STEP will probably address this issue, but STEP translators are still immature and not yet widely supported. These issues are not unique to grid generation. They apply to most downstream applications that make use of CAD geometry. Many U.S. companies have attempted to address data translation issues by requiring a single CAD system for the entire company. The geometry organization is maintained in the primary CAD model.
Geometries are as accurate as defined in their respective CAD system.
Geometry degradation is significantly minimized by eliminating the translation through a neutral format and because the interface is designed specifically for the respective CAD system. If there are changes to the geometry there is no time consuming effort to re-acquire it for grid generation. The ICEM CFD Direct CAD Interface module described in Figure 2 provides this environment. The software provided executes inside the CAD system. This intelligent geometry information is saved with the master geometry.