From CAD to twin

The workflow for real machine CAD: split, import at the right quality, align to mechanism origins, animate.

1. Split in CAD, not in the twin

Export one file per moving part (or per link), not the whole machine as a monolith:

• Frame + static guards → one file (it will be Draft quality)
• Each mechanism link → its own file, modelled about its joint axis if possible

An assembly exported as one STEP can only ever move as one rigid lump.

2. Import with intent

For each file, pick quality by camera distance (frame → Draft, mechanism links → Normal, hero part → Fine) and set the scale to match your CAD units once, at import.

3. Build the object structure first

Create the objects before dressing them: the mechanism (say, a slider-crank) with its real dimensions from the drawing, parented under a station object. Verify the bare kinematics moves correctly with a test MasterTime variable, geometry problems are much easier to see without CAD in the way.

4. Dress the links

Attach each imported model to its link and align with the model pose (see Coordinates & units): the CAD should sit on the link's mathematical origin. If a part was modelled about its joint axis in step 1, this is zero work.

5. Performance pass

Enable the performance monitor. If FPS sags: re-import background parts at Draft, check for an accidentally-Fine frame, and consider Lambert materials for very large scenes.

6. Save and export

Save, then export an archive, that archive is now the machine's visual documentation, models included.