Parametric Exchange Speeds Scan to CAD Process

By DE Editors

New parametric exchange functionality in Geomagic Studio version 11 enables you to convert Geomagic models to native CAD geometry without a neutral file exchange format such as IGES or STEP.

Geomagic (Research Triangle Park, NC)  has released version 11 of Geomagic Studio, its software for creating 3D digital models and surfaces from scan data of physical objects in such environments as reverse engineering, product design, digital archiving, and rapid prototyping and manufacturing. According to the company, Version 11 offers a range of improvements that streamline every aspect of 3D modeling,  with new parametric exchange capabilities being the featured enhancement.

Geomagic describes its new parametric exchange abilities as establishing an intelligent connection between scanning and CAD that speeds product development time and increases quality of the final model. Parametric exchange eliminates the need for intermediate neutral file formats such as IGES and STEP by converting Geomagic models to native CAD geometry. The capability enables automatic native reconstruction of geometry, including design intent,  features, holes, surfaces, solids, and curves, making the workflow from scan to data, in the company’s word, “seamless.”

Geomagic Studio version 11’s new mesh radius analysis capability analyzes and measures variable and constant radii along polygon mesh edges automatically, helping you create more accurate fillets.

Geomagic Studio 11 is reported to further enhance efficiency and speed up product development time by working as a complement to your CAD system instead of introducing a duplicate set of tools to learn. Geomagic Studio 11’s parametric exchange capability is currently available for Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire, SolidWorks, and Autodesk Inventor. Geomagic Studio 11 recently earned Autodesk Inventor 2009 and 2010 certification.

Geomagic Studio 11 also offers new features and improvements throughout the digital reconstruction process, including Mesh Doctor. Mesh Doctor automatically detects and corrects errors in the polygon mesh, yielding higher-quality, surface-ready polygon models. Version 11 has new interactive polygon sculpting tools for editing and reshaping models in early design stages as well as mesh radius analysis functionality to further automate the process of reconstructing native geometry from scan data. Additionally, Geomagic Studio 11 now provides curvature-sensitive smoothing said to increase polygon mesh quality by “polishing” noisy data in flatter areas while preserving highly curved areas and details. A new tangent hole fill option lets you fill extremely complex holes resulting from missing scanned data without requiring a re-scan of the object.

Geomagic Studio 11 ships with both 32- and 64-bit Windows XP and Vista editions on the CD, and supports English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. It supports all major 3D digitizers, cameras, and scanners in xyz/ASCII format and handles ordered and unordered surface and volume data. Availability is immediate. For more details on Geomagic Studio, visit the Studio Overview page.

Watch videos of Geomagic Studio Version 11 (hint: click on chapter titles).

The Geomagic Studio technical specifications are here.

Sign up for a trial version of Geomagic Studio.

Learn more about the new features in Geomagic Studio 11.

Read why DE’s editors chose Geomagic Studio 11 as a Pick of the Week.