IGES or DXF?

[ReDEyZZ]

A new customer can supply us with either iges or dxf files. Our customers never give us any files, I always draw parts from scratch, so this is a bit new to me.

 

Which is easier to work with, pros or cons??

The parts are quite complicated if that matters.

 

any info appreciated

[Darren Long SPE]

Probably DXF for standard 2D work, Development of IGES has stalled since the introduction of the STEP file.

But everyone has theor favourite.

Mine is the STEP file!

 

IF it is a 3D File then you should try and ask for STEP (xxxx.stp)or Parasolid (xxxxx.x_T)

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

IGES if it more than a flat part would be my preference.

 

quote:

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...Our customers never give us any files, I always draw parts from scratch, so this is a bit new to me...

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Welcome to the 21st Century!

 

I RARELY draw anymore. I try to avoid it at all cost. Costs too much time.

[Mcam Nut]

They both aren't great, go with dxf I guess, anything is better then iges

[Surface]

For surface/solid file formats, I've had the greatest success with STEP, for 2D, DXF has worked great.

[Mcam Nut]

I havent had good luck with iges at all, I dont know if it is the iges files I get or not, but they have been a real nightmare for me.

[iowajim62]

Iges for 3-d and then use Solids from Surfaces. After that use the Solid find features and let it put points and arcs on all the holes. Usually when they say DXF that means they just converted whatever model they have finished drawing. If you can't get Step or Parasolids from them go with Iguess as you can get cutting pretty quick.

Anything is better than drawing it all up.

jm2c

[Steve Biehl - Cimquest Inc]

what CAD system? You can read both file types in a text editor. In the header there should be some info on the originating cad system. If it's Solidworks, SolidEdge or Autocad or Inventor, get the native cad file. MC can read those 4 plus more directly.

[Mcam Nut]

What I used to do with my iges files was open them in inventor or solidworks, then save them as step files, I found the surface to solids didnt work good for me.

[Programinator]

quote:

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I RARELY draw anymore. I try to avoid it at all cost. Costs too much time.

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Right on. Just drew a file today ran the job and they are all scrap because i drew it wrong. All you have to do is punch in a bad number and your done.

 

3d files are the way to go. That way you can select your depths of cut and not have to be searching all over the print. better for wcs too.

 

I try to stay with stp files.

 

imo you should never have to draw something from scratch. well it should be very rare anyway.

[MLS]

IGES if it is a 3d model

DXF if it is 2d

 

Depending on what system IGES is exported from and the settings used, they are not always so difficult. The likliehood is it will be pretty junky, but still better than building it yourself...and maybe...just maybe...you can build a solid from the surfaces without having to re-trim any of them.

[ReDEyZZ]

quote:

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imo you should never have to draw something from scratch. well it should be very rare anyway.

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our main customers will not give us files, only drawings. (we do alot of R&D , mabey they can't risk it?)

 

They are using inventor if that helps, we don't have inventor or solidworks at our shop.(only autocad light)

[Thee Dragracer1951]

My fav would be an .X_T file but any Acis or parasolid file would be fine. I've just started receiving Step and sat files and they also work just fine.

I HATE IGES files.

And I have to agree on not drawing anything...

[sharles]

At least in my case, iges works great IF the one supplying the file uses the correct settings. Our guys who use powershape have to reset their iges export function for us mastercam users, and then the files normally come in almost perfect. But if they don't change their settings (from default?), I end up missing a lot of surfaces. I'm not sure what those settings need to be, but mastercam definitely has a preference.

 

Our guys who use ug give us parasolids and those are normally fine.

[Thee Rickster ™]

Ironically I have never had a problem with 2d or

3-d igs files. I get pretty complex part geometry

at that.

 

I say ask for both in case one does give you trouble.

 

I ask for .igs, as well as .x_t or .stp

[Roger D]

I have not had much luck with iges recently,I think thats why a friend of mine calls them I GUESS files.

Roger

[Henk]

quote:

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They are using inventor if that helps, we don't have inventor or solidworks at our shop.(only autocad light)

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IMO mastercam can open inventor files.

[Mcam Nut]

ask for inventor files, they work great, but I believe you have to download a addon from mastercam.com to convert them, but I find them everybit as good as x_t or step.

[ReDEyZZ]

Thanks for the replies,

 

I have had better luck so far with the iges files, whats the easiest way to clean up the dxf's? To just have the entities?

 

I will look into getting the inventor file itself, thanks for the tips

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

quote:

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...our main customers will not give us files, only drawings. (we do alot of R&D , mabey they can't risk it?)

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Myahaps they don;t trust their engineers to get it right, because if something's wrong, it goes back to them.

 

I've had that happen to me a few times. Engineer got the part wrong, updated the drawing but not the model. I machined to the model and then the fun began. We got it squared away eventually but not until a policy change was put in place for drawings. Th epolicy was NO MORE DETAILED drawings. ONly hole definition and critical dimensions were on print, the rest was according to whatever the model ends up being. It was a good move for them because they had some overzealous part scrappers, I mean inspectors.

[Darren Long SPE]

Anyone still get drawings on a cigarette box? or better again, a "template" on the back of an old Mitutoyu Calender......you know the ones....usually contain a motorcycle and plenty of "skin" .....hehe

[Thee Dragracer1951]

Man.... I get em on napkins, business cards, scrap pieces of paper. Chinese food menues, you name it.

I gots to find me a higher class of clientel...

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

quote:

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Right on. Just drew a file today ran the job and they are all scrap because i drew it wrong. All you have to do is punch in a bad number and your done.

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I have the opposite problem. Features in the model from the customer may be at minimum or maximum material condition instead of at the center of the tolerance zone, or they may be a revision or two behind due to hand-modified print dimensions.

[TR Mfg.]

quote:

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they had some overzealous part scrappers, I mean inspectors.

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LOL I think Mt. Dew just came out my nose.

[Pete Rimkus from CNC Software Inc.]

"...ask for inventor files, they work great, but I believe you have to download a addon from mastercam.com to convert them, but I find them everybit as good as x_t or step...."

 

No, the ability to import Autodesk Inventor files is not an addon. It's part of File/Open right out of the box.

This is a much more highly recommended way of getting Inventor files to Mastercam. If you ABSOLUTELY have to use IGES, make sure that the IGES file is output from Inventor as Trimmed Surfaces (IGES entity type 144) and not B-Rep Solids (type 186) which is the default. We don't handle those BReps very well yet in some cases.

 

And, by the way, with X2 MR2, we now import Autodesk Inventor Drawing files (IDW), too, which might help if there's 2D stuff coming over too.