I am a contractor for automotive OEM, and when we get an Alias file the Hardware shader is sometimes the only way to separate the objects/part breakout in the file or they are grouped with no shader. They are usually all on one layer. The problem I have is after the Alias file is released and auto translated to our engineering Cad package everything is same color, No shaders, all one layer and all grouping is lost with thousands of surfaces. My workaround is to open the original Alias released file, and manually pick by shader and then assign to layer, The same for grouped objects. Pick by group and then assign to new layer. Each shader/group has its own layer. After all shaders/groups have been assigned to separate layers, I save a copy of original Alias file with separate layers locally on my pc, then from that Layered Alias file I export active as to my Engineering Cad format. When I open the exported Cad file, I can work with the separate layers, assign the correct color or material or part break out, I work my way through the layers till all are redefined in the Engineering cad system. Then after all objects have had a color or material or part breakout has been done I save the new Engineering Cad file with the everything back on layer 1 to pass file checker. It is very time consuming and with large Alias files (large areas of vehicle or speaker grills can have 15000 individual surfaces ), Some files the only way to separate the objects in the Engineering Cad system it create new SEW features that can pick surfaces with tangent edges just to separate the surface for part break up. Our auto translator only has a layer option, All the work done in Alias to group or assign shaders is removed and lost. I would like to create my own macro but not sure how to do that yet. Thanks Steve P.
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