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Supported Import File Formats for Communicator for BricsCAD

Quick answer: Communicator for BricsCAD’s supported import formats vary by platform.

Supported Formats by Platform

Windows: ACIS (.asab, .asat, .sab, .sat); Autodesk Inventor (.iam, .ipt); CATIA v4 (.model, .exp, .session); CATIA v5/v6 (.CATPart, .CATProduct, .CGR); Creo Elements/Pro Engineer (.asm, .prt); IGES (.iges, .igs); NX (.prt); Parasolid (.xmt_bin, .xmt_txt, .x_b, .x_t); Siemens (.jt); SolidWorks (.sldasm, .sldprt); STEP (.step, .stp, .stpz); VDA-FS (.vda); XCGM (.xcgm); Solid Edge (.asm, .par, .psm); STL (.stl).

Linux: ACIS, CATIA v4, Creo Elements/Pro Engineer, IGES, Parasolid, Siemens, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, STEP, VDA-FS, and XCGM, with the same extensions as Windows. Autodesk Inventor, CATIA v5/v6, NX, and STL aren’t supported here.

Mac: ACIS, CATIA v4, Creo Elements/Pro Engineer, IGES, Parasolid, STEP, and VDA-FS, with the same extensions as Windows and Linux. Siemens, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, and XCGM aren’t supported here.

Import Behavior Notes

Depending on Communicator settings:

  1. Import an assembly as plain geometry (a non-hierarchical set of entities), or map its product structure into native blocks or mechanical components, controlled by IMPORTPRODUCTSTRUCTURE.
  2. Define color conversion on import with IMPORTCOLORS.
  3. PMI (Product and Manufacturing Information) is supported for ACIS, CATIA V5, NX, Pro/E, Creo, SolidWorks, and XCGM; with IMPORTPMI on, PMI annotations import as graphical elements grouped in blocks.
  4. For assemblies with hidden parts, choose to import and hide them, import and make them visible, or skip importing them entirely, currently supported for CATIA V5 only, controlled by IMPORTHIDDENPARTS.
  5. Set import options to automatically repair, stitch, and simplify imported geometry via IMPORTSTITCH, IMPORTREPAIR, and IMPORTSIMPLIFY; IGES has its own dedicated stitch and simplify options too (IMPORTIGESSTITCH and IMPORTIGESSIMPLIFY).
  6. When importing a 3D model from SolidWorks® or STEP, it often makes sense to map the Y axis to Z (IMPORTSOLIDWORKSROTATEYZ and IMPORTSTEPROTATEYZ), since SolidWorks®’s vertical axis is Y.
  7. For Creo, Inventor, NX, Solid Edge, and SolidWorks®, specify an alternate search path (IMPORTCREOALTERNATESEARCHPATHS, IMPORTINVENTORALTERNATESEARCHPATHS, IMPORTNXALTERNATESEARCHPATHS, IMPORTSOLIDEDGEALTERNATESEARCHPATHS, IMPORTSOLIDWORKSALTERNATESEARCHPATHS), used to find parts missing from the imported assembly’s own folder.
  8. For Creo, NX, and SolidWorks®, specify the name of the configuration to import (IMPORTCREOCONFIGURATION, IMPORTNXCONFIGURATION, IMPORTSOLIDWORKSCONFIGURATION).
  9. For CATIA V5-6, Inventor, NX, Solid Edge, and SolidWorks®, define the priority order of search paths (IMPORTCATIAV5SEARCHPATHSPREFERENCE, IMPORTINVENTORSEARCHPATHSPREFERENCE, IMPORTNXSEARCHPATHSPREFERENCE, IMPORTSOLIDEDGESEARCHPATHSPREFERENCE, IMPORTSOLIDWORKSSEARCHPATHSPREFERENCE).
  10. With COMMUNICATORBACKGROUNDMODE on, import and export run in the background, letting you keep working on other CAD documents. When a file finishes importing, its geometrical entities insert into the document only after you click the filename hyperlink in the notification bubble (worth noting: the Settings page describes this same element as a “balloon,” a minor terminology variance between the two sources), which switches the document, regenerates the viewport, and zooms to extents. Closing the notification bubble instead cancels the import session and frees the memory the background import had allocated.
  11. For CATIA V5-6, JT, and SolidWorks® files, choose which data representation to import (IMPORTCATIAV5REPRESENTATION, IMPORTJTREPRESENTATION, IMPORTSOLIDWORKSREPRESENTATION).
  12. For CATIA V5, choose which edge attributes to read during import (IMPORTCATIAV5EDGEATTRIBUTES).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which platforms support importing Autodesk Inventor files with Communicator for BricsCAD? Windows only.

Is PMI import supported for every CAD format? No, only ACIS, CATIA V5, NX, Pro/E/Creo, SolidWorks, and XCGM.

Why would I need to map the Y axis to Z when importing from SolidWorks or STEP? Because SolidWorks®’s vertical axis is Y, unlike BricsCAD’s convention, so remapping keeps the model oriented correctly.

Can I choose to skip importing hidden parts from an assembly entirely? Yes, but currently only for CATIA V5 files, via IMPORTHIDDENPARTS.

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