How to render SOLIDWORKS models using 3ds max and Corona?

[fa2020]

Hi,
I'm going to render som SOLIDWORKS models using Corona and 3ds max. For lighting, I use Light Map Studio. What is the best way to render them while keeping the RAM usage at the minimum? Converting the model into OBJ or importing as STEP file without any change?
Many times converting the SOLIDWORKS model into OBJ increases the file size for example 480Mb and this decreases the rendering speed.
My RAM is 16GB and CPU Corei 7 4790k

[sprayer]

For low memory usage you should use low resolution HDRI map(just change size in photoshop), you do not need it in high resolution as you override background and not see it. It also reduce render time.

STP and STL file open fine in 3ds max directly, you can choose quality of mesh at import or even keep them as nurbs model.

16gb is should enough for product renders. But if you render very big resolution for example 10k this may be problem, as whole pixels stores directly in VFB during rendering and not compressed it can take several GB, so if you have warnings about low resolution and rendering is very slow, you can turn off VFB, also use option low memory in system settings and dev settings, this save a bit RAM

[naikku]

I do this a lot.
I just save a SW-model as a .SAT or .STEP.
Then import models, choose all and then Body objects\Body utility.
Click Rendering approximiation > Use viewport Mesh (then ESC).
Add materials and HDRI, then F9.

If a round part would look a bit like it has polygons, then choose all again
and Mesh Quality Presets > Fine. It will add polygons to the scene but round
surfaces will be round.

Could someone have a comment which they use, SAT or STEP? Is there any difference?

[sprayer]

Can you share problematic model?
I find body object not very useful, so i import poly model it has also more grading, than 4 presets in body object. I think you need just smooth normals at polys

[pokoy]

A file with body objects will be smaller than a tesselated model most of the time, depending on the resolution of the tesselated objects of course. For rendering however, it'll take roughly the same amount of memory since the object needs to be tesselated for rendering, it's all triangles for the rendering.
If you come across shading artefacts you need to disable the shadow terminator fix since it doesn't handle explicit normals correctly.