×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

SW+MDT+AutoCAD

SW+MDT+AutoCAD

SW+MDT+AutoCAD

(OP)
Hello,
The place that I work at was a MDT and AutoCAD house at one time, and now has moved to SW as a primary CAD house (yeah!). Problem is there's a bunch of legacy data that was done in MDT as 3D models and would like to bring the 3D geomety into SW. How do I import the dwg files into SW and capture the 3D cad models to use. We currently have a seats of AutoCAD LT and AutoCAD, but no seats of MDT. Can this be done without have any seats of MDT?

Thanks,

Macduff spin
Colin Fitzpatrick
Mechanical Design Engineer
Solidworks 2007 SP 4.0
Dell 390 XP Pro SP 2
Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB

RE: SW+MDT+AutoCAD

If I remember right you have to have MDT running in the background then launch the file inside SW... I think the help described how to do this.

The understanding was when you opened the file in SW MDT done something in the background to convert it for SW.

I just looked at the help under Import\MDT data from file

Quote:

Import MDT data from file (imports as parts, assemblies and/or drawings). Imports Mechanical Desktop files as both models and layouts. If you click Next, you skip Drawing Layer Mapping and go directly to Document Settings.
_______________

Version Information
The MDT translator supports MDT 4.0 or higher.

To open an MDT file:

Click Open  (Standard toolbar) or File, Open.

In the dialog box, set Files of type to DXF (*.dxf) or DWG (*.dwg), browse to a file, then click Open.

In the DXF/DWG Import Wizard, select Import MDT data from file (imports as parts, assemblies and/or drawings), then click Next.

If you do not have Mechanical Desktop installed, the option to import MDT data is not available.

On the Document Settings screen, select options for the Model and layout tabs, then click Finish.

Scott Baugh, CSWP pc2
www.scottjbaugh.com

Quote:

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: SW+MDT+AutoCAD

They no longer have the seats of MDT?

Jason

SolidWorks 2007 SP4.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2008 SP0.0 on WinXP SP2

RE: SW+MDT+AutoCAD

(OP)
Gildashard,
Yeah, no seats of MDT.

Scott,
I was surfing the help files as well a ran across this. It looks like I'm SOL w/o MDT. I'm just seeing if there was a work around from you experts out there.

Thanks guys,

Colin

Macduff spin
Colin Fitzpatrick
Mechanical Design Engineer
Solidworks 2007 SP 4.0
Dell 390 XP Pro SP 2
Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB

RE: SW+MDT+AutoCAD

So did your company just throw the MDT software into the garbage?

cheers

RE: SW+MDT+AutoCAD

We don't use MDT anymore either but still have it on our work stations so we can open legacy parts and view dwg's.  

If you still have the disks just load it on your machine.
As far as i know you can load it just won't have any technical support.

Plus I prefer to use ACAD for opening dwg's as opposed to dwg editor not found of dwg editor.

Grant
Applications Engineer
SW2007 SP 3.0
IBM InteliStation Pro M
P4 3.4 GHz, 2GB RAM
XP Pro SP2.0
NIVIDA Quadro FX 3000

RE: SW+MDT+AutoCAD

Hello macduff,

Have you tried opening the 3D dwg files in ACAD and then exporting the ACIS (.SAT) data, and then opening that in SWX?

cheers,

macbeth

RE: SW+MDT+AutoCAD

Yeah you have to have at MDT on your box along with SW.

If the company used to have MDT why not set one seat up with it and SW and then just have one guy convert the files over to SW.

If you don't have MDT or can't get it your SOL. You will probably have to rebuild the files from the ground up... probably a better plan anyway though.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP pc2
www.scottjbaugh.com

Quote:

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: SW+MDT+AutoCAD

(OP)
josephv, (aka MacBeth)

YOU ARE A GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It worked excellent!

I probably don't get all the goodies if I would have done it in MDT, but is a great work around.

A Star for you!

I believe this should be added to the help files in SW.

Thanks guys for all your comments!

Macduff spin
Colin Fitzpatrick
Mechanical Design Engineer
Solidworks 2007 SP 4.0
Dell 390 XP Pro SP 2
Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources