Ok, so I have a .OBJ file (not sure what program it was done in) that I was able to import into SolidWorks using the Scan to 3D add-in tool.
How can i now save this as something i can work with in SolidWorks? I want to be able to repair the surfaces, mesh them together and turn them into a solid.
Is this possible??
Jerry,
The model is very, very organic....kinda looks like mountaineous terrain.
When I first get the model open via the Scan to 3D tool, it looks pretty darn good (ie: no gaps, holes, etc).
When i click on any part of the model at this point, the entire model highlights. What I would like to be able to do is click on one of the triangluated faces and be able to delete it, or be able to sketch on one of the standard planes and be able to extrude holes through it or such.
I basically need to get it to the point i can CNC it. So I need to be able to add some flats and such to mount it for machining and such.
I used the Surface Wizard tool (a scan to 3D feature) to convert it to a solid, which took awhile, but it seems to work. So I saved it out as a IGES file hoping when i imported it, the magic IGES conversion trick would heal any trouble areas. however now when i open that file up, it's an imported body with errors that cannot be fixed with import diagnostics.
So i think i am on the right path, but i just don't have familiarity with the Scan to 3D tool.
Matthew,
Did you run the Check tool on the part before you exported it? This might help you figure out how to fix the model without the bother of exporting and importing.
If that is not successful, you try the export/import cycle using Parasolid. If that doesn't help, you could also try STEP. These are less likely to introduce errors than IGES, since Parasolid is the native geometry kernel for SolidWorks and STEP is newer and more complete than IGES.
Jerry S.
I used the Surface Wizard tool (a scan to 3D feature) to convert it to a solid, which took awhile, but it seems to work
If you have been able to save the part as a solid, why run it through an IGES translation?
So here are screen shots of the file i'm playing around with. There is 1 completely flat side, another flat side with a half-cylinder cut through it and then the last side which is the mountainous terrain.
I went through the mesh prep wizard. Went through the orientation part without rouble, got to the surfacing wizard portion.
The software correctly identified 5 sections (the 3 flat faces, the 1 half cylinder and the 1 mountainous face).
Now, if i follow the wizard all the way through and extract all 5 of those surfaces, everything works great except for the mountainous side. It smooths those 14,000 plus triangles into a smooth free flowing sheet. So basically i lost all my detail. But regardless it converted everything to surfaces which i was then able to trim and merge to a solid. This is all fine and dandy, but i lost all my detail on that one face that's critical.
So if I repeat all those steps, but only extract 4 of the 5 surfaces leaving the complex one behind, everything works good. Then i went back and used just the surface wizard tool on that complex surface. It took awhile, but it was able to extract that as well. Now the issue is I have a MASSIVE file, like 200MB with a bunch of self intersecting surfaces. Because the file got so huge, i was never able to do the surface trimming and such to make it to a solid....plus i don't think it would have unless i fixed all 70+ self intersecting areas.
I guess I'm looking for a happy medium between those 2 techniques.
If you want to CNC this there are CAM softwares that will cut stl files or if you want to get surfaces you need software like Geomagic or Rapidworks to make this a surfaced part easily.
But the big problem is that they cost $$$$$ big money 20k ish
I have alot of these OBJ files and what i need to first do is get them back to solid state, assemble them all together to make 1 large solid and then cut them back up the way I need them.
Just stinks that i have a nice clean .OBJ model that i need to go through all this work to get to a solid. Wish there was a way to just say, hey, turn all these trianlges into surfaces!!
send me a small one and I'll see if I can get you some surfaces from rapidworks
I emailed to you personal email listed in your profile
Matthew Williquette wrote:
I emailed to you personal email listed in your profile
GO PACK GO!!!
Matthew,
Mark Biasotti can give you better advice on how best to handle this, but I will give you my take on it. It all depends on what you want to do with the SolidWorks model. Is it just taking up space in an assembly? Then I would use the surfaces that look good, add new surfaces where needed with Boundary or Fill Surfaces, and Knit them all together to get a solid. Do you want to be able to have a SolidWorks part that you can manipulate and change? I would use the imported object as a scaffold around which I would build my SolidWorks model. How you build it depends on what the object looks like. If you can use analytical geometry like cylinders and rectangular shapes, then Extrudes and Revolves may be the way to go. If it is all organic shapes, then go with Surfacing tools.
Jerry S.