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Forum > modo > Tips, Tricks & Tutorials > How To: Import SolidWorks Files Without SuperGroups

Topic - How To: Import SolidWorks Files Without SuperGroups

If it's taking you a long time to select and separate all the objects you need to add materials to because your assembly model has come in as a single superGroup, but you want individual 'parts' to make selection easier, here's what to do.

In SolidWorks, duplicate all the single-item parts and save.

Duplicating Parts in SolidWorks Image

When you import the assembly into modo, BAM, no more superGroup. Instead, everything is replicated. So, simply delete the replicated items. Now, you're able to 'double-click select' or Item select each object to assign materials. MUCH easier.

Delete Replicated Parts in modo Image

Oh, and don't forget that you need to right-click on each imported item and change type to Mesh, instead of Static Mesh.

11/13/2009 - 9:22 AM

Excellent, I will try that tomorrow. I just purchased Modo the other day to render my SW models.

/Magnus

11/15/2009 - 7:36 PM

VA, USA
93 posts

Hope you don't use SW 2010, as you can't open files from it yet. Plus, SW 2010 does not seem to support the Collada export plug-in yet either.
What fun.

11/16/2009 - 5:41 AM

I have it on good word from 'the Peebler' that 2010 support is coming soon, like within the next couple weeks. I'm sure I'll be slapped if this is not the case... multiple times.

I also got this selection tip from Paul McCrorey on this forum post - http://forums.luxology.com/discussion/topic.aspx?id=41316

On selecting different parts, there is an awesome way to do this assuming you put materials on your model in Solidworks. All of those 'tags' are imported and can be accessed very easily using the material selector. This can be found under the "Lists" tab under Statistics-->Polygons-->Material. For the particular mesh that is selected, you will see a breakdown of the materials. By hitting the "+" next to the item, you will see those particular polygons get selected - bada-bing! Once selected, press "M" key and set your material. You are off and running. The cool thing is that you can select multiple of those items and combine them into 1 material if needed. I typically select the materials and rename them to something a little more clear to me for use in the shader tree.

Message edited by SolidSmack on 11/16/2009 - 12:03 PM

11/16/2009 - 12:02 PM

Perth, Australia
24 posts

SolidSmack,

Interesting technique. I am wondering if you would ever have a need to animate these Solidworks assemblies.

That has been my task over the past week and I found that replicators are exactly what you dont want when animating - as soon as you move the source part all the replicated parts move aswell....

For the last animation I did I replaced all the repeated (non-unique) Solidworks parts with unique parts so that everything came in as one supergroup. I then used Paul McCrorey's technique in selecting using "statistics" and cutting and pasting into new meshes. This let me create a hierarchy similar to Solidworks that I could animate easily.

Owen

11/24/2009 - 4:59 PM

All this is very good, but with that said... well let me say one thing more before I pour my heart out, this is not a rant in the meaning that I'm angry, disappointed or didn't understand what i gave me in to ;)

Today went through the entire process an a assembly containing sub assemblies and all in all, 70 parts and 100 instances, and this isn't close to being the most complex assys I have.

I beg you (Luxology) to give us a more streamlined import process for Solidworks Assys, I can't be the only one getting charmed by PV360 to discover that one need the real thing to deliver.

Best Regards, Magnus

11/26/2009 - 5:29 AM

Ashland, OR
434 posts

get a 3ds exporter and you can just import the geometry and no super groups or crap. Mine was around 200 from sycode but saves a lot of headache that i am reading about here

4/2/2010 - 3:05 PM

what I do 95% of the time is save the assembly as a part. In Solidworks, you can save an entire assembly as one part. Make sure that you have the option for save all components (or whatever it is) checked.

Now you have one single part, but the part consists of multiple bodies that used to be the components of the assembly. If you had a 100 part assembly.....you now have 1 part with 100 bodies.

Now when it comes into modo, there are no groups, replicators, instances or anything funky/difficult to work with. The entire mesh/model is on one layer but all the individual bodies are their own item. Now I go into poly mode, double click a poly on a particular item and paste into a new layer and rename.

For instance, if this was a car.....I would double click the windshield and paste it into a layer and call it windshield. Do this with all the other windows as well. Now you could put these in a group called windows or whatever. You can do the same for tires, rims, etc and put these in a group called wheels. If you choose you could make one complete wheel and then instance it.

The point is, I get around any of the issues with replicators and weirdness associated with importing SW files and am able to lay out an organized layer tree however I see fit.

4/2/2010 - 10:10 PM

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