CAD Import & Export Formats
The CAD Import/Export support build into the InStep application allows import as well as export of the following formats:
STL : Stereolithography files. Both ASCII (Text) and Binary formats are automatically supported for import. Export to either formats is supported but the output format needs to be defined in the Settings as either Ascii or Binary.
OBJ : Most forms of the OBJ format are supported for import. Some more complex (such as higher order facets or combined b-rep surfaces) or custom formats are not automatically recognized. We encourage users to submit file formats that currently do not work so that we can add support in the future.
DAE: The Collada format is not inherently compatible with the file system used. As such, only some of the files written in the DAE format are supported. The export generated is generally well supported by other applications though it is recommended that different settings be tested on the originating system to evaluate the level of support currently available. Items that will generally cause issues are cases that contain multiple bodies, transformed instances of bodies and non-facetted bodies.
GDML: Early in the developmen of the InStep application a request was received to implement a GDML file format support aimed at the scientifc community. Though few users are active in this region, the file format is still supported with some limitations in what the application can do.
X3D/VRML: Both the X3D and VRML file formats are supported though only in a limited form. Similar to the DAE format, the full range of capabilities of these formats is not implemented, rather only a subset of the information can be loaded. Export in these formats is generally well supported by other applications.
XYZ Triplet Data: This is basically just coordinate points in a text file. The application is not intended to function as a point cloud to CAD converter though this format allows some basic capability along these lines. The data is intended to originate from a machine using the popular MACH3 control software and represents probe data along the principal axes.
CWF: This format has been developed in-house as a compromise between capability and file size to be more compact than the OBJ format, more capable than the STL format yet still have a clear structure that requries little interpretation by the target application. The format is still in its infancy with more development planned in the future.