Irregular shapes format?

[RyanSpaulding]

Hey guys,

 

My model to rendering workflow goes as follows.

 

1. Model in MicroStation

2. Export to DWG

3. Open in AutoCad 2006

4. Export the DWG to 3DS

5. Import into Vue

 

Now often, for most elements, this works fine. More steps than I'd wish, but MS integrates with nothing. Anyways, in MicroStation, there's output options that tell it to change MicroStation Elements to for ACad.

 

However, what I'm noticing is that anything planar (2d shape) that ISN'T simply rectangular or flat will not import correctly. Now ACad is used all the time to export to 3DS format (same company even) so something must be wrong with the element in ACad to begin with, before I export to 3ds. I can extrude the object in MicroStation to be 3d, but then I'm adding tons of faces, bogging down my comp in Vue.

 

Not knowing ACad much is killing me (I only use it to translate files). I've attached an image of the options but there are flyouts which I'll illustrate below. If anyone can help, I'd be eternally indebted to you.

 

Here's the choices for each. What I have picked is in the image. Again, I appreciate any help I can get. I'll bold what I feel the possible problem areas are. Should I try to have most things as a certain type of entity? I know in MicroStation there are "problem formats". How do I check this in ACad?

 

Planar LineStrings: Polyline - 3D Polyline

Nonplanar LineStrings: Polyline (flattened) - 3D Polyline

Flat Solids & Surfaces - ACIS Entity (Body or 3D Solid) - Polyface Mesh - Wireframe

Curved Solids and Surfaces - ACIS Entity (Body or 3D Solid) - Polyface Mesh - Wireframe

 

FILLED ELEMENTS:

3 or 4 Sided Polygons: - Polyline - Solid Entity - Region Entity - Hatch Entity - Polyface Mesh

5 or more sided polygons: - Polyline - Region Entity - Hatch Entity - Polyface Mesh

Complex Shapes: - Polyline - Region Entity - Hatch Entity

 

2D UNFILLED ELEMENTS:

3 or 4 Sided Polygons: - Polyline - Region Entity - Face Entity - Polyface Mesh

5 or more sided polygons: - Polyline - Region Entity - Polyface Mesh

Complex Shapes: - Polyline - Region Entity - Polyface Mesh

Grouped Holes: - Region Entity - Polyfaced Mesh

 

3D UNFILLED ELEMENTS:

3 or 4 Sided Polygons: - Polyline - Region Entity - Face Entity - Polyface Mesh

5 or more sided polygons: - Polyline - Region Entity - Polyface Mesh

Complex Shapes: - Polyline - Region Entity - Polyface Mesh

Grouped Holes: - Region Entity - Polyfaced Mesh

[Kerry Thompson]

Hi Ryan

 

Not sure about the translation mapping but check the precision of the Microstation file before writing out as dwg files. As I understand it, dgn files have a precision limit of 4294967296 (2 to the 32) and when it you write the file to a floating point database such as dwg, (with a higher precision) the faces may be not be flat because of errors in the precision.

 

Just an idea

 

Cheers

 

Kerry