CATI Technotes: Unfolding Imported Models With 3DQuickPress Inside of SolidWorks

Welcome to unfolding imported models with 3DQuickPress.

Imported Model

Importing models from other CAD software has never been an exact science for multiple reasons. The data usually comes to the designer in the format of IGES, STEP, Parasolid, or possibly native Pro/E, Inventor, and UG files if not thru multiple translations prior to receiving the model. Fortunately, SolidWorks can import all of these data types, along with many others.

1. The result of the imported model can be different depending on the process prior to importing, which may cause re-modeling work for the out of the box SolidWorks Sheetmetal recognize. 3DQuickPress simplifies the process.

2. Advanced models with shapes, uneven material thickness, and non-solid models are just some of the reasons SolidWorks Sheetmetal may not recognize the features to create and unfold the model.

3. 3DQuickPress simplifies the process by only needing the Top, Bottom, and a Material thickness surface knitted together before the unfolding process can begin.

3DQuickPress Unfolding

1. Shown below, a Parasolid x_t after importing into SolidWorks and running diagnostics, the part file was not able to knit to form a solid Model. The feature manager tree indicates it’s a surface.
2. Right click on the surface and select the tangent surface and offset the surface 0.0 and repeat the process for the opposite side.
3. Right Click on the edge of the surface to offset 0.0 the material thickness.
4. After offsetting each surface by 0.0, then select the 3 new surfaces from the feature tree and knit them together, hide the original surface.
5. From the 3DQuickPress Unfolding tab select Unfold part.
6. 3DQuickPress unfolds and Auto Recognizes the knitted surface with just a top, bottom and material thickness. 3DQuickPress also has UAR “User assist recognition” to continue advance unfolding with accurately.
7. 3DQuickPress can save the designer hours if not days from remodeling or completely redesigning the model.