This is why Engineer CAD have many ways to measure & dimension an object e.g.
it two very different thing, in fact it 2 different CAD category, because by default ALL Artistic CAD software are written as surface only (no solid information inside as there is no need for creative or even 3d printing industry), whereas Engineering CAD are more complex where by default it create solid information (not hollow inside) but it can also import surface only information as well. This can only be done in Engineer CAD and not Artist CAD with Nurb files. So what happen with Nurb type file is that when you import file like IGES back into CAD is that they try to stitch all the exterior information back up to make it into a solid cad object again. This means 2 things: It allow for open ended or missing surfaces during translation whereas STEP is a closed loop, because STEP is a true solid by default whereas IGES (or nurb) isn’t as it only retain surface information and not interior. What IGES specialises at (as part of Nurb structure) is to retain freeform surface geometry & 3d sketch & splines from the original CAD you have created. In short, the universal communication standard (for Engineering secto) has already happen / setup since the early 2000 using STEP (less so with IGES), because before 2000 most still uses AutoCAD (2D) or worst pen and paper. Catia / ProE (superior at mould tool manipulation), Solidworks / Unigraphics and require to be manufactured (sub-contracted) by another company for injection moulding for example they most likely uses other CAD packages e.g.
i.e… When a Pro designer uses one package e.g. Since early 2000 many Pro 3D CAD users from both sectors (Artist & Engineer) saw the divergence of Pro 3D CAD packages and there was a growing demand for a universal file standard for cross party communications. Many base features remain this including file structure.
Same can be said with Engineering CAD such as Solidworks and ProE (now creo) is actually written / originated one of the same, before branching out into 2 separate companies. Whereas Artistic CAD industry couldn’t agree on a universal standard between Maya and other smaller bespoke artistic software (used in the film industry) in the late 90s so they starting to adopt IGES in the early 2000 before a takeover by Autodesk who already own 3D max. If I recall Nurb file was originally developed by 3D Max in the Artist CAD industry, but later adopted into an universal standard called IGES for the Engineering CAD industry. I’m not knocking Solidworks but it’s intention is focused on the modeling side and not so much on export. I use both MOI and recently FormZ pro and though FZ does beautiful exports, MOI has a slicker export. If your having bad exports from Solidworks you may want to snag a copy of MOI3d that has nice controls on tesselation for export with visual feedback.
I’m sure they pay a pretty penny for the source code and need to get revenue back from their users.
I would think it would be unfair for Formlabs to produce software that is free only to have people use it for competing products.
Lastly I had asked for the ability to export out files from pre-form as stl or obj without the supports. Using nurb files would require higher end systems to handle them where the same file in a high resolution polygon obj or stl would have a higher frame rate to be able to manipulate. Even though you may be working with solid geometry the gpu is actually rendering out polygons. Next issue is supporting the visual feedback and video card requirements to see the objects on screen. Interpretations (how well step, iges, 3dm) are implemented into the software can cause geometry errors such as co-planer faces that can cause iterations in paralel surfaces causing striping. I think there is also a licensing issue with the nurb formats which would make the software cost prohibitive. Much like printing a high res bitmap to your printer. Nurb files are resolution independent unlike poly objects similarly to postscript files vrs bitmaps.Ĭooking the files down to obj (supports for multiple meshes in a single file that allows overlaps) and stl files to size will not effect the resolution of the print since the printers can’t print the details that you can see from a properly exported file.