CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
29 January 2013
Product News
Geomagic Releases Freeform 2013
Geomagic® today released its newest version of Geomagic® Freeform® 3D modeling software. Geomagic Freeform is a unique, touch-enabled solution that facilitates fast 3D modeling of highly detailed, organic shapes; these shapes can then be easily combined with geometric shapes for prototyping or manufacturing. In combination with Geomagic’s Sensable® Phantom® haptic 3D input devices, Geomagic Freeform software creates a unique modeling environment in which users can intuitively navigate in true 3D and design with virtual clay as if sculpting by hand.
Once the exclusive tool of the world’s top sculptural product designers, medical implant companies and high-end jewelers, Geomagic Freeform’s new subdivision (SubD) modeling features have created a powerful and versatile mainstream modeling solution. With this release, Freeform becomes the only system to give product designers the freedom and flexibility to combine up to four different modeling approaches – voxels, subdivision surfaces, polygons and NURBS (Geomagic Freeform Plus only) – in the same manufacturable model. With the new SubD surfacing, designers reap the benefits of SubD modeling: more control over smooth forms, hard edges, transitional blend control, and the ability to refine the mesh to allow detailed features such as textures to be captured – all while retaining fast and precise editing of the underlying base forms.
“Freeform 2013 improves upon an already fantastic digital sculpting package with a whole slew of new features,” said Nick Whitmore, digital sculptor at Designworks Windsor Ltd., a design consultancy with offices in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Australia. “The new Manual Pattern Piece construction tool alone, which enables me to select a number of digital clay pieces, replicate them incredibly quickly and directly control the scale of each piece, increases my productivity in sculpting complex forms by over 200 percent! I also see a whole new world of even more productivity with the addition of subdivision modeling and the ability to combine the strengths of SubD and digital clay sculpting.”
Geomagic Freeform 2013 software also includes complex patterning tools that empower users to create patterns from existing geometry along one or two curves, or across broad areas. In seconds, designers can add details, such as zippers along a single curve or laces between two curves, to make realistic designs. The software also includes the ability to create customized bitmap files for patterning and texture creation from existing geometry.
Another new feature is the ability to easily add detailed annotations to models, so that designers, clients and manufacturing partners using Geomagic Freeform can each add pointers, comments, image links and web page links to models, thus streamlining collaboration throughout the design and production workflow. Geomagic Freeform 2013 also enhances standard tools such as 2D Lattice Deform and measurement functions. Lastly, new user-defined workflow wizards guide designers through repeatable workflows with simple, clear steps, allowing even novice users to become productive in a matter of hours.
“The Geomagic Freeform 2013 product family is the only 3D modeling solution to integrate voxels, polygons, SubD and NURBS,” said Kevin Atkins, senior product manager for Geomagic Freeform. “This means designers can be more productive in a single product, cutting out the non-productive time of importing and exporting to other packages, when the designer could be modeling. Plus, 2013 removes the frustration of learning different UIs and trying to create in only one representation – for example, NURBS designs that are better created in another representation, like voxels. Combined with the other user-driven new features, version 2013 streamlines workflows and ultimately allows our customers to get more creative and bring better products to market faster, which is really what it’s all about.”
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