ACIS Reader

ACIS

File Extension

SAT SAB

Supported Versions

Up to 2023

Platforms

wy ly my an in

Tessellation

c_green Computed

B-rep

c_green Supported

PMI

c_grey N/A

ACIS is a widely-used geometric modeling kernel that provides robust 3D modeling functionalities for various CAD, CAM, and CAE applications. The ACIS file format stores 3D geometry data, including vertices, edges, faces, and bodies, using a precise and efficient representation. This format is commonly employed for interoperability between different CAD systems and for accurate geometric representation in engineering and design applications.

Our support for ACIS covers reading and writing ACIS file formats on Windows, GNU/Linux, and macOS.

Note

Our ACIS reader does not support some of the more advanced procedural geometries that can be created with ACIS. If you are using HOOPS Exchange or HOOPS Publish in an ACIS-based application for export purposes, please use the appropriate ACIS API to approximate these advanced geometries in NURBS form to ensure import success.

If you cannot pre-process the model and/or have specific needs, please contact the HOOPS Exchange Support team for guidance.

How to Import from ACIS

To load an ACIS file, use A3DAsmModelFileLoadFromFile(). The A3DParamsLoadData structure is used to customize the loading behavior:

A3DAsmModelFile* pModelFile = 0;

A3DRWParamsLoadData sReadParam;
A3D_INITIALIZE_DATA(A3DRWParamsLoadData, sReadParam);
sReadParam.m_sGeneral.m_bReadSolids = true;

// ... set other A3DRWParamsLoadData fields as necessary

A3DAsmModelFileLoadFromFile("path/to/file.sat", &sReadParam, &pModelFile);

See Simple Load and Export for more about loading model files.

Assembly

ACIS does not support the concept of an assembly.

Tessellation

The tessellation data for this format is generated by the HOOPS Exchange tessellation engine.

B-rep

HOOPS Exchange allows you to query the full topological and geometric model defined in an ACIS file.

Our reader supports the following geometries from ACIS:

  • Surfaces: B-spline surface, Blend surface (constant radius), Blend surface (from curve), Blend surface (variable radius), Blend surface (vertex), Cone, Extrusion surface, Law surface, Offset surface, Pipe surface, Plane, Skin surface, Sphere, Surface from curves, Surface of revolution, Sweep surface, Torus.

  • Curves: B-spline, Circle, Curve on surface, Ellipse, Law curve, Line, Offset curve, Intersection curve.

While we access all geometry definitions within an ACIS file, some evaluators for vertex blends and law surfaces are not as robust as others.

HOOPS Exchange does not provide access to the geometric definitions of all surfaces and curves possible in ACIS. However, evaluators for all types are provided. Since these advanced geometric definitions do not exist in PRC, they are mapped to NURBS form when exported to PRC.