What is the easiest/best way to create a "dumb" solid???

[bracin]

Hi everyone,
I have a product that I designed and am now manufacturing. I have a potential customer that wants to use my product on his product, but the first step is to supply him with solid data. My design is proprietary and patent pending. Basically I want to give him 3d model that in no way can be analysed or "figured out." It is a fairly large assembly. I was just going to save a simplified version as an iges file, but then tried saving the assembly as a part and it seems like it will just be a bunch of surfaces. I think would be good. What do you think would be the best way to do this???
Thank You

 

[ctopher]

Save the part as a parasolid. If it is an assy, save as a part first, then a parasolid.

Chris
Systems Analyst
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 05
AutoCAD 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

 

[TheTick]

Download PS-Exchange from Delcam.com. PS-Exchange is a pay-per-use translator that also works as a free viewer. It's a good way to double-check neutral files IGES, STEP, Parasolid).

Parasolid is the best way to transmit SW data, as it is the kernel that SW uses to create geometry.

You can create parasolid straight from assembly. All feature info will be wiped out.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

If your potential customer only needs a model to check the physical fit into his product, then the Exterior surfaces option of the assy-saved-as-part model would be good because no internal parts would be saved.

If he/she has SolidWorks, then the *.sldprt file is fine. If not then a parasolid of the exterior surfaces file would be best.


Helpful SW websites faq559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions faq559-1091

 

[bracin]

Awesome, this will be perfect.
Thank you all for your help
Brandon

 

[MikeInSoCalif]

Why not use eDrawings???

Mike Puckett
Los Angeles/Orange County
Solidworks User Group

 

[neilc78]

edrawings is best in my opinion. All the other formats listed above can be imported into other CAD programs and then a feature recogniser used to bring intelligence back into the part. Edrawing allows the user to rotate, browse and measure but it can not be physically manipulated. Even better save the file as an iges, reopen in sw, then save as an edrawing. Your customer then won't even be able to see the features you used to create it.

 

[Mandrake22]

Er, with Edrawings, how can the potential customer integrate bracin's model into his?

 

[bracin]

The customer needs to incorporate my model into his. I ended up making a copy of the entire assembly. I deleted as many features as possible from each part and deleted all internal parts from the assembly. I then exported each subassembly as a part, opened it back up, then saved as a parasolid. I then put them back together in an assembly and sent him the information. Each part was greatly simplified by deleting features. All he got were surface parts and an assembly that is basically all anyone can see from a picture. I was trying to be as anal as possible about this whole thing. Do you think I should have anything to worry about? Thank you for all of your help.
Brandon

 

[J-C]

Did the "save as" part option not work? There is an option there to not show internal details.

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2005 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2006 SP1.0 on WinXP SP2

 

[bracin]

Saving as part worked just fine. I wasn't aware of the option, I will have to try that next time. The only reason I went to the extra step was I noticed that saving it as a part still named the surfaces. When I saved as a parasolid, It names the features "surface 1, 2, etc."

 

[cmclaugh]

I would like to save an assembly as a solid part that I could then use cut extrudes on. Is this possible?

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Yes ... but don't take my word for it ... try it yourself!


Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091

 

[innov]

use the join feature

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

cmclaugh ... This should really be a separate thread but you can do a Cut Extrude on an assy too.
Insert > Assembly Feature > Cut > Extrude

You can also supress/unsupress that cut extrude in a config.


Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091