HOW TO: Render a SolidWorks model in Blender
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- čas přidán 27. 09. 2017
- This tutorial will show you to export a CAD file (Solidworks parts and assemblies, .step or .iges files, etc...) to be used in Blender, using an .STL. This model can then be used for further modeling, rendering or 3D Printing.
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Exporting a CAD file to Blender or any poligon-based 3D program is not ideal as the geometry (topology) created by these CAD exporters is very 'ugly'. Modeling something with poligons to start with is better, especially when used with advanced materials, simulations or animations. It is however usefull to be able to render a CAD file or to be able to put it in a more complicated scene. This alows you to render your object in a more natural environment, interacting with other objects. A popular choice for rendering CAD files is Keyshot. While this is powerful software, it still only renders your object, not alowing you to model a more advanced scenery. This is why I use Blender whenever I want to present a 3D Model.
Thanks for watching!!!
Music: Mars - Evalk • Evalk - Mars
Excellent ! Thank you a lot ! This will greatly help me in my study project !!
Thanks again !
Nice tutorial. I’m going to be a mechanical engineer. One thing that I hate about presentations is that they are boring with cheap renders. I want our team presentations to include Blender renders for our designed parts and have photo realistic renders and animations in the presentation slides. I can finally use Blender and put it though it’s paces. Thank you so much for showing that it’s possible.
Awesome! There are many ways to present work in a more engaging way. I'd definitly encourage you to check out Eevee if you're interested in animation!
3Dpilot, thanks. I thought that cycles would be best for those renders
@@wyattb3138 Well, Cycles is the more realistic of the two, but eevee is much faster, giving you more time to make more awesome renders or even animations!
3Dpilot, okay I’ll try both and see what happens.
Another way of making certain edges look 'hard' is to add a bevel modifier. This is a little harder to use as there are a few more settings to adjust, but gives you the ability to automatically have tiny bevels (Fillets/Chamfers) on the sharp edges without having to worry about them in your base model.
See my last video "HOW TO: Render in SolidWorks (part 1)" (czcams.com/video/LHtBIgD61PU/video.html) where I explain why 100% sharp edges are a physical impossibility and don't look natural.
I just came across Blender for rendering and I love the freedom it gives to the scene and the model.
Coming from Solidworks, you have an enormous amount of freedom. Great that you're having a good time!
Thanks man, awesome tutorial
this is super helpful. I just got my cswa and the whole reason I'm going to school for CAD is because I fell in love with blender, but being ADD, i do much better learning in a class setting, so in 6 months of solidworks, i've surpassed my 2 years of skill in blender. i'm so happy i can use them together.
Love the enthusiasm! Solidworks and Blender are two very different tools. I agree that school is a good place to learn SolidWorks. However, Blender is such a wide toolkit that learning from home (eg youtube) you can choose your focus and get good at the parts of blender you like the most. Thanks for the comment!
The separate mode does not work in my Blender (2.82 ) .can you help me to solve this problem?
Thank you it's a good tutorial
Thank you!!
great tutorial
Great video man!
Glad I could help!
Hi, can you please show us best way to import in blender 2.8 ?
Amazing Work 👏🏻
Glad you enjoyed!
Thanks subscribed
if you plane to update this tutorial, don't forget to use "auto-smooth" instead of "edge split" as it can make things looks very weird in certain cases and could cause issues with others modifiers like "solidify"
Hi! Yes, you are very much correct, thank you!
Awesome stuff..
Glad you like it!
Tnk u very much bro
u r awsome, support frm india..
nice one really helpful thanks
Thanks, glad you liked it!
how to fix the mesh line 06:03 in your video? I trying to make a control system of my model, its messy stuff i cant make a motion because those line
like this one drive.google.com/file/d/1dc2sLMg5mOVMtADUSYR0fQvl9ytwY69Y/view?usp=sharing and drive.google.com/file/d/1USkBMdkX236RkijmNRcamRMwsKn9UQsb/view?usp=sharing
I recommend having those "wooden pieces" as separate objects as you can do some really fast non UV based box projection image texturing.
