Surface modeller receives update

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 15, 2007

FreeDimension1.2 contains new architecture to add on options according to the specific needs of users.

FreeDesign, creator of the freeform 3D surface modeller FreeDimension, has released FreeDimension1.2, now available from the company's website.

The improved version is the second update of the modeller since FreeDimension's debut in November.

Along with FreeDimension1.2, the company unveiled two optional modules that offer FreeDimension users a full array of professional design tools.

FreeDimension allows designers unprecedented freedom to stylise 3D models intuitively, unburdened by the need for complex tools to create curved surfaces.

With a remarkably easy user interface, the modelling technology quickly expedites what used to be the most difficult task in 3D models - the moulding of naturally looking organic shapes, ergonomic surfaces, and rich three-dimensional textures.

Version 1.2 of FreeDimension, like its previous version, is compatible with SketchUp Import and Export, and also outputs data into commonly used .OBJ, .POV and .STL formats.

In addition to refinement of the software's general functionality, FreeDimension1.2 contains new architecture to add on options according to the specific needs of users.

One optional module is an IGES/NURBS export capability, which allows FreeDimension-generated models to be passed to any CAD system that can accept IGES input or NURBS surfaces.

FreeDesign also offers a second module called Professional Tools, a set of design commands that further the practicality of easy shape generation of FreeDimension.

With Professional Tools, users can manipulate, combine, and analyse freeform surfaces.

The Professional Tools module includes a variety of rendering styles that provide several different ways to view the model to help to analyse subtle shape variations and imperfections.

In addition Reference Curves and Reference Surfaces are tools which can be used to more easily manipulate segments of a design model.

The Mass Properties Tool allows users to instantly calculate the volume and surface area of a body.

Curve Construction Surface allows freestanding curves to be controlled by its projection onto a plane.

"Our first release of FreeDimension was essentially a baseline tool which lets anybody simply design,'" says Dick Sowar, CEO of FreeDesign.

"It brought the emphasis back on spontaneous creativity, and ushered in a new era that does not require complex skill sets for 3D creation".

"Now with the addition of export compatibility and Professional Tools, FreeDimension becomes a highly effective application for everyday design tasks".

FreeDimension is based on the patented N-Sided Surfacing (NSS) technology, which frees users from quadrilateral surfacing technologies like NURBS and Bezier surfaces.

The NSS technology allows FreeDimension to present a curve-based interface to the user that closely mimics a pencil-and-paper method of design, giving designers more freedom in generating 3D shapes for new product, virtual gaming, and entertainment applications.