In Solid Edge you can work with files created in Autodesk's 3D solid modeling package, Mechanical Desktop, or their 2D mechanical drafting package, AutoCAD.
You can use a Mechanical Desktop solid model in the Part environment by translating the file into a Solid Edge part document. The solid model becomes a base feature, which you can modify by adding new features. For example, you can add material using the Protrusion command or remove material using the Cutout or Hole commands.
Mechanical Desktop files that have been saved as Solid Edge part documents can be detailed in the Draft environment.
You can use a Mechanical Desktop solid model in the Assembly environment by translating the file into a Solid Edge part document and then placing this part into an assembly.
With linking and embedding you can insert objects of different file formats directly into your Solid Edge Draft document.
An embedded document is foreign data that exists solely within its container. In this case, Solid Edge Draft is the container. An embedded document has no external references and is displayed by the application that created the data. The display of the embedded data is done in the background by the application and is displayed in Solid Edge Draft through the use of a Smart Frame. The Smart Frame technology is a rendering tool. It does not convert the data; it just displays it using the file's native software.
A linked document is foreign data that exists external to its container. The linked document is still foreign data and is displayed similarly to the embedded document. That is, the application that created the data is running in the background, and it is displayed through the use of a Smart Frame.
You can import and export embedded or linked documents to an AutoCAD document.
You can translate an AutoCAD file into a native Solid Edge Draft document by selecting the AutoCAD file in the Solid Edge Open File dialog box and specifying that you want to open it using a draft document template. After you have translated the AutoCAD file into a draft document, you can copy and paste 2D wireframe elements from the draft document into a profile window in Solid Edge Part or Sheet Metal. You can add relationships and dimensions or modify the elements. The profile can then be used to construct a new solid or to add a feature to an existing solid.
When you import an AutoCAD file into Solid Edge, a layer is created for each layer name found in the AutoCAD file. Layer names are not case sensitive, can contain 250 characters, and can include the following characters: ($), (-), and (_). The name given in the Solid Edge file is the same as the name used in AutoCAD. All of the translated graphic elements are placed on the corresponding layers in Solid Edge. The same process is followed when you export a Solid Edge file to AutoCAD.
When you export your Draft document to AutoCAD any special characters, \ < > / ? " : ; * | , = ` are converted to underscores in AutoCAD. Also, even though a layer can contain 250 characters, only AutoCAD version 2000 supports long layer names.
When you export to any other version of AutoCAD, long layer names are truncated to 26 characters.
Solid Edge Draft documents contain a single set of layers that are used across the entire document. If a layer is created on sheet1 the layer name is also available on all additional sheets, including the Background, 2D Model, and any new sheet you create. The Hide/Show option that controls layer display is sheet sensitive. For example, if you create geometry on layer1 on Sheet1, you cannot display the geometry from layer 1 on Sheet2.
The only exception to this rule is the background sheet. Since it is necessary to view a single background sheet across multiple drawing sheets, the layer control of the background sheet determines what you see from the working sheet. In other words, the layer control from the working sheet has no effect on the display from the back ground sheet.
When exporting to dxf or dwg formats there is a possibility you may have a conflict between the show/hide state of the background sheet and working sheet. It is important to manage your layers properly to avoid such collisions. The easiest way to avoid problems is by creating a special set of layers to be used only for the background information. You might want to add a prefix or suffix to these layers to set them apart and never use these layers on the drawing sheet.
Font mapping between AutoCAD and Solid Edge is critical. When fonts are not mapped or are mapped incorrectly, the overall accuracy and appearance of the drawings may be altered. Examples of incorrect mapping problems could include text overruns in a title box or mechanical symbols, such as diameter and degree symbols, disappearing or being placed incorrectly.
In most cases, the default settings used in the AutoCAD Translation Wizard will be sufficient. However, if you want to use special fonts, you must use the wizard to add them.
If you export a Solid Edge Draft file to AutoCAD (.dwg), the workstation that will read the .dwg file must have the Solid Edge font loaded in order for certain symbols to appear correctly. You can use the AutoCAD Export wizard to map the Solid Edge font to a font that already exists on the workstation that will read the .dwg file.
By default, all geometry in the drawing views and annotations found on the active sheet is exported to AutoCAD model space. Use the Model Space Scaling options on the AutoCAD Translation Wizard (Model Space Scaling) to specify the scale factor based on the scales used in the active sheet. You can use the sheet scale, use the base view scale, or specify a selected scale.
If the Draft document contains multiple sheets, use the Model Space Export options to export only the active sheet or all sheets in the document to AutoCAD model space.
Use the Export to Paper Space option on the AutoCAD Translation Wizard to export the dimensions, annotations, and other items on the drawing sheet in AutoCAD paper space and export the drawing view geometry to model space. This creates a AutoCAD file that contains geometry at a 1:1 scale and a paper space that reflects the exact drawing of the Solid Edge draft file.
The seacad.ini file, located in the Solid Edge Program folder, is used to store the settings selected from the user interface. When you make a change to a parameter in the options form, a new value is saved to the seacad.ini file.
