Overview of 3D Models
3D models add realism to the Ansys Systems Tool Kit® (STK®) digital mission engineering software by depicting objects as they truly appear. While AGI has a plethora of models available at www.agi.com/models, many users wish to use their own CAD-based models in the STK application. To do this, you need to convert the model to a glTF model (*.gltf, *.glb), a COLLADA model (.dae), or an STK MDL model (*.mdl). If using the STK MDL model, you need to convert the CAD model to a LightWave model (*.LWO) and then convert it to an STK MDL model (*.mdl). The glTF file format is the preferred model format of AGI engineers, and receives greater support in the STK application for versions 12.8 and later.
To learn more about the different model formats supported by the STK application, please see Using Models in the STK Help.
Editing glTF or COLLADA models
You will need to edit the model in the original CAD software or in another 3D modeling tool like Blender. Please refer to the Help documentation on the tools on how to adjust the scale of the model. Once you adjust the scale, you can save the model in a glTF format (*.gltf, *.glb) or a COLLADA format (.dae) and use it in the STK application.
Editing MDL models
Below is an example of how to do this with the MDL format of model files.
If your model scale is set to zero and you wish to further decrease the size, you can add the "UniformScale" keyword to your model file. Add this line after the "Root" line and the value is a decimal between zero and one. For example, if you wish to decrease the model size by 50%, you would add the following line:
Component ACESLM
Root
UniformScale 0.5
Refer
Rotate 0 0 90
Component Body
EndRefer
EndComponent
Save the MDL file and then reload the new model file into the STK application.
To learn more about working with MDL file, please see Creating an MDL Model the STK Help.
