Michael Lord

SolidWorks World 2013 – Three Stand-Out Products

I spent way too little time in the Partner Pavilion than I would have like to, this year.  For one reason of another I simply just didn’t get into the Pavilion to see what was on offer!  I didn’t have much more time than to spend one afternoon taking a few photographs and talking briefly with a few exhibitor!

I did get a great demonstration of the soon to be released KeyShot 4 (from Thomas Tegar).  There are some nice enhancement to KeyShot, from editing materials and the inclusion of PANTONE and RAL colours.   As well as material types that turn geometry into a local light source and enhancements to translucent materials !   But that’s just to mention but a few!  There is also “Live Linking” that allows changes made in SolidWorks 2013 to be sent directly to a running session of KeyShot!   But there is only one to really see how the enchantments works and that is to render!    But that will have to wait for a few more weeks until I have a little more time and I can acquire a copy to play with!

Despite my enthusiasm for KeyShot 4 it is not one of the Three Stand-Out Products!  That would start with zSpace

Talk to anyone who witnessed  a demonstration from zSpace and universally it’s was described as amazing! 

 zSpace describes itself as a  “virtual-holographic system. Visualize and directly manipulate objects and data while engaging spatial reasoning” 

Many would have seen “stereoscopic” graphic used in conjunction with 3D eyewear! but zSpace takes it too a whole other level.   Add a Stylus that allows you to “grabs” a part with a beam of light, lift it from the assembly and then rotate it (seemingly in mid-air) with a movement of the wrist!   Drop the part and it then snaps back to the assembly.    Then select a “Camera” with the stylus from the toolbar and an additional screen appears, you can then “inspect” the part from all angles!  It’s final trick is to then apply “Physics” to the Assembly, this forces the assembly to “explode” and fall (with gravity) to the floor (rolling and bounce around on the virtual floor)

It’s not quite Iron Man but it’s the next step towards it! 

This is a video from the zSpace website which shows more of the technology!

There was much talk leading into SolidWorks World about a new add-in for SolidWorks called Power Surfacing from Integrityware  Described as an free form organic subD modelling! 

Although I do very little of this style of model/ shaping I was interested to see it in action! I was fortunate that Paul McCrorey  (of McCrorey Digital) was working the display.  In minutes he was creating a form which could be manipulated by dragging, pushing, twisting on the surrounding cradle!  Right inside SolidWorks!  Switching between the Power Surfacing and SolidWorks toolbars standard features (extrudes, rotates etc) could then be added to the part!  Fascinating stuff! 

I noted that the control was only by grabbing the cradle. Perhaps that more precise control may be added (in the future) by using dimensions to control the cradle! 

The last of the three on first glance appears just to be another 3D Printer!  Whilst that is true and in their own right 3D printers are awesome products!   What made this one stand out is it’s consumable material!

The Mcor IRIS from Mcor Technologies is a 3D colour printer that uses A4 80gram Paper!  The model is “sliced” into “paper” thickness. Each slice is printed, cut to shape and impregnated with ink, compressed and repeated until the model is complete.  The model is encapsulated with in the paper “block” and is then “broken out”    

Examples from the Mcor IRIS

Examples from the Mcor IRIS

Video from the Mcor website showing “printing’ of the 3D model

Of the numerous products within the Partner Pavilion I personally found these three to be the most interesting and innovating!