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Problems Importing IGES Geometry

brandonn3DLHN
Participant

Problems Importing IGES Geometry

brandonn3DLHN
Participant
Participant

Hello,

 

I'm using AutoCAD 2018 & I'm having some issues importing .igs files from Faro CAM2 Measure 10. It's a CMM software I use frequently that allows you to measure geometry & export it to iges. I recently upgraded to a newer version of the software & some of the geometry doesn't show up when I import it into AutoCAD. Lines, polylines, & planes import correctly, but circles do not import at all. I'm not sure if there is a solution to fix the problem in AutoCAD or if I need to contact Faro but I figured I'd check here first. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

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Alfred.NESWADBA
Consultant
Consultant

Hi,

 

would you mind to:

  • upload the IGES file
  • upload the DWG-file you get after importing the IGES file
  • a screenshot of the file content in the other software with elements masked that are missed in AutoCAD after import.

 

- alfred -

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfred NESWADBA
ISH-Solutions GmbH / Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS
www.ish-solutions.at ... blog.ish-solutions.at ... LinkedIn ... CDay 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(not an Autodesk consultant)
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brandonn3DLHN
Participant
Participant

Here are the files you requested. I'd like to note that I tried importing the iges file into a different software (MasterCAM) & all of the geometry showed up fine. I then exported it again from MasterCAM. After importing the new file into AutoCAD, all of the geometry was there. The iges file I attached is the original iges that I am having issues with. Since it imports correctly into MasterCAM, I can assume it's a problem with AutoCAD. Ideally, I would like to export the file directly into AutoCAD without having to use MasterCAM. Hopefully this helps in finding a solution.

 

Thanks! 

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brandonn3DLHN
Participant
Participant

For some reason, the site won't let me attach the iges file. When I click "POST", it disappears from the attached file list.

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Alfred.NESWADBA
Consultant
Consultant

Hi,

 

>> the site won't let me attach the iges file

But you can attach ZIP files ๐Ÿ˜‰

 

- alfred -

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfred NESWADBA
ISH-Solutions GmbH / Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS
www.ish-solutions.at ... blog.ish-solutions.at ... LinkedIn ... CDay 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(not an Autodesk consultant)
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brandonn3DLHN
Participant
Participant

Okay thanks! Here's the zip file.

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Alfred.NESWADBA
Consultant
Consultant

Hi,

 

get also not all objects when using AutoCAD IMPORT.

I tried Inventor too, looks different, but not complete as you have shown in your screenshot

I tried Fusion360, there the geometry has even more issues.

 

I'm close to say it might have to do with this IGES file. Do you have any other formats this software can export?

 

- alfred -

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfred NESWADBA
ISH-Solutions GmbH / Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS
www.ish-solutions.at ... blog.ish-solutions.at ... LinkedIn ... CDay 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(not an Autodesk consultant)
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brandonn3DLHN
Participant
Participant

Hey sorry I forgot to mention that when I selected the features to be exported, I only selected the lines and circles. You shouldn't see any of the planes on the imported geometry, just lines and circles. I can export the geometry as a step file, but after attempting to import the step file into AutoCAD, nothing shows up in model space. I attached that file to this reply. As with the iges file, I only exported lines and circles in the step format.

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Alfred.NESWADBA
Consultant
Consultant

Hi,

 

that is what I get in Inventor from your last file ...

 

20200116_211857_0001.png

 

AutoCAD tells me that this STEP-file format is not supported.

The DWG-file I attached here is imported in Inventor and then exported to DWG.

 

- alfred -

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfred NESWADBA
ISH-Solutions GmbH / Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS
www.ish-solutions.at ... blog.ish-solutions.at ... LinkedIn ... CDay 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(not an Autodesk consultant)
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brandonn3DLHN
Participant
Participant

That's what it's supposed to look like. Is there any reason that you know of why AutoCAD 2018 would be having problems importing the iges file? I didn't have any issues importing iges files with AutoCAD 2012. 

 

Thanks,

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Alfred.NESWADBA
Consultant
Consultant

Hi,

 

>> I didn't have any issues importing iges files with AutoCAD 2012. 

With this file here? I doubt ๐Ÿ˜‰

 

>> Is there any reason that you know of why AutoCAD 2018 would

>> be having problems importing the iges file?

The last file you have uploaded was not an IGES file, it was a STEP file and had the same issues.

As also Fusion has troubles with this file I'm not really sure where the fault is.

And as both file formats (written from the same software) show issues ... it could also be the exporter from your other software or the importer functions from Autodesk with this fileformat. Not clear at all.

 

Are there any other formats available to export your geometry?

 

- alfred -

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfred NESWADBA
ISH-Solutions GmbH / Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS
www.ish-solutions.at ... blog.ish-solutions.at ... LinkedIn ... CDay 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(not an Autodesk consultant)
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brandonn3DLHN
Participant
Participant

I'm talking about the original iges file. The one from the zip file. The lines come in but not the circles. Nothing comes in when I attempt to import the step file, but I normally don't use step files, so I'm not too worried about it. I'm not able to try this iges file in 2012 since I don't have that version of AutoCAD anymore. I didn't start seeing compatibility issues between AutoCAD and CAM2 Measure 10 until I upgraded to AutoCAD 2018. I tried a few different versions of Measure 10 since I upgraded to AutoCAD 2018. The original version wouldn't export circles. I then tried a different version & the polylines wouldn't import correctly but the circle were fine, now with the latest version of Measure 10 the circles won't import again.

 

There are a few different formats I can try:

ParasolidText

ParasolidBinary

Vda

 

For some reason, these formats will only allow me to export in metric units, so I'd prefer to avoid converting between units (I normally use inch units) but it's worth a try if I can't resolve the iges issue.

 

Thanks again for the help.

 

 

 

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Alfred.NESWADBA
Consultant
Consultant

Hi,

 

>> I tried a few different versions of Measure 10 since I upgraded to

>> AutoCAD 2018. The original version wouldn't export circles. I then tried

>> a different version & the polylines wouldn't import correctly but the

>> circle were fine

So exporting from this other software already seems to be not a simple job and not that clear too (when work circles, when work polylines) ๐Ÿ˜‰

 

>> There are a few different formats I can try:

AutoCAD can import both Parasolid files, worth to try...

 

>> I'd prefer to avoid converting between units 

Understood, but if this other format converts all geometry well you just need to start one _SCALE command to get back to your units.

 

- alfred -

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfred NESWADBA
ISH-Solutions GmbH / Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS
www.ish-solutions.at ... blog.ish-solutions.at ... LinkedIn ... CDay 2025
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(not an Autodesk consultant)
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m_latz
Advisor
Advisor

Hello @brandonn3DLHN ,

 

it looks like that AutoCAD 2018 does not read/interpret the IGES entity 102 (Composite Curve). And so the circles are not read into AutoCAD because they depend on the composite curve.

 

Just to demonstrate this, I made the circles independent.

 

Try to read my manually modified iges file. If this is what you expect, let me know than I think about a solution.

 

regards

 

Markus

 

 

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brandonn3DLHN
Participant
Participant

Sorry for the late response, but this file does seem to import correctly. 

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