IronCAD, the 3D computer-aided design platform for metal fabrication and custom machinery manufacturers, has been updated to IronCAD Design Collaboration Suite 2019. This is the 20th anniversary edition of the software.
The software continues its performance with the large assembly designs and workflows needed by machinery manufactures.
IronCAD was originally based on the idea of “design for all,” said Tao-Yang Han, IronCAD’s president.
The new release extends IronCAD’s Shrinkwrap capability to simplify imported and native models and gives users the ability to load the simplified or full versions based on their preference. Typically, a design team receives from their partners the files they will need to use in their own design. They can use the Shrinkwrap tool on imported data to remove unnecessary geometry, which reduces the size of the design file size and improves graphical and process performance during operations like and loading.
This shorts the design cycle, Han said.
Users also can load either the simplified or the full design components in their working file. Using the simplified version allows designers to focus on the design tasks and limit the performance impact of unrelated areas. Whether it is native design data or imported, users can use the Shrinkwrap capabilities to optimize their design process by reducing time it takes to to process larger data sets. Users can also employ the Shrinkwrap tools to hide selective parts, nonvisible parts, and hole and pocket regions while allowing critical components to remain. This is essential for downstream sharing because companies need to protect their intellectual property while offering a reasonable-size model for sharing.
IronCAD’s Web Viewer has been enhanced so users can easily share 3D Designs with anyone with an internet connection and a HTML 5 supported browser on any device. Simply load your design in IronCAD, and select the Share button. Users will receive a hyplerlink to the file that they can share that with their collaborators to allow them to load, view, and interrogate your 3D design. The files are automatically deleted a week later, so users don’t need to keep a repository or storage device for their collaboration process.
IronCAD’s Smart eBehavior allows users to build intelligent connection, position and orientation. Customizable rules, another major focus of the updated edition, give users more methods for defining connection locations and naming them with alias names to make them easy to identify. Users also have access to mechanism behaviors when connecting components in cases like four-bar linkages.
This edition includes a number of enhancements in the user interface. Improvements such as bold edges, updated handle and TriBall displays, quick sizing behaviors on input, direct input on drop of features, improved dimensional display in sketches, and direct access to the TriBall positioning tool improves the usability of the software.
The company offers a free online trial of the anniversary edition. This trial doesn’t require downloading or installing the product on a desktop PC. It can be run in a web browser on any device. To get started, visit www.ironcad.com/TryIronCADNow.
