CopyCAD Pro For Reverse-Engineering Applications

The CopyCAD Pro software from Delcam incorporates the Siemens Parasolid 3D geometric modelling component and offers 'tribrid' modelling, streamlining the product development process. The release also includes new algorithms for surface creation with boundaries or with drive curves, plus methods to use the software for the inspection of complex parts. CopyCAD Pro software offers 'tribrid modelling' - the addition of triangle modelling to the combination of surface and solid modelling that is offered in many other CAD packages as 'hybrid modelling'.

Having all the different modelling techniques in a single package reduces the need to transfer data between multiple programs and so streamlines the product development process. The extended range of functionality, for example, the ability to undertake Boolean operations between triangle meshes and solids or surfaces, makes CopyCAD Pro ideal for the re-engineering of existing products into improved designs or for creating bespoke products for individual patients in the healthcare industry. As well as being available as a standalone reverse engineering system, CopyCAD Pro acts as the underlying engine for Delcam's software for the healthcare sector: DentCAD for the design of dental restorations and Orthomodel for the development of custom orthodontics.

Both of these programs will, therefore, benefit from the developments in the 2010 release, according to Delcam. The integration of Parasolid means that CopyCAD can act as the reverse engineering front end for all CAD systems based on Parasolid, including Solidworks and Siemens PLM Software's Solid Edge software and NXTM software. Scan data from all types of device will be able to be converted into the Parasolid native XT file format within CopyCAD Pro and then exported directly into all these systems, plus the many others that have Parasolid XT import capabilities. The addition of the Parasolid technologies will be especially helpful for design engineers that need to create fully-functional designs from physical concept models.

These models are often sculpted from solid material so that they only represent the external form of the design. As well as capturing data from these surfaces, CopyCAD Pro allows them to be developed into complete CAD models for downstream operations, by adding thickness to the surfaces and adding features such as ribs and bosses. Parasolid is claimed to being a new level of sophistication to this stage of the design process with its functionality and performance. In particular, the creation and editing of blend and fillet radii on complex models has been made much faster and many blend editing restrictions have been removed.

The integration of the Parasolid technology will also benefit CopyCAD Pro's ability to create 'perfect' geometry in areas where other reverse engineering systems may give only approximate results. For example, the design might include one extruded surface over a large area, which could only be described by a series of individual surfaces in traditional reverse-engineering software. Delcam said it is easy in CopyCAD Pro to reproduce the original design intent by replacing the required area with a single surface. Similarly, a reverse-engineered fillet area can be replaced with a consistent, smooth fillet, rather than existing as a set of complex, free-form patches that may have varying radii.

The algorithms in CopyCAD Pro 2010 have improved the creation of surfaces from the triangle mesh by using boundaries. This method gives the user total control over the way the complete data set is divided into its component features. A series of edges can be sketched onto the triangles and the enclosed surface is created from the mesh. The tolerances used can be set to give either the smoothest surface or the best fit to the triangles. A visual error map can be generated to show the quality of the fit and the tolerances then adjusted if required.

Tangent continuity can be maintained, either with the underlying mesh or with any neighbouring surfaces. This option can be switched off if a sharp edge needs to be created. CopyCAD Pro can be used to undertake triangle-based inspection using laser point clouds when no CAD model exists, for example, when creating duplicates of historic artefacts. Scan data can be taken from the original model and then compared with data from the item to be inspected. The resulting error map will highlight any differences between the two items.

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