doesn't "fit" perfectly to the prior part, but the change in dimension is so small as to be totally insignificant as a practical matter for any 3D-printing or machining operation. As I recall, if I try to export the part with that defective transparent face for 3D printing, the resulting STL file is full of errors and unusable. But the exported part with the infinitesimal offset works fine.

 

[JST]

Sometimes the "infinitesimal offset works. Sometimes it takes more than that, so that it begins to affect the shape.

Sometimes deleting and re-doing the feature helps, especially if you put some different feature in place of the original, then go back to the original. If you do not change the part more than just deleting the feature, it may come back the same, and still have the problem. Naturally you save the part with the different feature, that clears the original out.

It seems that sometimes all you really need to do is to "shake up the file a bit", as if the real issue is in the part file structure, and not the actual geometry.

 

[pc-6]

Sometimes the "infinitesimal offset works. Sometimes it takes more than that, so that it begins to affect the shape.

Sometimes deleting and re-doing the feature helps, especially if you put some different feature in place of the original, then go back to the original. If you do not change the part more than just deleting the feature, it may come back the same, and still have the problem. Naturally you save the part with the different feature, that clears the original out.

It seems that sometimes all you really need to do is to "shake up the file a bit", as if the real issue is in the part file structure, and not the actual geometry.

Thanks for everybody's input.
Been going round and round in circles and no joy so far with all the ideas. I have loved Alibre up to this point but perhaps it might be time to switch programs (Hoping Alibre staff are paying attention).
Cheers

 

[DavidJ]

Hitting F5 a couple of times can sometimes sort this out - it forces regeneration of the geometry and a refresh of the screen image.
Maybe submit the file to support if issue persists.

 

[albie0803]

Just been talking with support on this very issue. I created a simple cylinder then cut a step on either end using a cut rotation. I then did a helical cut where the tooth root was the same diameter as the step. The outer faces of the tooth went transparent where it met the step. Making the step a slightly smaller diameter "fixed" the issue.
I then created the cylinder with the step as part of the sketch (using revolve) and the helical cut worked fine. No transparent faces.
It seems that Alibre doesn't like trying to cut a face created by a cut where the faces coincide (if that makes sense)