3D-Import Manager

On the Model tab, Imports > Imports opens the 3D-Import Manager dialog where you can import various model file formats to Plant Modeller.

Using the 3D-Import Manager tool, first the user attaches the data files to be imported, optionally runs a prescan to retrieve attributes and object extents from the files, defines file-specific import settings, and then performs the actual import.

The importer recognizes objects by object ID and geometry, which allows it to add new models, modify previously imported models, and delete models that are no longer present in the import data. When re-importing a data file, the user can select that for example only new objects are imported but existing ones are kept unchanged. Re-import can also be used to apply different import settings to the same data, for example to change how imported objects are mapped to systems. Imported objects can be found from the model based on group name: an imported group has the prefix "IM", and objects imported from a specific data file belong to group IM::<data file name>.

The list of imports is stored in the import manager, and once the information is saved, all project users can see the imports and the related information, including who attached each import file, when, and from which location. All users on the same site can also re-import the data, if the data file is in a shared location. If the import was originally performed on another site, you cannot re-import the data file, but you can still use the import manager to move or rotate the group of objects as a single entity.

If you detach an imported file from the import manager, you still have the associated objects in the area model, but you can no longer re-import the data.

If you delete an import from the import manager, the data file is detached and the imported objects are deleted.

Supported File Formats

These are the formats that 3D-Import Manager can import:

• 3DC files created by 3D eXchanger for AutoCAD
• 3DD files (CADMATIC 3D dump)
• 3DDX files (CADMATIC 3D dump X)
• 3DP files created by 3D eXchanger for PolyTrans® (Okino Computer Graphics)
• ATX files
• IFC and IFCZIP files
• JT files
• DGN files
• DWG files
• OBJ files – Import of planar polygon geometry; higher-order surface geometry cannot be imported.
• SDN, SDNF and TXT files (see Working with Tekla Structures)
• STEP and STP files

For example, from ATX files objects are imported as equipment to support hole requests, and from 3DD and 3DC files objects are imported as equipment if the objects contain node information.