tegwin
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| posted on 4/10/10 at 08:25 PM |
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Solidworks and comnpatibility
I know a few of you on here are into CAD stuff...
Can anyone help with this?
Been doing some uni stuff on SW 2010 at home...
Cant open it on the uni machines because they are running SW 2009....
There is NO backward compatibility mode..
I need to comile a 2D drawing and save it as a .DXF file for the lasercutter to use..
Will a .DXF file created in SW2010 be the same as one created in SW2009?
Or am I going to have to redraw this entire assembly in 2009 on the unis slow workstations?!?
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balidey
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| posted on 4/10/10 at 08:28 PM |
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dxf and dwg files are universal. its only solidworks files (part, assy, drg) that are not backwards compatible
Dutch bears have terrible skin due to their clogged paws
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richmars
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| posted on 4/10/10 at 08:37 PM |
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If you really need to import you models into 2009 save it as something else in 2010, (its been a while since I did this) but you can try parasolid.
It's not ideal but may be better than re-drawing everything in 2009.
The no 'backward compatibility' is a pain but makes sense when you think about how you could cope with new features.
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tegwin
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| posted on 4/10/10 at 08:53 PM |
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Agh thank gawd for that... will save as DXF and DWG and try that.. Its ont a simple cardboard toy, but it took me a whole hour to draw and I want to
spend that time in the pub rather than redraw it :p
Do you know if SW has an auto placing feature that works out the best layout for the components on a sheet to save wastage?
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Moorron
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| posted on 4/10/10 at 09:02 PM |
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Not as far as i know of.
But the program for the laser machine will do that after its converted the DXF into Symbols.
Radan did this but was abit poor at it so we just nested them manually.
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tegwin
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| posted on 4/10/10 at 09:05 PM |
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Agh, that makes sence! So in reality it doesnt matter what "sheet size" I use in the drawing.... the laser cutter will just take them all
and figure it out itself... simples!! 
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Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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balidey
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| posted on 4/10/10 at 09:43 PM |
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SW doesn't do nesting, so just leave the profile as its drawn and the laser program will do the rest
Dutch bears have terrible skin due to their clogged paws
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bigandy
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| posted on 5/10/10 at 08:00 AM |
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You have a few options here, to get around the backwards compatibility restrictions of SW. If you already have the model, er, modelled, and the
drawing, er, drawn, in SW2010, then you are best exporting what you need to a format that SW2009 can read. I would use DXF for drawings (make sure it
is not the latest format of autoCAD too, or SW2009 might not have the required translator), and I would use Parasolid or Step for sending over the 3D
model.
You should then be able to import them into SW2009. YOu will, however, loose all associativity between model and drawing, and also all the modelling
history, if you need to make changes. It's not ideal, but is down to SolidWorks drive to force everyone to upgrade to the latest versions all
the time...
In terms of nesting parts for cutting, then to do it in SolidWorks, you have to do it manaully. I have done a bit when getting parts laser cut from
balsa or ply. Just create a part the size of your stock, mate everything to the surface, and move and rotate around till you are happy. I'm
sure i have seen a 3rd party add in that does do nesting though I can't for the life of me remember where....
Andy
Dammit! Too many decisions....
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