Parasolid files
Parasolid model exchange: text/binary variants, target versions, body and assembly content, and receiving checks.
Tags: parts-and-design, file-formats, parasolid, cad
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Identify the exchange, not just the extension
Parasolid exchange can deliver boundary-representation geometry. Identify the source revision and target translator. HOOPS Exchange Parasolid writer
HOOPS Exchange supplies another bounded example: its writer documents assembly instances, colors and transformations, while its capability table marks PMI as unavailable. It also explains that an export can trim surfaces or recompute vertices even for Parasolid-based source data; a dedicated import option is needed when exact preservation of parsed entities is required in that workflow. This cautions against equating a shared kernel format with an automatically identical result. HOOPS writer capabilities and geometry mapping
SOLIDWORKS 2026 documents text and binary Parasolid exchange, including .x_t, .x_b, .xmt_txt and .xmt_bin import extensions. It says binary exports are smaller, but some target applications do not support them. Confirm the receiver's supported variant instead of choosing binary solely for size. SOLIDWORKS 2026 Parasolid files
Version and content are separate choices
SOLIDWORKS exposes an export Version selection for the target system, a choice to flatten assembly hierarchy, and an output coordinate system. It also prompts about hidden or suppressed assembly components. Record these choices: an accepted file version does not establish that the intended components, placements or hierarchy were exported. SOLIDWORKS export options
| Handoff field | Requirement to resolve |
|---|---|
| Variant and version | Text/binary and the schema/version the recipient can read |
| Content | Required solids, surfaces, curves, bodies and components |
| Structure | Assembly levels, instances, names and selected configuration |
| Coordinates | Intended units, origin, orientation and export transformation |
| Acceptance | Governing revision, critical geometry and required non-geometric information |
Do not treat text and binary variants as different manufacturing tolerances. Likewise, selecting an older schema is not proof of unchanged geometry. Reopen the delivered file in the intended recipient and inspect the characteristics that matter.
Translator capability needs its own evidence
Creo Parametric 13 documents importing solids, surfaces, curves, density and assembly structure, and exporting solids, surfaces, density, colors, component structures and names to .x_t. It automatically generates import/export logs. These are that translator's capabilities, not a statement that every Parasolid reader preserves the same information. PTC, Parasolid data exchange
The corresponding export profile includes flat versus all-level assembly structure and solids/quilts representation. Its surface-approximation controls show why export settings belong with the delivery record. Keep their exact definitions with the originating application's profile rather than transferring a same-named accuracy value to another translator. Creo 13 Parasolid export profile
Retain the authoritative native design and drawing separately where acceptance depends on feature history, constraints, annotations, materials or manufacturing requirements. Agree explicitly which of those must survive the exchange and inspect the chosen translator's result. A colored solid alone does not communicate a verified material grade or finish requirement.
Check scale, placement and body type
As proposed receiving checks, inspect expected component/body counts, solid versus surface status, overall dimensions, orientation and the chosen origin. Review missing or duplicate parts and suppressed-component choices against the release intent. Check representative small holes, thin walls and mating surfaces as well as the bounding envelope.
Original unit-sensitivity example: an assumed rectangular solid intended to measure 20 × 10 × 5 mm has volume 1000 mm³. If those numerical lengths are instead interpreted in centimeters, linear dimensions are ten times larger and volume is 1000 times larger. This is conversion arithmetic, not a claim about a particular file's stored units. Establish the actual source/export/import interpretation before applying any corrective scale.
Where useful, compare volume, area and center of mass with the source under consistent units and material/density assumptions. These are screening comparisons, not proof of identical topology or every critical feature. A model can retain similar volume while losing a small passage or changing a seating surface.
Acceptance after import
Review translator logs and warnings, then inspect the delivered model itself. Repair or stitching can change the representation; preserve the original delivery and compare any repaired derivative against the governing requirements. Do not accept a surface shell as a required closed solid merely because it shades correctly.
For manufacturing or downstream analysis, define the relevant dimensional and geometric acceptance independently of file readability. Confirm that the intended bodies can be selected and used in that workflow. A successful render is not a machining, meshing or fit qualification.
Keep a concise record of source revision, exporter/profile, Parasolid variant/version, expected content, coordinates, receiver version, warnings and agreed checks. Resolve differences against the authoritative release rather than silently substituting a converted model.
Source scope
Reviewed on the date above. Application-specific statements refer to SOLIDWORKS 2026 and Creo Parametric 13. The live HOOPS Exchange documentation has no verified technical revision date here; its capabilities are bounded to that writer. No unsupported universal Parasolid version ceiling, PMI rule or tolerance guarantee is inferred from those examples. Calculations and receiving checks are editorial guidance.