Geometry Import Settings

Options for defining treatment of geometry before import.

To access these settings, on the menu bar click Settings > Geometry import settings.

Face faceting parameters
SimSolid uses lightweight facets to represent part faces. Assembly, part names, and hierarchy are retained. Default facet settings should be sufficient for most geometries, but adjustments can be made.
The following faceting parameters are used to control tessellation:
  • Angular deviation (degrees) - influences the tessellation of curves with relatively small radii in comparison to the overall CAD model.
  • Chordal deviation (mm) - maximum distance between the actual part surface and the tessellated surface.
You can set these deviation values using the Resolution menu. Four options are available: Standard, Enhanced, Fine, and Custom. The Custom menu option allows you to input each parameter manually.
Note: As a best practice, start with Standard and refine only as required to capture geometry curvature. Setting these values smaller will increase the analysis solution time.
Units for dimensionless CAD files
Select the units from the dropdown for dimensionless CAD files CAD reader.
CAD reader
Parasolid, Parasolid + spatial and legacy readers are supported.
  • Parasolid – Uses inspire reader, which has a third-party reader from CoreTechnologie(CT) and converts them to Parasolid libraries. For Parasolid files, it reads and tessellates using Parasolid libraries directly and for all other formats it reads using CT reader and tessellates using Parasolid engine.
  • Parasolid + spatial – It is recommended to use this when working with CATIA files. It uses spatial for reading and tessellation for CATIA files and the above mentioned Parasolid reader for all other file formats.
  • Legacy – The legacy reader uses CT reader to read the CAD and tessellate the geometry.
Import Geometry Type
Solids and skins, solids only, and skins only options are supported.
  • Solids and skins – This is the default option. Imports surface CAD parts, if present in an assembly, along with solid parts. SimSolid brings in watertight solids only. It does try to repair small gaps but will ignore solids geometries with large openings.
  • Solids only – Imports solid parts only. Skins are ignored. SimSolid brings in watertight solids only. It does try to repair small gaps, but will ignore geometries with large openings.
  • Skins only – Solid parts are ignored. Any skins including surface CAD parts and parts with missing surfaces are also imported as skins.
Note: Except for plugin files and STL formats, SimSolid can import skins from assemblies or as part files by all CAD formats currently in use.
Import materials
SimSolid will attempt to look for and read any part metadata attribute that contains the material property name string. If this name string matches an existing name in the SimSolid material database, the corresponding SimSolid material properties will be applied. If it is not found, SimSolid will notify the user that material properties cannot be applied.
Note: SimSolid does not support the general imprint of CAD Material property data. The Import materials option will not work with all CAD files, as SimSolid currently supports CATIA, NX, and JT only. See the Define Custom Material Database topic for information on how to duplicate material property definitions present in the CAD system.
If the material was not found, SimSolid pops up a dialog for you to browse and choose an alternative material from the current SimSolid material database. This works for multiple materials in an assembly that matches the CAD metadata attribute.
Figure 1.


Custom metadata attributes
You can list any custom metadata attributes desired in the text box. SimSolid will search in the order listed and these values will take precedence over any internal default values.