There are some parameters that are not exposed through the user interface. You can use a text editor, such as Notepad, to set these parameters. However, if you edit this file, use extreme caution in setting these parameters. Errors made to this file can adversely affect the quality of the translation. The following list describes parameters that are not exposed through the interface.
|
Parameter |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Enable Logging=0 |
Turns on or off the creation of the log file. The default is off. |
|
Import Acis Bodies=1 |
Determines whether or not ACIS bodies are written to .SAT format. The default is yes. You can set the flag to 0 if you do not want to import the ACIS bodies to .SAT format. |
|
Read Default Units=64 |
Stores the import unit value. Possible values for units are: 59=meters, 61=millimeters, 62=centimeters, 63=kilometers, 64=inch, 65=feet, and 66=yards. |
|
Template File = |
Not used. |
|
Write Version=13 |
Determines what version of AutoCAD to export to. |
|
Read Default Width=0.000000 |
Stores the "Default Width" parameter from the Import Options/Line Width dialog box. |
|
MFC Application = 0 |
Not used. |
|
Process PaperSpace = 1 |
Sets flag for translating paper space. If this flag is set to 0, the file will be translated as model space even if it was saved in paper space. Setting this flag to 1 allows paper space to be translated. |
|
Export All Graphics to PaperSpace = 0 |
Sets flag to export DXF/DWG to model space or paper space. The default is AutoCAD model space. |
|
Process Multiple Orientation in Viewports = 0 |
Controls if multiple viewports are translated or not. The default is on. |
|
Part Layers = 1 |
Creates AutoCAD layer names that are derived from part file names that make up a draft file from a Solid Edge assembly. The graphics that represent each part are then placed on these layers. |
|
Break Dimensions = 1 |
Controls how a dimension is created during the import process. With this parameter, dimensions can be created as graphics or as dimensions. The default is as graphics. Dimensions translated as dimensions are no longer supported. |
|
Write Decimal Places = 10 |
Controls the accuracy of the .DXF file being created. 10 indicates the number of decimal places maintained. |
|
Maximum Number Layer Name Chars = 16 |
Controls the length of the name used as a layer name in AutoCAD (AutoCAD has a limit of 16 characters for layer names). The Maximum Number of Layer Name Chars is used along with the Part layer name parameter. |
|
Code Page = 0 |
Enables AutoCAD drawings to be opened both in the language that the drawing was created and in the language of a different country to which the drawing might be sent without any loss of information. The Code Page parameter is used during the export process. This was implemented for the support of the Kanji character set. |
|
Export Drawing View To Block=1 |
Works along with the option to Save the Draft file to model space. When set to 1 the members of a drawing view are exported as an AutoCAD block. When set to 0, the members of a drawing view are exported as individual entities. |
|
Export Groups As Entities=1 |
This option is not found in the SEACAD.ini file but can be added. When you add the option to the .ini file, Solid Edge graphic groups are exported as simple elements in AutoCAD, instead of blocks. This parameter will also override the parameter Export Drawing View To Block=1. |
|
Export Annotation Color = 7 |
Defines the color for all annotations. If the Enable Layer and Attribute Mapping parameter is on it will over ride this parameter. The possible values are 1-7 . The default value is 7. |
|
Export Single Line Text Without Block=0 |
Exports text and callouts in an unblocked state. The default is 0, which creates blocks for all text and callouts. You can set the value to 1 if you want to export text and callouts in the unblocked state. |
|
Export Multiline Text As Multiline Text = 0 |
Exports Solid Edge multiline text boxes as multiline or single line text. The default is 1, which exports the text boxes as multiline text boxes. You can set the value to 0 if you want to export the text boxes as single line text boxes. |
|
Break BSplines At Duplicate Control Points On Import = 1 |
Breaks B-spline curves at the point where duplicate control points exist. The default value for the parameter is 1, which breaks the B-spline curves at the duplicate control points. You can set the value to 0 if you do not want to break B-spline curves at the duplicate control points. |
When you import polylines to Solid Edge, they are translated as a complex string element. The element will contain lines, arcs, or bspline curves. It is not suitable for placing dimensions, nor can it be used directly in the Sketch environment.
You can add a Import Polyline Segments parameter to the seacad.ini file and set the value to 1 to import polyline segments as individual lines rather than grouping them into a line string.
You can use the MDT Migration standalone executable to load multiple Mechanical Desktop documents to Solid Edge as managed or unmanaged documents. The executable allows you to migrate both .dwg or .dxf files to Solid Edge in batch mode. To use the executable to load multiple Mechanical Desktop documents, Mechanical Desktop do not have to be loaded on the same machine as Solid Edge, but it must be available on the network. Mechanical Desktop must be loaded on the same machine as the documents being migrated.
To access the executable, on the Start menu, point to All Programs, then point to Solid Edge ST6, then point to Data Migration, and then click MDT Data Migration. This displays the Mechanical Desktop Data Migration Wizard that assists in migrating the Mechanical Desktop documents to Solid Edge.
On the Mechanical Desktop Data Migration Starting Page dialog box, you can specify a host machine where the Mechanical Desktop documents reside. You can specify the Solid Edge template you want to use to create the new Solid Edge document equivalent for the Mechanical Desktop document you are opening. You can also specify a local folder location where you want to save the Solid Edge documents you create. The folder structure for the Mechanical Desktop document will be replicated in this folder. You can specify the name and location of the MDT2SE.ini file that is used to store the settings selected from the user interface. If you want to store the Mechanical Desktop documents as managed documents in Solid Edge, you can select the Enable Add to Library option and specify an Insight folder.
On the Mechanical Desktop File Selection Page dialog box, you can specify the documents you want to migrate to Solid Edge.
On the Saving Changes dialog box, you can specify the configuration file to which you want to save the remapped configuration.
If you want to save the changes to the original configuration file, click the Save the Remappings to the Original Configuration File option. The default file name is MDT2SE.ini and is located in the Solid Edge Program folder. This name is reserved by Solid Edge and cannot be overwritten. You can write to the Program folder, but you must change the name to avoid overwriting the default settings.
If you want to save the changes to a new configuration file, click the Create a New Configuration File option, and then click the Copy To button. On the Save As dialog box, define a folder and file name for the new configuration file.