Removing Solids ... File is Huge

[APE Design Ctr]

I am modelling a piece of 3/4" plastic that has a real size of about 4'x4'.

On this plastic sheet are irregular objects being cut out by a CNC machine. I am only 1/3 of the way done removing the solids to make a block accurate to our finished product, and the file is around 145 megs. This will ultimately be stored as a symbol to be used frequently in other projects. Is there a way I can save the file without any history so I can hopefully save some space. This is way to huge, and I am not even done cutting out the rest of the solids yet.

Thanks!

[Kaare Baekgaard]

Make a copy of the file and convert the shape to generic solid. (Keep the old for making corrections)

Create a simplified representation to use as symbol for other projects. If you need the extra accuracy, you can replace the simple symbol with the detailed.

[tom kyler_dup1]

Are these CNC shapes 2-dimensional? ...getting cut out of a sheet of plastic? If so, then I'm guessing you're doing 3D modeling for visualization purposes. If you're doing CNC surfacing of 3D parts, then the above suggestion by Kaare is the way to go, but if you're going to use a CNC for cutting 2D shapes out of a sheet of something, then a 3D model isn't necessary...certainly not cost-effective; however, if a 3D model is what you have to work with, and you need to create 2D shapes to export as DXF for a CAM program and CNC machine, then here's what I suggest:

Consequently, the below process basically creates 2D lines from the 3D model.

Orient the model in top view, like looking down on a CNC table. Then select all the 3D objects and go to TOOL>CONVERT COPY TO LINES. This will create a group of lines which is a 2D "view" of the screen and keep your 3D model intact underneath. Then grab the group of lines..move them off to the side and ungroup them. You can then cut and paste these lines to a new file to be exported as DXF for a CAM program. There's a few down-sides to this method. but for 2D CNC work, it suffices most of the time.

[APE Design Ctr]

Tom, thanks a mil. That will help.