Editor’s Pick: Multi-CAD Interoperability Software Suite Updated

A few days ago, TransMagic announced the R10 release of its TransMagic family of multi-CAD interoperability applications. This appears to be a major update. Let’s take a quick look.

First of all, as you might expect, R10 offers updated support for what seems all the latest versions of the major CAD file formats, including ACIS R23, Creo 2.0, Inventor 2013, JT 9.5, NX UG 8.5, Parasolid 25.0, and SolidWorks 2013. Additionally, it extends new support for DWG formats up to 2013 and adds CATIA V6 support as a complement to its CATIA V4 and V5 support, including V5 R23. For you manufacturing engineers getting into MBD (model-based definition), the software’s PMI (product manufacturing information) abilities now support additional PMI entity types. For you with international clients and work teams, the company says R10 has been rewritten with UNICODE multi-byte character support to simplify your data sharing.

The big news is that R10 introduces three new products: TransMagic EXPRESS, TransMagic PRO, and TransMagic CREATIVE.

TransMagic EXPRESS is a CAD-to-CAD translator for fast-paced environments. Its control panel is designed to be quick and easy to use, and it uses a lot of automation to speed up model repairs, integrity checks, and model simplification.

TransMagic PRO builds off of EXPRESS. It’s intended for more advanced data conversions between 3D CAD formats. It provides native 3D CAD kernel and format support as well as measurement, dimensioning, and enhanced visualization. Just to be clear about TransMagic PRO: It’s a heavy-duty tool but it’s also a step or two below the company’s heavy heavy-duty interoperability tool, TransMagic EXPERT. EXPERT provides bi-directional exchange of 3D CAD data and, I believe, pretty much every technology that TransMagic can offer, including its specialized plug-ins for Inventor and SolidWorks.

The TransMagic R10 release also includes an update to the company’s geometry comparison tool, MagicCheck. MagicCheck provides functionality for things like model validation, revision management, and QA/QC reporting.

Attentive readers will notice that I did not say anything about TransMagic CREATIVE yet. That’s because I don’t know a heck of a lot about it, although I tried to get you more. TransMagic R10 is so new that the company was still updating its website a couple of hours ago when I had to deliver today’s Pick of the Week manuscript to my editor. I put a link to CREATIVE in the write-up, so check the link for the latest details. What I do know is that CREATIVE is for viewing and converting the major CAD formats to polygonal formats like STL and PLY. So that means it’s for anyone doing rapid prototyping.

TransMagic has been at this CAD data translation, conversion, and interoperability business for a dozen years now. It’s a tricky, tough business, and they have earned themselves a good reputation by being good at it. Hit the link over there to learn more about TransMagic R10.

Thanks, Pal. — Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering

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