CAD Processor provides a powerful set of tools that maximize the ability to reuse existing 3D models by repairing, converting and adapting them to applications beyond their original purpose.
This update perfects what has been achieved in the last major release of CAD Processor and adds a lot of quality of life improvements as well as some new useful tools.
Broader format support
A lot of formats have gained better support, and more data types can now be read from them. For instance, boundary representations inside JT are now supported. The formats that used to require additional licensing, such as CATIA or SolidWorks, are now available out of the box. glTF models can now be imported, and exporting to IGES has become possible.
Mesh deviation testing
This tool lets users visualize where the shape of a mesh deviates from a reference B-rep part and by how much. It works similarly to the Mesh Quality visualization and, just like the latter, provides another very intuitive way to inspect a model visually.
Maximize faces
This new operation is useful when a user needs to get rid of multiple adjacent faces that all lie on the same surface, which makes them redundant. This tool effectively merges them, ensuring that every face is as large as it can be without distorting the model.
Extract visible triangles
This tool tests which triangles of a mesh can possibly be visible from the outside and discards the ones that are surrounded by other geometry and cannot be seen from any angle. As a result of this operation, the mesh loses a lot of its complexity and interior detail, which is useful for simplification and IP protection alike.
Upgraded detection of isolated features
Detection of isolated features was available before, but only for features that completely lie on a single face (as in the first half of the animation below). Now it is possible to use the same tool to hunt down features that span multiple faces.
Expanded scripting
This update makes scripting even more powerful and versatile. CAD Processor team has implemented console commands for the few tools that lacked them and added some entirely new commands and helpers, for instance, a command to slice large objects into streamable fragments, a command to change the parent of an assembly item, and more.
Many existing commands have also been improved, their syntax reworked or extended to make them more straightforward and convenient to use. For example, whenever a user needs to pass a part to a command, he can define that part not only through its part ID, but also through the assembly item ID of any of its instances.
Scripting used to be available only in the Enterprise version of CAD Processor, but now the Desktop version also comes with the script editor which is built into the graphical user interface and lets users put their model processing steps into reusable scripts that automate routine operations.
Finally, the built-in command reference has been updated with better command descriptions as well as some general formatting and readability improvements.
UI makeover
Almost all user interface icons have been reworked, focusing on clarity, cohesion and a tidier, more aesthetic look. Many text strings and log messages are also revised to make them more concise and get rid of occasional misleading bits. Hopefully, this redesign will make the software easier to get into and more pleasant to use.
Better documentation
The user manual of CAD Processor has been almost completely re-written. Step-by-step directions for each task, completed with reworked animations and script examples where applicable, have been added. Several introductory sections have been added, specifically targeted at new users and CAD beginners. The document structure is greatly simplified: now most of it is no more than 2 levels deep, which makes it a lot easier to navigate and find desired topics.
Miscellaneous
There have been some more additions and improvements that deserve a brief mention.
- Added commands to clone parts and assembly items.
- Added the ability to convert a mesh to B-Rep faces.
- Added the ability to export individual parts to a file.
- It is now possible to load multiple files into the same scene.
- Added the ability to fuse parts geometrically.
- Added more details to the Model Contents panel.
- Added the Invert Selection action.
- CAD Processor CLI can now be passed a command or script at startup.
- Numerous performance and stability improvements throughout the program.
Learn more details about CAD Processor on its product page.
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Open CASCADE Technology 7.7.0 is published featuring about 250 improvements and corrections over the previous minor release 7.6.0.
