Does anyone have any experience with importing .step or .iges files into SW so their features are recognized? There have been some postings about using FeatureWorks, but that does not seem to be reliable. I also have access to the granite engine that generates .step or .iges in our software, so the export may be tweaked.
Thank you for your suggestion Alin, unfortunately we need to also support our customers running the standard version as well.
I am interested in a solution trough an addin or refactoring of existing imports\exports.
Many folks have talked about developing an add-in to do what you want. I have never seen one completed. I suspect once folks try to write an add-in they quickly realize how big a task it is.
FeatureWorks is it and will probably be the most reliable.
By the time you spend the money for an add-in to be developed you can buy a seat or two or three of the native software for a lot less money.
Cheers,
Anna
1. Import
2. Run Import Diagnostics and fix any geometry errors
3. Run FeatureWorks (need SW Professional or Premium for that).
http://help.solidworks.com/2013/English/solidworks/fworks/c_overview_of_featureworks.htm
That being said, if you need to just change the imported model, SolidWorks has direct editing tools for that.