Topic: Need 3D help File Translation

[SDETERS]

I have attached a 2004 DWG file.  Please open this file up and tell me what type of 3D file it is.  I used the IGES in program to import the file

Surfaces?  3D curves or what ever.  I am not strong in Autocad 3D so any help here I would really appreciate.  I modeled this in a different software and need to get this into a readable DWG file 2004 format. 

Thanks

[JCTER]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'what type of 3D file' but the objects are a bunch of polyface meshes.

[Jeff H]

***Edit******
It was in 2007 but saved it as 2004 format

[SDETERS]

Yes sorry about that

The file was 2007 OOPS miss type

[SDETERS]

Would one be able to modify and get dimensions if needed of this part.  Thanks for all the help

[JCTER]

Would one be able to modify and get dimensions if needed of this part.  Thanks for all the help

Modify is going to be iffy.

I personally hate meshes for non-organic elements because they are more for surfaces like fabrics, landscapes, and other flexible and freeform materials.

Meshes also are devoid of curvature -for the most part- so they're not really -true- often.  For instance your shaft is made up of a thousand triangle faces combined into a mesh object.

Modifying meshes gets tricky too.  I won't speak authoritatively on that as I don't have a terribly high amount of success or experience doing so and I'm not sure how it would be done.  I always use solids.  I don't see Autocad as much of a mesh modeling program like Rhino/Max/etc are.  Meshes are for sculpting or creating mass from point clouds.  Solids are for parts modeling.  Mostly my opinion, but I am reasonably confident it's a popular consensus.

Simply taking dimensions off it?  Not optimal but completely doable if you think about what you're doing before hand.  Depends on the skill level of the user.

[SDETERS]

Great I am going to do some mods and change some IGes flavors and options and repost hopefully with a better file.

EDIT

I have attached the update file.  Would this be easier to work with?

[deegeecees]

You should really consider redoing that in Solids. As is, AutoCad doesn't see quadrants, or centers of Body objects, so dimensioning to those are out.

[JCTER]

That one is better, even though I have to use midpoint or endpoint snaps to dimension the thing, or measure it.  It -looks- a lot better in Autocad as well, as I only see the edge lines of the 'body' but... I really second Plankton.

Solids is really the only way I would want to see parts in Autocad.  I could work with what you have, PROBABLY, if I had to.  It depends on who you are delivering it to, and how you want it to look for them.  If it's someone in your own company, I'd say go solids.  If it's someone you need to impress or do your best for, I'd go solids.  If it's someone who just needs to be able to do their job and are too defiant to download a model viewer for your software so they can measure the native file... I'm usually less inclined to accommodate them for sake of their convenience.

[SDETERS]

It is more of what you said in the last line.  It is for a machine shop to look at and get some CNC code to make the part with.  Thanks for all the feedback.  I got feedback from the machine and they liked the second a lot better than the first.  Thanks again for all of your help.