Creating solid geometry from imported Alias models is a common workflow when integrating Alias and CAD systems. When exporting the model from Alias, ensure that the geometry is built to the correct tolerance and that it can also be stitched. Stitching in Alias identifies gaps between surfaces so that you can repair the geometry before exporting the file.
During stitching, the surfaces are twinned. This means that the surface boundaries may be split to accommodate adjacent surfaces, and periodic geometry is detached into multiple surfaces. For this reason, save the Alias wire file before stitching so that if further modifications to the Alias model are required, the construction history will be intact.
What happens when you import data into a solid modeler
When you import a Alias model into a solid modeler, you provide the geometric and topological information of the model. When creating a solid model, the solid modeler system creates a valid data base from the supplied data, and the supplied data must satisfy the solid modeler's rules for topological and geometric data.
The topology of a model defines how each surface relates to all other surfaces in the model. The important element of getting the topology right for data exchange to solid modelers is that an edge on one surface must have a “twin” edge on the adjacent surface. Edges are defined by natural surface boundaries or trimmed surface boundaries.
