Solidworks 2017 working with an stl file

#SOLIDWORKS 2017 WORKING WITH AN STL FILE MANUAL#
#SOLIDWORKS 2017 WORKING WITH AN STL FILE PROFESSIONAL#

The Surface From Mesh tool works best on mesh files with regular prismatic geometryВ such as planes, cylinders, cones, and spheres. In SOLIDWORKS 2017 a *.stl file could be converted into solid body, however, it will still be tessellated.В New in SOLIDWORKS 2018В is the Surface From MeshВ tool, it lets you manipulate a mesh object that you imported from an *.stl, *.obj, *.off, *.ply, *.ply2 or *.3MF file to create surfaces and solids. Round faces will have more segments than flat faces.

All faces are broken into some triangular faces. ItвЂ™s also worth noting that if itвЂ™s desired to modify or otherwise work with a mesh file in its native mesh format (perhaps for preparation for 3D printing) SOLIDWORKS 2018 enables a new вЂњMesh modelingвЂќ workflow, detailed in a separate blog and video, that can be very useful.ДЇor more information, check out our YouTube channel, get a SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD quote or contact us at Hawk Ridge SystemsВ today.When a *.stl or *.obj file is imported into SOLIDWORKS, the 3D model opens in a tessellated or meshed form. The enhancements to graphics bodies in 2018 allow for basic reverse engineering and many other usability improvements. Note that the вЂњGraphics only sectionвЂќ option is required when sectioning a graphics body.ДЄs 3D printing and 3D scanning continue to increase in popularity, it becomes increasingly likely that the average SOLIDWORKS user will need to interact with these mesh file types. The Section View tool has been enhanced such that sectioning closed graphics bodies behaves similarly to a section view of a solid body. ItвЂ™s worth noting that the SOLIDWORKS Visualize renderer also natively supports mesh file types such as. Other enhancements to graphics bodies are more usability related, such as the ability to reorient the graphics body using the Move/Copy Body feature (available under Insert -> Features -> Move/Copy).ДЄppearances can now be applied to graphics bodies, and PhotoView 360 now supports them for rendering purposes. For even more power, the Geomagic for SOLIDWORKS add-in (available as a separate purchase) is capable of automatically extracting a solid body from most geometry.

#SOLIDWORKS 2017 WORKING WITH AN STL FILE PROFESSIONAL#

If youвЂ™re intent on extracting surfaces from organic shapes or more complex geometry, itвЂ™s still worth considering the ScanTo3D add-in available in SOLIDWORKS Professional which allows automatic or guided surface creation. This is a great feature for extracting surfaces directly from prismatic parts.

#SOLIDWORKS 2017 WORKING WITH AN STL FILE MANUAL#

Now in SOLIDWORKS 2018 sketch entities can reference the mesh directly, allowing the ability to вЂњsketch overвЂќ the mesh for manual remodeling or taking key measurements.ДЄdditionally, the all-new Surface from Mesh feature (available under Insert -> Surface -> Surface from Mesh) allows extracting planar, cylindrical, spherical, or conical surfaces from the graphics body. If even basic reverse engineering from the graphics body was desired, it typically required the use of an add-in such as ScanTo3D. STL are most commonly associated with 3D printing and 3D scanning, but may also come from other modelling software.ДЄs graphics bodies represent tessellated geometry (a simplified representation made up of a mesh of triangles), historically they could only be used for limited visual reference. Graphics bodies result from importing a mesh file type into SOLIDWORKS. SOLIDWORKS 2018 brings a number of enhancements to working with graphics bodies in SOLIDWORKS, which are documented in this blog and companion video.

Solidworks 2017 working with an stl file