Maya to SolidWorks

Maya also uses vertex normals or something on it's polygon meshes IIRC.
Not really intended for geometric use IMHO.

 

Perhaps best to have the creator/designer make a surface data
file that they are happy with in Maya first & have that sent,
IMHO.
Endless cycle trap otherwise. Trying to approximate
their stuff later .. too much guesswork & rework when
they don't like the results.

 

WOW!!! Haven't been able to check the group for a few days, and all
h_ll breaks loose....

I decided not to take on the job after all. After giving it a lot of
though, I decided it would be stretching my capabilities a little too
much, given the time frame it needed to be done in. I'm not a very
proficient surface modeler to begin with. Swoopy's would have just
made it worse. With a little more time, I might have taken the job,
lost my tail on $/hr., but come away with a lot of valuable
knowledge...

But back to the original problem, I did get the Maya designer to send
me both an iges and a STL file. The iges failed completely. The STL
did import, but there was a combination of surfaces and solids. Also,
it was created from polygons which made it pretty useless, to me
anyway....

I think I need to take a surfacing class. I am VERY proficient in SW
with solid modeling. But have never really done much surface
modeling. It would be a good tool to know....

Seth

 

You might want to know their export options
& compare them to your import options. Quite
often problems may be caused by using the wrong
options on one end or the other or both.

 

I think I need to take a surfacing class. I am VERY proficient in SW
with solid modeling. But have never really done much surface
modeling. It would be a good tool to know....

Try Ed Eaton's tutorials at
http://www.dimontegroup.com/Tutorials/SolidWorks_Tutorials.htm. You might
want to start with Surfacing for Blockheads, then work your way through the
Curvy Stuff by the numbers.

Jerry Steiger

 

I forgot to add that after the tutorials it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy
Matt Lombard's Surfacing book, due out any day now.

Jerry Steiger

 

Thanks for the advise Jerry... I'll look into this...

Seth

 

I've done a fair amount of remodelling of Vellum and Alias imported
models. There's no quick fix. Typically, ID software knits surfaces
with looser tolerances than CAD software. I've seen edges from
intersecting faces "scabbed" in by Vellum with over .15" deviation
from what UG or SW would make due to looser tolerances.

I usually approach these projects by recreating key surfaces. Import
the model and UNTRIM key surfaces and use these as templates to place
sketch geometry. Once untrimmed, I find the majority of surfaces can
be modelled as sweeps with guide curves. Partial ellipse as sweep
section works better than spline in most cases and is very consistent
with how these programs are actually creating surface.

 

Seth,

If you diligently work your way through all the tutorials and practice a
bit, you probably won't need a class. If you take a class, depending on the
skill of the instructor, you still might want to go through the tutorials. I
think Matt's book will be good to have on hand no matter what you do.

Jerry Steiger