I'm guessing there are some custom normals stuff stored internally in the solidworks file that obviously don't come across with the .stl file.
The example object is too simple. Try with complex blended surfacing, advanced bevels, or even deburr bevels (only for rendering within
Solidworks) and there is no trickery to be done to get good results in Blender. Stl is a nightmare, I wish there was something better, like
exporting to nurbs patches and Blender had proper nurbs support.
I would apply the edge split, then separate by loose parts. Then starting to apply different dummy materials to different parts. Finally, I would
bring the parts back together that don't benefit from having their own coordinate system (for box projection image mapping).
Grabcad files often comes with .stl as a download option. People should check them out and try to convert them to usable Blender files just
as an exercise. I'm using both Solidworks and Blender (and Autocad LT, yuck) at work and I try to clean up the .stl exports using tris->quads
and some limited dissolve/decimation stuff. Usually I'm not closeup to these kinds of models, so shading errors isn't a huge deal always.
But some models I need to properly clean up, pretty much remodel on top.
Edit: If you can, prior to export from Solidworks, I would open the parts and suppress any bevels or chamfers if you need to clean the model,
as these are easier to add back later in Blender. Maybe not on blended surfacing ,but you get the point.
A lot of great tips in there, seems like you know the drill! I've found that Keyshot (yes, its paid) is able to convert nurbs to meshes a lot better. MOI also does a better job at it. I'm keeping an eye out for a format that comes with the custom split normals, but so far, haven't found much. One more small tip; the weighted normal modifier also often cleans up some rough spots.
@@3Dpilot I'm aware of Keyshot but I've never used it. As for SW, I'm only on the standard version without visualize (decent) or even 360 (garbage). The typical work is extruding rooms and walls and placing furniture and our equipment in it for drawing production. Then export as .stl and cleanup the room/walls and replace furniture and some equipment with proper models using the import as a placement guide. Add fixture/lights and doors/windows and some basic texturing work. Due time restraint, we've even done sales based on a crappy pure AO render. Not something I'm proud of, but I guess it got the job done. For us it's not about super high photoreal accuracy but give the customer an idea about the space and equipment function in that space. But yeah, I tend to spend time on making it look "pretty".
thank you
thanks
Is there any way to do this without triangulating all the faces / avoiding .STL?
Hi Armando, did you find out how to do it without triangulating all the faces?
@@ilustradsn Unfortunately I didn't as I recall... :(
Hubiera sido genial si al final mostrará las dos imágenes de la silla, la de Solidworks vs Blender
You have a great lessons, very helpful, thans a lot..
Is the "Blender" best program to export Solidworks files for better render?
You are very welcome! I think SolidWorks' Visualize and Keyshot are very good alternatives to Photoview 360. They offer easy to apply materials and lots of default lighting scenes. If you are looking for simple product renders (ie. renders of a product on a plain background), go for those options.
If you want more flexibility, making truly interesting renders with added realism (photorealism), interaction with other objects in 3D, added simulations for water or cloth, animations, interesting lighting scenarios etc. etc., Blender is a great choice and will allow you to do all of those things (+ it's free, the other options aren't).
Thanks for the comment Daniel!
Thanks again!!
@@3Dpilot thank you. that is a very detailed answer.
Is STL the only way, best way to get smooth roundings in blender? No way to get a obj. file from solidworks by an converter?
If you want to go straight from SolidWorks to a mesh type file, then both .STL and .OBJ files deliver the same mesh (depending on resolution). This mesh is not perfect however and has some bad topology that causes shading issues, especially on complex surfaces. I suggest looking in to MomentsofInspiration (moi3d.com/), as their mesh exporter seems to export .iges or .stp files to meshes a lot cleaner. Does this answer your question?
The best way to go is converting with a tool that preserves the explicit normals from the mathematical surfaces of the Nurbs model when converting to a mesh. Then you can get nice shading regardless of topology. The mesh output is usually based on triangles and the topology is different from subdivision surfaces, but since it is based on Nurbs curves you can choose different resolutions when converting to mesh depending on the parameters exposed in the mesh conversion software. STL files don't support explicit normals, and there is no obj exporter in SolidWorks or in most other cad modeling software either afaik.
