About Data Exchange Between Creo and the Neutral Format
You can exchange geometric and non-geometric data between Creo and the Neutral (*.neu) format. The geometric information includes facets, datum curves, datum points, shells, solids, and cross-sections.
You can import and export the following single- and multiple-body part models, and part components of assemblies:
• Parts with a single solid or multiple solid bodies.
• Parts with quilts and a single solid body.
• Parts with empty bodies.
• Parts containing a combination of empty and solid bodies.
• Parts containing solid bodies with open and closed quilts.
• Assemblies with part components that contain multiple bodies.
• Assemblies with intersected and flexible components that contain multiple solid bodies.
• Assemblies with the same multiple body part components occurring at different levels of the assemblies.
• Parts and assemblies with components containing multiple bodies as ATB-enabled parts and components.
The non-geometric items that you can include in import and export are as follows:
• Annotations, including:
◦ 3D notes
◦ Surface finish notes and symbols
◦ Standalone and Annotation Feature notes that include additional references
◦ Dimensions
◦ General and weld symbols
◦ Geometric and dimensional tolerances (GD&T)
◦ Set datum tags
◦ Datum targets
• The combined states
• Engineering meta data are exported as the model parameters and imported as the model and entity parameters of parts and assemblies.
• The material properties and other properties such as name, parameters, colors, and visibility that are assigned to the solid bodies of parts.
• The IDs of entities such as surfaces, edges, quilts, curves, and datum features.
You can use import and export profiles for the import and export tasks. Import and export log files are automatically generated in the working directory for the import and export.
Importing and Exporting Annotations
• You can exchange part- and assembly-level annotations as graphical or semantic representations. The default graphical representation consists of polylines, while the semantic representation consists of structured validation data.
• Annotations and 3D notes are imported and exported as polyline representations by default. The outlines of the true-type text fonts are exchanged as closed-loop polylines.
• Geometric and dimensional tolerances are:
◦ Exchanged as stroked or exploded polylines.
◦ Imported with 3D notes as annotation elements and symbols of newly-created annotation features.
• If annotations are placed on layers in the Neutral files before import, they are placed on the corresponding layers in Creo after import.
• If annotations are associated with combined states and named views in the Neutral files, they are associated with the corresponding combined states after import to Creo. Standalone annotations are imported as annotation elements.
• For both standalone notes and Annotation Feature notes, additional references export to the Neutral format. If you then import that Neutral file back into Creo, those references are associated with the imported note annotation.