Collada

[donna]

Hi

Well I have given up trying to export DS works to DXF, I have tried Maya, Turbocad, 3dMax Mesh lab and have troubles with all of them with the full dxf mesh from DS. I guess half my problem is not being familiar with 3d modelling apps and having the ability to join half models as suggested by Pepjn, I am not a 3d modeller by trade and I dont even begin to under stand the Jargon, DS for me is intutive and allows me to create the shapes I want, in a fairly simple manner.

I need my models ultimately in Open Collada (.dae) format, so my question is does any body know of a conversion routine, program, app, that I can use to convert DS models into .dae format and wondering if anybody out there has done it before?…it has to be simple so that my head can stop spinning.

Thanks

D

[Christian Barboux]

Hi
There is a simple (and free) way: export model to stl (choose medium resolution, most of time it is enough). Import .stl file in sketchup (http://www.sketchup.com). You need plugin to import stl files in SU (http://extensions.sketchup.com/en/content/sketchup-stl, http://airwolf3d.com/wiki/how-to-import-an-stl-file-into-sketchup/, http://sourceforge.net/projects/stl4su/…). Then in sketchup, export to .dae (native). Files are readable with MacOS (preview, IBookAuthor). It is possible to import stl in meshlab, then to export to dae, but files cannot be used directly inMacOS: sketchup can open them and after export to dae by SU, they are OK (one more step).
If you want the complete hull (both sides) choose to display the two sides of the model, else only half is exported (joining the half hulls can done in SU, but not always easy. If you choose high resolution, importation in SU can be “not very good” (holes can appear when radius are sharp). AND the size of files increases a lot: for the same model, stl medium, 278Ko, stl high, 1.1Mo, dae medium, 2.2Mo and dae high, 8.6Mo and differences are to see.

Rgds

Ch

[donna]

Thanks for that Ch, I will have a look at that. Oh its trimble, I am a surveyor I know a bit about trimble stuff. Mayby SU will make better sense of the dxf files I am gettng out of DS

[donna]

Grins from ear to ear, beautiful, thank you Ch

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