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rodwslc  
#1 Posted : Tuesday, June 22, 2021 3:37:54 PM(UTC)
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I have a STL file for a model railroad tank car that I would like to convert to a 2D drawing. I would like to get a top, side, and end views in 2D.

I have worked with Punch Support and was told that I could do it by importing the STL file into ViaCAD (I have version 12) and the use the Model to Sheet function. It turns out that the 179Mb file is too large for ViaCAD to handle and that I needed to purchase PowerPack to accomplish what I need. My problem is this will be the only time I will need PowerPack to do this and I can justify spending $300 for it.

I am hoping that I can find someone on the forum who has the capability to do this and is willing to help me out by making the ViaCAD file for me. I am willing to compensate the person who can help me to get the .vc3 drawing file I need.

If you are willing to help me, please reply to this and we can discuss the particulars and compensation. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Rod
MPSchmied  
#2 Posted : Wednesday, June 23, 2021 6:00:02 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: rodwslc Go to Quoted Post
and that I needed to purchase PowerPack to accomplish what I need
I dont believe this. the Power Pack help not to open big files. Power pack are just some additional Tools, but there is no alternate Model to Sheet in the Power Pack. I guess you dont need it and the support told you wrong things. Please post the file, please pack the file in a zip and then we can talk about how you can send me the to big file. I will see how long the program need for opening and will trying to make a Model to Sheet. When this model is so complex maybe you should split it in some parts. 1 MTS is maybe not enough for it.

Edited by user Wednesday, June 23, 2021 11:27:11 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

OS: Windows 10 | CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 | RAM: 32 GB | Graphic: AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 | Shark FX 9 Build 1162 | Unit: mm
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rodwslc on 6/27/2021(UTC)
UGMENTALCASE  
#3 Posted : Wednesday, June 23, 2021 9:32:20 AM(UTC)
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Power pack will definitely NOT help with this. Maybe to reduce the triangles a little yeah but that probably won't help. Unless they were suggesting to make it a solid using power pack, even then you'll have a tonne of lines all over it because of the stl format.

So import the stl file, be patient with it, 100+mb is pretty big. Change your display to 'phong no edges' or the other one with no edges. Something without lines anyway.

Then do model to sheet. Make sure you select something without edges otherwise it'll never work. Leave it for a little and it should display.

I had a file similar. A good 100mb and after seeing Punches Gnome figure example I thought it must be possible. Anyway it is but with no edges shown.
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MPSchmied on 6/23/2021(UTC), rodwslc on 6/27/2021(UTC), specktech on 6/28/2021(UTC)
rodwslc  
#4 Posted : Sunday, June 27, 2021 12:12:32 PM(UTC)
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UGMENTALCASE - If "Change your display to 'phong no edges' or the other one with no edges." is a Windows OS thing, I have no idea how to do that on my Mac computer. On System Preferences - Display on my Mac, these is no option at all to do this or anything close to doing this, unless I am not looking in the right location. If you have any idea on how to do this, please let me know. Thank you for your help. rodwslc
UGMENTALCASE  
#5 Posted : Sunday, June 27, 2021 12:57:17 PM(UTC)
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Hi, so when you go to do a model to sheet a dialog box pops up showing some options. There is a pull down tab which says 'polylines', 'precise (slower)', phone, flat and so on. I tried it and the phong one has no edges.

I tend to turn off the edges in 'shade options' which is in the VIEW menu. There is a few options, static, dynamic and so on. I change that to phong no edges, if I have a mesh which is pretty tasty.
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rodwslc on 6/27/2021(UTC), specktech on 6/28/2021(UTC)
MPSchmied  
#6 Posted : Wednesday, June 30, 2021 7:33:16 AM(UTC)
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I got the file. Nice to see the program hard working while it seems it is non responding :)

How to get rid of this senseless triangles without Pro and without Power Pack? I have Shark LT 9 and SharkCAD 10.

I have forget that the subdivision to nurbs works only in Pro, but i dont need nurbs, just circles.

Is it allowed to post images from this water tank here in the forum?

