IMSI Design recently announced the release of its TurboCAD 2024 line, including Platinum, Professional, Deluxe, and Designer versions for Windows desktop PCs. The release includes over twenty new and improved features focused on visualization, 3D modeling, and architectural enhancements. New and improved features include:
Usability and interface:
- LTE Configurations Workspace: LTE configurations are now a part of TurboCAD 2024. Users can switch between default and LTE workspace using the Customize window.
- New Property Page: A new property page, “Selection,” has been added to Program Setup. The Selection property page allows users to set up selection effects and highlighting options. Selection Effect Settings are now shifted to the Selection page along with additional Visualize highlighting effect settings.
2D drafting and editing:
- Points along Path Tool: A new tool, “Points along path,” has been added to the Draw menu in the Points sub-menu. By activating this tool, the user can set points along the path (curves), followed by the properties “number of points” and “by distance”.
- Basic Shapes Tool: A new tool “Basic Shapes” has been added to the Tools menu. This tool is used to draw all basic shapes used in a Flow Chart. Currently, there are 10 shapes available in the local menu, which can be inverted with an option available.
- Connector Creation Tool: The Connector Creation tool is a part of the Flow Chart in the Tools menu. This tool is used to connect different shapes. There are different types of connectors available in the local menu. If the smart option is enabled, the type of connector (the direction of the arrows) is determined by the connected segment. If the link option is enabled, then a link is created between the connector and the connected object.
- Attached Text: A new tool “Attached Text” has been added to the Tools/Flow Charts menu. This adds the ability to attach text to any object. The text is attached to the object so that the center of the text is the same as the center of the object. Whenever the object changes, the position of the text also changes.
- Selector General: A new option “Mark Size” has been added to the General page in the Selector Properties dialog. The algorithm for automatically calculating the size of the bitmap mark stamp depending on the screen resolution may not be comfortable for specific users. Now the user will be able to independently choose the most suitable size for a specific screen resolution.
- Selector 2D: TurboCAD 2024 introduces new axis options in Selector 2D.
- Blend Curves: A new tool “Blend Curves” has been added. This tool can blend polylines and curves. It works in two different modes, G2 continuous and minimized radius of curvature. “G2 continuous” builds Bezier segment by 2 points, 2 directions, and 2 curvatures. “Minimize radius of curvature” constructs a Bezier segment whose maximum radius of curvature is minimal.
- Bezier Edit Tool Improvement: The Bezier edit tool has been improved. Improvements include visualization of radii of curvature as a set of segments and editing tangent nodes (green) while maintaining tangent direction. Apart from this, “Keeps Tangent direction” has been included as a new local menu item of the Bezier edit tool. It allows to edit the Bezier curve without changing the direction of the tangent at the point.
- Curve Improvement: Curve tool has been improved. A new property “show curvatures” has been added to the Curves properties. When this property is enabled, it allows displaying curve curvature as a set of segments.
- Drafting Palette Improvement: The drafting palette has been improved. When using the Drafting Palette, click on “Aligned Sectional View” in the upper pane, and the associated line highlights in the drawing space. This allows the user to quickly decipher what that Aligned Sectional View is “cutting through” and viewing.
3D drawing, modeling, and editing:
- Graphic on Path: The “Graphic on Path” tool has been improved. Calculation accuracy has been improved/increased. The accuracy of distance calculation along bulge polyline and spline has been increased.
- Surface by Set of Polylines: A new tool “Surface by Polylines” has been added to the Lofts tools in the Draw menu. This tool creates a 3D mesh (surface) from a set of polylines, arcs, and curves. The starting point of the first polyline connects to the nearest starting point of the next polyline, and so on. Optionally, you can create a “smooth” surface along the direction of the “polylines” by adding additional polylines.
- Helix, Curve from Law, Spline and Bezier Objects Improvement: Helix, Curve from Law, Spline, and Bezier tools have been improved. A new property “Length” has been added to the SI Palette property section of the above tools.
- Lofting Tool Improvement: The “Lofting” tool has been improved. A new local menu option “Select Sweep Path” has been added to the lofting tool. Skinning with a Sweep Path interpolates a surface through a series of input profiles along the given sweep path curve. The input profiles are given in the form of wire bodies.
- ACIS 2024 Update: ACIS has been updated to the latest version ACIS2024.
- Hole Tool – Custom Hole: The “Hole” tool has been improved. A new option “Custom” has been added to the Hole type in the property page of the Hole tool in the Selection Information palette. The custom hole is based on a block. Block content is used as a body to create a hole or boss. The middle of the top or bottom of the block bounding box is used as an anchor point. If the “Use Block Reference” option is switched on, the block ref point is used as an anchor point.
Visit IMSI Design’s website for more updates or watch this video showcasing TurboCAD 2024 features:
