Hi all,

Is anyone having any issues with exporting STEP files from the FEB BETA from MoI and importing them into another system? I ran into something wierd this morning. I was cleaning up an IGES file in MoI to make it a solid. I worked out clean with no naked edges. I exported a STEP file. I imported it into UG NX4 and all the faces were individual sheet bodies. I opened the same STEP file in Pro-E and some of the surfaces were missing. I opened thesame STEP file back into MoI and it was a solid. I then exported that as a STEP file, imported it into UG NX4 and Pro-E and they came into both systems as solid model 1 body entities.

I was jus wondering if anyone else was having similar issues.

Thanks.

Michael T.

Hi Michael T - do you still have the previous Dec-19 v2 beta installed?

If so could you please give it a try with that one and see if you get different results with the same files?

I did do an update of the STEP/IGES/SAT import/export libraries for this last Feb-21 beta, so it would be good to know if it is something related to the updated library or not.

If you do not have the Dec-19 beta still installed, you can e-mail me at moi@moi3d.com and I can get it sent to you.

- Michael

Hi Michael G.

I do still have that beta. I'll give it a test and let you know.

Thanks.

Michael T.

Hi again Michael G.

I opened the FEB beta file into the DEC 19 beta version, exported the STEP file from there and it came into UG NX4 as a single solid body instead of the previous multiple sheet bodies with the FEB beta.

Let me know if you need the files to look over.

As always, Thanks!

Michael T.

Hi Michael T. yes if you can please send the 3DM file to me at moi@moi3d.com so that I can do the export over here in each version and compare the resulting STEP files that would be a big help.

- Michael

Hi Michael T, also if you could try one other thing:

Do you get the same kind of "multiple sheet bodies" result in NX4 when exporting something simple like a box from the new Feb beta?

Or is it something specific to that particular model file and not just a general problem?

I did a quick test over here with some simple solids STEP file exporting from the Feb beta and they seem to go into ViaCAD, Alibre, and CoCreate as solids.

- Michael

Hi Michael G.

I'll send the file shortly. As for a simple cored out box, that seemed to work STEP out of the FEB beta as solid body in UG NX4. I'll try the file that was the problem child in TurboCAD Pro, and I'll let you know the results as well.

Thanks,

Michael T.

Hi Michael G.

I pulled that STEP file into TurboCAD Pro v12 and it came in as a solid.

Michael T.

Hi Michael T, thanks for sending the file.

I tested exporting your file in both the Dec-19 and Feb-21 MoI releases, and the weird thing is that the generated STEP file is virtually identical between them.

There only seem to be 6 lines that are different between the STEP files, and those are all just for timestamp entries and nothing relating to actual geometry.

So that's pretty strange that you're getting different results between them when they seem to have the same geometry in them.

Can you possibly send me the different STEP files themselves that you generated from each beta version so I can see exactly what you are getting?

- Michael

Thanks Michael G. They are off to you.

Let me know what you think.

Michael T.

Hi Michael T, thanks for sending those files.

But yup your exported files are virtually identical as well.

The only thing other than time stamps that is different is just a label stating which version of the export library was being used.


I used the WinDiff utility to compare the files, these are the only lines that are different between them:


(line 4 in dec beta)
FILE_NAME ('C:\\Users\\Michael Tuttle\\Downloads\\12020827-MoI\\DECbeta-STEP.stp', '2010-02-27T14:39:08', ('Unknown'), ('Unknown'), 'HarmonyWare STEP v1.4.2', 'HarmonyWare Translators', '');

(line 4 in feb beta)
FILE_NAME ('C:\\Users\\Michael Tuttle\\Downloads\\12020827-MoI\\FEBbeta-STEP.stp', '2010-02-27T14:40:38', ('Unknown'), ('Unknown'), 'HarmonyWare STEP v1.4.3', 'HarmonyWare Translators', '');


Then 5 lines that are just purely time stamps that look like this:

(line 11612 in dec beta)
#94190 = LOCAL_TIME (14, 39, 8., #94180);

(line 11612 in feb beta)
#94190 = LOCAL_TIME (14, 40, 38., #94180);


And of course, since those contain the current time at writing the file, it is normal that those should be different between exports even from the same beta.


I’m amazed that there would be any difference importing these files into NX4, since there is no difference with anything relating to geometry between them.


I don’t really see what could be causing a difference between these files, unless for some reason NX4 tries to look at the version number of the STEP library that I’m using…

- Michael

Hi Michael G.

I've tried a few more STEP files out of MoI FEB beta into UG NX4 and everything was fine. solid bodies, not sheet bodies. I can't seem to reproduce my original issue.

Maybe it was lunar alignment! :-)

I will keep you posted if I run in to it again.

Thanks as always,

Michael T.

Hi Michael T - that's mysterious but I'm glad it is not a persisting issue!

- Michael