Full Version: solidThinking to modo workflow, help!

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Thanks Michael,

I have understand where is the problem talking with the company that build it in solidThinking:
The model was created initially using solidThinking by company A, then saved in the STEP format and a company B have modified it using another modeler (I don't know the name).

If I open the model done initially by company A in solidThinking and I save it in IGES, then with MoI I save in LWO the result is perfect.

Is IGES better than STEP for this kind of conversion?

I attached the file if you want to check.

Antonio

Attachments:
Copertura.igs

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Hi Antonio,

> Is IGES better than STEP for this kind of conversion?

Unfortunately there isn't really a single format that is always better than the others in all circumstances, sometimes in one particular case one format may be better and then in a different case another one may be better.

Each format does things a little differently.

The main problem with IGES is usually that only individual surfaces are stored in the IGES file and then the receiving application needs to take all those individual surfaces and figure out how to join them to one another to make a solid which can sometimes be a complex process.

In STEP, the objects are stored as solids (the connections between surfaces are stored and do not need to be calculated manually), but STEP has a different issue where only the 3D edge curves are used for trimming boundaries, forcing the application to calculate the UV space curves of each trimming boundary from the 3D edges. With complex edge structures (especially when edges are nearby a surface seam), that can be a complex process.

Any complex process can tend to cause problems, the more complex a process is the more possibility for things to go wrong.


Anyway, it sounds like you have resolved your issue using the original model?

- Michael

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> Anyway, it sounds like you have resolved your issue using the original model?

Absolutely, thanks again for your precious help.


Bye


Antonio

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Is the "Manifold Solid B-Rep Object Entity (Type 186)" in IGES not used? or is it a weaker implementation as in STEP? or does it not even describe the true solid?

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Hi Kevin,

> Is the "Manifold Solid B-Rep Object Entity (Type 186)" in IGES not used?

Historically it is just not as common as individual surfaces.


> or is it a weaker implementation as in STEP?

I don't really know off the top of my head exactly how IGES entity 186 compares to object structures in STEP. But I kind of think they are generally similar in idea though.


> or does it not even describe the true solid?

IGES entity 186 I believe does describe a true solid.

- Michael

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Great!

I love reading this forum, I've learnt so much from your excellent technical advise to situations all of us run into (shelling errors, fillet problems)
And the fact that this is software independent means the advise applies to many different modeling packages and situations.
So valuable!

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