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Sharing data and import diagnostics

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When collaborating on a design project, first determine the type and format of the information to be exchanged. Chances are the suppliers, vendors, or suppliers in your network are using a variety of CAD/CAM systems.

Next, determine the way the information will be exchanged. You may need to accept the data in the format provided, which means you need to overcome some issues that might otherwise disrupt your workflow:

• Other systems have different types of feature and system tolerances. SolidWorks® 3D mechanical design software will try to adjust values automatically based on the type of file and where it was written.
• For any import the other system needs to write a valid export file, and SolidWorks needs to import that file format.
• The design could have problems back in the original system. The adage "Garbage out, garbage in" would apply to this situation.

When you import a part from another system, and get a surface body instead of a solid body, this is an indication that there is a problem with the file translation. The section on import diagnostics below will describe how to identify and fix import issues.

Figure 1 - Bad face on import part

Import/Export

SolidWorks allows you to save, import, and export a wide variety of data formats. These data formats fall into the following categories:

• Native SolidWorks documents (i.e., parts, assemblies, drawings, library features, templates)
• Neutral file formats (i.e., DXF™, DWG, IGES®, STEP, ACIS®, and Parasolid®)
• Formats native to other systems (i.e., AutoDesk Inventor® Series, AutoDesk Mechanical Desktop®, Unigraphics®, CADKEY®, and Solid Edge®)

The Open function is used to import other files types into SolidWorks by selecting the desired file type from the Files of type: pull-down menu. Depending on the format selected and information contained in the file, SolidWorks will import the file into the appropriate document. For example, if you open a DWG file, SolidWorks will import that file into a SolidWorks drawing document. If you open an IGES file that contains part information, SolidWorks will import that information into a part document.

The Save As function can be used to export the active document to a new file name, location, or a different file format. Depending on what type of document is open, the options shown under the Files of type: pull-down menu will be different. Only appropriate values are shown.

Determining the appropriate file type is typically based on a number of factors - the needs of the file recipient, as well as consideration of the systems used on both ends. While a neutral format seems to be an easy solution, better results are usually obtained by the use of native formats. Additionally, if both systems are Parasolid based, this may be a good choice for the format type. Always learn why the information is needed, and determine what type of system is creating or receiving the information.

Direct translators can be used to read the native file format from another system into SolidWorks. SolidWorks offers some of these direct translators and there are also a number of excellent direct translators available from SolidWorks Solution Partners. If you deal with one specific system often and have problems or need to clean data from that system, a direct translator may be a good investment.

Fixing Import Errors

If there are problems with the imported data, you need a way to identify and fix the issues. There are a couple of different ways to determine whether the imported data has errors:

• A solid part does not sew into a solid (see Figure 1).
• Run Check from the Tools menu to check for invalid faces, edges, and short edges.
• If you have SolidWorks Utilities (part of SolidWorks Office and Office Professional), you can run Geometry Analysis. This function will check a part focusing on downstream use. This analysis checks for short edges, small faces, sliver faces, knife edges, discontinuous faces and edges. All these types of topology can slow the design process. This analysis can also be exported into a report.
• Run Diagnostics on the imported feature by selecting the imported feature within the FeatureManager® design tree, press the right mouse button, and select Diagnosis. Note that once other features are added to the model, the Diagnosis function is no longer accessible. This is due to the fact that there are now dependencies on the original imported feature.

The difference with the Diagnostics feature is the ability to fix gaps and faces if problems are identified. The Diagnostics command is broken into two main areas - gaps and faces. Run a diagnostic on both items and close any gaps if possible, and fix or remove any bad faces if possible.

So if that does not fix your problem, what are the alternatives?

• Try to get another file format
• Manually identify and clean up the problem areas. This can be done by identifying the problem areas as described above and then removing and re-creating the faces in question.
• Use a direct translator
• Use a data healing tool or translation service

Another way to reload the original or modified data set is to select the imported feature, press the right mouse button, and select Edit Feature. This will allow for the selection of the data file to import. The system will warn that there may be broken references to the imported file as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 - Edit Feature warning on an imported feature

Conclusion

Bad imported data can be costly downstream. SolidWorks software allows you to be proactive and head off problems before they occur by selecting an appropriate translation format, native if possible, and be able to quickly identify and correct problems when they occur.