change file format- reduce small surfaces

[Idakh]

Hi everyone! I have a question about importing a solid model into ansys.
I have a complex model in solidwork and I tried almost all the file formats to save the file but all these formats consist of so many small surfaces all over the model! It's really hard to work with this model in ansys and mesh it! Do you have any suggestions? Is there any way to convert these file formats (part,Igs,x_t,dxf...) to a better format with more simple surfaces?
I have a picture of the model here:

free picture upload

 

[rstupplebeen]

It looks like the model is from scan data and was brought into SolidWorks through STL which is basically a triangular surface mesh. Scan 2 3D is an option to clean up the file before export.

http://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/3d-cad/scanto3d.htm.

Depending on the complexity and the required accuracy the STL could be used as reference to create NURBS geometry.

Over on the FEA side there are probably tools to combine faces together. I'm not sure where Ansys has these tools but they are usually considered to be healing or simplification tools.

I hope this helps.



Rob Stupplebeen

http://www.optimaldevice.com