FormZ import

[Peter Boldsen]

I use FormZ as my primary 3D modeler and Vectorworks to make my production drawings. When I import my FormZ models (*.iges) into Vectorworks, I get several unwanted (iso)lines which I can?t seem to remove.

Is there a way to hide or remove these lines?

Anybody out there have greater success than me, importing files from FormZ (5.5) ---> Vectorworks (12)

[Andrew Bell@NV]

Are these isolines on nurbs surfaces and the like? They won't appear in rendered modes, they're just there to give a better impression of the shape of the surface in wireframe.

[Peter Boldsen]

It will not help me to render because i need to make production drawings(lines only).

You can see the problem in this example object. It is a solid object, not nurbs.

SCREENSHOT OF ISOLINES IN FORMZ & VECTORWORKS:

http://www.formz.com/web_site_2000/content_pages/forum01/discus/messages/16/12333.html?1133175293

/Peter Boldsen

[Andrew Bell@NV]

Hmm. The lines you're seeing there almost certainly are nurbs edges, not isolines, or they would disappear in hidden line. Somewhere along the line some of the nurbs surfaces seem to have been split in two. If you convert the solid to NURBS, and then add the NURBS surfaces back together, is the result any different?

Also, if you have any other program that reads IGES, you might want to try importing that same file and see if you get the same surface divisions.

[quigley]

Peter,

Sorry to say this but you are seeing a deficiency in VectorWorks/ACIS. FormZ is based on ACIS, so if you export the same model into VectorWorks as an ACIS file you will get exactly the same issue.

I tried exactly the same shape using FormZ and Ashlar Vellum Cobalt (also based on ACIS). There are no lines (iso or otherwise) in that.

I suspect VectorWorks is doing something odd to the surfaces when it imports. One of the issues with using VW as a full on 3D application like this is the lack of control over import/export, display of iso lines and so on.

Rendering is one thing but producing production drawings requires control over the display of EVERY line. Until VW can handle things like turning off tangent edges, locally editing isolines and edges it will never really compete in the MCAD sector.

[quigley]

Peter,

What happens when you create a drawing in FormZ itself?

[Peter Boldsen]

Hi Andrew

I have send the IGES file to your mailadress.

FormZ also support many other formats. I have tried them all with no success. (3DStudio, DWG, DXF, FACT, IGES, Lighsscape, LightWave, OBJ, RIB, SAT, Shockwave W3D, STL, 3DGF, 3DMF and VRML)

My best results was with IGES and DWG.

I have received this from FormZ support:

"I am not sure why these lines are occurring, and I have verified that these are also produced when importing the IGES file back into formZ. Thus this may be a formZ error -- or it may be an IGES limitation (I will have to check...). ??If I export this file as SAT, I am then able to import this back into formZ without the added facets, but for some reason Vectorworks adds these lines when it imports the SAT file. Perhaps this is a limitation of Vectorworks. If you export your object as SAT (try using Version ~10) and send it to Vectorworks tech support, can they explain the additional lines? "?

- - -

/Peter Boldsen

[Peter Boldsen]

Hi KQ

Do you mean create a drawing in the FormZ 2D drafting? No, FormZ draft have not been updated the last 4-6 years.

/Peter Boldsen

[Andrew Bell@NV]

If you want to send me the IGES file, I can take a look at it and what VectorWorks is doing with it.

[quigley]

Peter,

Yes. Use the FormZ drafting to see if you get the lines in that. I'm not suggesting you actually USE FormZ drafting ('cos its next to useless!!) but just try it as a test for this situation.