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IronCAD v10 (Cadalyst Labs Review)
February 1, 2008 By: IDSA ,Mike Hudspeth3D modeling software meets customers' needs by being able to do it all.
In the world of 3D modeling, as in other fields, there seems to be many camps. The fully parametric camp cannot feel confident unless everything is quantified with a number or a parameter. The direct modeling camp really doesn't care about the numbers as long as the form is right. And even within these camps, there are distinctions. People in the parametric camp pair off based on modeling kernel. Some like Parasolid, and others go for ACIS. Each camp takes a slightly different approach to what they do, and each is adamant in their distinction. So what's a software developer to do to win customers over to its ranks? Well, it could try what IronCAD is trying — do it all!
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IronCAD v10 is a multikernel modeler. It uses both Parasolid and ACIS. The interesting thing about that is how it uses the two kernels. Users can start out with one or the other selected as the default modeling kernel, then if IronCAD v10 sees a situation in which the other kernel will have better results, it will switch over for the operation in question. When it's done it will switch back to the default kernel. It's all automatic and in the background. That means users don't have to worry about what's going on. They can just model away happily! And if users get into situations where neither kernel is giving the desired results, they can go to direct edit mode and take care of it.
 IronCAD v10 |
IronCAD v10 has an updated user interface that is styled much more like Windows XP (figure 1). The interface supports Windows XP themes. (That means the Star Trek fans can have our LCARS look! If you have to ask what that is, you probably don't want it.) And when users arrive at the look and feel they want in their desktop, they can save it to an XML file and share it with other users. I can definitely see some corporate standards sprouting here.
 Figure 1. IronCAD v10 has a new user interface that is very Windows XP–like. |
The software has dual-monitor support for the catalog, scene, and property browsers, allowing users to work on one monitor and search on another. (I wonder if you could hook up one of those huge video walls like you see at Best Buy. I may have to find out.)
IronCAD v10 has some very impressive and fast real-time rendering courtesy of HOOPS 3D v15 by Tech Soft 3D. The data loads in the light mode using multiple threads and HOOPS data, which provide enhanced performance in rotation because of the data culling. When zoomed out so that the features on the model or assembly are so small they aren't visible (or maybe they are inside or behind the model), they can be excluded from the displayed data based on pixel size (number of pixels). That gets you going quicker.
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