The annual C3Days 2023 Developer Conference was held on May 25-26, 2023. A new version of C3D Labs key product, C3D Toolkit 2023, was unveiled there. The C3D Modeler geometric kernel, the C3D Solver parametric solver, the C3D Converter data converter kit, and the C3D Vision visualization module are the key components that have been updated to meet customer needs and feedback. Let us take a closer look at the key innovations in these C3D Toolkit components and at the new features introduced.
C3D Modeler 2023
Providing end-to-end and interlinked accuracy control of operations is one of the important areas of work on this version and will be continued in the work on the next version. The current version makes significant changes to all functional areas of the C3D Modeler module.
1. Wireframe Modeling:
- the curve extension functionality is now completed
- new options for curve construction by points approximation and smoothing
- a contour building method handles local mismatches between the contour segment ends (to support the end-to-end accuracy concept)
- updated curve wrapping/unwrapping functions for a number of surface types
- some updates is provided for functionally defined curves as proposed by the customers.
2. Surface Modeling:
- New fillets for non-adjacent faces
- the mid-shell function is improved to meet the customer feedback
- the patch operation is upgraded: now it supports geometric constraints
- the surface-to-NURBS conversion function now has an accuracy control for data conversion and geometric modeling.
3. Solid Modeling:
- The key update is the Draft operation. Now it could be based on edge chain and has an improved adjancent fillet removal/restore option
- the self-diagnostics feature of the sweep operations is also updated
- such sweep operations as extrusion, rotation, and lofting can now directly use a wireframe entity (MbWireFrame) as a generatrix
- The Extrude to Object option is updated: now all the bodies are considered for the extrusion depth analysis, not just the nearest body.
4. Direct Modeling:
We have improved many topology creation/editing functions:
- free and equidistant face moves
- face removal
- fillet removal/restore.
5. Polygonal Modeling:
- plane section generation is upgraded for better performance and functionality
- boolean operation capabilities now include geometry diagnostics and healing tools.
6. Construction of planar projections:
- polygonal object projection operation correctly handles other interfering objects and self-interfering
- B-Rep object projection is improved.
C3D Converter 2023
What’s new in the C3D Converter data exchange module:
- support for the NX native format
- better polygonal models import from JT files
- improved export to JT to avoid assembly structure losses when importing into SW\NX
- the Parasolid export functionality now supports embedded data structures for correct B-Rep entity import from JT files.
C3D Solver 2023
What’s new in the C3D Solver geometric constraint solver:
- 2D patterns
- constant length splines
- interval angular dimensions.
C3D Collision Detection 2023
Meet a new C3D Toolkit 2023 component: C3D Collision Detection! The module detects collisions between objects. The C3D Solver team has been developing it for a long time as one of the geometric kernel features. Many customers need a collision detector, even if they don’t use C3D Modeler. Now they have the option to get a separate license for C3D Collision Detection.
We have significantly improved and expanded the API functionality to support the collision detector as a stand-alone module.
C3D Vision 2023
The C3D Vision visualization module now offers better rendering performance with its shaders and culling, the “widgets” are also upgraded.
The key new features:
- The Explode operation to create exploded views
- Support for shader-controlled, 3D textures in scenes.
Technical Support Improvements
As the customer pool and the number of requests is growing, we set up a dedicated C3D Toolkit user support team. The team is our front office handling the requests and bug reports. The user support team:
- provides feedback to the users
- develops and refines the documentation
- tracks the implementation of user proposals.
We will release detailed information on each C3D Toolkit 2023 component soon.
C3D Toolkit 2023 will be available for users to download by the end of June.
