What to do with a Solid Edge PSM user?

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founder
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What to do with a Solid Edge PSM user?

Post by founder »

I just placed my first design order and to my biggest surprise I got everything delivered in Solid Edge PSM format.
I thought, well, I can look at AutoCAD files. But PSM?
It's not much at the moment, a double garage in steel PU sandwich and steel frame.
Does anyone know Solid Edge and what this software can export to?
I wanted to have open source and multiplatform as a policy with my new company, and don't want to fail on the first design job.
Does anyone have experience moving from Solid Edge to FreeCAD?
Dean_1405
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Re: What to do with a Solid Edge PSM user?

Post by Dean_1405 »

Hi @founder. I use Solid Edge at work almost every day :)
PSM format is Solid Edge format for sheet metal parts.
You can download Community version of this software, which is free (but cannot be used commercially) or ask someone who have this software for exporting this file to step format for example.

You can also copy and change file extension from .psm to .zip and look what's inside. (all solid edge native files are zip files).
There should be some BREP files which you should be able to open in FreeCAD.
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founder
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Re: What to do with a Solid Edge PSM user?

Post by founder »

Dean_1405 wrote: Mon Feb 06, 2023 7:39 pm Hi @founder. I use Solid Edge at work almost every day :)
PSM format is Solid Edge format for sheet metal parts.
You can download Community version of this software, which is free (but cannot be used commercially) or ask someone who have this software for exporting this file to step format for example.

You can also copy and change file extension from .psm to .zip and look what's inside. (all solid edge native files are zip files).
There should be some BREP files which you should be able to open in FreeCAD.
Thanks, renamed to .zip opened it, many files discovered, but no BREP file.

I have to make severe decisions about this:
* accept Solid Edge
* bring him to switch to FreeCAD
* find another freelancer

One issue is static calculation.
At the beginning, he told me his software proposed to use 90 mm x 90 mm steel pipes.
Is this a special feature of Solid Edge?
Something similar in FreeCAD?

He told me, that the construction Is not checked by a certified structural engineer.
Does this mean, there is an environment, where all are using the same software?

What sort of files could FreeCAD provide, to be checked by a certified structural engineer?
Bance
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Re: What to do with a Solid Edge PSM user?

Post by Bance »

What exactly are you after?

If you wish to view these PSM files, you would need either the software that created them or some sort of viewer for the same.

Being created in SolidEdge does not hold with your new company's opensource ethos.

You may ask for the files to be provided in BREP or STEP format, this would allow viewing and alteration in FC (they would not however be parametric.)

File transfer formats in the design industry are not standardised in any meaningful way, it is not in the interests of the major players to do so.

I don't know about Austria in particular but here in the UK, a structural steel design would go from a scheme to the engineer for calculations and sizing.
Dean_1405
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Re: What to do with a Solid Edge PSM user?

Post by Dean_1405 »

Sorry for misleading you with this brep files inside Solid Edge file.
It's been a while since i investigated them.

I don't know any function in Solid Edge that will propose pipe, beam etc. to satisfy given loads.
Small calculations can be done in Solid, but for larger projects we use Autodesk Robot at work.

Best you can do is to ask your provider for files FreeCAD can open as @Bance said, then edit them or recreate if needed.
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founder
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Re: What to do with a Solid Edge PSM user?

Post by founder »

Dean_1405 wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:50 pm Sorry for misleading you with this brep files inside Solid Edge file.
It's been a while since i investigated them.

I don't know any function in Solid Edge that will propose pipe, beam etc. to satisfy given loads.
Small calculations can be done in Solid, but for larger projects we use Autodesk Robot at work.

Best you can do is to ask your provider for files FreeCAD can open as @Bance said, then edit them or recreate if needed.
Thanks,

I talked today with an expert making FreeCAD lectures. I will try, that my freelancer changes and pay him some hours of a quick “How to do this in FreeCAD” lessons.
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