What's Worse 2

[SBaugh]

What's Worse, a 16,500 parts in a single assembly and all the parts are a single surface body, or a part with 16,500 surfaces?

IMO, they both are.

I have an engine STEP file that I can import either way, but no matter what its a nasty file.




Scott Baugh, CSWP
CAD Systems Manager
Evapar

http://www.evapar.com

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"

faq731-376

 

[ctopher]

I think the part with 16,500 surfaces would take up more resources and be slower.

Chris, CSWP
SolidWorks '17
ctophers home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[swertel]

I'd go with the part with 16,500 surfaces.

At least in the part environment, you can manipulate those surfaces, stitch edges, and create water tight solids. Besides, if it is a purchased part, you may only want the interfaces and only show a single line on a BOM.

--Scott
www.aerornd.com

 

[Jboggs]

If those are my choices, I would add one: Tie me to a tree and shoot me! A good experience importing STEP file surface objects is so rare I can't even remember one.

 

[hendersdc]

I would put it all in a part file instead of an assembly. Having them in a part file there is only one file to manage. If you make an assembly you will have all 16501 files in your directory.

I deal with this when I get exports of a PCB from Altium to put in the assembly model. It can take a while to save the imported assembly as a part but after that initial pain it makes management of the design and files much easier.

 

[SBaugh]

I have to agree with Jboggs... Great reply by the way !! Since that is really not an option for me, I am going to have to go with the part, simply because of file management. However a 150MB part file is not easy to work with either.

Scott Baugh, CSWP
CAD Systems Manager
Evapar

http://www.evapar.com

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"

faq731-376

 

[MikeHalloran]

I used to pray that someday, SW would be able to import a STEP file of a helical split lockwasher without issue.
... or that my engine mfgr. would stop using them.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[drawoh]

SBaugh,

Try loading a 5000 part file in Canada and finding out you have stuff linked to a file server in Mississippi.

--
JHG

 

[hendersdc]

drawoh,

At least it wasn't on someone's C drive!

 

[Theophilus]

Well, if the bosses insist it get done, then quit. Rehire as an independent contractor paid a decent hourly rate. Otherwise, that sounds like a new level of Dante's Inferno.



Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

A people governed by fear cannot value freedom.

 

[drawoh]

drawoh,

At least it wasn't on someone's C drive!

Oh, parts of it were...

--
JHG

 

[hendersdc]

of course they were...

 

[TheTick]

I assume Import Diagnosis was unable to piece this together.

Might be worth the time to stitch together the most important bits and cull the rest.

One place I worked used a service to fix difficult imports (usually CATIA!). Well worth the time. Wasn't hard to do the match to see it was worth it in terms of man-hours saves.

 

[SBaugh]

I have a friend that occasionally uses Spaceclaim to repair their imported files. He said its does a great job. I have not sent him a file yet.

However to answer your question Tick, at 16,500+ surfaces I don't have the time to sit down with it and try to figure it all out. If that was all I did all day, I think I would have a job for the next 6 months trying to figure that one engine out. I have like 6 of these different types of engines to deal with.

Scott Baugh, CSWP
CAD Systems Manager
Evapar

http://www.evapar.com

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"

faq731-376