StepGeomChecker V3.2
User Manual

1. About this manual

This manual covers the commands available in the standard StepGeomChecker V3.2 interface.

2. Quick start

1. Select Home → Open Data, choose a STEP, IGES, or STL file, and confirm loading.
2. Review the model and part hierarchy in the Browser.
3. Adjust orientation and projection on the View tab, then open Inspect/Measure if needed.
4. Select Start Measurement, pick faces, cylinders, or edges, and check the tag and result pane.
5. For multiple models, select Home → Add Part, then position and mate them on the Assembly tab.
6. Select Save to create a .sgcassy file.

3. Screen layout

The Browser is on the left, the 3D canvas is in the center, and the current task and results appear in the right pane. Disabled commands require a loaded model, a selection, a supported file type, or completion of the current operation.

4. Opening data

STEP, IGES, and STL

1. Select Home → Open Data (Ctrl+O).
2. Choose a file and confirm that you want to load it.
3. Follow the current stage on the 3D canvas and the progress in the status area.

STEP and IGES loading transfers CAD geometry, resolves parts, and creates display meshes. STL loading reads and prepares the mesh, builds face-picking data, and prepares rendering. Large models may take time.

Assembly files

Select Home → Open Assembly (Ctrl+Shift+O) and choose a .sgcassy file. Model positions, visibility, fixed states, mates, steps, annotations, and thumbnails are restored.

Adding parts

After loading a model, select Add Part to add another CAD or STL model. Assembly operations become available when two or more models are present.

5. View and bounds

Mouse controls

View tab

• Front / Right / Top / Iso: switch to a standard orientation.
• Fit: fit the visible geometry to the canvas.
• Display: switch shaded and wire display.
• Projection: switch orthographic and perspective projection.
• Clip: move the slider to set the section position, switch the retained side, and select OFF to finish.
• Drawing Settings: configure loading quality and the DirectX device.

Bounds tab

• Box: display rectangular bounds.
• Cylindrical Bounds: display cylindrical bounds.
• Axis: cycle Auto → X → Y → Z for the cylinder axis.
• Show/Hide: toggle the most recently created bounds.

6. Browser operations

Models, subassemblies, and parts are displayed as a hierarchy. Selecting a node highlights the corresponding geometry.

Context menu

7. Inspection and measurement

Standard measurement

1. Select Start Measurement (M).
2. Pick a face, cylinder, or edge in the 3D view.
3. When enough references have been selected, a dimension line, tag, and result appear.
4. Pick the next object to continue. Select Start Measurement again or press Esc to finish.

Main measurements

Perimeter / Area

Select Perimeter/Area (Shift+M) and pick a face. Multiple loops are handled for faces containing holes or islands.

Results

• Measurement Results: normal measurements; select a row to restore its overlay and edit or delete records.
• Hole Type Totals: groups hole-check results with matching specifications.
• Hole Results: shows individual hole positions, specifications, and notes.

Hole Check

Hole Check (H) is available for STEP and IGES. It records plain, counterbored, and countersunk holes with through/blind state, diameter, depth, and angle conditions. It is unavailable for STL.

Mass

Select a part or subassembly in the Browser and open Mass. You can use material density, manual weight, or descendant totals. Descendants cannot be edited when their parent has a manual weight override.

Measurement HTML

Exports measurement records and a 3D model to HTML. Quick measurements performed inside the HTML are mesh approximations and may differ from exact STEP/IGES measurements in the application.

8. Assembly

Moving a model

Select Move Model (G) to edit position, rotation, and fixed/floating state. During mouse movement, left-drag moves and right-drag rotates the model. Press Esc to finish.

Mate constraints

1. Open Mate Constraints (K).
2. Select the floating model and mate type, then select Start.
3. Pick two target faces in the 3D view. Fixed and floating faces may be selected in either order.
4. Review existing constraints in the mate list and use Remove Constraint when needed.

Deleting a part

Select a model in the Browser and select Delete Part. Confirm the warning because assembly steps containing that part are also removed.

Saving and resuming

Select Save Assembly or press Ctrl+S to save a .sgcassy file. It stores model transforms, visibility, fixed states, mates, measurements, steps, annotations, comments, and thumbnails.

9. Assembly steps

Creating pages

• Add to Steps (CAP): adds the current 3D view and assembly state.
• Line-art CAP: adds a monochrome page on a white background. Hidden lines are suppressed when CAD curves are available.

Each page stores model positions, visibility, fixed states, and mate constraints. Selecting a page on the bottom timeline restores its state. Models introduced in later operations remain hidden in earlier pages.

Intermediate operations

• Insert Part: adds a model from the selected step through subsequent steps.
• Update Thumbnails: recaptures thumbnails from the selected step onward.
• The timeline scrolls horizontally as the number of pages increases.

Step list and annotations

Edit display, deletion, comments, and annotations for each page. Annotation types include text, arrows, assembly arrows, bent arrows, and circles. Bent arrows use 2–6 points including start and end; two points create a straight arrow and three or more create a bent arrow.

Selecting an annotation in the list highlights it in the preview. Press Esc to clear selection or cancel creation and movement. Use Steps HTML to export the completed instructions.

10. Export

STL input cannot be converted back into exact STEP or IGES CAD geometry. Check the quality settings before exporting STL.

11. Menus and settings

Top menu

• Help: displays product and version information.
• Manual: opens this manual in the language selected in the application.
• Settings: opens quality, color, and drawing-device settings.
• Language: switches the application between Japanese and English.
• STEP Colors: manages STEP color use and per-part overrides.

Quality and drawing

• Mesh quality: sets deflection and angle. Finer values improve smoothness but increase loading time and memory use.
• Automatic large-model optimization: reduces the load for large data.
• STEP color loading: selects how colors are loaded.
• DirectX drawing device: selects Automatic, GPU Drawing (Hardware), or CPU Drawing (WARP).

12. Shortcuts

13. Troubleshooting

Loading takes a long time

• Check the current stage on the canvas and progress in the status area.
• The first load may spend time generating meshes. Later loads may use the cache.
• Try automatic optimization or a coarser mesh quality in Settings.

Display problems or startup failure

• Try CPU Drawing (WARP) in the DirectX drawing-device setting.
• Open the log and check the last reported operation.

Cannot select a face or only part is highlighted

• Confirm that measurement mode is active.
• For finely split STL geometry, export the STL again at a higher quality from the source CAD.
• Use Hide Others to make the target part easier to select.

STL dimension differs from CAD

STL approximates curved surfaces with triangles, so the export quality introduces measurement error. Use STEP or IGES for exact CAD dimensions.

Cannot open .sgcassy

• Confirm that referenced source models have not been moved or deleted.
• Check that the file type is associated with StepGeomChecker.

Version and contact information

Measurements and inspection results depend on source-data quality, mesh tessellation, and geometry conditions. Confirm critical manufacturing dimensions and quality decisions in the source CAD or with calibrated measuring equipment.