Delcam has launched the 2013 R2 versions of its PowerSHAPE CAD software family, with new tools and enhancements for solid modeling and for manipulating point clouds.
PowerSHAPE combines solid, surface, wireframe and direct modeling to provide a comprehensive range of modeling techniques. PowerSHAPE Pro combines these CAD tools with point-cloud and triangle modeling, including tools for the live import, repair and editing of point-cloud data from laser scanners.
The main enhancement in the new release is the ability to rewind the solid history tree of a model to any position using a graphical slider. Edits can then be made, either by applying the Solid Doctor to repair problematic data or by using the full range of direct modeling tools in PowerSHAPE, without losing the history of the model. Once the required edits have been completed, the rewind point can be moved or deleted; the complete solid history is then re-built automatically.
In addition, clicking the right mouse button now has the same effect as pressing "Apply" or "OK" on all forms. This is particularly useful when carrying out repetitive tasks such as filleting around a complex model, the company says.
Other solid modeling enhancements include a new dialog for the solid-split command, a more flexible replace-face option that now allows faces of one solid to be replaced with faces from a separate solid, and new hole types allowing faster creation of holes for standard metric and imperial cap-head screws and bolts.
For more information, visit Delcam.
Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.
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