Simulation and visualisation software upgraded

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 24, 2006

Aesthetica Version 2.2 is the latest version of the real-time digital 3D assembly model dimensional and positional tolerances simulation and visualisation software suite from Icona Solutions.

Aesthetica Version 2.2 is the latest version of the real-time digital 3D assembly model dimensional and positional tolerances simulation and visualisation software suite from Icona Solutions.

The software features several new capabilities which have been developed as a result of requests from the automotive industry, as well as improvements to existing functions to enhance their performance and increase their usefulness in visualising nominal and nonnominal 3D CAD models.

Version 2.2 of Aesthetica introduces a "dynamic tape measure" capability for use in aesthetic design reviews.

In addition to the existing live sections capability, users are now able, using the "dynamic tape measure", to measure various aspects of the digital model, such as the gaps between adjoining body panels on a vehicle and to display these measurements on the model.

As tolerances are selected and applied to the 3D model, Aesthetica will dynamically update the visualisation and all affected measurements, displaying the results in real-time.

Also for use in aesthetic design reviews, powerful new tools in Version 2.2 of Aesthetica enable the generation of high-quality, photo-realistic static images and AVI animations, as well as numerical output, which can be used in presentations produced with PowerPoint, for example.

As well as camera movements between pre-defined viewpoints on the 3D model, the animation tools can capture static and/or maximum/minimum dimensional and positional tolerance cycles for later playback as movies.

Full B-Rep topology can now be extracted and maintained in Aesthetica for all imported CAD models.

These topological entities (vertices, edge curves and surface patches) can be used as features for the GD and T and assembly models.

In addition, components and assemblies prepared within Aesthetica can now be exported in IGES and STEP formats- as nominal and/or nonnominal models.

Enhanced "gap and flush" target fit capabilities introduced with Version 2.2 of Aesthetica provide full support for interactive visual reviews of gap plans, using early concept design surface models.

This enables users to visualise the effects of target tolerance specifications for vehicle body and interior assemblies and subassemblies early in the design development process.

By enabling the generation of high-quality visualisations of the effects of any conditions within the target tolerance specifications, in real time, this capability does away with the need to produce the costly and time-consuming physical models currently needed to illustrate worst-case/best-case tolerance conditions.

Designed to further assist the gap and flush analysis process, real-time shadowing and dynamic self-shadowing of models capture the effect of shadows on surfaces within the interactive environment of Version 2.2, accurately recreating the appearance of gap conditions on the vehicle at an early stage in the design process.

Other enhancements in Version 2.2 include an extended feature and assembly scheme which now includes custom slot/pin and point/point fixture conditions, providing support for a wider range of engineering locator schemes and greater compatibility with other CAE systems.

User-defined lighting environments now have their own editor tool and enhanced controls to interactively create and manipulate individual light sources directly within the 3D scene.

Support is provided for a wider range of higher display resolutions, including those used in high-end "Powerwall" environments, including dual-channel machines.

Version 2.2 of Aesthetica is available for customer shipments immediately.