Error Saving Sketches to Neutral File Formats

In working support calls yesterday I ran into a issue that could easily get anyone stumped, a customer had a file open that had a 3D Sketch in it and when they tried to save it out as a STEP, IGES or and other format they got an error that the data could not be exported.

The answer to this was actually pretty simple and the file that had the 3D Sketch in it was an Assembly file so I had the customer do the following:

1. Make sure you were out of Edit Sketch Mode in the assembly.


2. Start a New Part file and tile the windows so you can see both the part and the assembly.


3. Select the Sketch(s) from the Feature Tree of the Assembly and Copy (ctrl C).


4. Select in the Part file to make it active and Paste (ctrl V).


5. Perform a Save As, select your file type of choice. Note: Make sure to go to the options and set the options so that Sketches will export.

If you want to test the file before you send it on to whoever needs the information just Open that file into SolidWorks and see how it imports.

In the case of this customer they needed it so they could import this into MicroStation and they tested it in both SolidWorks and MicroStation while I had them on the phone and it imported just what they needed in both programs.

Happy Friday,

Josh Altergott

Support Team Leader