Convert PRT to SLDPRT

What the formats mean

.prt is an ambiguous extension used by several CAD systems, including PTC Creo/Pro/ENGINEER and Siemens NX; some other products also use it. The extension does not identify one universal format, so the originating application and version are required before choosing a converter. A PRT file can contain a solid part, surface geometry, or, in some systems, assembly-related data.

.sldprt is SOLIDWORKS’ native part format. It can store feature history, sketches, configurations, materials, appearances, and multiple solid bodies. A converted file normally contains imported geometry rather than the source system’s editable feature tree; the file extension changes, but the original parametric history does not automatically transfer.

How to convert the file

1. Identify the source CAD system. Ask the sender whether the file came from Creo, NX, or another program, and request the same application’s current export options. Do not rename .prt to .sldprt; the internal data structures are different.
2. Prefer a neutral export from the source system. Export STEP, preferably AP242 or AP214, or Parasolid .x_t/.x_b when available. Parasolid often preserves analytic solid geometry well; STEP is more widely supported. Use IGES mainly for surface-based data because it is less reliable for watertight solids.
3. Open the export in SOLIDWORKS. Select File → Open, choose the STEP or Parasolid file, and set the import options to import the model as a solid body when that option is available. For STEP files, enable 3D Interconnect only when maintaining an external reference is useful; otherwise import the geometry directly.
4. Repair and inspect the result. Run Import Diagnostics, attempt to heal faulty faces, and verify dimensions, units, body count, holes, threads, surface gaps, and coordinate orientation. Knit surfaces and select Try to form solid when the source contains surfaces rather than a closed solid.
5. Save the result. Use File → Save As, select Part (*.sldprt), and save the imported model. If the source contains an assembly, convert its components to separate .sldprt files and recreate the assembly as .sldasm; an assembly cannot be accurately represented as one ordinary part file.

When a compatible SOLIDWORKS translator is installed, SOLIDWORKS may open some Creo or NX files directly through File → Open. Support depends on the SOLIDWORKS release, installed translators, source version, license, and whether the file is a part or assembly. If direct opening is unavailable or fails, export STEP or Parasolid from Creo or NX instead.

Desktop and online converter options

SOLIDWORKS is the preferred destination tool because it can validate the imported body and save the native result. Creo and NX are the best source-side tools when the sender can export the model. Commercial translators such as Datakit CrossManager and CAD Exchanger Desktop can convert between many CAD formats without installing the original authoring system, but their supported PRT dialects and .sldprt export capabilities vary by edition.

Cloud services such as CAD Exchanger Cloud can be practical for non-confidential files. Before uploading, check the service’s current format matrix for the exact source—Creo PRT and NX PRT are not interchangeable—and confirm that SLDPRT is an available output rather than only STEP or Parasolid. Online conversion also transfers the model to a third party, which may violate supplier, export-control, or intellectual-property requirements.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Neutral conversion usually preserves boundary-representation geometry, but not native sketches, constraints, design intent, feature order, equations, family tables, configurations, or associative references.
• Feature recognition tools such as SOLIDWORKS FeatureWorks may rebuild some holes, extrusions, fillets, and patterns, but the result requires inspection and is not guaranteed to match the original tree.
• Assemblies, external references, colors, layers, PMI, weldments, sheet-metal rules, materials, and manufacturing metadata may be lost or require separate import settings.
• Check unit interpretation and model tolerance after import. A visually correct model can still contain gaps, invalid faces, altered edge tolerances, or small dimensional changes that affect downstream machining and analysis.
• Keep the original PRT and the intermediate STEP or Parasolid file. They provide a recovery path if a later SOLIDWORKS release cannot open the saved part or if geometry must be retranslated.