So... what now? Copy 3D object...

[harryball]

I copied a small 3D object and stored it as a dxf file. Nothing seems to open it, I get an invalid headers in the file, format not recognized error. I've tried several software packages to see what would happen, same error. I tried FreeMill, Rhino 3D and Parts Wizard for kicks.

For 2D, the dxf file imported easily into parts wizard.

Could some on briefly outline the process for taking a 3D file and working with it? Did I just get a bum file and need to try again? What software are you using?

Thanks,
Robert

[paco]

Have you tried processing the scanned file through Probe to surface translator virtual tool(VT command; 2nd last virtual tool if nothing customized)?

I remember having to edit the DXF in text editor; was that before Probe to surface translator... thanks to Grant (and Ted), this whole probe thing is now more simple.

If the Probe to surface translator doesn't do the trick, try to get a 3D DXF that open/import correctly (form the Web) and then compare it to the one you got from Copy Machine. Look at the header and maybe the footer too (if the header editing alone doesn't work).

[harryball]

Something isn't right with the file... it took it 12 hours to copy a 2" x 3" elephant model, it was set to .03 granularity. I'm not sure... but it looks like the thing stalled several times and entered the same point over and over, hundreds of times... as if x,y did not move and Z kept going up and down.

I'm going to try again and see what happens.

By my math it should have taken 3 or 4 hours to probe that area at most. With a 2 second allowance per probe for 6600 data points less than that's less than 4 hours. Two seconds is a long time per probe, I think it's actually less. Somehow it appears it took more than 50,000 sample points.

Robert