There are some dedicated conversion tools out there that can convert Cad data to DCC content. Quite recently a company called Pixyz came on the market with some very interesting software (PIXYZ studio) and now they are integrating that into Unity! Unreal engine started a while back with cad translation in their Datasmith/Unreal Studio which is in beta. Autodesk has something called ATF which is built into many of their software packages like 3dsmax and VRED.
Blender doesn't support Solidworks files, STEP, IGES or other common cad/Nurbs formats. I don't know what the best solution is for Blender, but I don't think STL is the answer. If anyone can figure out a better workflow for Blender, I would love to hear about it.
You clearly know your stuff! I certainly agree that .stl files are not the best solution. Good enough for some basic visualisation, but not very accurate. I too would love to know a better, more precise workflow! Thanks for the comment!
Hello, first thanks for all the informations!
Maybe i found a solution.
In a video i found a comment "import solidwork into max then export as fbx and complete animation with Cinema 4D"
Means maybe we have to go over 3DMAX to get an nice fbx-file, which is good for Blender. 3DMax has an FBX Converter, which works without 3DMax and its for free. An old version i had longer time before. Maybe some of you guys have 3D Max, and can try it out.
The Video where i found it was this: czcams.com/video/Fi57jRhX8Eo/video.html
Would be nice if we can keep this little discussion alive to get a result :-)
Thank you for the in-depth look! Perhaps that would be a solution, yes. Does that solution result in correct normals? To be honest, thats quite technical and not my field of expertise. Would be, for sure!
Can you help me!??
Why when i try to smooth the import ''Solidworks'' file in ' Blender'
One part of the detai is gonna get smooth, but the other one is worst?
sense that one side is deformed
Did you add an edge split modifier / select Auto Smooth under Object Data? Some shaing issues are to be expected but with Either of those changes the result should be ok. Did that help?
Yee it's work!!!
Again, thanks a lot!! :)
Thanks for all informations! I have a question, when you separate the parts it creates a lot of layers. Is there someway to merge all layers made from the same material? In purpose of making it more light
Yes, there is! A better way to manage materials is to keep al parts of an object together as an object. You can actually apply multiple materials to an object by going in to edit mode, selecting some geometry, creating a new material slot and applying the material to the selected geometry. czcams.com/video/IrMhbuC8aM0/video.html
3Dpilot Yes you rock! The problem i was facing is beacause how the file was made on solidoworks. I guess the best way to import is in separate and then assembly on blender so that i can apply materials
William Garcia I see.. I'm guessing your seperate parts of your assembly get connected in the .stl file and make splitting harder? At least that's an issue that I have faced before. Thank you so much for the support ;)
Exactly!
William Garcia I suggest indeed ticking selecting to NOT save all parts in a single file. Make sure to tick 'do not translate into positive space' (or something like that, I'm on mobile right now). That way, you can import all .stl files at once and they will be (should be, Solidworks acts up sometimes) in the correct place :)
Nice video. What is the main advantage in rendering in blender as opposed to rendering within the solidworks suit? Photoview 360 or visualize?
Versatility. the engines you mention can create a "product shot". With other tools like Blender, you can make complex animations, build whole scenes, ...
If you're just after a product shot, go with visualise or keyshot. Anything more and you'll want to move on to Blender.
Great content. I feel blender is a powerful and fast program. With the GPU and CPU support, the render times and the results are better than Keyshot (I know there is Solidworks visualize for GPU rendering but I don't like it). I don't know why people don't use it.
I hope to see how to animate a Solidworks assembly in blender
Hi! I agree completely. I love rendering in Blender, using both Cycles and the new EEVEE engine. Rendering might be quite fast, yes, but for me, it's mostly the freedom you get, using hdri's and complex lighting set-ups. Visualize is.. Well yeah... It's there if you need it and it's pretty quick to set up a 'decent' render.
