Converting objects

Use the options on the Utilities panel > Convert menu to convert objects.

Select the objects you want to convert, and choose from the following options:

• Surface — to convert non-Power Surfaces to Power Surfaces, for example, convert a NURBS surface to a Power Surface.
• Solids to Surfaces — to convert solids into the group of surfaces that define them.
• Surfaces/Solids to Meshes — to convert surfaces and solids to meshes.
• Meshes/Points to Cloud — to convert meshes or points to a point cloud.

  You can also use this option to convert:

  • all selected lines, arcs, curves and composite curves to a single point cloud. The cloud has no normal or colour information.
  • all points in the selection to a single cloud. This cloud is separate from the cloud that is created by converting lines, arcs, curves and composite curves.
  • all meshes in the selection to individual point clouds; a cloud retains the normal and colour information from the mesh.
    Tip: You can cancel converting a selection to a cloud by pressing the Esc key on the keyboard, or by clicking the Stop button on the progress bar.
• Clouds to Points — to explode the selected cloud into individual points.
• Solids from Version 8 — to convert one or more selected Version 8 solid to Parasolids.
• Solids to Version 8 — to convert one or more selected post-Version 8 solids to Version 8 solids.
  Tip: Right-click on a converted solid to display the Solid context menu. The solid name and type of solid is displayed at the top of the menu.
• Copy Surfaces within Solids — to keep a copy of the solid, and create a copy of all the surfaces that define the solid.
• Wireframe — Use this option to:
  • convert composite curves into wireframe.
  • create composite curves from surface curves (laterals, longitudinals and spine).
  • create composite curves from trim boundaries.
  • create curves from pcurves.
  • convert drawing views into wireframe. For further details see Editing a view.
  • convert text to wireframe.
  • convert hatch lines to wireframe.
• Wireframe to Composite Curve — to create composite curves from all the selected wireframe objects, and attempt to connect adjoining pieces.
• Chamfers to Lines — to convert chamfers, which contain dependency data to their associated objects, into simple lines at the same location. After conversion to a line, the dependency is lost.
• Symbol — to convert a symbol into one of the following:
  • its individual objects (if Keep items was selected when its symbol definition was created).
  • a series of lines. Links from the object definition to the symbol are lost.
• Component — to convert a component into a solid.
• Sub-assembly — to explode the currently selected sub-assemblies into their constituent parts.
• Components to Sub-assembly — to convert the currently selected components into a sub-assembly.