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Ask the Basics

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About this course

In this Q&A session, our Senior Onboarding Engineer Mandy Rosengren answers some of the most frequently asked questions on geometry conversion, basic operations, and troubleshooting in nTop. The questions covered are listed below:

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Geometry Conversions (CAD, Implicit Bodies, Mesh)

Why can’t I see my CAD part after importing? Why won’t my CAD part be accepted in the Implicit Body from CAD Body block? Why and when would I use a Mesh vs. CAD Body vs. Implicit Body?

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Modeling/Basic Operations

How do I define points at different corners of a box? How do I trim or smoothen out edges or corners of an implicit body? What about for lattices? I’m having trouble orienting objects in nTop. Is there a way to split an implicit body when it contains many disconnected solids?

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Troubleshooting

Why won’t my variable be accepted in an input? What do I do if I get an error when importing a custom block? My part looks strange, what can I do to find out the problem?

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Additional Questions

Sometimes when importing a CAD body, I see a warning that there is a fault (or several). How can I get more info about exactly where the fault(s) is/are occurring? Is there a way to look “under the hood” of a block to see how it was built? How do I calculate the surface area of a part?