To import NURB surfaces into Maxsurf, use the Import IGES Surfaces command from the File menu. If you are starting a new design by importing an IGES file, make sure you create a new design first from File | New.
IGES stands for the Initial Graphics Exchange Standard. It is an extremely powerful format and is compatible with the majority of major CAD programs. IGES trimmed NURBS surfaces are represented as an entity 128, which contains the surface geometry, together with an entity 144, which contains only the trimming information.
Maxsurf can only read the entity 128 data, but does not support importing the entity 144 trimming data.
Note: importing trimming surfaces
Maxsurf does not support importing trimmed surfaces. All surfaces have to be re-trimmed manually. Also see: Importing Rhino .3dm files on page 184 for Rhino data exchange options that support trimming.
Each NURB surface found in the file will become a surface in Maxsurf.
The orientation of the imported model into the Maxsurf coordinate system depends on the orientation of the axis in the program where the .IGES file originates from.
Note:
See: Maxsurf Coordinate System on page 36
The options at the bottom of the dialog can be used to correctly orientate the control point net with respect to Maxsurf’s usual conventions.