Visualisation software speeds design process

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 25, 2008

Images can be added to reports generated by aesthetica to provide very high-quality gap plan or visual analysis reports.

Icona Solutions has released aesthetica Version 3, the latest version of the company's software for auditing and improving perceived quality in manufactured goods during the digital product development process.

New features include photographic-quality visualisation, improved performance and memory management, automatic geometry update, upgraded gap and flush scenarios, improvements to the materials library and a new, easier-to-use graphical user interface (GUI).

With aesthetica V3 there is a direct interface to Bunkspeed's HyperShot 3D visualisation software for creating accurate, photo-realistic images of CAD models in realistic environments.

These can be produced during a design review meeting to show, for example, a range of gap and flush conditions on an automobile.

Images can be added to reports generated by aesthetica to provide very high-quality gap plan or visual analysis reports.

Models exported to HyperShot contain the geometry, with variation, together with all materials and viewing positions defined in aesthetica.

With the model loaded into HyperShot, all that is then required of the user is to select an environment in which to view it.

The gap-and-flush fitting tool has been redesigned to improve productivity during design review meetings.

The tool now supports the creation of complete gap-and-flush scenarios, with associated viewing positions and materials sets.

Once defined, these scenarios can be recalled instantly during a design review meeting to enable participants to visualise specific gap-and-flush issues so that they can be quickly resolved.

A redesigned and easier-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) significantly improves productivity.

In addition to revisions to the main layout, dialogues and toolbar to make them more consistent, plus wider support for standard Windows functions, such as drag-and-drop, list sorting and resizable and undockable dialogs, 'hot keys' for all major functions have been introduced for advanced users.

In a live product development process, CAD models change frequently.

Version 3 of aesthetica features a sophisticated update function that will refresh geometry within an existing product or assembly model.

The update function will load one or more components of a product, from any of the data formats supported by aesthetica (IGES, STEP, ICN and JT), then automatically update the components within the workspace and map any existing textures and features onto the new geometry.

This will help ensure that the simulation and visualisation of tolerance conditions is always performed on the up to date CAD model.

Rendering performance has been significantly improved in aesthetica V3 through the optimised use of graphics cards.

Users will experience up to a 10-fold increase in rendering performance, with a smoother and more interactive interface.

All materials are now shader-based, anti-aliasing has been improved and per-pixel lighting and soft-edge spotlights are now fully controllable within the preference settings in aesthetica.

Memory management has also been improved, meaning models now require up to 50% less memory than the previous version, allowing users to work with larger and more sophisticated models.