CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
19 January 2005
Company News
Capvidia to Launch 3D TransVidia®/SW at SolidWorks World 2005
Capvidia announced that it will introduce 3D TransVidia/SW a multifunctional front-end application for SolidWorks at the seventh annual SolidWorks World 2005 Conference, being held from January 30th - February 2nd, 2005 in Orlando, Florida. Visit Capvidia at booth #403.
3D TransVidia/SW combines advantages of a stand-alone application with a tightly integrated SolidWorks Add-in. The link with SolidWorks is established over the SolidWorks API operating on a common memory structure providing the most efficient and reliable data transfer.
CATIA Import to SolidWorks
Importing large automotive CATIA models and assemblies to SolidWorks is time consuming and problematic. With 3D TransVidia/SW the process is optimal, straightforward and easy. The reading and translation of CATIA parts is fully controlled by 3D TransVidia/SW and runs independently from SolidWorks. CATIA models are analyzed and automatically repaired to internal requirements of the SolidWorks kernel. Prior to SolidWorks translation the part is visualized and can be examined in 3D TransVidia/SW. The user can choose to translate the entire model or only individual parts (ref. points, edges, faces, solids, assemblies) required in SolidWorks for further design work.
"Efficient import of large CATIA models into SolidWorks is crucial for subcontractors working with automotive and aerospace industry. They often get complex CATIA parts and assemblies, but only need a portion of the original model in SolidWorks to complete their design", said Lyle Fischer, Technical Marketing Director of Capvidia. "3D TransVidia/SW saves them time that is currently being wasted in translating complete models and provides a flexible bridge between CATIA and SolidWorks environments."
Automatic Reverse Engineering to SolidWorks Solids and Features
The objective of reverse engineering is to create an accurate digital model from a physical part.
3D TransVidia® RE / SW Reverse Engineering (RE) automatically converts mechanical parts defined as point clouds or polygon meshes (STL, VRML) into SolidWorks models. 3D TransVidia® RE recognizes CAD design features in the scan data and converts them into canonical surfaces (planes, cylinders, spheres, torus, cones, extrusion and surface of revolution). Complex free form patches are converted into NURBS surfaces. All patches are stitched together to form water-tight solids in SolidWorks. The resulting models are editable and can be subjected to the most complex Boolean operation such as re-scaling, cavity, solid subtraction, etc.
"We've broken new barriers with our Reverse Engineering product for SolidWorks. For the first time complex triangulations and point clouds can be automatically converted into editable SolidWorks parts", added Fischer, "The ease of use and affordable price makes it an extremely powerful extension to SolidWorks."
Smart (Feature based) Data Translation to SolidWorks
3D TransVidia ® ST / SW Smart Translator (ST) reads all types of CAD data and transfers them into SolidWorks feature models. The original part is automatically split into two entity groups: FFO (Free Form Objects expressed as NURBS) and AO (Analytical Objects expressed by plane, cylinder, sphere, cone, torus, surface of revolution, extrusion). The AO objects with explicit SolidWorks feature representation are automatically translated. The translation of the FFO objects requires minimal user interaction. The whole process is intuitive and fully interactive with drag & drop operations. The user decides which parts should be converted into editable SolidWorks features and those that should be left in their original "frozen" form as references. The resulting hybrid models are ideal for the design of manufacturing tools, robot fixtures and rigs around complex parts imported into SolidWorks.
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