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KeyCreator Version 9

History-free 3D modeling software can give you an edge in producing manufacturing-ready models.

Editor's note: This article was originally published in the Winter 2010 edition of Cadalyst magazine.

Cadalyst didn't approach me to write this review; I went to Cadalyst first. I am so passionate about KeyCreator that I want to spread the word. I wanted to tell more people about KeyCreator after realizing two things. First, I read a post on the KeyCreator discussion forum and realized I am not the only one who has a passion for this software. Second, customers and suppliers alike often approach me to help accomplish their modeling tasks — that's how I know I have great software.

Because I use KeyCreator every day, I see the advantages of the software firsthand. With all the talk lately about direct model editing, I believe users should take a hard look at their current software to make sure it is exactly what they need. Can you produce manufacturing-ready models, and do so in a timely manner? Can you complete changes — big or small — with ease? How much time do you spend studying or learning the history tree or recreating a model from scratch because you don't have the tool necessary to interact with the model? In my role as the casting engineer for an aluminum sand foundry, KeyCreator and its direct-modeling approach give me an edge in performing all these tasks.

KeyCreator is a great example of a history-free modeler. It offers users a clean interface, extreme flexibility, effective tools, and the speed to complete any task, among other things. Another notable feature of KeyCreator is its interoperability, which I will discuss in more detail below.

What's New in Version 9

The most prominent change in modeling is the marriage of two already strong functions: Dimension-Driven Editing (DDE) and Quick Dimension. DDE allows you to modify your geometry simply by changing a dimension. With DDE, the dimension becomes a control; select the middle of the dimension to affect both sides of the geometry, or select either end to affect only one side. You can add constraints on the fly to get the results you desire. Quick Dimension is a function used to place dimensions on your geometry. Simply select an edge or set of edges, then place the dimension in the desired location. To simplify the use of Quick Dimension, Kubotek has improved the automatic placement of dimensions based on common faces or implied planes of the selected geometry. This improvement means you don't have to rely so heavily on construction plans to get the dimensions you need.

After invoking the DDE function, KeyCreator will ask you to select an entity. It can be an already placed dimension or current edges of your solid. If you select the former, the function will continue with KeyCreator's DDE function and allow you to control which faces will be affected by this dimension edit. If you don't have any dimensions on your model, selecting any edge (or pair of edges) will automatically invoke the Quick Dimension function and allow you to place the dimension and edit the geometry accordingly.

KeyCreator implemented Geometry Mating in V8, and has taken it one step further by adding the option to implement associative mates between entities when using Geometry Mates. When a relationship must be remembered, the software places an Entity Mate on the screen that actually stores the mating conditions inside a label. For now, the constraints are static in nature, but they will add flexibility and ease of use to assemblies.

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