Rhino Gets Updated Step Import/Export
McNeel has updated Rhino SR3. Step export plugin ads the capability to read Altium Designer, Solidworks 2008 and Solid Edge. Step objects are assigned the layer color when appropriate, open polysurfaces are assigned color correctly and block instances with non-rigid transformations are exploded in the step file. Step import plugin adds new capabilities for assembly entity reading and references to external files for part entities. It now finds the color of open polysurfaces. Read more here.
The latest Rhino OS X build is dated from May 19, 2008. This build is Wenatchee 2008-05-08 and has the following changes:
- Lots of new work in the Object Properties dialog in preparation for rendering. Dialog itself is smaller and can be resized and the controls in the materials section now work.
- Bug Fix: Text blocks no longer crash in OS X v10.5
- Bug Fix: Custom display color for objects now works in v10.5
- Bug Fix: Large change operations like Revert do not crash Rhino
Bunkspeed Joints PTC PartnerAdvantage Program
Bunkspeed, the makers of HyperShot, have announced they have joined the PTC PartnerAdvantage Program. Native Pro/Engineer (ProE) import into Bunkspeed HyperShot will “render attendees speechless at PTC/User World Event in 2008” says the latest press release.
HyperShot was unveiled at COFES 2007 at the Apple Suite where it rocked the sockets off many COFES attendees as it utilized the then new 8-core Mac Pro — Apple’s world class workstation with Nvidia’s top of the line workstation graphics card. The PTC/User World Event is taking place this week. The company is demonstrating its easy-to-use photographic rendering products which now support native Pro/Engineer file import.
Philip Lunn, Bunkspeed CEO stated, “HyperShot shows Bunkspeed’s commitment to both dramatically simplify the rendering process and support our growing customer base with specific solutions for their 3D CAD systems of choice. This is another step towards further bringing together design, engineering, and marketing for Pro/ENGINEER users.”
John Jacobsen, senior design engineer, Smart Design, said, “Pro/ENGINEER and HyperShot are a winning combination. We push the envelope here at SMART DESIGN by building our Pro/ENGINEER models to near Class-A surface perfection; matching the designer’s intent and vision for a product.”
Tekla Structures 14 Improves BIM Workflow
Tekla Structures BIM software is now at version 14 and includes a range of improvements towards more user and environmentally-friendly design. This update includes improvements to the sharing of BIM (Building Information Modeling) data between software users and construction participants. The software allows working on models with twice as big a memory footprint, without the risk of running out of memory.
“Tekla is committed to continuous product development and to making Tekla Structures software easier to use and learn,” says Tekla Executive Vice President Risto Räty. “We release one main and one intermediate release per year in order to offer our customers the most advanced solution on the market. With Tekla Structures 14 I feel confident to say that Tekla models provide the highest level of constructability on the market.”
“The new licensing system is a major step forward in using Tekla Structures in a true collaborative environment,” says BIM Coordinator Stuart Bull of Arup, Sydney.”We look forward to using the latest version of Tekla Structures whenever a project and the contractor are fully up to utilizing this improved workflow.”
Tekla Structures BIM can work roundtrip with Graphisoft ArchiCAD, a leading global provider of BIM solutions serving both Windows and Mac-based workflows.