SolidWorks Premium 2015 Portable X64
Laquanda Gede
We are searching for a solution on the following question: how can we go from inventor to solidworks and the otherway around, with our models? We know that we can use STEP. or other file types, but with all these file types you will get a solid body, without the features. Is it possible to convert the features as well??
I'am going to look further into the software that u mentioned. I think that best solution is to say solidworks or inventor for the company, but because of financial reasons, we first want to look into other options.
I also deal with this situation of having both Inventor and Solidworks in use within our company. What we have adopted is opening the native Solidworks file in Inventor so it uses the anycad functionality to keep it linked to the original file. That way it can still be edited in Solidworks and the changes will show up in Inventor. If a change needs to happen that you only want to show in Inventor then the direct edit tools can be used, or adding additional features. This isn't exactly what you're looking for, but this is what we do in my company.
It works fine once you get used to it, just like any other feature it can be tricky until you figure it out. We don't need to use it too often. Usually if we need something changed on a solidworks file the change happens in solidworks.
As stated there isn't the ability to just take a solidworks file and have its native "feature tree" and be able to modify it easily in Inventor using that native feature tree then be able to send that file right back to a solidworks user who can see the modified/new file tree and continue working without issue.
If departments just need to use models from one department and not modify them then its not a big deal (just use step files or whatever).. But if you require back and forth and each department will change the files then just give up now and consolidate on one program. You will just be transferring cost from one to another.. (Stopping one subscription and starting up another). There is some cost differences I'm sure but you will spend FAR more time/money trying to work together (if each department needs to modify the files back and forth)
I would think that your parts should still be "owned" by each department and the others can "suggest markups/modifications" but those modifications should still be performed by the "owning" department and then just a step file pushed back and forth..
When I try to export a PCB from PCBnew into a STEP file and then subsequently import it into Solidworks I get all kinds of funky stuff. Sometimes majority of components show up with errors in the tree and are not showing up in the model itself. Sometimes all the the parts get replaced with a single random model (like resistors get replaced with a chip model or something to that effect). In short - it is messed up. I do have all the models for the components in step format.
I downloaded the file and opened in SW2017. The only error was in the transformer model. Something in the geometry shown below that caused floating bodies.
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I was able to heal with the import diagnostics and no longer have any errors in the file.
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I too have seen random parts being replaced to the wrong ones in Solidworks. In my case it was actually solidworks not handling the files properly. The first time i opened an exported design solidworks would save the parts as templates, if i then updated the design in kicad and did a new export solidworks would load the previously saved templates instead of the new components. This made some parts show completely different models than what they should. Clearing the solidworks template folder inbetween exports would fix this issue.
Solidworks also seems a lot more picky when it comes to STEP files than for example freecad, some of my models would consistently load with errors in solidworks, but not in freecad. Even when the STEP model exported by kicad was made by solidworks it would throw errors.
Can you share your USD file? Materials are unlikely to look exactly the same in a CAD system and in Omniverse. The materials in CAD systems is usually much simpler than the material system in Omniverse. That said, depending on the structure you get when you import your CAD, we should be able to come up with a pipeline that makes the materials look really good with little effort from your students.
Solidworks colors dont come in as complex shaders in OV, sometimes its labled none if its a default color sometimes is a simple color shader. In either case, the colors from solidworks are simply that, just colors. They lack reflectivity, roughness, top coat, refraction etc. We need the shaders to look great in OV so that when we render with path tracing the product/render/scene look ultra realistic. Unfortunately, even solidworks integrated rendering tool, visualize and photoview, even require repainting with better shader to make the model look better/realistic. What i propose is to limit the amount of painting in solidworks, and instead use that time in Omniverse Composer. I have two videos i would like to share with you to help the way you paint/group etc. This will change the way you use composer 100% you have my email from our meeting today, please reach and I will send you a few links. -adamh
Hi @dqdesign
I can help you more with your inquiry. We do not currently have an OV connector for Solidworks, but not to worry. We have a very solid pipleine already. Just save your SW model as a STEP / STP file and bring it into USD Composer. It will use our CAD Converter and you should get amazing results. For materials I would not try to bring them in directly, but apply far more realistic rtx render materials in USD Composer. Same for lighting, cameras etc.
thanks @Richard3D for the suggestion! One recurring issue I get with CAD exchanges is losing references when reloading the model after SW modifications. In most cases, the changes applied in the new CAD/rendering tool lose their reference, necessitating a manual reapplication. Does OV Composer offer any tools to address this issue?
Is anyone doing exports to Solidworks? Our engineer would like to export all the layers from Allegro to solidworks. The simple export seems to work, but it doesn't capture everything he wants. Is anyone doing anything like this?
Help.
We only export STEP for Solidworks which happens to be what we do mechanical and thermal CAD work on. The older exports did not include internal copper but everything else was OK. The latest version of Allegro exports internal copper as well. And as stated, you can do DXF import if needed on layers.
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