The following settings are recommended up to NX 11 and CATIA V4.2.5 (Dassault).
NX – System
- Delete blanked elements before preprocessing.
- To transfer colors of assemblies the colors should be set and saved with the individual components, not the assembly.
- Note that NX uses the radius of a "tolerance tube", other CAD Systems like CATIA V4 define "tolerance" as the distance between two points.
- Select Analysis -> Examine Geometry -> all options -> all elements (up to NX2).
- Select Analysis -> examine Geometry -> Set All Checks (up to NX8.5) The marked elements are likely to cause problems with data exchange, depending on the messages as explained below:
- Severe errors:
data structures, consistency, face-face intersections, self-intersections - Might cause problems:
tiny, face smoothness, spikes/cuts, edge tolerances - Without negative influence on data exchange:
misaligned, sheet boundaries, edge smoothness
NX - STEP Preprocessor
- Start the external STEP processor with File -> Export -> STEP214.
- Select Data to Export and define the options:
- Object Types: One or more of the options Solid, Product Data, Surface, and Wireframe (depending on model).
- The default tolerance value in menu Advanced -> Parameters -> B-Spline Aprx. Tol. of 1.01*10-5 mm can cause to very large STEP files and should be reduced in such cases(recommended value: 10-3 mm).
- Recommended is to use the default settings in menu Translation Control (Tolerant Modeling).
- Special characters in the filename of the STEP file are not allowed. The model will not be exported.
- Validation properties are supported.
STEP File
- In the filename syntax special characters (especially / * % ) or umlauts must be avoided.
- The STEP file extension must be changed to *.step.
CATIA V4 (Dassault) - STEP Postprocessor
- Identical curve tolerance should be set according to desired model space. (default: 0.1 corresponds to 10m model space)
- Recommended settings in declaration file:
- st1cat.EXACT_SOLIDS_CREATION=TRUE (creates SOL instead of VOL)
- st1cat.TOPOLOGY_HEALING=TRUE
- st1.cat.CATIA.REPLACE=TRUE
- The log file filename.log gives hints about translation success. Check for converted/failed STEP entities in the summary at the end of the file.
CATIA V4 (Dassault) – System
- Each component of an imported assembly is located in a separate workspace.
- The master workspace shows the whole assembly.
- To remove the text added to the model use: TEXT -> ERASE -> *FAC+*SUR etc.
- Shaded view is helpful for a first impression of model quality.
- With IDENTIFY look for received SOL, VOL or SKI.
- Use CATCLN.