CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
4 September 2008
Product News
hyperCAD® 2008.1 from OPEN MIND; New Version with Numerous Innovations
With hyperCAD® 2008.1 OPEN MIND brings a new version of its CAD software on to the market, again with numerous innovations. These improvements serve to increase the clarity of the software, to increase productivity and to better support users in their day-to-day work.
hyperCAD® from OPEN MIND Technologies AG is a flexible, versatile CAD system that is based on the think3® kernel. The 2D and 3D CAD system can be intuitively operated, is easy to learn and is especially user-friendly. Direct interfaces to data files coming from CATIA V4® or V5®, Unigraphics®, PTC, SolidWorks and Parasolid® as well as standard data exchange formats such as STEP, IGES, STL, VDAFS, DWG and DXF make importing and exporting data flexible.
One of hyperCAD®’s greatest strengths is its ability to work with curve, surface and solid data in a single environment. Transitions from solids to surfaces and from surfaces to solids are possible. The designer can use various tools to check the quality of the curves and surfaces to ensure that at the end of the design process, models with excellent data quality are available and more time can be saved, for example, in the subsequent CAM programming.
Intelligent functions
A number of high-end functions make complex processes simpler and reduce the time needed to carry out routine work. Models and variations of models can be developed especially quickly and efficiently with hyperCAD®. It is also possible to switch between 2D and 3D modes at any time. The Smart Objects technology allows predefined or user-defined intelligent design elements and concepts to be stored and used again later. The automatic adjustment to differing topologies and geometries puts an end to time-consuming routine tasks. MODEL SPLITTING is a particularly efficient tool for mould construction. A single mouse click can quickly separate surface and solid models into upper and lower pieces. With GLOBAL SHAPE MODELING, existing models can be very quickly modified and variations created, saving the user time and money. Portions of the surface or solid model can be fixed, while adjacent areas are bent, rotated, modelled or extruded individually or together, with specified blend constraints.
New version of hyperCAD® 2008.1
The properties of work planes and references systems, which can be configured using a shortcut menu, are examples of the optimisations and improvements that have been made. Users also have a considerable amount of freedom with the configuration and appearance of the work planes, allowing them to adapt these according to their individual needs. The completely revised layer management also provides more clarity. It can be activated in the browser’s taskbar and is always available. The status of each layer can be discerned at a glance: name, colours, line type and thickness, number of elements or the status, i.e. whether the layer is locked or unlocked. Additional password protection prevents unauthorised access to critical data. If the layer is password protected, then the data can neither be graphically edited or manipulated nor deleted. The lock with snap serves to make locked elements available for selection for snap functions. Thanks to the layer filters it is possible to make selections according to specific criteria for a reduced view.
Improvements have also been made for simple 3D surfaces and solid functions. New functions, such as ‘rotational extrusion’ or ‘triple tangential rounding’ have been implemented in hyperCAD® 2008.1, which makes modelling even easier for the user.
New graphic interface increases performance
A completely revised graphic interface brings significant advantages when working thanks to improved element representation. This advantage is especially relevant when working on large STL networks. The performance increases in this case, compared to the previous version, by a factor of 4 to 5. The stock representation in hyperMILL® also benefits from this improvement. With hyperCAD® 2008.1 the last step towards a uniform user interface has been carried out. All 2D drawing functions have been transferred to the proven 3D user interface. These powerful functions make 2D drafting even more effective.
With exact information between the individual elements, the representation of solids and surfaces has again been improved in hyperCAD® 2008.1. With the optimised section view the section can be optimally defined and the section area can be assigned its own colour. Additional functionality include new selection options for contours or model quality control. The model comparison now offers the user the possibility of recognising the remaining material or analysing statuses and thus adapting the machining strategy accordingly.
Additional information is available on request or from our website at http://www.openmind-tech.com.
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