ParaSolid file conversion to Altium?? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Mikekoz13
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2013, 05:39:01 pm
content: I have a board design coming where I will have little info except for a couple of ParaSolid files. One of those files is a text file and the other is a binary file.Can I convert either of these ParaSolid files to Altium?Thanks for any help.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2013, 05:47:46 pm
content: Parasolid is a 3D kernel ... has nothing to do with board design.Are you dabbling with flex board by any chance ?

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2013, 05:58:14 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on July 30, 2013, 05:47:46 pmIt is a kernel which defines some file formats for 3D object definition.For the OP step is the only 3D file format Altium understands, you will have to convert the file to step format.

author: Mikekoz13
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 07:41:44 pm
content: It is for a flex board.The problem for me is that the customer wants me to recreate something from the Parasolid file onto a PCB layout. I haven't seen the data yet but apparently it is curved in the ParaSolid file. I have no idea how to deal with that because even if I get the step file read in by converting the ParaSolid file in SolidWorks... how do I transfer that curved info, correctly, to a board in 2D?

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 07:48:38 pm
content: Quote from: Mikekoz13 on July 31, 2013, 07:41:44 pmYou place it as a 3D body in the PCB design. There is a command to directly define the PCB shape from a surface of a 3D body. If the 3D body doesn't have a suitable surface you could add snap points to it and manually create a board outline in 2D using the snap points as reference.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2013, 09:53:59 pm
content: Quote from: Mikekoz13 on July 31, 2013, 07:41:44 pmYou can't. You need to unroll it in the source file first.Load the parasolid in Catia and unroll it. Then export into Step. then you can clone it in altium.I'm saying Catia as i see 'parasolid' and 'flex'. that triggers me to believe your customer is using Catia Flex Design ( that is the ONLY serious flex design tool out there ! )

author: Mikekoz13
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 11:21:00 am
content: Thanks for you help guys. When I finally get the data, I'll be looking into these last two suggestions. One of the mechanical guys I work with is going to read the ParaSolid files into SolidWorks and we'll go from there.The data apparently has some traces/fills in it as well and is not just a PCB outline. Can that also be dealt with using these methods?

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 01:13:12 pm
content: Quote from: Mikekoz13 on August 01, 2013, 11:21:00 amOnly by adding snap points to the 3D body and using them as guides in 2D.Of course we assume this 3D body is a representation of the flat flex, if folded or bent it is going to be useless.If flat and you want more than an outline is it probably better to create a 2D autocad drawing from the 3D which can be imported into PCB layers.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 02:39:24 pm
content: The parasolid will be the folded flex... So you cant load that in any pcb tool . You will need to 'unbend it' , which is what needs to be done for the pcb manufacturing anyway. That can only be done in a 3D CAD package. I am currently only aware of 1 tool that can do that and it is CATIA PCB designer.That is made specifically for flex boards. This tool can unroll the design , preserving all shapes. Once you got that you can export to gerber and load that in altium,

author: Mikekoz13
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2013, 05:44:14 pm
content: Thanks again guys. I'm still waiting on this work to arrive but at least I now have some good info to start with. We do not have Catia her but my mechical friend thinks there is a way around this with some other software that is here.