Animation isn't really my specialty but there's great tutorials out there. Animating exploded views or moving assemblies isn't the hardest type of animation, i'm sure you can get started right here on CZcams! Cheers, and thanks for the support!
3Dpilot Thanks for your answer. I appreciate your time. Greetings from Venezuela
your wallpapaer looks great, where can i get it?
I know I am a Lazy dude but is there a way to keep the multi color partitions of a single piece??
Not entirely sure what you mean. If you have different materials in SolidWorks on one part then no, you can't export those and have them separate in Blender automatically. If you want to have multiple materials on one object in Blender then yes, you can do that, by assigning different materials to different faces. I'm sure you can find a good tutorial on doing that.
BRO YOU SAVED MY LIFE!!!!!!! I FUCKING LOVE YOU MAN NO HOMO YOU EARNED MY SUB!!
Glad you liked it!
Nice video... btw Rhino 6 is also using the same renderer as Blender... which is Cycles. So you can actually render the NURBS models within Rhino without exporting as a mesh.
Honestly, I had no idea! Thanks for sharing!
Great tutorial!!! Could you make one about using the rendering engine of blender? Like cycles or even luxcore. Im a ZW3D user and I cant afford keyshot, so I am learning how to render my models in render, actually trying to learn luxcore. I found your tutorials very easy to follow, great work!
I'm currently not making any rendering tutorials - though I would strongly recommend Cycles and EEVEE. They are very well integrated into blender and very performant as well. Keep exploring, rendering is a great way of expanding your skillset!
Zou je een ge-update versie van deze tutorial kunnen maken, zodra blender 2.90 uitkomt? Alvast bedankt
Hey! Er is inderdaad heel wat veranderd sinds het maken van deze video. De basis blijft echter het zelfde. Ik zou je aanraden de term nogmaals te googlen; er worden continue nieuwe tutorials gemaakt over dit soort onderwerpen.
Zelf wacht ik eerder op een vernieuwing binnen de CAD wereld zelf: wanneer we meshes met "normal" data kunnen exporteren zal het proces er wat anders uit zien. Bedankt voor de interesse!
Is there a way to clean up the .stl mesh file SolidWorks creates when i export it?
Jared J depending on your model, some 'cleanup' can be done. If needed, i do this manually in edit mode, but this does require a bit of knowledge of poligon based modeling /blender. You can try exporting in different resolutions, or export to .step or .iges, open that up in MOI (you van get a free trial) and export it from there, as that software gives much better mesh topology. I hope this answers your question?
I am not sure what MOI is. Moment of Inspiration? moi3d.com ?
When we try exporting the model file from SolidWorks at higher resolutions, it still has the same problem by having way too many meshes. It makes editing the mesh files nearly impossible. Granted, I would consider myself still a novice at Blender modeling. It very well may be possible to work with, it's just I haven't found a way yet.
You are absolutely correct. Exported meshes are far from ideal. I wouldn't recommend editing exported meshes, except little fixes where shading is unacceptable. I did find this method good enough for making renders though, and combining my 'solidworks' model with other, non-CAD objects. MoI is a 3D modelling program. Its quite limited in functionality but does offer a better mesh exporter that leaves cleaner meshes.
Why can't I apply texture to the exported stl object? It has only the base texture color but it doesn't have much detail
You will need to unwrap your model. Try going into edit mode, press "U" and choose "smart UV project".
@@3Dpilot thanks, work
Thank you. I rendered my model in Blender but I can't change color. Don't I change color when I render?
nodelar kullanılabiliyor ama çözmüşsünüzdür sanırım 10 ay olmuş :D
@@ofaruk90 bitirdim projeyi ama yine de teşekkürler 😄
@@aylinkaya9243 rica ederim :D ben de iş arayan bir yeni mezun mühendis olarak blenderla uğraştım bir süre boşluktan ahah
@@ofaruk90 Ben de bitirme projemde kullanmıştım. Mezun işsiz mühendisler kulübüne hoş geldin.
