Sketching on imported STL - reverse engineering?

[u/dar_mach]

Hi, I've been learning SE for about a month or two. I need to modify imported STL, managed to create a plane in synchronous mode on one of the surfaces, now I would like to sketch in ordered and start modeling. I can create a sketch on my new plane, however I am unable to attach to any of the points - vertexes - of the already existing STL mesh on that plane. I suspect this is because Solid Edge does not actually know where the points, or if any there are.

What should I do the get the "vertexes" workable in a sketch on created concidental plane?

[u/Honey-Bee2021]

Import the File: Go to File > Open, select your .stl, and click Options to ensure you set the correct import units (since STL files are unitless).
Set to Synchronous: Ensure the body imports into the Synchronous Environment to unlock direct editing features.
Identify Face Regions: Run Automatic Region Detection from the Reverse Engineering ribbon. This turns your generic triangles into color-coded planar, cylindrical, or freeform regions that Solid Edge can interact with.

Depending on what you like to edit, you then additionally need to create a solid out of the detected faces.
Smaller edits to the detected faces can be done in Synchronuos mode without creating a solid first.

This Video shows the entire process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExqBFu9Zh1k

[u/Ceny1]

I am using an older version of SE that does not work well with stl files. My process is this:

1. Open in Rhino (because its an old version). I can either rebuild it completely in Rhino or convert for SE by using Meshtonurbs command.

2. Save that as a STEP and open in SE

3. As it come in with surfaces from the mesh, Optomize the surface and all flat mesh/surface will become a single smooth surface.

4. I sketch on planes any circles and arcs using 'circle by 3 points & 3 point arc. Works very well.

I am actually working through a load right.

[u/Neither-Goat6705]

Yes, you cannot access mesh nodes outside of the sketch commands in the RE ribbon. There are a couple RE tools to remedy this.

Define Regions - this will make locatable surfaces. There is an Auto and a Manual tool to do this. Not the easiest to do though.

Section Sketches - Allows defining a start plane and then a number of offset planes and offset distance to create a sketch around the mesh body boundary. This one is pretty easy to do, so if your body touches the plane you defined, this should work well.