Electronics > PCB/EDA/CAD

How to get smoother STEP 3D body curves in Altium?

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ARQuattr:
I'm trying to add a 3D body in Altium from a STEP file that has a larger radius curve.  The STEP file was exported from SolidWorks, and if I open it again in Solidworkds the curvature is preserved, but when the body is imported in Altium it becomes a three-sided prism.

Is there a way to improve the resolution of the curves?

This is what it looks like in SW and after being imported in Altium:

JDubU:
Have you tried checking the "Export 3D Curve Features" checkbox in the STEP options dialog ("Options..."  button at bottom of STEP file save dialog box)?

ARQuattr:
Thank you for replying.  Yes, I tried that, but when I try to add the body in Altium I get nothing.  It goes through all the same steps but there's nothing - it's as though it's an invisible body.  Unless I'm doing something wrong.

andersendr:
I am no Altium expert, but it looks like a rendering issue in Altium.  I use Solidworks quite a bit and there are rendering options to set how much a shape looks like a shape.  If I am doing really precise work, Ill set the rendering to high so a circle looks like a circle and not a bunch of straight lines.  During my normal use I turn it way down to get better performance and then a circle looks like a bunch of straight line.  See if there are any rendering options in Altium.  If you want to play with these in Solidworks, go to the System Options, then find Performance tab.  They have options for Curvature generation, and level of detail. 

ARQuattr:
Thanks andersendr, I reviewed the Altium settings over and over and couldn't find anything that made a difference in the appearance of the model.  I also changed some of the SolidWokrs settings, and although they did make the screen rendering in SolidWorks improve, they didn't change the STEP file it seems.  Since when SolidWorks opens the STEP file it looks normal, I agree with you that the issue is in Altium.

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