Next year's package is smoother and slicker

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Oct 10, 2003

The latest release of the OneSpace Designer CAD and data management software package features more than 250 customer-driven enhancements.

The latest release of the OneSpace Designer CAD and data management software package features more than 250 customer-driven enhancements, making it even easier to create, change and manage designs using the OneSpace Designer family of 2D drawing, 3D modelling and data management products.

Demonstrations, product details and ordering information can be found on the CoCreate website, where customers may request a free 30-day trial of the 3D modelling product.

Key enhancements for OneSpace Designer Modeling 2004 focus around key user tasks, making it easier to create, change and manage designs and projects.

"From what I've seen, OneSpace Designer 2004 includes a lot of enhancements that make it one of the smoothest, slickest interfaces available in MCAD software today", said Joe Greco of Greco Consulting.

"In addition, the combination of direct modelling and parametric modelling gives designers a great deal of editing flexibility".

Through careful usability analysis, CoCreate focused on improving the most common modelling steps.

For example, creating a variable-radius blend using multiple radii now requires 54% fewer steps.

Creating an extruded, shelled shape with draft, based on a dimensioned sketch, now takes 21% fewer commands.

Other productivity improvements include fly-by measure tools, a change preview command, a user interface that automatically adjusts depending on design context and significantly faster drawing creation.

Creating drawings is now up to 60 times faster than previous versions.

Intelligent 2D sketching allows users to eliminate time-consuming steps in the model creation process.

As the 3D model begins to take shape, the geometry can be refined without the need to change the originating 2D sketches or wait for history regeneration.

A new variable-blend radius feature provides the capability to easily create ergonomically designed models.

A new replication capability allows users to copy and intelligently paste commonly used features such as ribs, bosses and pockets.

Designer Modeling 2004 also provides new and enhanced capabilities that allow users to create and modify 3D models much as they would edit a Microsoft Office document.

Freed from the usual constraints of a history-based 3D modelling system, users can make use of familiar concepts such as click/drag or cut/copy/paste to create new designs using existing models and features as a starting point.

Enhancements to data management products make it easier to do day-to-day repetitive tasks such as saving, loading, revising and deleting models and associated drawings.

In a single step, users can save and restore an entire day's work.

Significant enhancements have been made to bill-of-materials preparation including the ability to compare different versions.

Key enhancements for OneSpace Designer Drafting 2004 focus around hard- and soft-copy output, with the addition of transparency support and enhanced DXF/DWG import functionality.

"When it comes to software usability, we know that if software is hard to use, it will hardly be used", noted John Alpine, Chief Technology Officer at CoCreate Software.

"In creating OneSpace Designer 2004, we listened to our customers and delivered what they said would make their jobs easier".