Working with objects imported in Rhino format

[fraccle]

Hi,

I am trying to develop a workflow around importing a design created in Vectorworks, and exported as Rhino. I am currently opening the Rhino file in Fusion 360, then saving it, and inserting into my Fusion design. The objects come in as a long list of bodies. I would like to be able to move related bodies into a group, or component, or even convert them into a single object or something so that they are more manageable. I have only succeeded in creating a selection set, but it is slow because it contains 1600 objects (from maybe 100 bodies). I have tried everything I can think of to get these objects into a component, or create a group from them. 

I just read about 'combine', and thought that I was having a small amount of success with that, but realized that it is merging the individual bodies (which is why it is called combine, I guess). Is there not a way to take a selection of bodies, and move them into a component? Dragging these bodies into a component does nothing.

The imported bodies from the rhino format look perfect, so if possible I would like to use that format. I haven't had the same luck with importing a dxf, I often have missing bodies on the import.

[HughesTooling]

You need to select the bodies in the browser and drag them into a component. This is not going to be easy with 350 bodies though. Can you create blocks in Rhino or Vector works, blocks will become components in Fusion. 

Have you tried STP files as you can open directly without uploading, the import of blocks works the same.

Mark

[fraccle]

Thank you very much for the reply. I'm not familiar with blocks in Vectorworks. I read that a 'block' in Autocad would translate to either a symbol or a group in vectorworks. I tried both with two of my series of objects which comprise a cohesive structure in vectorworks; One I put into a symbol, and the other a group. I then exported the file as rhino, and opened it in Fusion 360. The only thing different I found with these two collections of bodies was that their body numbers were in series; The rest of the collections weren't in series. They didn't go into a component.. Don't know if I was supposed to export them as something other than rhino. But it was helpful to have the bodies contiguous in the long list of bodies that I have to work with, so that was an improvement.

I discovered then that I could in fact drag bodies into an empty component, but only if I selected something less than the full 25 or so that I needed to bring in. Once I dragged 1-7 (tested successfully up to 7, don't know how many more . could do) bodies initially into a new component, it sort of 'initialized' the component, and then I would be able to drag the remaining bodies into the component as a full set.

Creating components this way is pretty tedious, but it is definitely a path forward for completing my task. Thank you again for the help, it is much appreciated.

BTW, Maybe I have to learn a lot more about STLs. From what I've seen, the way that they are imported as a single rigid object isn't useful for me.

[TrippyLighting]

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@fraccle wrote:

BTW, Maybe I have to learn a lot more about STLs. 

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Yep. Precisely one thing: Never use .stl as an input format. Only if all else fails at the uttermost end of needs.

[HughesTooling]

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@fraccle wrote:

. I then exported the file as rhino, and opened it in Fusion 360. The only thing different I found with these two collections of bodies was that their body numbers were in series; The rest of the collections weren't in series. They didn't go into a component.. Don't know if I was supposed to export them as something other than rhino. But it was helpful to have the bodies contiguous in the long list of bodies that I have to work with, so that was an improvement.

Did you try exporting as a STEP file think you need AP214 as the type. Attached example exported from Rhino as a STP file.

Mark

[HughesTooling]

Just tested block import with Rhino 3dm import and it works so perhapes Vectorworks is not creating blocks in that format.

I only put one body in each block but you can see the blocks created components in Fusion. No colour information came in with 3dm so STP might be better. If you don't have STP as an option have you tried DWG?

Mark

[fraccle]

I just tried exporting as STEP from vectorworks (I don't have Rhino, I work
with a lot of designers who are passing me rhino files, that how I got into
importing/exporting them from VW). Exporting as STEP from vectorworks, I
don't have any options as to the format. The result was a list of
components (all named "NONE"), each containing a single body.. similar
behavior to when I try creating a component from a selection of bodies in
Fusion 360, I end up with a component for every body in the selection.

[HughesTooling]

Are you creating a block and adding all parts to it. Just did a test to make sure and this is what I get, all parts in the block I added them too.

Mark

[fraccle]

I just tried DWG, I got similar results to DXF-- Some missing bodies. There are many options for exporting both dxf and dwg in VW, I can experiment.

[fraccle]

I'm not creating blocks, because I don't think blocks exist in VW.. googling, the only block I see associated with vectorworks are title blocks.

[HughesTooling]

Have you tried going from Fusion to vectorworks using STP to see if there is any "Grouping" of bodies. Create a component in fusion and create several bodies. Right click the component in the browser and export, import into vectorworks and see if they are in a block or group of some sort.

All the solid modelers I've used export using blocks to represent parts\components in an assembly. You probably need to contact vectorworks support as it seems more their problem.

Mark

[fraccle]

Thanks Mark. I had some success with exporting DWG from VW, I found that there was an option checked to decompose groups on export. I unchecked that, and now I get my grouped bodies, but I'm still missing some parts that I can't figure out why they're not coming across. Anyway, for the moment I think that I will stick with the Rhino export, and creating the components manually. At the moment I only need these components present to fill out shop drawings, but need to show the doors in open and closed positions, so that's why I wanted to be able to move them around as groups. I believe I've got what I need for now. It was a great idea to try exporting/importing in the opposite direction to get some insight into the treatment of groups/components.. I didn't see anything enlightening in the STEP export/import though. Thanks again for the help!