Surface software gains new features

An ICEM product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 2, 2004

ICEM has begun shipments to customers of the latest version of its flagship software suite, ICEM Surf.

ICEM has begun shipments to customers of the latest version of its flagship software suite, ICEM Surf.

In addition to support of a new database architecture from ICEM designed to provide enhanced design workflow facilities, ICEM Surf 4.4 introduces major new capabilities, such as feature recognition, the creation of feature libraries and the exchange of intelligent features among different ICEM Surf users.

Further additions include enhanced bidirectional geometric data exchange, in particular with Catia V5 from IBM/Dassault, enhanced safety analysis tools, extended functionality in the visualisation tools and additional surface modelling and model manipulation facilities.

In the surface modelling environment, ICEM Surf 4.4 introduces the ability to generate tube surfaces, along with feature recognition capabilities for addenda surfaces used in the mould tool and die design process.

Other algorithmic and functional enhancements have been made to curve matching, facing, fillet, corner fillet, flange and profile, and enhanced surface quality analysis is provided through a range of additional criteria in the surface checker.

For automotive design engineers, an enhanced "flat spot" analysis capability in ICEM Surf 4.4 pinpoints potential manufacturing problems, enabling surface engineers to make early form corrections and thereby avoid the need for later modifications that require costly retooling.

Further functionality has also been added in the visualisation environment.

This includes individual tessellation for improved display performance and the addition to ICEM Surf's existing visualisation facilities of light colour and light intensity, as well as radiosity, enabling the simulation of sunrise and sunset and more realistic shadows and shadow fade.

Cubic texture mapping has also been added to the existing texture mapping facilities, enabling texture maps to be "warped" to the surfaces to which they are assigned to provide greater realism, for example in photo-realistic visualisations of vehicle interiors.

ICEM Surf already supports geometric data exchange with a wide range of other CAD systems, both via industry-standard neutral interfaces such as Iges, VDA, STL and SET and via direct interfaces for Catia V4 and V5, Unigraphics/NX, Pro/E, I-deas and CADDS5.

With ICEM Surf 4.4 this data exchange capability is expanded to include the transfer of associativity between ICEM Surf and solid modelling-based CAD systems, such as Catia V5 and Unigraphics.

The enhanced surface checker facility in ICEM Surf 4.4 helps ensure that the highest quality of surface data is maintained when files are exchanged between ICEM Surf and CAD/CAM systems from other vendors.

These expanded data exchange capabilities enable an enhanced workflow within the different phases of the product development process, with bidirectional data transfer with other CAD systems resulting in reduced design cycle times through improvements in the way design changes can be considered and applied in downstream processes.