PRIME MOTIONImport and export
Choose the format for what you want to send. A design, a body, and a machine program carry different parts of your work.
| What you need | Format | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| An editable Prime Motion design | .pmd | Share on a design tile; Import design… in the Designs panel |
| Solid geometry for another CAD or CAM app | STEP | Body export in the modelling workspace |
| A triangle mesh | STL | Body export in the modelling workspace |
| A program for the controller | Posted G-code | Export in Manufacturing |
| Named values and expressions | .csv or .json | Parameters |
| Artwork or a drawing to work from | DXF, SVG, PDF, or an image | Insert while sketching |
Share a design as .pmd
A shared design keeps its model, sketches, features, constraints, and parameters together in one file. It is useful for handing a part to another Prime Motion user or keeping a model copy outside this tablet.
- Close Design to return to the Designs panel.
- Open the design tile's ⋮ menu and choose Share.
- Wait for the summary. Check the design's name and the counts of bodies, sketches, and features.
- Choose Export.
- Open the folder you want on the tablet, an SD card or a USB drive, and choose Save here.
- Check the saved-file message before closing the Share panel.
The local export is placed in a PrimeMotion subfolder inside your chosen folder. In the example, choosing Download/FE-S08 saved Fixture plate.pmd in Download/FE-S08/PrimeMotion.
Import a .pmd design
Import design… belongs to the Designs panel. It imports a design document, rather than adding one body to the design you currently have open.
- Close an open design and enter the library folder where you want the imported design.
- Open that folder's breadcrumb menu and choose Import design….
- Choose the source, find the .pmd file, select it, and choose Import in the file browser.
- Read the design summary. It names any omitted history or toolpaths before you add the design.
- Choose Import in the summary to finish, or Cancel to leave the library unchanged.
- Open the imported tile. Give it a distinct name if you are keeping another version of the part.
Importing a shared file gives you a separate design; it does not merge edits into another design with the same name. The imported model needs its own Manufacturing work because shared toolpaths are not included.
Bring in or send out a body
Open a design and use the modelling workspace's Insert tools to bring in STEP or STL geometry. STEP carries CAD geometry; STL carries triangles. Choose the format your source app provides and check the imported part's size and placement before building on it.
Body export sends geometry to another app. It does not send your Prime Motion parameters, Manufacturing setup, or Undo history. Use .pmd when the recipient needs the Prime Motion design.
Bring in artwork
Use Insert while sketching for DXF, SVG, PDF, and images. A reference canvas gives you something to draw over; the canvas itself is not a toolpath. Check a known length after placement so the part you model is the size you intend. See Sketching.
Send a program to the machine
In Manufacturing, configure the Tool Run, generate and simulate its toolpaths, then use Export to create the program files in Projects. Open the project and select its file or Tool Run; continue in Control to review and start the work. Follow Posting and Loading a program.
A G-code file cannot replace a design backup. It describes the cutter's movements, rather than how you constructed the part.