How to: import SW files(2010 & 2011 sldprt & sldasm) at higher resolution.

[Robert V.]

So, you have made your SW model.... When you try to import... you find that keyshot gives an error...

If that's the case with your model, you probably have a big SW-file...

What to do?:

Convert to STEP (AP214).
This makes curves much rounder, adding realism to the end render.

Problems that can occur when converting to STEP:
1) When importing an assembly, one or more parts can give errors. Resulting in an keyshot error message or that the colour indication is wrong. (colour indication = every part that must have a different material in keyshot needs a different colour in SW)

How to solve this: (and this takes a lot of time, but in the end it's worth it)
Only parts that are coloured by "select faces" are recognised in STEP (so not "features", "body", "part" or "surface")

2) Export as assembly to STEP and then import that file to keyshot, it can happen that the STEP won't load (keyshot gives an error). You can find out which part makes the STEP-file fail by doing the following:
Turn "use new importers (beta)" off (under preferences). When you import the faulty STEP, keyshot will only load the working parts.

To solve this, import the parts that made the STEP faulty separately. There is a higher change that keyshot will import those parts without a problem. (so convert the parts in SW to STEP separately)

The great thing about this is: it works for SW 2011 as well.

Tomorrow I'll post a render of the same object twice, one is a sldasm import (with the highest "shaded and draft quality" keyshot would accept), the other will be a STEP import.

[Robert V.]

and here they are:

Every render setting on default, except for aa, that was set on 2

STEP:

sldprt:


quite the difference, not?