Product category:
3D CAD software
News Release from: Upperspace Corporation | Subject: DesignCAD 3D Max Plus
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 31 May 2002
Complete package for 2 and 3D design
Upperspace Corp has released DesignCAD 3D Max Plus, an upgrade to DesignCAD 3D Max version 12, providing complete 2D drafting and 3D modelling capability.
Upperspace Corp has released DesignCAD 3D Max Plus, an upgrade to DesignCAD 3D Max version 12, providing complete 2D drafting and 3D modelling capability DesignCAD is primarily used in professional engineering, drafting and architectural applications, but with its low cost and ease of use it is also used by many individuals as a personal CAD system for casual and household drawings
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 9 Sep 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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DesignCAD 3D Max PLUS version 13 celebrates 18 years as a leading CAD solution.
"DesignCAD directly satisfies the needs of our customers.
That's one reason we've always offered free technical support".
says Robert Webster, creator of DesignCAD and vice president of Upperspace.
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"Listening to customers ensures a better CAD solution - for the customer.
The DesignCAD solution encompasses powerful 3D solid modelling, easy-to-use 2D drafting, a wide variety of file compatibilities, Internet support, 2D and 3D symbols, a customisable interface, direct scanner support, flexible printing options, free technical support and more", he continued.
DesignCAD's 3D modelling tools include solid subtraction, union, intersection and interference, centre of gravity and surface area can be performed on any solid object.
In addition to several solid primitives, solids can be created using linear extrusion, circular sweep, extrude along a curve, patches and with surface connecting cross-sections.
Solid objects and surfaces can be edited with a variety of commands including trim, scale, fillet and hammer.
Models can be viewed from any angle or aerial view.
Plus features excellent shading and rendering, with textures, texture mapping, multiple independent light sources and 3D animation and walk-through.
While DesignCAD 3D Max Plus has extensive 3D drawing and modelling capabilities, its 2D drawing features are unsurpassed.
DesignCAD has many snap modes and line constraints which can substantially speed up the drawing process and also offers advanced commands that can be big time-savers for many applications.
For example, double lines can automatically be used for drawing floor plans with doors and windows that will automatically be trimmed and labelled.
The distance and bearing from a legal description can be entered directly to draw the lines describing real estate property.
The centre of gravity command can be used to find the centre of gravity of any solid or the geographic centre of any two-dimensional shape.
DesignCAD 3D Max Plus has 14 different dimension commands including automatic dimensioning.
Each dimension option has customisable text formats, locations etc.
In addition to ordinary linear dimensions, dimensions are provided to suit virtually any engineering, electrical or architectural application.
Drawings can be imported from and exported to a variety of file formats including DWG, DXF, VRML, JPG and HPGL among others.
DesignCAD 3D Max PLUS supports the input and output of AutoCAD drawings in both DWG and DXF file formats.
With DesignCAD's VRML output, users can place a DesignCAD 3D model on Web pages and allow others to view, rotate and animate the drawing with a Web browser.
This makes DesignCAD 3D Max PLUS ideal for creating 3D models for Internet marketing purposes.
Direct e-mail support and JPG output provide further Internet support.
DesignCAD 3D Max Plus comes with over a thousand 2D and 3D symbols.
DesignCAD 3D Max PLUS's symbol handling makes it simple to create and edit symbol toolboxes.
Any drawing can be used as a symbol and incorporated in a symbol toolbox.
Additional symbols are included in the DesignCAD 3D Max Plus Office package.
Custom menus, toolboxes and macros are supported.
Custom commands can be written in Visual Basic, Visual C++ and other languages for the OLE automation interface.
Visual Basic or Visual C++ programs can call DesignCAD 3D Max Plus and use its functions and graphics.
DesignCAD drawings can be output to any Windows printer or plotter as line drawings or shaded models.
DesignCAD's paper space mode enables more than one view of a drawing to be output on a single page, making it easy to print detail insets or three-view drawings.
Quick printing tools allow users to print the current view instantly.
DesignCAD 3D Max Plus supports multiple views of multiple files.
In addition, files can be inserted as OLE objects into other applications, whereby a user can insert a DesignCAD drawing into a Microsoft Word document and edit the drawing later by double-clicking it.
New features of DesignCAD 3D Max Plus include a new file wizard, blocks, fixed angle extrusion, cross sectioning, convert double lines to planes, construction lines, automatic dimensioning, section cut by line, dimension centre mark, a line cut command and numerous feature enhancements.
Enhancements include: sticky handle toggle, better double lines with an automatic hatch option, specify a distance on an array, a selection filter, HPGL output and double-headed arrows on lines, among others.
Third-party programmers will be pleased to see BasicCAD enhancements of include statements and alias statements.
DesignCAD 3D Max Plus Office includes all add-ons: Instant Estimator; ScanPro; a developer's toolkit; three multimedia CD-ROM courses with new 3D solid modelling; DesignSym 2D symbols with new schematic symbols; Designer 3D symbols; new Shed and Shop addon; and new Deck Design addon.
Office retails for $499.95 with upgrade prices of $129.95 and $299.95.
DesignCAD 3D Max PLUS supports Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, NT4, Windows 2000 and Xp.
DesignCAD 3D Max PLUS can be purchased direct from Upperspace for $299.95, can be purchased online at from the Upperspace website with an option to have the software downloaded direct and is available through computer and software dealers worldwide.
Current DesignCAD users can purchase an upgrade through Upperspace for $79.95.
(This was Engineeringtalk's Top Story on 30 May 2002).
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