How to Reverse Engineer / 3D Scan a Model into SOLIDWORKS
Article by Adam Ferrer updated April 23, 2019
Article
Recently we have been receiving questions about how to 3D scan parts into SOLIDWORKS…
“How do I convert a physical part into SOLIDWORKS?” or “we’ve lost the model file but I’ve got a physical part, how can I get it into SOLIDWORKS?”
So we have created a video tutorial to demonstrate the process of reverse engineering / 3D scanning a part into SOLIDWORKS using an Artec Space Spider 3D Scanner. Here is a preview of the tutorial, just fill out the form below to watch the entire video tutorial.
What is Reverse Engineering?
Reverse engineering is the reproduction of a previously made product by examination of the product’s construction and composition. Analyzing a component, sub-assembly, or product is important to understanding the structure and its interrelationships. Reverse engineering is a commonly used technique for situations when there is no access to drawings, CAD data, information on dimensions, or if machined parts have been discontinued.
Taking a product, measuring all dimensions and analyzing the materials it is composed of can be a tedious and time-consuming process. Parts with complex geometry will be difficult to measure and replicate to complete accuracy due to its intricate design features.
Reverse engineering a part with a 3D scanner provides the following benefits:
- Save hours of time using scanned data instead of manually measuring parts
- Get correct results the first time
- Eliminate guess work
- Focus on innovation instead of measuring
- Reduce part production bottlenecks
Using a 3D Scanner
Out customers use an Artec 3D scanner to digitally convert physical parts and eliminate the need to create a CAD model from scratch. The basic process is:
- The part is scanned, uploaded into CAD and then the Geomagic for SOLIDWORKS plugin will automatically identify geometry. Smart Geometry looks for extrusions, sweeps, lofts etc.
- Then the user identifies reference geometry for proper object orientation.
- The user can then change dimensions, surfaces and bend angles just as they would with any part they designed from scratch.
- Since the Artec Scanner Geomagic software is a plugin, the user will have full access to all SOLIDWORKS features.
Learn the 3D Scanning Process
Our tutorial goes in depth and displays a step-by-step process of how easy it is to turn a physical part into an automatically generated, fully featured model in SOLIDWORKS. We cover the scanning process, the Artec software plug-ins, and how SOLIDWORKS takes the scanned images, automatically identifies and generates smart features, and creates a full featured 3D model.
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