Hi all
I have 3 large STEP files that I want to convert to Solidworks. When I try to convert them with Solidworks, it takes at least 2 days to work and in the end Solidworks crashes.
Is there a particular method, software or online conversion site to solve my problem.
Thanks in advance
Kind regards
Where do your STEP files come from?
Isn't there a way to clean them before export?
Hello
It is possible to convert files to STEP for free without going through SolidWorks.
See my tutorial:
http://www.lynkoa.com/tutos/3d/convertir-gratuitement-des-fichiers-solidworks-sldprt-sldasm-en-step
@PL, what @Nico-H wants is the opposite, to transform a STEP file into a Solidworks file.
@Nico, I'm going to ask you the same question as @Bart, where do STEP files come from? you don't have a way of receiving them in several parts? Because 700MB is very big, there must be an assembly that you can recover in several times, to prevent it from crashing...
Otherwise, if you can get other formats that weigh less, go to this option.
After that, there are a few things you can do before importing your assembly, close all your applications to free up as much RAM as possible, set the performance of Solidworks to a minimum, you can even create a new document template with performance and image quality at a minimum, which uses as little memory as possible and which will be used exclusively for your imports.
Keep us informed, I'm interested, I had a lot of problems with the slowness of the software because of the heaviness of the import files (but it wasn't much compared to your 700MB ^^)
Cdt
Joss
Indeed, time for me!
Are the files local? If they are on the network, make a copy locally and try to save locally as well.
You can also try to save as a part rather than as an assembly, and try to clean up the errors of the STEP before saving it in SolidWorks.
To all, thank you for your answers.
WWTPs are production lines.
Here are the 1st lines of one of the STEP files opened with the notepad: (ISO-10303-21;
HEADER;
FILE_DESCRIPTION(('Creo Elements/Direct Modeling STEP Export'),'2; 1');
FILE_NAME('GGL_PART_2.stp','2014-04-29T15:33:37',(''),(''),
'Creo Elements/Direct Modeling STEP processor for AP214 (Solid Model)',
'Creo Elements/Direct Modeling 18.0B 02-Dec-2011 (C) Parametric Technol
ogy GmbH','');
FILE_SCHEMA(('AUTOMOTIVE_DESIGN { 1 0 10303 214 1 1 1 1 1 }'))
So I think the assembly was done with CREO software
I tried the Crossmanager software, without result, I left it running for 9 or 10 days but the last 2 days it seemed stuck at the same percentage.
With such a large file, even if you manage to convert it to .sldasm or meme to .sldprt, in my opinion, you will waste a lot of time each time saved, rebuilt, modified and meme just to manipulate it.
I work with clients who send me 100 MB files and sometimes, just for a cut, I wait 5 to 10 minutes, the zoom jerks terribly, as soon as I want to integrate any part whatsoever, even the simplest, it can be counted in minutes.
For a recording, I have time to go smoke a cigarette and pour myself a coffee...
In my opinion, you really need to find a way to completely clean up your file, limit before converting it because even if you manage to convert it, afterwards, you have to save it and it often happens that it crashes during the recording. I can tell you this because I wasted a lot of time like that, sometimes it took me two days to open a step file with Solidworks so that in the end saving the file crashed the software.
For larger blends, I had to ask my client to split it into several parts or send it to me in a lighter format so that I could use it.
Cdt
Joss
PS: What @PL says in his last message is quite important, if your file is stored on a network, save it locally, it uses less RAM and it lags much less.
@Joss.G, I want to convert these files to Solidworks so that I can use some assemblies from the general assembly. To be clear, each WWTP is a production line, and I want to recover only a few machines from it.
But if I'm asking you that, it's because I have no way of having the fractional STEP or the like. I have these 3 WWTPs and that's it. Otherwise I would have asked them for the separate WWTPs, I'm not crazy!! lol ;) :D
And to answer @PL yes, I use everything locally.
On the other hand, there are no websites where you can convert online?
@ Felix, it was just a question ;)
Otherwise yes the files may have bugs, if that's it, impossible to repair them??
Oops, I deleted them :/
But anyway with Crossmanager, no file could be converted, because 9-10 days for 1 STEP file, so on the 10th day I stopped it
If you plan to go through the production lines of your WWTP to find the machines you want, I absolutely can't help you, the lines of code and I are not even half of one!
In any case, it seems to be very difficult to achieve...
And for websites, as @Felix says, it won't take any less time.
If not, how much RAM do you have? It can also come from there.
I just read some discussions on the subject and almost every time, it ended the same way: the person who had the problem didn't have a good enough PC, he had to send his file via a dropbox to a nice enough person (and who has a war machine) to do the conversion for him...
@Joss.G lol No you misunderstood, the WWTP represent an assembly of a factory production line, composed of several machines, and I want to recover some of them;)
and to answer your questions, I tried on 2 different PCs. To be precise, the 1st was an Intel Xeon CPU E31225 @ 3.10GHz with 8GB of RAM, and the 2nd also had 8GB of ram and a bit newer (on the other hand I don't know the processor anymore because the PC is no longer in our offices)
Harf, I didn't understand anything;D
Bizzard, 8GB should be enough normally...
I admit that I'm working :-/
Hello
8MB only I think the problem comes from there. I recently opened a complete WWTP factory that was 950MB, it took more than a day to open it and about 6 hours to save all the files.
On the other hand I was on a workstation with 16GB of RAM in 64 bits under seven, with a HDD in 15000rpm.
Edit: and the 16GB were all used...
@+
Hello
I would say to add that in solidworks 2014 16GB is a minimum to work with. the newer the version, the more Ram you should have.
So what version of solidworks do you use?
I tried with 2012 and 2013, in both cases it crashed. I confirm that the 8GB was used at 100% lol
Unfortunately we don't have more powerful machines...
@SEPM. Gerald : If I go your way, I would have to convert them with a solidworks 2010 or lower to use only my 8GB:D
If possible, ask your customer/supplier for an export in parasolid instead of the step.
1 The file is much lighter
2 parasolid is more or less the native language of Solidworks and Creo (if my memory serves me correctly)
So this should allow you to open faster and crash less.
You can also ask the person who provided you with the file to try to open it with their software. If he can't do it, there's no point in trying, it means that the export file is buggy (this wouldn't be surprising given its size)
Hoping this helps you
No, unfortunately I can't ask them for another format:(
A step of this size you need a lot of RAM to store everything, 8 g of RAM may not be enough, at first glance it would take 16 g.
When the RAM is saturated, the virtual memory takes over, by default its volume is not very large, you can increase it. It's not ideal but it allows you to open a large model. It crashes a lot more as a general rule as soon as the RAM saturates. I have gotten into the habit of often opening the task manager to monitor what is going on.
I've been working for several years on the same model, a complete motorcycle. More than 2000 parts, when I open it in native CATIA format it takes up a dozen gigabytes of RAM. The complete step is more than a giga! I had to upgrade my PC regularly, currently I have a xeon E5-2680, 32 g of ram, a quadro 6000.
RAM is essential, it allows you to load and run calculations on large models. The powerful CPU is mainly used for keyshot rendering, a high frequency allows not to harm the performance on applications that do not use several cores. The powerful CG is for the fluidity of animation on the screen in 2560/1440. it still jerks when everything is open...
For this kind of hardware, prices are exploding, but there are the latest generation Xeon processors at affordable prices second-hand, the same goes for pro graphics cards.