Step files

[ChrisD]

First of all please excuse my ignorance.

 

I have been receiving questions from our customers to whether we can start using STEP files. A few of these customers use Pro/e and I guess that if they convert their files in to STEP

we will end up with their solid? I've never converted a STEP file in MC before.

 

I would like that very much!!! Every time I try to use it, it asks me for a password. I guess I have to talk to my Dealer?

 

PS. using 8.1.1 level 3 Solids

 

Thanks,

Chris

[ProductDevelopmentGuy]

Yes, the STEP reader is an add-on price item. Your dealer should be able to give you all the information you need about it. Note also that Version 9 has a add-on reader for Pro/E Parts and Assemblies. This has been written using software provided to us directly from PTC (the developers of Pro/E) so it is very reliable. You may want to look at the possibility of using that instead.

PDG

[P_Scott]

Chris,

 

Why use STEP when you can translate the Pro-E data directly using an add-on converter? There is a currently available Pro-E translator for Mcam as a C-hook. The translator for Pro-E to Mcam V8 is an add-on from a third party. The add-on Pro-E converter in Mcam V9 will be directly available from Mcam, through your dealer. Maybe your dealer can translate it for you as a one-time demo of what the converter can do. If you post the part file on the FTP site, whether STEP or Pro-E, and inform me of where it is, I would be happy to translate it for you as a one-time demo of what the converter can do. Granted, you should purchase the converter from your dealer if you receive these files frequently.

[mark l]

Hello everybody

This is my first time to this site. It looks like it will be a lot of help, anyways to the question about the step translator- Our company uses UG to design and I use M.C. to program, I am having a lot of problems with translation, we started out using the iges but there were always a lot of missing surfaces and a lot of untrimed surfaces, so I don't know about Pro E but UG can translate to a Parasolide, and that worked a little better but when I would extract the surfaces from the solid in M.C. there would still be some missing surfaces.

 

To make a long story short, I had my dealer come demo the STEP and the third party add-on UG to M.C. trans. and both of them basicly had the same problem as Parasolide (missing surfaces) so I figure why spend all the money on translators, when Parasolide does the same thing,

 

If anyone could tell me what the problem is (with the missing surfaces) I would greatly appreciate it

 

thanks

[cadcam]

Hi MarkI ,I find this to be strang.

I have many of files from UG and not had missing surfaces.

I have been given UG files direct and *.X_T files along with iges and have not had surfaces missing.

 

Along with this i have converted native files for people on this forum with no trouble,these files were asembly(sp?) files that contain more then one solid in them.

 

So I guess I am saying I want a to see two files from you if possable on the FTP one native and the other *.X_T.

 

thank you J

[mark l]

Mr Cadcam

I'm sorry to say I can not post any thing to the FTP site (proprietary reasons, I would not have a job if I did) I wonder if there are some kind of settings that I need to change? The designeers say the same thing as you, they send things to outside venders all the time and never here about any problems. We have just started doing mold mods. and repairs in house and I am new at all of this, so any ideas?

Thanks again

[cadcam]

Mark, why don’t you see if the company will let you send me the files to test?

I am a mastercam reseller so this is just a dealer to customer relationship.

Trying to see, if the same thing happens here.

There has to be a reason.

[mark l]

Mr. Cadcam

I could possibly E-mail you the .prt and .step file, my dealer took them and said he was going to try to bring them in on his system, but I have not heard anything and this job has gotten pretty hot. Do I Email them to the address on your user profile page?

[cadcam]

That will work sir.

[cadcam]

Hi mark I have sent you back the surface file of your part that i brought in as surfaces and they all apper to be there.

 

Please look at your email sir.

[mark l]

Still haven't got that E-mail, it may take a while, we have a slow server. But you opened it up in Mastercam and it looked good? I guess maybe it could be my system, I will have to get my dealer and M.I.S. guy involved. Anyway thanks a lot.

[cadcam]

Hi mark, your company sent back this mail:

Subject of undelivered mail: Here is a surface file no surfaces missing sir.

 

Size limit exceeded ---->

 

The maximum size allowed is 2048 K

 

Your mail item has been deleted.

 

So you neeed to ask were i can send this or tell me and i will make you a down load link and email that to you, so you can get this file and get some work done.

[mark l]

Mr. Cadcam

Did you try zipping the file? if you did I'll have to figure out a diffrent way. I hate to be so much trouble, I really do appreciate it.

[johns]

Mark: I have used the MC parasolid with no problems from our UG parasolid models provided.

I actually prefer it to iges. It would be wise to check the output tolerances of the UG system,

the only time I had problems was with the UG output. Once that was resolved, MC has always

done an exellent job of importing/converting. You may also want to check your own system

tolerances in the Screen, Config.

As I said, in 12 years with MC, if there is a problem translating, I have always ended up proving

it was the source, not MC.

[mold100]

I dont like to really get off the topic but the pro-e translator for V9 is included,not an add on

I just recieved my written quote in the mail,(for a personal seat)with solids and Moldplus electrode maker.I called my dealer back to verify,the pro-e translator isnt an add on.

Does this sound correct,I know some you are dealers and re-sellers.Thanks for all the help from this site.

[Allan Brown]

The V9 Pro/E translator is for sure an add-on.

[mark l]

Mr. Johns excuse my stupidity but could you tell me is it better to have a big tolorance or tight tolorance on either the U.G. or M.C. I have played with that some today and a really tight tolerance on M.C. has done a little better but still no good.

 

thanks

[johns]

Check the tolerance settings on the UG seat. Both iges and parasolid settings should be checked. I once ran into a conflict when the designer was creating the data in inches, in a metric environment. The default tolerances for file conversion were .02 which is huge in inch, but the default for metric. As I said before, the only times I've had problems with MC converting a file, it was the source, not MC.

[Mick]

I've used UG and Mastercam quite a bit. I can safely say the translation problems are always with UG. The default modelling tolerance and output tolerances for UG are usually .0254. After tightening those tolerances up (I normally go to .01 or .005) the problems are generally gone.

 

However, whenever I ever need to do a UG to Mastercam conversion, I use Parasolid, because even if you dont have the Solids option, the surfaces normally come through perfectly.

 

Mastercam has some very good translators built in.

[P_Scott]

mold100,

 

Your dealer may be saying it will be available directly from Mastercam rather than only as a third party product. Dave is correct, it certainly is an "add-on" because not every user of Mastercam needs to translate Pro-E part files. The Pro-E file converter is included in the menu selections, but can only be used if the licensing has been paid for. HTH. If there is another dealer in your area, I would speak with them just to help in the clarification. Kind of like getting a second opinion when seeing a doctor.