importing IGS files

[goldhntr]

I just started having a problem importing IGS files. I import trimmed surfaces and edges from PRO-e 2001. It has always worked just fine until today. I am now getting some of the surfaces or none of the surfaces. the untrimmed surfaces are in the unblank buffer yet the trimmed surfaces are not on the screen. I get a partial retrieval of surfaces when I first launch X2 and then no surfaces after the first try. This was working just fine until today. I tried resaving the IGS from pro-e with no change. I am also getting an error claiming that there are entities being imported that are the same color as the backround. this is also new. Help!

[Lee.]

What changed since yeaterday?

 

There must be something new!

 

Lee.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Goldhntr,

 

We have also experienced lots of problems with the IGES Translator in X2. After speaking with Pete Rimkus at CNC, we were able to get a new Import/Export dll for the Iges translator. This fixed all our IGES problems. I can't put the new DLL file on the FTP site because of our network restrictions. Email me and I'll send you the new .dll file.

 

[email protected]

 

HTH,

[goldhntr]

I imported a solid from solidworks earlier today. I don't do this very often and this was the first time since I installed X2. That is the only thing that I can think of.

[Mcam Nut]

I do not import iges files anymore, They seemed to work ok in v9, but since x they have not worked well, there is always some little problem with them. see if you can get your drawings in stp format, they work much better

[Colin Gilchrist]

Goldhntr,

 

Did the new dll have any effect?

[Mcam Nut]

Colin, could you send me that .dll, every once and a while we still do get a iges file, I usually use inventor to convert it to a stp, but that would be alot easier

[Colin Gilchrist]

you've got mail Shawn.

[Cuda84]

Colin, dose this DLL help when exporting also. Ever since X2, inspection has been haveing a hard time reading my files. If you don't mind could you send me the file also?

[mrmead]

could someone send me the dll ,we use iges alot,i think this may be the same problem i had earlier it was discussed with pete x2 iges rotate

[dale@raptormfg]

I would also like to try it for Exporting. We use .igs files in our verification software. It's a pain to convert every job to mc9 just to create a good .igs file. (Running X2 here)

 

Thanks

 

Dale

[Colin Gilchrist]

Uh oh. Looks like I've opened a can of worms here. I can't keep emailing this to everybody here. This file is only for X2.

 

Shawn,

 

Could you put that .dll file on the FTP for me? I can't upload files to the FTP here at work, I can only download them.

 

Remember guys, when you are having a problem like this, you need to contact [email protected]. That is how I got this modified file in the first place. If enough requests are made then hopefully CNC Software would make this file available for download from www.mastercam.com.

 

Thanks,

[Pete Rimkus from CNC Software Inc.]

mrmead,

 

The problem you reported is actually an XForm of trimmed surfaces problem (limited to curve-generated surfaces like Revolved, Ruled, etc). It has been corrected for the first MR of X2 (February???). In the meanwhile, you should be OK with converting trimmed revolved surfaces --> NURBS and then Xform should work fine.

 

The .DLL I sent to Colin is a fix to some new issues that popped up in X2 when exporting to IGES from Mastercam. There will be a slightly better version of it available soon to the X2 user base as part of an upcoming 'service pack' (sometime in the next few weeks)

[P_Scott]

goldhntr,

 

I agree with McamNut and this statement:

quote:

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I do not import iges files anymore

---

. IGES has been around too long. There are much better file formats to import. STEP files can be exported from Pro-E and come in much cleaner than IGES. An alternative would be to invest in the Pro-E converter to bring in the .PRT files directly into Mastercam. That would be your best solution if you regularly design with Pro-E but machine with Mcam. It's worth the investment. Then you won't have to concern yourself with sub-standard data like "I-GuESs" files. HTH

[Mcam Nut]

quote:

---

Shawn,

 

Could you put that .dll file on the FTP for me?

---

I put it in the x2 addon folder. Its called mciges.dll

[Colin Gilchrist]

Thanks Shawn!

[Jim at Gentex]

Colin or Pete,

 

I downloaded the dll too because I am expecting a few IGS files shortly.

 

Do I need to put it in the X2 main directory or in the chooks folder and call it from there?

 

Thanks.

[Pete Rimkus from CNC Software Inc.]

It's not a C-Hook - it goes in the ImportExport subfolder.

 

AND - it only fixes IGES Export!

[Josh T™]

Gold,

 

Invest in the ProE converter! Trust me it's worth it. 2nd option... Parasolid is not bad but it still changes formats. Do you import datum curves with your iges files? Also check the accuracy of the .prt file under file-setup-accuracy and set to minimal tolerance.

Good Luck.

[mandolinkgn]

We are having problems with iges importing also. We just got some files that when opening with X2 we only get some of the surfaces and some of the wireframe. When we open with MC9 it comes in fine. It's a shame that we depend on MC9 to do something we pay good money on maintenance agreements to take care of. Iges has been around a long time and a lot of people depend on it, it seems fixing this work slowdown issue should be on top of the fix list.

Keith N.

[Jim at Gentex]

quote:

---

it only fixes IGES Export

---

OK Pete,

Thanks.

 

The files I was expecting to be IGS came in as parasolids so it's all good.

 

Thanks for your help.

[Pete Rimkus from CNC Software Inc.]

-----

"....with X2 we only get some of the surfaces..."

-----

 

mandolinkgn,

I'd like to hear more about this. One reason might be that the surfaces are part of IGES "B-Rep" solids, which we're doing our best to read in but which are not really full-fledged approved IGES entities anyway.

Regarding wireframe on surface edges, we've had several reports (and I believe its been covered up here on the forum somewhere) of parts where trimmed surfaces which are either part of subfigures or which have transformation matrices tied to them (leading them to get placed elsewhere during the IGES import) were leaving their trimming wireframe behind in the old location.

Combine this with the varying number of ways CAD packages define that trimming data and it was causing enough concern that we decided to not create the geometry used to trim surfaces. Often it was incomplete, inaccurate, or placed off in space.

Since it's easy to create surface edge wireframe when you need it, I think you're better off.

(One of these days, our 20 year old IGES processing code will get an upgrade, but meanwhile I'm hoping IGES will die first)

[goldhntr]

the problem seem resolved. I did download the dll file, but it did not solve the issue. It appears to only be associated with one model. All subsequent imports have come in fine. this was an interesting thead.