Welcome to 2017’s final edition of World of CAD, Scan2CAD’s monthly roundup of CAD-related news. We’ll start this month’s edition by covering two new software releases. The first is from mobile CAD software provider Shapr3D, whilst the second is the new version of ESI Group’s SimulationX.
Next, we’ll move onto hardware, as anticipation builds around MultiCam’s new product line, APEX1R. Finally, we’ll turn our attention to the new programs added to SHINING 3D‘s distribution network this month. Let’s get started!
Shapr3D brings Parasolid to iPad Pro
Shapr3D on iPad Pro. Image source: Shapr3D.
CAD isn’t just for desktops anymore. In recent years, we’ve seen a proliferation of CAD apps for Android and iOS, allowing people to view and edit their designs on the go. This month, one of the most popular iOS CAD apps, Shapr3D, got a powerful new update.
Unlike many apps, which serve as mobile extensions of existing desktop programs, Shapr3D was designed for the iPad Pro. This gives designers the ability to sketch ‘freehand’ using an Apple Pencil. The aim, according to Shapr3D founder István Csanady, is to “make 3D CAD modeling available for all creative professionals”.
The latest release, Shapr3D 3.0, is a CAD application that is not just democratic, but also even more powerful. That’s because it now includes Siemens’ Parasolid software. Parasolid is market-leading technology that also lies at the base of Siemens’ Solid Edge, one of the major competitors to SolidWorks.
Shapr 3D 3.0 also includes Tech Soft’s HOOPS Exchange. Specifically optimized for use with Parasolid, HOOPS Exchange is a CAD translation software development kit which offers access to 20 different CAD file formats.
The combination of Parasolid and HOOPS Exchange means that designers can use the program’s solid modeling functionality natively on iPad Pro. This, in turn, helps to distinguish Shapr3D from competitors such as Onshape, which require connection to the cloud to function.
With Shapr3D’s intuitive interface and increasingly powerful features, it’s no surprise to see this Budapest-based startup go from strength to strength. Better still, it offers users a great entry-level price tag, coming in at just $150/year for the Pro version (and students can get it for free!) To learn more, visit Shapr3D.
ESI Group releases SimulationX 3.9
The latest version of SimulationX is the most powerful to date. Image source: ESI.
Today’s CAD software is about more than just designing. Nowadays, the software focuses on managing every aspect of a product’s lifecycle. Simulation tools are more relevant than ever, and offer designers a way to test out how their products react to forces and stresses without the need to create a physical prototype. The result: less time, less waste; better products, made more cheaply.
One of the companies at the forefront of this is ESI Group, one of the industry leaders in virtual prototyping software. On December 14th, they released what they describe as “the most intuitive and reliable simulation software”: SimulationX 3.9.
This latest release of the company’s SimulationX software includes a number of new features that aim to make it easier for engineers to perform their day-to-day roles. These include improved calculation methods, better results visualizations, and faster modeling, calculation and analysis.
Other developments in SimulationX 3.9 include new elements in the software’s electro-mechanical and Vehicle Drives libraries. Meanwhile, the software continues to be, according to ESI, “the most customizable solution available”. Its ability to communicate with other CAE solutions, and also enables users to write their own model code.
Though SimulationX has seen two decades of use in the automotive industry, the program now targets numerous fields. These include the energy, rail, aerospace, aeronautics, mining and industrial machinery sectors. Now, it aims to provide users across these diverse fields with the ability to perform in-depth analysis and real-time testing, as well as offering reliable and speedy analysis tools within narrow parameters.
If you haven’t heard of SimulationX before, it’s clear that there are plenty of reasons to check it out. To learn more, visit ESI’s site.
MultiCam launches new, cheaper line of routers: APEX1R
APEX1R will join the existing APEX3R line of routers, pictured above.
Based in Dallas, TX, MultiCam is a manufacturer of CNC machines that’s going from strength to strength. 2017 saw the company install their 12,000th machine. If you thought they were about to slow down, though, you’d be dead wrong.
That’s because, on December 1st, MultiCam announced the launch of a new line of CNC routers: APEX1R. The new line is to act as a complement to the company’s existing APEX3R line of routers. The main difference between the two lines, however, is the price, with APEX1R aimed at entry-level users and small businesses.
Despite the more affordable price point, MultiCam have been clear that the new line of routers will still offer users the same great cutting platform. MultiCam Chairman and CEO David Morse said that “[we] expect the APEX1R to impress even the most discerning customers looking for the best value with good quality”.
The APEX1R line isn’t out yet, with a release scheduled for January 2018. There’s not too long to wait, though—and with fantastic quality CNC machining on offer at low prices, we expect these machines to rival the popularity of their bigger brothers. To view MultiCam’s full range of CNC solutions, visit their website.
SHINING 3D to distribute Rhinoceros 3D and Mesh2Surface
Rhinoceros 3D and Mesh2Surface are both coming to SHINING 3D’s distribution platform.
SHINING 3D, one of China’s leading manufacturers of 3D printers and scanners, announced this month that they would begin offering two new program lines on their distribution platform: Rhinoceros and Mesh2Surface.
The move, which comes as a result of deals with developers Robert McNeel & Associates and ADA 3D, broadens the reach of both companies. It also comes hot on the heels of SHINING 3D’s recent deals with PointShape and Geomagic, rounding off a year of expansion for the firm.
Mesh2Surface’s product manager, Kostadin Vrantzaliev, said that the deal would mean “delivering much more value at a lower cost”. Robert McNeel & Associates’ Scott Davidson, meanwhile, said that the company is “pleased to work with SHINING 3D to offer customers solutions that fit more users’ demands and professional requirements”. This is a deal, it would seem, with benefits for both the firms involved and for the 3D printing community as a whole.
