Import model that preserves local coordinate systems

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jfitzpatrick
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2022 2:07 pm

Import model that preserves local coordinate systems

Post by jfitzpatrick »

Hello,
I need to open files created outside of FreeCAD that preserve local coordinate systems. STEP files seem to make the most sense, but I can't find any way to preserve these features on import.

Basically, I am trying to import a bunch of step files and place them in an assembly using the API and perform some analysis of these points in relation to each other.

Alternatively, I could use 3D points and sketch lines, but I can't get STEP files to preserve sketches either. If I open up these step files in Creo, both sketches and local coordinate systems show up with their user-defined names, so I know this data exists in the file.

(edited)
I've attached an example STEP file that has a user-defined coordinate system. If I open that file up inside of Creo, I can see the coordinate system as shown in the attached picture.

I've also attached a picture of the raw text of the step file showing the line that defined the coordinate system.

The file type doesn't have to be step- I just need some kind of universal filetype that has this geometry.

Thanks :D
Attachments
step-text.PNG
step-text.PNG (64.6 KiB) Viewed 326 times
steptest2.stp
(8.83 KiB) Downloaded 2 times
datums.png
datums.png (17.66 KiB) Viewed 326 times
Last edited by jfitzpatrick on Fri Aug 12, 2022 6:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
chrisb
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Re: Import model from Creo that preserves local coordinate systems

Post by chrisb »

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I doubt that a step file contains the full history of an object with all ist sketches. But if the step was made out of several objects you can either explode the step compound or you can try different import options. I have set "enable STEP compound merge".
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thomas-neemann
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Re: Import model from Creo that preserves local coordinate systems

Post by thomas-neemann »

jfitzpatrick wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 2:21 pm ...
can you upload a test file here?
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jfitzpatrick
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Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2022 2:07 pm

Re: Import model from Creo that preserves local coordinate systems

Post by jfitzpatrick »

chrisb wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 4:17 pm I doubt that a step file contains the full history of an object with all its sketches. But if the step was made out of several objects you can either explode the step compound or you can try different import options. I have set "enable STEP compound merge".
I have already set "enable STEP compound merge", but that just prevents separate bodies from being merged, and has no effect on coordinate systems. As far as sketches go, I don't care about history, rather just the present sketches.

I have also tried exploding, but again, that just separates bodies and does not display any user-defined coordinate systems that were present in the STEP file
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