Schott Systeme Releases Pictures by PC 3.4, 1 in a Series

By DE Editors

Schott Systeme GmbH is reducing the time required to generate professional technical illustrations through the latest release of its CAD and technical documentation suite,  Pictures by PC 3.4.

Pictures by PC combines 2D and 3D CAD with technical illustration, rendering, animation, and desktop publishing. Pictures is used in the creation of documentation such as product manuals, catalogues, and sales/marketing literature.

The latest release of Pictures offers greater control over the illustration detail levels, helping in the generation of both simplified and more detailed versions of an illustration.

The current trend of including the minutest of details on a CAD model is one that will frustrate many illustrators, as generally only a simplified diagram of the product is required. To help overcome this, Schott Systeme has included a new suite of ‘defeaturing’ tools. Based on their direct ‘non-feature’ based 3D modeler, designs from many CAD systems can be imported and modified without the original CAD software. These tools in then help to automatically recognize common features for removal, such as ribs, pockets,  holes, embossed text/logos and complex fillets/radii, leaving the illustrator with a much simplified version of the product ready for further detailing.

Users also have the ability to defeature the illustration during the actual rendering process. This approach both enables the simplification of poor-quality CAD models that cannot easily be modified in 3D,  as well as reducing the detail level of complex parts/features such as screw threads and gear wheels. By altering the actual rendering process in this way,  ‘thick/thin’ line illustrations of differing complexity are more easily generated, according to the company.

For more information, visit Schott Systeme GmbH.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.