cad converters.(Product Information)

FORMAT TRANSLATION PROGRAMS MAY BE THE BEST HOPE YET FOR CAD INTEROPERABILITY

As more users make the move to 3D CAD programs, the need to convert data from one program to another more critical. This data may be a 2D CAD legacy drawing that a user would like to have as a feature-based solid model or a 3D model created in one CAD system format now needed in another.

When dealing with a 2D file, traditionally the only choice has been to build the 3D model manually. When working with a 3D file, a solid model from the exporting system can usually be read in, but it frequently needs repairs. And, more problematic, intelligent features such as holes and fillets that make the solid model such a robust tool are lost in the translation. Now, however, thanks to a new wave of intelligent CAD-conversion software, the days of remodeling and repairing may soon be over.

2D-to-3D Conversion

The challenge in converting 2D mechanical CAD drawings to feature-based 3D solid models goes beyond the obvious problem of being able to read in 2D files and understanding how the different views form a 3D model. The software also has to know how to handle the extraneous 2D-only data such as text, hatchings, and dimensions as well as erroneous artifacts such as duplicate and overlapping lines. Here is the current lineup of products that can create 3D solid models from DXF or DWG 2D drawings, and a look at how they deal with the inherent technical obstacles.

AutoZ 3.0: Introduced in 1998, this $495 program was one of the first 2D-to-3D converters. Realizing the size of the AutoCAD market, developer EMT Software designed the program to work exclusively with Autodesk's Mechanical Desktop. When you select a 2D file to convert, AutoZ creates the 3D solid in the same file as the 2D drawing, complete with Mechanical Desktop features. In testing the program, I found that AutoZ did require some manual work to create the desired model. For instance, in one file I tested, a cutout that was hidden behind another in the side view didn't get added to the model and had to be created using the program's Slice tool. In the same test, counterbores shown in the drawing were not recognized as one feature, but as two separate holes, and the profiles that were created had no dimensions. However, any extraneous data in the 2D files did not create problems for AutoZ.

2Dto3DCAD.com: This new service, which runs on a portal called ASPire3D.com, was created by application service provider Imagecom, the company that developed FlexiDesign, a 2D-to-3D conversion program that is now the engine behind 2Dto3DCAD.com.