Form Illustrator to Creo (through Rhino) - my solution

Hello everybody,
I’ve to build a 3D model compatible with Creo starting from very complex draw made in illustrator.

Of course i struggled days over the process but now seams working.

This is my process:

  • Importing the Illustrator draw via Ai file format
  • rebuilding the Crvs with the RebuildCrvNonUniform
  • culling the duplicated points (by GH)
  • creating a new crv from the culled points (by GH)
  • then FlowAlongSrf to wrap the extruded drawing on the shape.
  • Exporting the 3D in STEP file format.

I also discovered that breaking the shape in more smaller srfs with a short distance from the edge and the trim loop make the import in Creo more relailable.

Does make it sense from a mathematical point of view?
How’s in charge of the STEP file format? (maybe @chuck )

Hello- can you post an example?

-Pascal

Hi @pascal ,
The drawing I’m working on is covered by a disclosure agreement so I can’t share here.
There’s any reason why are you asking for it?

I can publish a short step by step visual process using a “dummy” shape if it can be helpfull.

Hello- we were wondering what you mean exactly by this

It would be good to have an example, in order to answer your question.

-Pascal

here’s the example of what I meant.

On the Left the crv is filled by one big single flat srf, on the right I made many small flat srfs. (looks like a subD but isn’t).

This is an example created by me so doesn’t show the complexity of the original crvs.

Hello - And, you find the smaller ones work better going to Creo, correct? It would be good to have an actual example file of a case that works better as smaller faces. My guess of the moment is there are are tangency issues, or possibly stacked control points or loops in the trim of the single surface.

-Pascal

Yes cutting it into smaller pieces reduces the “weakiness” of the import.
For me Creo is doing a kind of simplification while importing that some time it mess around the srfs creating weird twisted patch.

I can send you the file as private mail if you want

Hello - yes, thanks, please send me an example of a case that does not work well. If possible, also a file from Creo ( via Step, I suppose) of the bad and good results.

-Pascal

I’ve sent you a private message with the link to the files.
Thanks.

Can you take the curves (just the curves - no surfaces) into Creo via something like iges?

Of course, if Rhino would implement support for STEP 242 format then you’d be good to go with curves :wink: