SolidWorks & Ideas communication?

[whippet]

Has any one had experience with file exchanges between SolidWorks and Ideas? I’m about to enter a contract with a new company that uses Ideas and may need to export/import models and drawings?

have fun make money
Paul

 

[Rocko]

The good news you can export Parasolid models and since EDS the developer of the parasolid kernal owns Ideas this is probably going to be your best choice. Last i heard they were or had added parasolid capability.

 

[TheTick]

IDEAS is worse than CATIA when it comes to finding 3rd party translators. PS-Exchange from Delcam reads some IDEAS formats.

http://www.delcam.com

For translation service, it's tough to beat mathdata.com. Good prices, speedy service, accurate and clean translation.

Most of our automotive customers do not allow neutral files and insist on native file deliverables.

Good and evil: wrap them up and disguise it as people.

 

[whippet]

Thanks I'll give them a shot.

have fun make money
Paul

 

[jdsmi]

We have a couple customers using IDEAS that export IGES files to us. I've tried to keep an open mind considering that the integrity of the native model plays a major role in export quality. With that said, I have to say that these files are some of the worst that I have ever dealt with. Hopefully the new UG/IDEAS release will correct some of this.
To be safe, before entering an agreement, I would request a trial transfer of data just to see what I would be dealing with. Third party services are an option but the cost could be major factor if you will be dealing with many files (and don't forget design changes & revisions).

 

[TSTUEBER]

I DID SOME WORK WITH A SHOP THAT CUT SOME COMPLICATED PERM-MOLDS FOR US AND I DID MOST OF THE MODELING (DRAFT, ROUNDS,FINISHSTOCK) OF THE PART WHICH ORIGINALLY WAS UG AND THEN EXPORTED A STEP TO IDEAS AND GOT A STEP BACK OF THE
MOLD AND EVERYTHING WORKED OUT WELL.

 

[rocheey]

>>I've tried to keep an open mind considering that the integrity of the native model plays a major role in export quality.

Haa haa, I still have a copy of an older proE iges export from a few years back, and I still occasionally try the newest 'model healer' software on it, just to see if it would work. Still a no go. :/

 

[Cheeseburger]

Whippet ...

I just read about this very similar problem (in the latest issue of a trade magazine) that a company wanted to solve. There's a software out there called "The Collaboration Gateway" (from a company called Proficiency Inc. - Malborough, MA).

This system uses various CAD program application provider interfaces (API) to extract intelligence from the source model and maintains the data in an independent format called a universal product representation (UPR).

The company that had sucess with it was based in Switzerland (using I-deas) and their collaborating project partner was based in Japan (using Pro/E).

Let me know if this helps.

Brian Mazejka
Project Engineer
L-com, Inc.

 

[APPENG]

If you want to get some nice translations between Solidworks and Ideas, or catia for that matter.. try checking into getting Elysium.. they have bi-directional translators for lots of things that works well with SOlidworks..

http://www.elysiuminc.com

Regards,
Jon
jgbena@yahoo.com

 

[brenwaterys]

Another option is Acc-u-Trans developed by Translation Technologies,

http://www.translationtech.com

Benjamin