Import into OnShape? Dimensions off?

Discussions
1

Hello All, I am new here and this is probably a dumb question, but here goes:

I got a great scan using my MetroX using markers etc. The part is from a remote control jet landing gear well. When I export the meshed file into OnShape, the dimensions are all way WAY off. Additionally, the .obj or .stl file comes through as 100,000 little shapes as opposed to one overall shape, if that is the right way to say it?

In any event, I am trying to find out if there is a way to import while retaining correct dimensions. Also, while trying to import a single shape, not 100,000 different little shapes?

Thank you in advance. I’m new to scanning, but not new to cad.

For reference, here is the public onshape document with my scan imported:

2

You can add photo ?

3

Hi Max,

Would you like a photo of the part in Onshape? Or a photo of the part in Revo?

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i working today with big part, not found a problem with stl from revo to quicksurface, im interestet what’s with onshape

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An slt file is made up a thousands of triangles. This is just how it is. Make sure that you inport in mm and select composite part. This was it will be one part in the OnShape system.

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6

I think you are confusing scanner output with CAD. It’s a can of worms you’ve opened with getting a scanner. You do NOT get CAD out of a scanner.

Normally we take the scanner output (an STL usually) and use specialized software to reverse engineer it into CAD. There is no magic button that’ll do this, it’s a manual process. The software I use to do this is $15k and takes quite a bit of skill which over the years I’ve gotten where I can get good output, but am always learning…

There’s cheaper and more expensive software out there to do this.

Revoscan will try to sell you Quicksurface (a whitebox version). Somewhere in the $5k range for a perpetual license of the full package. I have never been able to get good output from it, but have a buddy that likes it for simple jobs. Geomagic pretty much owns the high end of this category, but it’s over $20k too.

I’m in discussion with Onshape right now about dealing with this issue as they are trying to woo me away from my current CAD package, and they have yet to show me anything. Supposedly, Onshape will import the STL body and has tools where it can deal with reverse engineering it to a CAD model. Meaning you can pick faces, surfaces and points and convert them to planes, lines/arcs/splines/etc and create the geometry in CAD. Still no magic button, but they ‘say’ that the tools are there to do the reverse engineering.

fyi: your link only takes me to onshape, not your model

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Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective. Is it your position that: RevoPoint 3D scanner can scan an amazing shape/mesh, but once achieved, I need a $20K piece of software to manipulate it into something I can use?

I am simply trying to design RC model parts to fit complex curves of wings etc… I guess, what is the point of having a scanner if I cannot import the shape into a CAD software and manipulate it/build from it?

Any help or references to products would be much appreciated. I started using Sketchup 20+ years ago, and have a fair amount of experience with solidworks etc. I am just hoping for a hobbyist type solution moving forward.

Thank you in advance.

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My position???
You need to understand the process, once you do that, you’ll see that’s the facts and you just have to accept how the process goes.

Scan
Reverse engineer
Design
Prototype
Manufacture

There’s software called DezignWorks that has reverse engineering tools inside of solidworks. Good stuff, I think it’s on sale right now too. If you contact them tell them Robin sent you.

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