CAD Translation reccomendation

We are in need of translating designs from Autocad Inventor to
Pro-Engineer. Could anyone reccomend a good translation company to
handle such a conversion. We would expect all part/assembly and
drawing relationships to be maintained as well as geometry to
dimension.

Thank you

 

We translate files daily from Inventor to Pro/E, we use a translation
program as it has a 'healer and repair' included which gives us the best
results!

 

Well Pro-E will open Inventor files ...

Don't think so.
Autodesk Inventor file extensions; *.ipt, *.iam, *.idw.

*.iv is the file extension used by Open Inventor, etc. (VRML type data?).

V20 (?, pre "encrypted") latest. No go after that.

Neutral translations are the only option I'm aware of; no features,
associativity of drawings to models, etc.

 

http://www.okino.com/proe_tut.htm
This one's been around for awhile and I've heard people swear by them, however, no
direct experience.

BTW, if Inventor has licensed GRANITE, "the interoperability kernel", you have a
shot at exporting/import from/to Inventor to Pro/e. Also, if Pro/e has licensed
the ACIS kernel, you've got a shot at getting Pro/e files into Inventor.

However, I can say for a fact that SolidWorks' claim to directly open native Pro/e
files is a come on. And unless we want to get into a semantic debate over what one
"means" by opening native Pro/e files, we should look at what you get out of this
process: is it a dumb solid (which is what your get out of SW) or is it a
feature-based, parametric and associative solid model. No such thing exists in the
world (unless it by arrangement between two software publishers). There is
certainly no feature-based, parametric neutral format to use as the gobetween. In
spite of a 10-year history of a STEP committee devoted to exactly that.

 

... Inventor can open Pro-E parts and assemblies directly

Version 20 (?) and previous versions.

No.

There's a probable reason for that. Adesk is not at all hip to
interoperability, even within their own family of products. Inventor was
originally conceived as a competitor to Pro/E. The goal was to offer a
convenient legacy data migration route. Thus no two way interoperability.
I guess, too, that their failure to keep up with it means they've lowered
the bar a bit; more worried about Alibre rustling their customers than
trying to bait PTC's. 8~)

 

... we should look at what you get out of this

I've a casual curiosity re the few feature translators that are on the
market. The name Proficiency comes to mind, but there are a few others.
The interest is casual because they run in the 20 to 30K US range, if what
I've read is correct. If you think about what it would take to translate a
feature like Pro/E's VSS into another system the cost is understandable, I
guess. (These systems don't claim to be bullet proof, either. Where a
parametric feature can't be duplicated static geometry is created.)

I have never even heard rumors of an associative to model drawing
translator.

 

Send me an Inventor file I'll translate it to Pro/E for free. If it is
to liking OK! Then you gotta pay for the remainder. BUT let me know the
versions of both. Surfaces or solids? Going for CNC or not? Maybe quick
repair, or if CNC deep repair!
Whatta you gotta lose its' free?

 

I'm not the guy you want to ask. The original post appears to be looking
for someone that will re-model and re-draw native Pro/E. Is that what you
are offering to do? Or are you just using this thread to advertise another
service (translation to non-parametric, non-associative geometry)?

Just FYI; IV to Pro/E translations of model geometry via STEP would not
necessarily require any "healing", deep or otherwise. Translating drawings
out of IV to DWG is another story.

 

Try these guys:

Thinkpath Inc., Dayton
2800 E. River Rd., 3rd Fl.
Dayton, Ohio, 45439, USA
tel: 937.643.4100
fax: 937.643.4110

This Thinkpath location specializes in:
Engineering Services
On-Site Engineering Support
Engineering Documentation & CAD Data Translations

I've used them several times in the past & they have always done a good job.

 

It took me a while to get smart and go to the source for the answer to the
question: what kind of file do you get out of this translation process ~ a dumb
solid blob ala IGES? or, a feature-based, parametric, and associative one. The
Inventor Knowledge Base provided the answer.
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?id=2881491&linkID=4183228&siteID=123112
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?id=2882752&linkID=4183228&siteID=123112

In short, you can directly open Pro/e files created prior to rel. 21 (2000i?) and
features, history tree, parametrics are not preserved.

David Janes