Import: STEP File

Description

Imports a STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product) file with file extension of .stp or .step.

Only geometry data is imported; finite element entities are not imported.

Dialog

Name

Opens the file dialog to locate and select the STEP 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.

STEP Assemblies 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 STEP 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 component of a STEP assembly, and geometry faces within each component are assigned to that group. Each new group will become a child group of the default import group.

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

STEP Colour as Property

If set, property numbers are assigned to geometry faces based on their colours as defined in the STEP 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 "STEP Colour #XXXXXX" where #XXXXXX is a hexadecimal string representing the RGB colour (for example, "STEP Colour #C0C0C0" represents a grey colour).

Match Existing Properties

If set, and STEP 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.