DesignSpark Mechanical Online Help
File import and export options
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You can open and insert files from many other modeling applications into DesignSpark Mechanical for editing, and save your DesignSpark Mechanical designs as many different file types. If you work frequently with non-DesignSpark Mechanical files, we recommend that you set your file options to optimize the importing and exporting process for your needs.

To customize import and export options

  1. Select DesignSpark Mechanical Options from the Application menu to display the DesignSpark Mechanical Options window.

  2. Click File Options in the navigation panel on the left.

  3. Select a file type in the panel on the left to change options for just that type of file.

    Descriptions of all options are listed below.

  4. Click OK to save all your changes and close the DesignSpark Mechanical Options dialog.

    If you try to enter a value that is out of the allowed range in the Options panel or the DesignSpark Mechanical Options dialog, you will see a red exclamation mark icon next to the field. You can hover over the icon to see a tooltip that will explain the valid values for the option.

ShowTo set general file options

  1. Click General in the panel on the left.

  2. Check:

    • Use DesignSpark Mechanical color tones when importing to use the DesignSpark Mechanical color scheme for layers. This option is enabled by default to avoid fully saturated colors, on which highlighting is less visible. Faces of imported data will retain their original color tones if this option is turned off.

ShowTo set AutoCAD file options

  • Select AutoCAD in the panel on the left.

  • Set the Import options:

    • Insert polyface mesh, 3DFace and Solid entities into 3D as: Select how you want to import these entities as 3D into DesignSpark Mechanical.

    • Insert polyface mesh, 3DFace and Solid entities onto drawing sheets as: Select how you want to import these entities onto drawings sheets.

    • Insert hatch identities as: Select the behavior for hatch identities.

    • Center imported data: This is useful for AutoCAD files that have models positioned outside of the DesignSpark Mechanical modeling range (+/- 1km). The center of the bounding box for the imported data is moved to world origin coordinates (0, 0, 0). This option is ON by default.

  • Set the Export options:

    • Version: Select the AutoCAD version to set the format of exported designs.

    • Save as Black and White: Remove color information from exported designs.

    • Associate Dimensions to Geometry: Select dimensions to associate with adjacent geometry.

    • Include Drawing Format: On by default.

    • Scale Output 1:1: Off by default. Set the output of your AutoCAD files to a 1:1 ratio.

When saving a drawing as a DWG or DXF file, you can also access the last two Export options by choosing Save As from the Application menu; from the Save As dialog box, click the Options button.

  • Set the DWG options for import and export:

    • Teigha (Associated Dimensions) to use Teigha 3.4.0 libraries.

    • Autodesk Real DWG to use Autodesk's translator. Import supports associated dimensions in your design. Use this option to import DWG files with 3D bodies. For export it will disconnect dimensions from the geometry in your design.

ShowTo set OBJ file options

  1. Select OBJ in the panel on the left.
  2. Select Override quality to change the faceting setting for exported files so it is different from the graphics facetting setting.
    • Coarse, Medium, Fine to use the deviation and angle preset values.

    • Custom to use the Deviation and Angle sliders to set a custom resolution.

      Resolution indicates the number of sides of a polygon used to represent a circle. The deviation is the difference in distance between the circle’s radius and the polygon’s radius. The angle is the angle between the edge of the polygon and a tangent drawn through the circle at the same point.

ShowTo set SketchUp options

  1. Select SketchUp in the panel on the left.

  2. Select Display to show or not show hidden geometry.

  3. Choose to Import as Solid or Mesh.

  4. Choose a Version to export to.

ShowTo set STEP file options

  1. Select STEP in the panel on the left.

  2. Select an Import Method:

    • Use facewise connections to attempt to stitch everything together and make a solid if possible. With this option selected, the import may fail if the model is corrupt.

    • Import faces independently to import models as a collection of individual surfaces, skipping only the surfaces that are corrupt.

  3. Select the STEP protocol to use to format exported designs.

ShowTo set STL file options

  1. Select STL in the panel on the left.
  2. Select an Import option:
    1. Connected mesh: Create a lightweight mesh with full connectivity information between facets.
    2. Simple mesh: Create a lightweight mesh with no connectivity information between facets
    3. Solid/surface body: Convert STL triangles into full geometry.
      • Check the Merge faces checkbox to seamlessly merge one or more faces.
  3. Select an Export option:
    1. Format
      • Binary (Default)
      • ASCII
    2. File
      • Per design
      • Per component
      • Per body
    3. Select a Resolution option:

      • Coarse, Medium, Fine to use the deviation and angle preset values.

      • Custom to use the Deviation and Angle sliders to set the resolution.

        Deviation is the distance between a chord drawn through a curved cross-section of the model and the curve’s most distal point. The angle is the angle that the chord line makes with a line tangent to the cross-section curve.

      • Facet maximum aspect ratio to change the triangle faceting ratio when you export an STL file.

      • Facet maximum edge length to enter a desired edge length. The value you specify is the maximum value for the edges, however smaller edge lengths may be created. The ACIS modeler attempts to meet your desired edge length setting, but in some design scenarios, may create an edge length that is less than what you specify as your facet maximum edge length setting, to best accommodate the design.

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