importing STEP files

[usmanbaig]

Hi all, im new to 3DS but i am hoping to build up a rendering portfolio using 3ds and vray. I'm much quicker at working in solidworks as opposed to 3DS so at the moment im importing models ive created in solidworks as a step.

 

is there a difference when it comes to rendering and texturing by using a step file instead of building it within 3DS.

 

thanks

[Stephen Thomas]

This is just my personal feeling, but I hate receiving models in STEP format! I would much rather have a nice clean polygon mesh any day. The surfaces are interpolated from the curves in 3ds Max, so there are always small gaps between adjoining surfaces and making any changes to the mesh is a pain.

 

That being said, this won't affect your texturing and rendering. You will be able to apply materials and UVW maps to your objects as normal. I would recommend making the transition to poly modelling if you plan to use 3ds Max and Vray more extensively though. There are many tutorials out there. Good luck!

[usmanbaig]

Thanks for the reply. I'll defo start practicing with modelling in 3DS but for now im so adapted to solid modelling with an engineering bias that im alot more confident in creating high quality accurate models in solidworks, I was also trained in alias automotive for the surface modelling but never really liked it too much.

[Zdravko Barisic]

Try export/import , via OBJ+Rhino, import STEP into Rhino, I guess there is trial version, and export OBJ from Rhino, finally import to MAX.

Works like a charm!