Editor’s Pick: Geomagic Releases Geomagic Studio 2012

By Anthony J. Lockwood

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

Creating digital versions of physical objects for reverse engineering and inspection is one of those key jobs in engineering, manufacturing, and design that seems more like magic to MBA types than most. The simple truth is that this magic is important to productivity because it saves a ton of money in terms of time, development cycles, and scrap. Well, it’s time to have that chat with the MBA again. Geomagic just released the 2012 version of its line of 3D reverse engineeering and inspection software. And it sounds like a great new version.

First though, we’re going to focus here on Geomagic Studio, the company’s core 3D creation tool. But you’ll find links to the 2012 versions of Geomagic Wrap for transforming point cloud data into 3D polygonal meshes, Geomagic Qualify for 3D inspection, and Geomagic Qualify Probe 3D inspection software for quality assurance engineers at the end of today’s Pick of the Week write-up. You need to know about them too.

OK, now Geomagic Studio is an intelligent solution for transforming 3D scan and probe data into 3D polygonal, surface, and native CAD data for reverse engineering, product design, rapid prototyping, and analysis. “Intelligent” means that the tools in Gomagic Studio are easy to use because they’re highly automated. “Native” CAD data means Autodesk Inventor, CATIA, Creo Elements/Pro, and SolidWorks. With 2012, native CAD integration now also means SpaceClaim direct modeling software. Geomagic Studio also exports data in neutral formats and NURBs, so it literally supports you coming and going.

Also new with the 2012 version of Geomagic Studio is a Sketch function, said to be intuitive, that let’s you create and edit cross-section curves from point-cloud and/or polygon models directly. Then, there’s a Remeshing tool that provides for accurate retriangulation of polygon models—that means faster, cleaner models for jobs like 3D printing. A new Patch command is said to make repairing polygon models both accurate and quick.

Usability improvements have been implemented to make editing, navigating, and visualizing point-cloud data from mid- and long-range scanners better. Hard probing has been enhanced for more acccurate measurement and feature creation with probes and CMMs from such manufacturers as Creaform, Faro, Hexagon, and Nikon.

You’ll find a boatload of additional details in today’s Pick of the Week write-up and even more from the links after the main text. Make sure to check out some of the videos or even sign up for an evaluation unit. Geomagic Studio is widely deployed in industries like automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, medical, electronics, tool and die, and consumer product manufacturing. It’s good stuff. It’s well worth your time getting to know Geomagic Studio better.

Thanks, pal.—Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood
Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering

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