3D ACIS Modeler R23: What We’ve Done For You Lately

The challenges of a major software release are not unique to Spatial. And like other organizations, the launch process looks different to various departments in the organization. There are those in Marketing who view each release event as part of a beautiful, butterfly-like progression. On the other end of the spectrum, you have factions within development and testing who see things as more like the manufacturing of really tasty sausage. Across all of Spatial and our partners, however, we are very happy to announce the general availability of 3D ACIS Modeler R23. The R23 release combines improvements to address specific customer requests, general 3D market needs, and improvements that further our strategic roadmap goals.

Nearly all application developers will benefit from significant performance improvements in both 3D ACIS Modeler and 3D InterOp. As part of Spatial’s continuing multi-core strategy, 3D ACIS Modeler includes support for multi-threaded faceting. To simplify implementation for the user, thread management is handled completely within the modeler.  Restoring of SAB models, a function used by most ACIS applications, brings dramatic speed improvements of up to 40%. Developers can combine various performance improvements in 3D ACIS Modeler, as well as in 3D InterOp, for even more sizeable performance gains.

Driven by the ongoing priority for advancements to core algorithms, 3D ACIS Modeler extends Boolean and Stitching capabilities. 3D ACIS Modeler includes enhancements to several of the Fuzzy Boolean operations. These types of operations are especially useful in applications which use an approximation of a piece of geometry in a Boolean operation. ACIS is now better able to handle near-coincidence between surfaces that previously would have resulted in sliver faces, performance problems, or even failure. 

Cellular topology allows developers to attach attributes, such as material properties, to volumetric cells. New improvements now allow these attributes to migrate through Boolean and Glue operations. Enhancements to the Glue operation provide non-regularized unite capabilities. This is especially useful in flows where manifold solid bodies are joined along coincident faces, providing a big gain in performance compared to using the standard unite operator.

Seeded feature detection is also available in 3D ACIS Modeler R23. This new capability offers significant benefits to direct-modeling applications and other workflows that operate on logical groups of faces. Feature detection functionality helps in the identification of protrusion and depression features as well as blends. Developers have the flexibility to specify whether or not the blends at the boundary of a depression or protrusion feature are to be included as part of the feature.

3D ACIS Modeler also includes new APIs for the extrusion of simple planar faces with the elimination of unnecessary error checking and other overhead. This new API is up to 90% faster and offers significant benefit to industries such as EDA, CAE, and AEC. In these industries, a lot of unnecessary effort goes into the extrusion of something simple like a 2D rectangle which may be used for an electrical component.

For a complete list of improvements see the “R23 Release Notes for 3D ACIS Modeler”. Interested in what’s new in 3D InterOp? Take a look at the “R23 Release Notes for 3D InterOp“. There’s an impressive number of improvements and new features, including a new component option which extends 3D InterOp access to include the native graphical representation of the original CAD model, including graphical PMI, for all 3D InterOp supported formats.

Finally, you can learn much more about 3D ACIS Modeler, as well as the complete portfolio of Spatial components, at the 2012 3D Insiders’ Summit held September 25-26 in Blackhawk Colorado. Summit attendees enjoy the unique opportunity to hear directly from Spatial’s management team about Spatial’s vision and strategy, and get the latest and detailed information on all of Spatial’s products from our software developers and product managers.