A new developer/preview PrePoMax version v2.3.3 has been released

News
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The new version of PrePoMax contains the following user features:

  • added support to convert closed shell CAD parts to solids
  • added support to convert solid CAD parts to shells
  • added support to import mixed (shell/solid) .step models (previously, all parts imported from a mixed model were recognized as shells)
  • bug fixes

Download: Downloads – PrePoMax

The alternative download page will not be updated anymore since it seems the home page is accessible again.

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The .step file importer was modified to account for mixed (shell/solid) .step models. If the .step model contains a closed shell body, the body will be converted to a solid automatically. If this is not intended, the feature to convert a solid CAD body to a shell needs to be used: Geometry → CAD Part → Convert Solid to Shell. Also, support for PTC .step models was added.

All this changes migt affect the importer in unwanted ways.

Please let me know if you have any problems.

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Hi @Matej great job as usual ! However, it seems to me the software is now crashing much too often, is it only me ? Andrea

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Hi,
I compared the import of simple models created with Freecad, Salome, Gmsh, and NX. While i had no problems with step files, the situation is different with iges and brep files of surface models (except for files created in Freecad). For example, if I import a connected iges/brep surface model from Freecad, I only receive one shell part as expected:

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With all the other programs mentioned, I received a shell part for each surface. So I first had to create a compound in prepomax to get a connected part - no problem.

Since v2.3.3, however, it seems that the import is performed multiple times, depending on the number of surfaces the model consists of. For example, if the model consists of two surfaces, I no longer receive two shell parts but four (2x2). If it consists of 3 surfaces, I now get nine parts (3x3) and so on:

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Attached a simple iges file for testing
NX-2D-bracket.zip (3.4 KB)

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Sorry, I mixed it up… creating a compound from iges and brep files of a surface model always resulted in an empty part without geometry. The description applies to step files.

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I did no changes that should affect the stability. But let me know if there are problems.

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Thank you for spotting this. There was a bug in the geometry reader. I fixed it and also added a solution to such models that enables them to be correctly compounded into a single shell.

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