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How to convert OBJ (Wavefront .obj,.mtl) to SpaceClaim (.scdoc)?

PolyTrans|CAD+DCC performs mathematically precise CAD, DCC/Animation, GIS and BIM 3D file conversions into all key downstream 3D packages and file formats. Okino software is used and trusted throughout the world by many tens of thousands of 3D professionals in mission & production critical environments, backed by respectable personal support directly from our core development team.

OBJ

Wavefront OBJ is a little understood but highly used and prevalent 3D "polygonal mesh" file format used throughout the 3D graphics world. Okino, Alias Research and McNeel made it popular in the early to mid 1990s as a general purpose, simple-to-read, storage and transmission 3D file format, especially for the then-new companies who began to sell 3D mesh models via the Internet.

Relatively speaking, OBJ is a rather simple file format but a bit better than STL although similar to the more modern 3MF format.The OBJ format allows for 1 or more unique polygonal mesh objects to be defined, each with optional UV texture coordinates and vertex colors. Material definitions can be linked to the mesh geometry as defined in the separate 'MTL' file. The material definitions are rather simple (ie. no PBR material support) but acceptable, and with varied levels of texture mapping support. OBJ format does not provide support for object hierarchy, local transformations, meta data, lights, cameras, skinning or animation. Most notably, OBJ does not allow for 'object instancing' and hence 1000 copies of a screw would be saved to OBJ as 1000 explicit copies, rather than 1000 references to one master object.

A short history: In the 1980s there was a program called Wavefront Visualizer which ran on UNIX and ran its early rendering pipeline as a series of tee'd command line 'applets'. The data flowed from one applet to another via various ASCII based files - OBJ for geometry, MTL for materials and other ASCII files for animation, skinning, deformation, etc.

Okino knows of the Wavefront OBJ file very well as it provides the one and only full implementation of the OBJ file format and with the ability to consume exceedingly large OBJ files quickly and efficiently. This includes the only known implementation of OBJ-centric 'NURBS geometry' (surfaces and curves) within the OBJ file format (which is little or not used) other than that from the McNeel Rhino-3D software.

SpaceClaim

SpaceClaim is a multipurpose 3-D solids modeling application providing efficient solutions to common modeling tasks. Built on the direct modeling technology, SpaceClaim removes geometry problems associated with various 3-D CAD operations, such as design or concept modeling, repair of translated CAD files, general model defeaturing, and complete model editing.

SpaceClaim provides for a good selection of 3D import and export file formats (which can be found on their "SpaceClaim supported formats" PDF file). Exporting from SpaceClaim into Okino software can be done with any number of 3D file formats such as: ACIS SAT, IGES (186-entities is best), JT, Parasolid x_t, Rhino 3dm, SketchUp, STEP, VRML or Wavefront OBJ. Out of this list a safe bet would be to use STEP AP214, IGES BREP solids (186-entities) or JT CAD files. For non-CAD files, either VRML2 or Wavefront OBJ.

Exporting from Okino software into SpaceClaim can be done with JT, Rhino 3dm, VRML or Wavefront OBJ.

OBJ import converter's overview

Vist the SpaceClaim WEB site

JT export converter's overview