Parasolid is a widely used geometric modeling kernel in the computer-aided design (CAD) industry. It is primarily used in PLM software such as NX and SolidEdge, but many other CAD systems also use Parasolid as a geometric kernel or interoperability format. Parasolid is known for its precision, reliability, and flexibility, making it an ideal tool for 3D model interoperability.
Parasolid has two file extension formats: .x_t and .x_b. The .x_t extension stands for Parasolid Text Transmittal, while the .x_b extension stands for Parasolid Binary. Both file formats contain the same data, but the binary format is more compact and can be loaded more quickly by the software. The Parasolid file format is an open format, which means that it is not proprietary and can be used by any software that supports it.
Most Parasolid files contain only 3D solids and/or surface data. 2D data such as lines and arcs are currently not supported.
One of the key advantages of Parasolid is its interoperability capability. Since Parasolid is supported by many CAD systems, it can be used as a common format for exchanging 3D models between different systems. Parasolid files can be imported and exported by most CAD software, making it a popular choice for collaboration and data exchange.
In addition, Parasolid has excellent data translation capabilities. It can read and write a wide range of file formats, including STEP, IGES, STL, and many others. This allows Parasolid to serve as a bridge between different CAD systems and enables efficient data exchange.
CAD Interop distributes several software solutions for viewing, translating, and comparing Parasolid files. See below for a list of our solutions compatible with the Parasolid format:
