David Knourek Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Is there anything besides PowerSolids that will import Solid Works files relatively easy in to 3dsmax? Also other than using IGES files as Im finding them unstable and take literally 45 to 60min just to import with a Dual Xeon 2.8? Thanks in advance, David Knourek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 David, I have been using SolidWorks for 6 years. My workflow is the following. 1. Export from SW as an SAT file. Before you export change the UCS (coordinate system). SW UCS is different than AutoCAD 2. Import the SAT file into AutoCAD 3. Export as a DWG into Viz The problem with a Solid Modeler is that it gives you a lot of surfaces, much more than what you need just for visualization. Then as a result you have coplanar problems. Second problem is the when you go from SW to SAT it goes from perfect polygos into a lot of triangles. These triangle cause a lot of problems I worked in mechanical engineering things and I am forced to be very precise. Viz is no good for that. My drawings go from SW to the CNC machines in the shop. However, when I want to make a part look pretty I go through the above proce at take it to LS or Viz. The PhotoWork which is Mental Ray is not that bad. Sometimes I get better results out of PhotWorks than from Viz. Good Luck Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugga_Guy Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 is *.sat an ACIS file? Because I know you can make an ACIS file from solid works and import it to autocad as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Hello, That is correct SAT is the sames as an ACIS file. Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Knourek Posted March 17, 2005 Author Share Posted March 17, 2005 well the other issue is Im only running 3dsmax here so running it through autocad is not an option for me unfortunately. There seems to be a wealth of import/export utilities for 3dsmax I was wondering if anything other than Powersolids would work. -dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 You might want to give Rhino a try as well. You can download a demo that will do 15 or 30 saves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derijones Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Try Deep Exploration - there is a CAD module that allows you to import Solidworks files and export as .max, but it's about $500 or so I think (Deep Ex on it's own is $150 ish) I've tried it with Solidworks to Maya and it's pretty robust, but I feel I get better results using STL export from Solidworks. Can 3d max import .stl files? I use Solidworks for modelling, export as individual STL, use deep explorer to clean the files up if they are huge (reduce poly count, remove co planar surfaces etc) and then rebuild the full assembly (click and drop - brilliant) and export as Maya. This gives me a raw model in Maya with meaningfull names and a hierarchy the same as in Solidworks - I can swap out single parts if they need re modelling as the axes in both Solidworks and Maya are the same orientation. It's pretty slick and Solidworks is much faster for modelling than Maya or Rhino - I wish the 3D apps would pick up on some of the interface things in Solidworks - it would speed up productivity a bit. Hope this helps Deri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazdaz Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 Mess with your SW settings, cuz I am a SolidWorks (and AutoCAD too) user, and when I want to import a CAD file into MAX, ALOT depends on the settings your using. The exact same file saved in the same format (probably either SAT or IGES) but with one option will look like crap and have way too many polys, while changing one setting will fix everything. I haven't imported a file into MAX in ages, so sorry for not remember what exactly to click on, but I do know you don't NEED any seperate software to get good (actually GREAT) results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaPixel Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 Yes it sure would be nice to have some SW Sketcher-like or even Acad-like drawing capabilities in MAX. Elliot, When you say you're happy with Photoworks, I hope you are talking about Photoworks 2? The original Photoworks gives me squat for shadow control and produces horid banding & noise with limitations on the amount of lights you can use in a scene. Don't get me started on Material use Plus, it's an extra $500 add-on - not built in unless you but the SW Suite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 David, Yes I am talking about Photoworks 2. However, I like Photowork 1 better. It is faster. I have been using SolidWorks for 6 years. I am not happy with what they have done with it. It has becomed slugish... I am trying out Inventor... there is some adaptation to be accomplished. This inventor has come a long way. It is supposed to be very compatible with Max. Will see....! There is alot of thing I can do on SW that I can not do in any other program. I do wiring schematics and I am being tempted to buy the wiring plugin. A friend loves that plugin. Thanks Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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