I have imported a solid works file (.x_t) and the model is too large for me to hardly do anything with it. I've copied the file to work on shrinking it. There are no lines in it, just 3d blocks. I've started exploding the blocks all the way down to faces, and it just keeps getting larger. The imported .dwg file is 130,361 kb. After exploding quite a few blocks it has risin to 175,351 kb. How can I shrink this as much as possible?
I've found that pretty much anything complex enough to warrant using Solidworks (or Inventor, CATIA, etc.) will produce an unusably large DWG file - which is the point of using the other software rather than AutoCAD. Rather than try to "compress" I would use design drawings of the object to build up a simplified DWG model from scratch, incorporating only those features which you require. Those feature that you don't require can be approximated with boxes, cylinders, and so on.
That is a good idea and all, but this model is the wet end of a paper machine - including pri. & sec. (detailed) headboxes. So the time frame for me to be able to model that in ACAD would be very time consuming, time I don't have. You cant think of any tricks to compress it at all?
I don't know much about Solidworks, but is there a way that the vendor could compress this model with Solidworks? All I have to work with is ACAD and ACAD Plant 3D.
Do you *really* need all that detail? Are you actually building it and responsible for each component? Or is it just to look pretty? It all comes down to the level of detail: only model what you really need. If the inside doesn't matter, if you aren't bending that curved piece of sheet metal, then what does it matter if its not modelled properly or at all? 30 minutes is more than enough time to extrude a couple of boxes and cylinders which show an equipment envelope so you know where not to route pipe, tray, or structure.
@TWROGERS wrote:
.... just 3d blocks. I've started exploding the blocks ....?
How do you know the objects are blocks? List? or Properties?
If you Explode one time do you have solids?
If so, and you cannot work with source - xref the solids.
If you can work with source - tell them you do not need extreem detail and ask them to "shrinkwrap" (I forget the actual term that SolidWorks uses for this.) the assembly.
If you cannot work with the source or simplify yourself - post to the Inventor forum and ask someone over there to run Shrinkwrap on the assembly.
Another option in AutoCAD is to Explode blocks to solids, Extrude rectangles or circles to boxes or cylinders and Union to simplify.
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