CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
31 January 2011
Product News
Okino Ships 2011 Version of Its SolidWorks® CAD Conversion System for 3ds Max®, Maya®, Lightwave®, Cinema-4D®, Softimage® & All Major Downstream 3D File Formats
Okino Computer Graphics announced that its SolidWorks CAD conversion system has been updated for SolidWorks 2011 and is now available to current customers still within their valid maintenance period. The conversion pipeline allows native SolidWorks BREP CAD assembly, part and presentation files (disk based, or from a live running copy of SolidWorks) to be converted to all major animation + authoring packages, 3D downstream file formats and VisSim programs. Okino is one of the longest standing SolidWorks solution partner developers, providing 3D data translation solutions for SolidWorks users and users of SolidWorks data.
Okino's NuGraf and PolyTrans software import crack-free geometry, hierarchy and materials (assembly data) from native disk-based SolidWorks files or from a running copy of SolidWorks, and subsequently provide high-end rendering, viewing and scene composition of the data, or have the data optimized and then pipelined into all major 3D file formats, animation packages and third party/OEM integrations. Most importantly, SolidWorks assemblies, parts and presentations can be effortlessly and directly imported into all key animation systems such as 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage, Cinema-4D and Lightwave, as well as any third party product which integrates Okino's PolyTrans 3D converters and all major downstream file formats ranging from COLLADA to DWF-3D to SketchUp and dozens more.
The following is some key background information and facts about Okino and their SolidWorks conversion solution:
We use the actual SolidWorks source code, or connect directly into the inner core of a running copy of SolidWorks, so the conversion process will always result in crack free and technically accurate 3D models. We do not use intermediate file formats or hidden toolkits from unnamed companies. This process will work “out of the box” for all customers, for CAD expert or animator alike.
Over the last 23 years Okino has pioneered the concept of bringing complex CAD assemblies into all downstream non-CAD programs, 3D file formats, animation systems and DCC packages. These are very refined and efficient CAD pipelines, being used by tens of thousands of our enterprise companies, production houses and 3D professional users. A typical complex CAD conversion process only takes a few minutes or less, including full scene optimizations. There is no concept of spending days or weeks “trying” or “struggling” to get CAD data into these programs, where no such process existed before, because this has been Okino’s primary calling card and forte in the 3D industry for decades.
The hidden magic in the conversion process is Okino’s proprietary CAD optimization processor, integrated into each of our CAD importers. This processor is by far the most complex aspect of our entire 3D CAD conversion software pipeline. Turn it on and it’ll wrangle large and unwieldy CAD assemblies into refined datasets for efficient animation, rendering or interactive viewing.
You may already be using the Okino’s SolidWorks conversion system and not know it. Okino licenses, resells and/or integrates its CAD conversion system with many OEM and third party companies/products such as: 3DCreate (by Visual Components), Cinema-4D and its “Engineering Bundle” (by Maxon Computer), EON Reality, NGRAIN military training products, Pytha (by CATS Software), Quest-3D (by Act- 3D), VirTools (“4DC” .nmo pipeline by Realicon), and others who wish to remain anonymous.
In addition to direct import of optimized SolidWorks CAD assemblies to the many Okino-supported 3D programs as noted above, the CAD data can be transparently converted into such common downstream 3D file formats such as COLLADA, DirectX, DGN, DXF/DWG, DWF-3D, FACT, FilmBox (FBX), HOOPS HSF, JT, Lightwave, NGRAIN, Open GL C Code, OpenFlight, PLY, POV Ray, Renderman RIB, Rhino- 3D/OpenNURBS, Shockwave-3D (Adobe Director), SketchUp, STL, U3D, VET, VRML1/VRML2/X3D/SGI-Inventor2, Wavefront OBJ, XAML-3D, XGL and 3D Studio .3ds. Perfect tolerance-based animation and skinning cross conversion is also provided where applicable.
Okino’s core philosophy has been to “bring expensive CAD software to the masses, at affordable prices”. A very important point for our animation users is that for 1/3rd the price of what others charge for a single CAD converter, Okino licenses its entire suite of industry standard, native, CAD modules in the Dual-CADGranite/ Pack for US$510 (minus native JT and CATIA). The SolidWorks conversion pipeline is available by itself in the CAD/Pack for US$245. These are not reverse engineered, second rate CAD modules but rather de facto industry standard implementations, including: our equally popular Pro/Engineer importer (native and encrypted files, using the real Pro/E core software from PTC), ACIS SAT, Autodesk Inventor, DXF/DWG (native AutoCAD), DWF-3D (Revit, Navisworks and all key Autodesk CAD products), IGES solids, Parasolid, Rhino-3D, SketchUp, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, STEP solids, STL, U3D, VDA-FS, XGL and X3D. Dozens more file formats are also provided in the base-level PolyTrans, as well as in the DCC/Pack license, the “JT Open” import/export license, and the native CATIA v4 + v5 licenses (which are licensed copies of CATIA from Dassault – very unique in their price range).
Okino provides free support for its software direct from the main management team and senior developers, and not from online forums or untrained front-line tech support people. We know CAD conversion. Unlike faceless companies where support may be non-existent, we personally know thousands of our customers by first name, email address and company background.
“Our SolidWorks 3D data conversion system is by far our most popular and requested CAD conversion pipeline software,” said Robert Lansdale, president and CEO of Okino Computer Graphics, Inc. “We have dedicated a great deal of effort into making our SolidWorks 3D import conversion, repurposing and rendering pipeline the best in the industry over the last 14+ years. Our pipeline solution allows complete SolidWorks parts and assemblies to be converted cleanly and professionally to all other major 3D file formats, animation packages and visual simulation programs. It also allows all disparate departments of large enterprise companies (such as engineering, design, marketing and support) to easily exchange product data without the need to rebuild their CAD datasets -- downstream uses include product documentation and manual creation, animation and rendering software, visual communication and review of data, and for accessing easier to manipulate versions of the original CAD datasets. In addition, our software implicitly provides support for photo-realistic rendering and scene composition, 3D data and hierarchy optimization and built-in polygon reduction for handling those truly huge scenes that other downstream applications can’t handle without reduction. Our solution is particularly popular for importing SolidWorks assemblies into the 3ds Max, Maya, Lightwave, Softimage, Cinema-4D and SketchUp programs, among many other OEM and third party vendor integrations. We also have kept prices affordable for all of our CAD solutions, including free support and maintenance.”
Become a member of the CIMdata PLM Community to receive your daily PLM news and much more.
Tell us what you think of the CIMdata Newsletter. Send your feedback.
CIMdata is committed to your privacy. Your personal information will never be sold or shared outside of CIMdata without your express permission.