Question 1

What file formats can I convert to URDF?

Accepted Answer

STEP, IGES, STL, OBJ, PLY, GLB, glTF and DAE files, plus Onshape document URLs and SolidWorks assemblies. B-Rep (STEP/IGES) and mates (Onshape/SolidWorks) give the highest accuracy; meshes are supported with joint inference.

Question 2

Do I need CAD mates or an assembly tree?

Accepted Answer

No. Jointly infers the moving parts, joints, axes, mass and collision from geometry alone — even from a bare STEP file or a single fused mesh. When mates are present (Onshape or SolidWorks) they are used to improve accuracy.

Question 3

How accurate is the joint inference?

Accepted Answer

Joint axes are exact from B-Rep/STEP geometry and from CAD mates. From bare meshes they are inferred heuristically or with ML, followed by a quick human-in-the-loop review. Joint travel and limits cannot be read from a single static pose — you confirm them, or capture two poses for exact travel.

Question 4

What output formats does Jointly produce?

Accepted Answer

A simulation-ready URDF, plus SDF, MJCF (MuJoCo) and USD, with all meshes packaged together in a ZIP ready for ROS, Gazebo, MuJoCo or Isaac Sim.

Question 5

Is my CAD uploaded to the cloud?

Accepted Answer

The Jointly desktop app runs entirely on your own machine — your CAD never leaves it. The web version processes your file on our conversion engine and does not share it with anyone.