Importing Geometry

The standard CAD translators interface in the Import tab. This is where advanced CAD translator import options can be set.

1.	From the File menu, click Import> Geometry or click on the Import Geometry icon on the Standard toolbar.

This will open up the Import tab.

2.	In the Import Type drop down list, select Geometry.

3.	In the File type drop down list, select the file type you wish to import. You can choose the Auto Detect option to select an input translator automatically.

4.	Click the Select File icon to choose the file to import. Selected files are displayed in the File Selection window. You can use the Remove Selection and Remove All icons to quickly remove files from the window.

5.	To set advanced import options, click Import Options to expand the panel. If accepting the default import settings, click Import to import your file.

Advanced Import Options

1.	Set the scale factor in the field. This is useful when converting a model created in English units to Metric, for example.

2.	Make a selection in the Cleanup tol field.

The cleanup tolerance is used to determine if two surface edges are the same and if two surface vertices are the same. The cleanup tol toggle controls the following items:

•	if two surface edges are close enough to be automatically combined to shared edges (green edges).

•	if a surface is degenerate and should be removed.

If you use the automatic cleanup tool option, the complexity of the surface and edge geometries are taken into account and a tolerance to maximize shared edges (green edges) is selected. The automatic cleanup tolerance value defaults to 100 times what is used internally by the translator.

If you want to specify a different value, use the manual cleanup tool option, which must be greater than the default value. The translator modifies data only if the data stays within the original data tolerance. Increasing the tolerance can cause serious problems. When this value is set, any features equal to or less than the tolerance are eliminated. The translator does not include any edge less than tolerance long; if there are edges present that are important to the surface, that surface will be distorted, or will fail to trim properly. Surfaces smaller than the tolerance may not be imported. If the file you have read has many very short edges, it may be worthwhile to reread the file using a larger tolerance. The same holds true if surfaces appear to be "inside out" when surface lines are displayed. The tolerance value should not be set to a value greater than the node tolerance set in the options panel to be used for your element mesh.

If you are reading a Catia file, you may need to override the tolerance in the file; in our experience, the tolerance in the file is almost always too small (by at least an order of magnitude).

•	The Automatic option takes the complexity of the surfaces and edge geometries into account and a tolerance to maximize shared edges (green edges) is selected.

•	The Manual option allows you to set a specific tolerance in the field.

3.	The Import blanked (no show) components checkbox allows you to control if blanked components in the IGES translator will be imported, as well as components containing “NO SHOW” entities from the Catia translator.

4.	Place a check in the Name components by layer option to activate this option. This option is valid for Catia V4 and Catia V5.

•	For Catia V4, the option is enabled by default, and can’t be disabled.

•	For Catia V5, the option is disabled by default and can be enabled. If this option is enabled, Catia objects from the same layer are grouped into the same component.

5.	Click Apply to import the geometry.