Chapter 30: Using Imported Geometry and Direct Editing Techniques
Understanding the results of imports
When you import geometrical data into SolidWorks, you can get a number of different types of
results:l (^) Single solid body in a part file
l Assembly of multiple parts
l (^) Multiple solid bodies in a part file
l Surface bodies in a part file
l (^) Combination of solid and surface bodies in a part file
When you get an assembly of parts, SolidWorks uses the default template that you have designated
in Tools ➪ Options ➪ Default Templates, creates new parts, and saves them to your hard drive
automatically.
Some imports also create a report file with the extension .rpt or .err. This file includes sta-
tistics about the entities and precision of the data, filename, units, the originating system, and also
some information about errors that occurred during the import.
Figure 30.5 shows the first section of a report written for the import of an IGES file.
FIGURE 30.5
Report files can help you understand the contents of the imported file.
Demonstrating some data import
I am going to import a few parts that don’t come in perfectly and ask you to follow along with the
files on your CD-ROM. This is not so much a click-by-click tutorial as a “watch over my shoulder”
demonstration with commentary.
Starting with a Parasolid import because these are the fastest and easiest, open the part called
Chapter 20 Robot Arm.x_t from the material on the CD-ROM for Chapter 30. You can open
translated format files in a couple of different ways. Many people look for an Import or Translate
option in the File menu, but it’s not there. You can use the Open command, and select Parasolid