Solidworks & Surfcam
Solidworks & Surfcam
(OP)
Does anyone else use Surfcam for their SW models? We have SW2003 and our programmer that uses Surfcam keeps telling me that can't hardly use the SW models because all the lines come in so broken. He always wants the model saved as a .dwg which is very dangerous to the the scaling that can take place. I have downloaded the interpreter from Surfcam but he says that is no better. Anyone else have this problem?
thanks,
mncad
thanks,
mncad






RE: Solidworks & Surfcam
We have used ACIS and IGES to convert and import into it. Some of the end points do NOT line up. Some surfaces are too choppy. Etcettera.
Having 2 end points a very small distance apart is NOT good when you want a "mesh" to work.
At one point we assumed that it was an Import issue on their side, but then we changed our minds when a totally different program displayed similar flaws.
So we wrote it off as a SW export issue, especially after we had a Cosmos Engineer (he worked FOR Cosmos) import an ACIS export from SW into Cosmos, and he had issues also.
Mr. Pickles
RE: Solidworks & Surfcam
RE: Solidworks & Surfcam
I thought broken lines was only a Microstation problem.
Tom S.
RE: Solidworks & Surfcam
Is your Surfcam a 3 axis version? Ours is a 2 axis version and I'm beginning to think that (and some lack of user training) is the heart of the problem.
RE: Solidworks & Surfcam
On the other hand, if you were doing a pocket, for example, in Surfcam and picked the outline of the pocket from the wireframe, there are often "branches" where two lines meet (precisely because they do meet; exactly) and you have to select which branch is the one that you want to be part of your pocket.
There is definitely training involved. That is why we use solidworks, because it is so much easier to use for drawing (modeling) than Surfcam. However, Surfcam is excellent for creating the tool paths, G-code etc. My experience is that it is a pretty steep learning curve for Surfcam.
Tom S.
RE: Solidworks & Surfcam
RE: Solidworks & Surfcam