@@aylinkaya9243 üzdünüz. hoşbulduk :l
How to get a blender sculpted part into Solidworks?
You can try exporting your model from Blender as an .stl file, then import it in Solidworks. Keep in mind that heavy sculpts (with many faces) slow Solidworks down a lot. You can import as a graphics body (which is faster, but you can't edit) or as a solid / surface body (which is much slower, but you can edit the geometry).
is it possible to export appearance of solidworks model to blender?
Technically, yes. Using the .3mf export function some appearances *might* come across somewhat decent. However, they will not look the same and you'll require some basic materials knowledge to work with them anyway. In my opinion, it's better just to build the materials from scratch rather than using the often bugged materials that come with .3mf. If you're using a separate rendering engine, .fbx exports might be more useful.
Greetings My good Sir.
I have made parts in Solidworks and imported to Blender but I am learning Blender as of the moment I am typing this, I am completely new to it.
I have added materials and looks to My solidworks parts.
When I import to blender in .stl file format, the part is without any color and material. How to deal with this ?
Hi! You could try to export is over to .3mf file type. However, this often does not work. I reccomend going for .stl and applying materials within Blender.
@@3Dpilot
Yes Sir.
I looked into it after that and it was on quora that the materials are not copied/ transferred over, which is a bummer.
Now I will learn how to make materials and stuff in blender. Thank you Sir for your time.
@@saliqkhan9744 I wish you the best of luck, and a lot of fun!
HOW TO IMPORT SOLIDWORKS ASSMY IN BLENDER AND ANIMATION
design dhanvanti well, assemblies are imported the same way as parts. I'm pretty sure you can't import animations/motion studies directly in Blender though. Thanks for the support!
спасибо
Hello, why i cannot see the file i import?
Could have a few reasons. Perhaps the units were wrong and your mesh is super huge or super small. use zoom to selected to find your mesh.
leave it the 3d software and join Hollywood industry.Hehehehe
VFX! Not my cup of tea but definitely pretty awesome!
Hi sir. Can you help me turn sldlrt to stl? THX
Sure! You can just "save as" and select ".STL". Default options should work just fine. Does that help?
@@3Dpilot sorry I don't have the SolidWorks
So I can't open it.
I see! You can send me the part file on lucasvandorpe@hotmail.com. I will send you the .stl file. Alright?
mine just wont show up when I import
There's a couple of things you can check out. Is your .stl file really small (A few kilobytes)? Then your SolidWorks export isn't working well. Is your model really really small, big, or far away from the origin? have a good look around to see if there is any actual geometry in the scene. If you really can't figure it out, send me your .stl on the 3Dpilot facebook page and i'll help you out. Cheers!
found it ! It was just huge and out of frame. Thanks!
Yeah, probably an issue with scaling. Glad you found it, good luck!
Can i import STEP format?
Not directly to Blender, no. Step (Nurbs) and meshes are very different types of geometry. However, most CAD packages that can open STEP can also translate to meshes (stl, obj, fbx, ...)
@@3Dpilot oh i see, that mean blender only can open STL file?
Only files that contain a mesh. There's stl, obj, fbx, wrl, usd, ... Unfortunately no direct nurbs import (step, iges, x_t, ...
@@3Dpilot orait im understand. Thanks for the reply 👍👍👍
Great video thanks man. Can you do or do you know someone who can do this for me?
Adam Earle If you can tell me wat you want exactly, I'm willing to help! Do you need to import a model, or have a full render made in blender..?
3Dpilot all sorted brother but your in my little black book now for later
;D
I think stl. Have problems in blender with smooth and subdivision. .obj is best i think with materials too.
.OBJ is a bit better, yes. It supports quads, multiple objects per file and some basic materials. Hoever, you can't expect the materials to translate well between software and the meshing algorithm will probably be just as bad as STL. For now, STL strangely is still your best option.
@@3Dpilot for me obj works great. For animation stuff. In blender. Separate by looseparts.
came here specifically to see how to render the model SMH total false advertising
thanks