3D Structure of the files..? (iges, prt, etc.)

[MarioB]

Hi there,

i´m interested in how a 3D file looks like, but inside, in the file.

how the lines, surfaces,tables, objects, and so on are saved in the file.

The big interest is iges, but i won`t mind if you tell me about more.

Thanks.

M

 

[SnowCrash]

Sure, easy.
Open any cad file in a text editor and all will be revealed to you. There must be a standard somewhere which will interpret these data lines for you.
Most cad files will be proprietary text files, although the 3d kernal is probably pretty uniform. Other cad files will be proprietary binary files.
The concept of a file is there is a header with general information that identifies the file as what it is, then a series of setup parameters, layers, colors, etc.,
Finally, the data in a part or drawing file is a series of vector descriptions of the elements of solids or lines athat make up the part or drawing. For an assembly it is a list of the parts and the assembly rules.

Crashj