ITI’s CADfix 12 Release Targets Automation of Advanced Geometry Processing

ITI has released CADfix 12, the latest version of its flagship CAD simplification, translation and repair solution.  

The latest release offers new functionality that will benefit a range of engineering disciplines across all industry sectors. CADfix 12 sees a significant speed-up, new CAD model preparation and export for virtual reality (VR) applications. There are also new 3D model differencing tools for CAD, scan and mesh data, additional advanced defeaturing technology for CAE, and a new Macro Record and Playback tool.  

The new CADfix 12 Macro tool intelligently mapping entities to ensure replayable macros and consistent geometry processing on the new model revision. The Macro tool brings CADfix scripted batch mode into the GUI and enables the capture and repeat of complex model clean-up workflows. Captured CADfix macros can be run in batch as part of a design optimization process.

In response to demand for use of engineering CAD models in visualization and VR applications, CADfix 12 adds export support for the FBX, OBJ, XGL and ZGL formats. This enables the CADfix automated geometry handling tools to be used to generate lightweight, defeatured representations and accelerate the reuse of complex CAD models in downstream visualization, animation and VR systems.

For advanced simulation applications, CADfix 12 provides a new tool for comparing a CAD model to its corresponding CAE mesh. In addition, new 3D differencing capabilities allow users to quickly identify changes between two CAD models, and then to construct a new hybrid CAD model by merging selected features from each. This shortens the time taken to update a previously simplified model, avoiding the need to repeat defeaturing operations. A scan-to-CAD comparison tool is also a new addition in CADfix 12, offering the ability to detect differences between CAD and a scanned manufactured part.

CADfix's extensive toolbox contains advanced smart simplification, defeaturing and repair tools. CADfix 12 introduces two tools developed as part of research programs; an automatic splitting tool that subdivides complex CAD faces into well-shaped quad regions for CAE meshing, and a 3D hex-skin partitioning tool, that partitions geometry to support hybrid meshing where a hex mesh is needed close to the skin of an object, as required in contact simulation. Both splitting tools generate optimized CAE geometry for effective use in meshing applications.

The range of CAD import and export interfaces have also been upgraded to support the latest versions of CATIA V5, SOLIDWORKS 2018, CREO 5.0 and JT v9.0.

For more info, visit ITI.

Sources: Press materials received from the company.