Hi all,
I attach an example of a part from which I want to extract XYZ coordinates of features. Ideally, I want every edge segmented into many points and I want the XYZ coordinates of all those points. Basically, I want to turn the model into a point cloud / digitize all the curves).
I've seen similar discussions which refer to AutoCAD DXF files, but I can't get the same to work for Inventor.
e.g., http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/AutoCAD-Civil-3D-General/Extracting-xyz-ASCII-from-dxf/td-p/3690108
I've used tools like DXF2XYZ which seems to have trouble with Inventor 2014 DXF files.
http://www.guthcad.com.au/dxf2xyz.htm
I'm not really sure how to begin for my own part, even though most sources suggest exporting it to DXF in some way... while others suggest some amount of VBA or other programming...
I have a partial solution with the attached part.
1) I add sketches to all the faces of the icosahedron part I downloaded from GrabCAD. I leave them visible.
2) I export (File>Export) the part to DWG
3) I use DXF2XYZ to convert the DWG into XYZ coordinates. http://www.guthcad.com.au/dxf2xyz.htm
The program recognizes the lines of the visible sketches and returns the xyz coordinates of the vertices. It doesn't seem to recognize sketch points or curves.
This works OK for polyhedra and returning vertices of flat faces, but it would be better if I could obtain coordinates for many points along all edges, not only at vertices. It also becomes tedious for objects with many faces.
This works for assemblies as well. I can place multiple Icosahedron.ipt parts in an assembly, position them as desired, and obtain the xyz coordinates of all the vertices of all the parts
It seems my problem (convert a 3d model/mesh/wireframe into a point cloud) is easier dealt with if I were modeling in programs like Blender or 3ds. Inventor doesn't seem to be the best for this.
Any thoughts?
this holds some potential:
http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Inventor-General/Exporting-Mesh-element-coordinates/td-p/1580012
otherwise, this may be promising if I learn 3ds MAX and how to run the script
http://www.scriptspot.com/forums/3ds-max/scripts-wanted/export-coordinates-to-csv
A quick-and-dirty way is to draw a line, use Copy to create many copies of the line across the face of a sketch, then trim all the segments so that the endpoints lie along the original sketch lines. Repeat for every sketch.
Then, when DXF2XYZ extracts coordinates, points along all sketch lines of every sketch will be returned, thus giving a point-based outline of the original sketches.
Hey,
I am doing Mathematics research this summer and I need an icosahedron part file to get a feel for how things are supposed to work. Do you mind if I use your part file? Im not selling anything we are just trying to solve some pretty cool problems.
Hey, I actually got the part from GrabCAD anyways, so you can definitely use it. It would be great to hear more about your research or what you are trying to do! You can reply here or post a link. Cheers.