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| Open CASCADE, simulation integrator / News / Open CASCADE Confirms Its Comm ... | | Open CASCADE Confirms Its Commitment to Facilitating Universal Data Exchange with the Release of Three Advanced Components in Open Source |
| The Extended Data Exchange (XDE), Shape Healing and improved Sewing modules will be available for free downloading with Open CASCADE certified version 4.0, available in October 2001 at www.opencascade.com |
Paris, September 24, 2001 – In a move that will strengthen the status of Open CASCADE components as a 3D modeling application development standard, the Open CASCADE company today announced the availability in Open Source of three major modules in the area of data exchange: Extended Data Exchange (XDE), Shape Healing, and Sewing with enhanced capabilities.
Since data transfer between systems is critical to design productivity, these three modules will help users save time and obtain high-quality results when importing geometrical data and solid model attributes from many different types of applications.
Extended Data Exchange, broadens the definition of data supported by the IGES and STEP exchange standards within Open CASCADE. Shape Healing and Sewing enhance user productivity through the automatic correction and completion of imperfect or unsuitable data. These modules are extremely useful for developing data exchange applications for projects such as validating the exchange properties for CAD assembly parts or importing model data from different systems into a chain that integrates CAD models with simulation software.
Improvements and new features enhance the performance of the three data exchange modules
Extended Data Exchange – By providing a powerful operator and a comprehensive set of tools to read and write data concerning positioning within an assembly, colors, names, layers and validation properties, the XDE component ensures the reliable transfer of pertinent information attached to the geometry of a solid model. XDE reads and writes STEP and IGES formats and gives the user a common way to access these data, regardless of how they are described in exchange files.
Shape Healing – The Shape Healing component connects smoothly to IGES and STEP translators, corrects defects such as gaps or incorrect wire orientations in imported data, and rapidly creates a useable shape within Open CASCADE. It also allows integrated "flavoring" of an IGES or STEP file in write mode. This means that unacceptable entities from one system can be dynamically changed into acceptable entities that can be output to a second system. A new feature in the Shape Healing component makes it possible for developers to control the sequence of the operators and their parameters by editing a text file instead of modifying C++ calls. Shape Healing is especially indicated for applications requiring coherent shapes, such as those used for analysis, prototyping and measuring machines.
Sewing – The Sewing algorithm is crucial for shape processing. Featuring improvements in the quality of tolerances and in topological capabilities, the Sewing component creates connected topology (shells and wires) from a set of separate topological elements (faces and edges). This allows correcting a shape without changing its geometrical representation. The module also supports local sewing and production of non-manifold objects under user control. |
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