default color and material in imported .step files from commercial providers

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have imported .step files from commercial providers (eg. Thorlabs.com) to assemble a microscope in AutoCAD2015. All parts have lost their assigned color and material and appear in as uniform default gray color. I am not able to change their appearance either by block or by layer.

Is there a way to import third person .step files without losing their color and material (eg blocks that contain glass and anodized metal)?

Is there a way to change the color or material of blocks that have been imported from third party websites?

To reproduce my problem, for example import this step file:

https://www.thorlabs.com/_sd.cfm?fileName=6820-E0W.step&partNumber=KM100-E02

and look at it with realistic view. Ideally you would see the reflective surface of the mirror and anodized and reflective parts of metal like shown in this pdf:

https://www.thorlabs.com/drawings/118d8b30e740e9d4-95AA7AF8-0E46-926E-ABBA42407071181A/KM100-E02-Aut...

Does anyone know what to do?

thanks a lot!

Caroline

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I have imported .step files [...] All parts have lost their assigned color and material

The STEP files don't have a material or color defined, you can look into it using a simple ascii-editor.

So you need to reassign this information in whatever system you import these files.

- alfred -

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

@Alfred.NESWADBAjust beat me to this. I opened your STEP file in Notepad and did a search for Material but it didn't find it in the file.

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

... whereas colors are here 😉

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

this looks great indeed but how did you get AutoCAD to display it? I am happy to just have the colours and not the material but for me everything looks uniformly gray. The only way i can reach this look you posted is by exploding the block I imported and clicking on each individual bit to assign it a material. Obviously a tedious task and if there was a way to visualise the predefined colours I could save much time.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

I imported the STEP file and changed the visual style to "Realistic". 😉

>> but for me everything looks uniformly gray

Which version of AutoCAD do you use?

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Hi alfred,

thanks for your replies and your patience.

I do the exact same thing: under. insert>> import I select my step file and
then I look at it under realistic visual style. For me it looks like in the
attached screenshot.

Any idea what is causing me to not see colours set in the step file?

thanks for your help, much appreciated!
Caroline

[Anonymous]

sorry, I am using AutoCAD 2015 it says product version J.141.0.0

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> For me it looks like in the attached screenshot.

Sorry, no attachment arrived here.

Please note that answers using your mail system does not forward attachments, to attach files start your internet browser and us the reply button in that forum/that thread. Then you can attach files.

Again my question: which version of AutoCAD are you using?

- alfred -

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

sorry, posts crossed.

>> I am using AutoCAD 2015

Yep, that (old) release does not import colors, I tried now again ... and AutoCAD 2016 seems to be the first recognizing the colors in the STEP file.

I have attached the drawing with colors here (be careful because of the units, I'm not sure if the size of the object matches the units setting).

As you are student you can download and install the newest version of AutoCAD, so in case you need that more often, that's the way to go 😉

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Great thank you, that's clarity in the end!

Thanks a lot!