Import: ACIS File

Description

Imports an ACIS file with file extension of .sat.

Only surface entities (faces) are imported; wire entities are not imported.

ACIS Files in SAT (Save As Text) format version number 15.0 or earlier are supported

Dialog

Name

Opens the file dialog to locate and select the ACIS file to be imported. Note that files can also be imported by using drag-and-drop directly onto the Strand7 model window or startup screen (see Strand7 Interface: Startup Screen).

Relative Tolerance

A length tolerance is used to set the accuracy of various operations performed during import. These include curve fitting (setting the accuracy of an interpolated curve), vertex insertion on edges (setting the maximum allowable mismatch between the point on the edge and the corresponding vertex point), and the zipping of overlapping edges. This length tolerance is calculated as the Relative Tolerance times the maximum dimension of the bounding box of the imported geometry. A smaller tolerance produces a more accurate geometry (where possible), but fewer edges may be zipped. Zipping of edges can always be performed after importing, if required, using Clean Tools: Geometry. The default value is 1.0E-6.

Default Property Number

The property number assigned to all imported geometry faces if no other instructions are found.

ACIS Bodies as Groups

All geometry imports into Strand7 are placed into a new group, as a child group of the root group. The name of this new group will be based on the name and type of the imported file, and is referred to as the default import group. The imported ACIS file may have a grouping structure of its own, in which case this structure can be imported as child groups of the default import group.

If the option is set, one new group is defined for each ACIS Body entity, and geometry faces within each body are assigned to that group. In a well-defined solid model, this will result in each solid being assigned to its own separate group. Each new group will become a child group of the default import group.

If the option is not set, or if ACIS Bodies information is not available, imported geometry is assigned to the default import group.

ACIS Colour as Property

If set, property numbers are assigned to geometry faces based on their colours as defined in the ACIS file.

Geometry faces of the same colour are assigned the same property number. Same colour means identical RGB values, and these RGB values are also used to define the property colour of the geometry faces.

The names of automatically generated plate property data sets is also based on these colours; they will be given a name such as "ACIS Colour #XXXXXX" where #XXXXXX is a hexadecimal string representing the RGB colour (for example, "ACIS Colour #C0C0C0" represents a grey colour).

Match Existing Properties

If set, and ACIS Colour as Property is also set, new plate properties are created only if a matching property (i.e., a property with the required colour) does not already exist in the model. This option is useful when importing multiple files into one Strand7 model allowing properties (i.e., colours) from the different imports to be matched.

Convert Unused Curves to Beams

If set, unused curves in the ACIS file are imported as beam elements.

Unused curves are curves that are not referenced in the definition of any face in the file. If all curves in the ACIS file are referenced, this option has no effect.