Hello

We usually get DWG-files from our clients. Does anyone know a good method to convert these files into a format that Gambit can read?

I would open it in Mechanical Desktop and export it as IGS file

Hello Amir

and thank you for your answer.

What is "Mechanical Desktop"? We do not have a licens of AutoCAD.

I'm not sure whether other CAD software can read DWG or not coz its an Autocad format. If your CAD software can't read it, then ask your clients to save it in igs or other format (check the help file, I usually use step format) for you. hope it helps

pas

We have DWG files from our clients and we have not AutoCAD. Our clients have problems saving in iges-format. What we therefor need is a converter from DWG to Gambit-format. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Mechanical Desktop is another product of Autodesk Co. who has AutoCAD as well. You would difinitely need a convertor from DWG to any other format that could be read by Gambit and Mechanical Desktop is one of the softwares which provide this. you may give a try to the other softwares as well like Solidworks, Pro-E, Unigraphics and so on to see if you can convert DWG files to any of appropriate files readable by Gambit such as STEP, IGES, SAT and etc.

well, it's very difficult, isn't it? there are a few options that you can try. if you have lots of clients then get yourself an AutoCad, doesn't have to be the latest one, any versions will do, as long as you tell your clients what version your autocad is. or, you can get yourself an illegal copy of autocad, which most uni students have (no student can afford $6000 for a software), or you can ask a drafting office near your neighborhood to save it to the other formats (step, igs, parasolid,etc,etc), if you ask them nicely they might do it for free or for a very small cost.

In my experiance IGES worked but was a bit crude. The best way is to export to a ACIS (.sat I think) file from autocad or similar. Make sure the ACIS file is exported to version 6 or previous though, or Gambit gets upset. Works very well for me.

[carlota]

hello, i have been reading your opinions and help me a lot.Although i need know where i can download to test mechanical desktop to export a dwg file to something can read gambit.
Is there any program that better solves the dwg export to any format it can read gambit?

Thanks

[Philipov]

Actually it is very difficult because in AutoCAD poly-lines are presented as a number of simple lines and you can control that number. If the number is small then you will not get a good geometry.
My experience showed that a good results give the use of Rhino 3D. From there you can export a lot of formats. So , if I have a CAD file, I import it into Rhino. Recreate the geometry, define the domain also, and export the final file to use in GAMBIT.
Some one may say it is too complicated, but... it is easy.... and it works...

If you want I can try to help...

[carlota]

Thank you very much for your help.I was testing with some programs and not yet found the solution on.My CAD file are contoured orographic profile.I will test with Rhino 3D to convert my dwg file in a format it can read correctly in GAMBIT.
Again thank you very much for your help,now i try to get the Rhino 3D.
I hope solve¡¡

[vmeertens]

Hey,

I have a similar question. I'm a student civil engineer in naval architecture and i will do a research/simulation of the hull - prop interaction. I wil simulate this in Fluent.
I have the hull in a Pro Engineering format (Wildfire V4) but i cant import this directly in Gambit. When I use Open > Import > CAD > Pro engineer File Direct It says: " The given platform does not support this functionality"
I can't use a direct import because our Fluent License is on the university server and I'm working at home.
Should I import it in a ACIS File (because in this extension surfaces are remained) or is there an other way to import this directly from ProEn?
(If it's needed i also can use Solidworks 2008 or Rhino3D.) Sorry for my bad english but i'm dutch and it's a long time ago i practiced english...
Any help is appreciated!

[Philipov]

I do not see the question..... it is obvious you can not use direct import, so use what you can! Use Rhino or export to another format....

[vmeertens]

There is a direct import (realtime) from ProEn to Gambit and there's a direct file import from ProEn to Gambit (.prt extension). But neither of those work.. And I just want to know if somebody else has this problem also?
Is it possible to use Rhino 3D to directly import a file in Gambit or do you have tu use a universal extension? (STEP, IGES, STL)

[carlota]

My problem was solved using RHINO3D. I had a .*DWG file and open it in RHINO3D and export it in .*SAT that i could properly imported into GAMBIT.
Anyone know a good gambit tutorial?

Thanks,and sorry for my bad english¡¡

[carlota]

Hi,
I have a new problem,i need to import a surface in gambit and i have this surface in *.sup. Anyone know a way?

Thanks