Solid Edge Assembly

Use

You can import and view Solid Edge Assembly (.asm) files.

Supported

Hierarchical structured Scene Tree
Object Attributes: Color, opacity, visibility (of components and geometry nodes), and object names
Solid or Mesh Import
- Tessellation control with mesh import and dynamic tessellation option for solid import
- Normals and UV coordinates
Categorized object properties:
- Standard file and object properties
- Occurrence properties
- Custom occurrence properties
  
  Note
  
  If there’s an Excel document with the same name as the top-level assembly, and in the same folder as the assembly, the Solid Edge importer reads extra occurrence properties and populates metadata.
Imports Display Configuration (Creates multiple layers in the Visual Enterprise scene)
Import of “grouped” nodes
Construction geometry; for example, Surfaces, Points, planes, and wireframes
Assembly level color and limited assembly level features
Persistence Identifier and CAD Identifiers

Limitations

Animation
BoM support based on part names
PMI not supported
Textures
ERP Top Down and SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Generator Assembly Upload mode doesn’t support assembly-level color and assembly instance metadata
No section view information
Metadata in the Scene Tree sorts in alphabetical order so the original order isn’t preserved.
Initial view isn’t respected when loaded in Visual Enterprise scene.

Features

This format contains import options. You can use them to customize the way in which your file is opened.

Import Interface

Field	Functional Description
Common	Defines the general settings including tessellation (arrangement and density of the polygons) Note If you enter 0 (zero) for any of the tessellation settings, they aren’t taken into effect during the tessellation process. Geometry: Defines the geometry settings Import Hidden Component: Imports only the hidden objects that are separate from the hidden geometry Note Hidden geometry can be imported regularly as Import Hidden Objects Import Hidden Objects: Imports all hidden objects. If you modify any visible objects that contain hidden subobjects after import, those hidden objects are also modified. Display Hidden Objects: Displays all hidden objects in the viewport after importing the file Import Metadata: Imports file metadata from the original CAD file (stored inside the file as the metadata category CADMetadata) Apply Assembly-Level Color: If an assembly carries color for parts, this option retrieves the part color from the assembly, otherwise the part remains its default color. The default setting is `Yes`. Import Display Configuration: Display configuration from Solid Edge assembly files is imported in Visual Enterprise VDS format as a layer. Display configuration-specific information is stored as part of the top-level assembly configuration file called Top-level assembly file name .cfg files. To load configuration correctly, the corresponding configuration file must exist in the same folder as the assembly file. When sent to a process in SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Generator, this file must also exist. Note To import all display configurations, change the setting Import Hidden Componentto `On`. By default, the importer imports the last saved configuration. Tessellation Settings: Defines the tessellation settings Import Splines, Surfaces and Solids: Determines whether splines, surfaces, and solids are imported Tessellation Level: Applies different resolutions based upon preselected values for chord height ratio and normal tolerances. If you select User-Defined, further options become available. Angular Tolerance: Determines the maximum angular deviation (in degrees), allowed between an analytical surface and its triangulation. Pairs of triangles don’t incorporate a dihedral angle greater than this amount. For example, this setting dictates the minimum number of facets around a smaller circle or cylinder regardless of the Surface Deviation setting. This parameter gives you added control over faces with small radii. Lower values result in finer tessellations, while higher values produce coarser tessellations. Chord Height Tolerance: The value between the analytical surface and its triangulation that determines the distance and accuracy of the tessellation. The lower the value, the more accurate the result. 0.00001 is the minimum unit (high detail), and 1 000 000 is the maximum unit (low detail). Chord Height Behavior: Determines how accurately the chord height tolerance is applied. Absolute applies the chord height tolerance as it is. Scaled adjusts the values depending on the scale of the object being tessellated. Construction Geometry: Defines settings for the construction geometry Import Surfaces: Imports all construction geometry Note If a file contains sheet bodies, select this option for the file to import correctly. Import Points: Imports all 3D point data stored inside the CAD file and draws points as saved in CATIA files Import Planes: Imports all infinite 3D plane data stored inside the CAD file and draws planes as transparent mesh Import Wireframes: Imports all wireframes if any exist
Geometry Transformation	Transforms (rotate, position, and scale) the scene along the X, Y, and Z axes: Rotation: Sets the degrees of rotation around each axis from 0 degrees to 360 degrees. The rotation values can be entered with up to 6 decimal places. Scale: Scales the object along the X, Y, and Z axes Position: Sets the position of the scene along the X, Y, and Z axes

Field

Functional Description

Common

Defines the general settings including tessellation (arrangement and density of the polygons)

Geometry: Defines the geometry settings

Import Hidden Component: Imports only the hidden objects that are separate from the hidden geometry

Note

Hidden geometry can be imported regularly as Import Hidden Objects
Import Hidden Objects: Imports all hidden objects. If you modify any visible objects that contain hidden subobjects after import, those hidden objects are also modified.
Display Hidden Objects: Displays all hidden objects in the viewport after importing the file
Import Metadata: Imports file metadata from the original CAD file (stored inside the file as the metadata category CADMetadata)
Apply Assembly-Level Color: If an assembly carries color for parts, this option retrieves the part color from the assembly, otherwise the part remains its default color. The default setting is Yes.
Import Display Configuration: Display configuration from Solid Edge assembly files is imported in Visual Enterprise VDS format as a layer. Display configuration-specific information is stored as part of the top-level assembly configuration file called Top-level assembly file name .cfg files. To load configuration correctly, the corresponding configuration file must exist in the same folder as the assembly file. When sent to a process in SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Generator, this file must also exist.

Note

To import all display configurations, change the setting Import Hidden Componentto On. By default, the importer imports the last saved configuration.

Tessellation Settings: Defines the tessellation settings

Import Splines, Surfaces and Solids: Determines whether splines, surfaces, and solids are imported
Tessellation Level: Applies different resolutions based upon preselected values for chord height ratio and normal tolerances. If you select User-Defined, further options become available.
- Angular Tolerance: Determines the maximum angular deviation (in degrees), allowed between an analytical surface and its triangulation. Pairs of triangles don’t incorporate a dihedral angle greater than this amount. For example, this setting dictates the minimum number of facets around a smaller circle or cylinder regardless of the Surface Deviation setting. This parameter gives you added control over faces with small radii. Lower values result in finer tessellations, while higher values produce coarser tessellations.
- Chord Height Tolerance: The value between the analytical surface and its triangulation that determines the distance and accuracy of the tessellation. The lower the value, the more accurate the result. 0.00001 is the minimum unit (high detail), and 1 000 000 is the maximum unit (low detail).
- Chord Height Behavior: Determines how accurately the chord height tolerance is applied. Absolute applies the chord height tolerance as it is. Scaled adjusts the values depending on the scale of the object being tessellated.

Construction Geometry: Defines settings for the construction geometry

Import Surfaces: Imports all construction geometry

Note

If a file contains sheet bodies, select this option for the file to import correctly.
Import Points: Imports all 3D point data stored inside the CAD file and draws points as saved in CATIA files
Import Planes: Imports all infinite 3D plane data stored inside the CAD file and draws planes as transparent mesh
Import Wireframes: Imports all wireframes if any exist

Geometry Transformation

Transforms (rotate, position, and scale) the scene along the X, Y, and Z axes:

Rotation: Sets the degrees of rotation around each axis from 0 degrees to 360 degrees. The rotation values can be entered with up to 6 decimal places.
Scale: Scales the object along the X, Y, and Z axes
Position: Sets the position of the scene along the X, Y, and Z axes