Edited by user Thursday, July 1, 2021 2:47:45 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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MPSchmied  
#7 Posted : Wednesday, June 30, 2021 2:07:39 PM(UTC)
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Just change Object Type into Solid. http://forums.punchcad.c...sts&t=8066#post30663 But now i fave first to wait until it loaded again, this need some time.

But it works not because this works only with max 3000 facets.

Edited by user Wednesday, June 30, 2021 2:17:41 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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MPSchmied  
#8 Posted : Wednesday, June 30, 2021 4:50:36 PM(UTC)
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Beware - The so called Mesh to NURBS but from the Software called "Subdivision to NURBS" is removed. This is only available in older Versions like v9 and 10. So this project cant be made with v. 12. Blender just crashed......
OS: Windows 10 | CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 | RAM: 32 GB | Graphic: AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 | Shark FX 9 Build 1162 | Unit: mm
bbuxton  
#9 Posted : Wednesday, June 30, 2021 10:31:32 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: rodwslc Go to Quoted Post
I have a STL file for a model railroad tank car that I would like to convert to a 2D drawing. I would like to get a top, side, and end views in 2D.

I have worked with Punch Support and was told that I could do it by importing the STL file into ViaCAD (I have version 12) and the use the Model to Sheet function. It turns out that the 179Mb file is too large for ViaCAD to handle and that I needed to purchase PowerPack to accomplish what I need. My problem is this will be the only time I will need PowerPack to do this and I can justify spending $300 for it.

I am hoping that I can find someone on the forum who has the capability to do this and is willing to help me out by making the ViaCAD file for me. I am willing to compensate the person who can help me to get the .vc3 drawing file I need.

If you are willing to help me, please reply to this and we can discuss the particulars and compensation. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Rod


An STL that size will be too much for SharkCAD and Powerpack to produce clean line drawings. For just a visual line drawing you could use an NPR or Toon shader in Blender or a similar 3D program.
For conversion to a solid, I use Modo's retopology tools to create a subD mesh then export using the Integrityware SubD2Nurbs plugin. Although this plugin can handle far more than the 3000 face limit mentioned here it is better to keep the basic cage as low as possible. Cyborge3D make Mesh2CAD and SubD2CAD as standalone products. It is the same tech that was licensed for the SubD2Nurbs tool in PowerPack Pro and Modo, but much more robust. Mesh2CAD is about $2000 but worth it, as it just crunches through STL files without much intervention. Perhaps you could get the result you need with the 30-day trial??

https://www.npowersoftwa...rgMeshToCADOverview.html
Junior member since Concepts Unlimited V1 pre-release
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MPSchmied on 7/1/2021(UTC)
UGMENTALCASE  
#10 Posted : Thursday, July 1, 2021 2:26:30 AM(UTC)
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Could we not use separate mesh in power pack to divide it up into its smaller pieces and then do something with that?
MPSchmied  
#11 Posted : Thursday, July 1, 2021 2:30:21 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: UGMENTALCASE Go to Quoted Post
Could we not use separate mesh in power pack to divide it up into its smaller pieces and then do something with that?

Why not using just SharkFX and subd to nurbs? I will buy a licence now.

I deleted my prev post by myself, because it was useless and that Blender crashes i told already.
Edit: SharkFX have Subd to nurbs, not SharkLT

Edited by user Thursday, July 1, 2021 2:35:18 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

OS: Windows 10 | CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 | RAM: 32 GB | Graphic: AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 | Shark FX 9 Build 1162 | Unit: mm
UGMENTALCASE  
#12 Posted : Thursday, July 1, 2021 2:38:00 AM(UTC)
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Dunno I've not seen the files just putting ideas out there. The mesh to nurbs is fine but I've never had it work very well unless I've cleaned and organised the mesh first. My the sounds of it 100+mb of mesh file won't work very well
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MPSchmied on 7/1/2021(UTC)
murray  
#13 Posted : Thursday, July 1, 2021 7:43:06 AM(UTC)
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Why not place infinite planes to pass cut sections through it for outlines, it's a simple object, detail the outlines with standard 2D tools? Power pack not needed, although this tank would need mesh to analytics because it's cylinders, toroidal bands and ellipsoid end caps. Mesh to analytics is still in power pack mesh utilities.
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