- [Instructor] When accessing imported geometry,
it's becoming more and more common
to run across a Parasolid file.
By going to Wikipedia, we find a great definition
of the Parasolid file.
Unlike the STEP and the IGES file, the Parasolid file
is not strictly vendor neutral or a universal format.
But it is able to be handled by many, many
different applications, including SOLIDWORKS,
as you can see listed here, and many of the
other CAD and CAM packages that are available.
The main thing to consider about the Parasolid file
is that it has two different versions,
the .x_t and the .x_b.
The .x_t is usually the file extension
that we want to go with coming from SOLIDWORKS,
as it'll contain the most information.
But if you run into errors using the .x_t file type,
you'll want to, instead, import the .x_b file type.
The Parasolid file is often used to capture high-detail
information for 3D CAD models.
If you have a CAD model that's extremely complex,
it might be difficult to save it out as a STEP file
or an IGES file and contain all the information.
A Parasolid file is an excellent option.