A little preview of v24

[Max]

A little preview of what we've been up to.

Realtime Previews in Sheet Metal

• SM features now compute in real time like regular part features

Assembly Constraint Dialog - Apply

• An apply button is now at the bottom of the dialog.
  

User Profile versioning

• Sometimes you need to go between versions, but your user profile was upgraded to a later version and the earlier AD didn't know what to do with it. Moving forward multiple versions of the profile are saved and used automatically by the appropriate version.

File Incrementation on Data/Model change only

• Previously all saves resulted in the internal version of a part / assy changing. This meant that all downstream files would need to be updated. There was no distinction between data changes and cosmetic changes. That distinction now exists, and saving files with only cosmetic changes will not increment the version, and thus not cause downstream files to require an update unnecessarily.

Save Types and Notifications

• 3 save options now exist:
  • Normal - operates like previous versions
  • Notify - Notifies you on save if the save contains data changes that will result in downstream files needing to be updated.
    
    
  • Lock - see below.

Lock Files

• You can set files to be locked. Locked files cannot be edited and operate similarly to files set to Read Only in Windows. You can set any files that should never change to Locked.

Plane Along 2D / 3D Sketch

• Create a plane along a 2D or 3D sketch by defining what percentage along the curve the plane should exist at. This becomes important for some loft improvements.

Loft Improvements

• Dialog and grid control revamp
• Added two new twist minimization algorithm options
• Centerline lofting is now supported
  
  
• A setting to make Closed lofts tangent at the start / end
  
  
• Ruled setting makes loft result only contain ruled surfaces
  
  
• Face Takoff Settings give control over geometry when lofting between two faces
  
  
• Control over lofting to a point
  
  
• New Gap Type option adds a Chamfer and Round style of Gap filling. Type a) below is what all lofts prior to v24 used.
  
  
• No New Vertices option allows you to prevent the creation of new vertices. In the image on the left 2 vertices are created that did not exist before the left. On the right, we create the same loft with no new vertices.
  
  
• A whole bunch more that isn't easy to convey in this format.

 

[Max]

Backstage View

A revamped File menu experience provides immediate access to part data, save settings, and more.







Save Dialog
The multi-component save dialog is getting an overhaul.

Equation Editor
Massive EQ Editor overhaul with:

• New responsive grid control
  
  
• Set favorites
• Search entire table
• View owner of a parameter (where it was defined)
• Group parameters (e.g. by Favorite, Type, etc)
  

Center of Mass in 3D
Details coming soon

Not an exhaustive list, more to come later.

 

[bigseb]

Really really really looking forward to playing with this. Great work, AD team!!!

 

[JST]

WELL, THAT IS LOOKING GOOD!

Yep, I am shouting!

Locked files just basically enabled libraries, it would seem. Hopefully they are copyable and keep their locked nature by default.

The accept at the bottom of the constraint dialog will save much hassle.... I am still hitting the close as if it were the accept....... Can't seem to get used to it, and now I don't have to.

 

[simonb65]

Some incredible improvements and features here.

Great work, AD team!!!

+1

 

[Max]

ocked files just basically enabled libraries, it would seem. Hopefully they are copyable and keep their locked nature by default.

Copying is not usually a good idea. SaveAs'ing is better. And yes, copy and SaveAs will maintain locked status.

 

[jfnewman]

Looking good!!!!

 

[GIOV]

Max and AD Team:
"No New Vertices option allows you to prevent the creation of new vertices. In the image on the left 2 vertices are created that did not exist before the left. On the right, we create the same loft with no new vertices."
This is a good improvement. Congrats!
I loss my maintenance because I need the 2D Drawing Workspace and 2D Part and Assemble Section physic Properties as urgent.

 

[JST]

Copying is not usually a good idea. SaveAs'ing is better. And yes, copy and SaveAs will maintain locked status.

Yes, save as.... although with a library part (a real library" the part should retain the same description etc, which goes away in save as.

That is due to the only human-readable description that is visible without opening the file is the filename, which doubles as the "external ID" (yes I know there is an internal one as well that is human readable, and an internal one used by Alibre also).

The workaround would be to add a label such as "LIB" to the filename, which can be removed when doing the "save as". Such as "LIB 443-22-432 bracket", becoming just "443-22-432 bracket" when saved.

Ideally, the part would have an AD_LIB or similar extension, which changes to a PRT when saved as.

 

[HaroldL]

I'm not dismissing the work the Alibre team has done here but I wonder why we needed to wait for v24 for some of them.
I'm not going to get too excited about them now, I'll wait to see how they function when launched.

So here's my thoughts on some of them:

Yay for sheet metal previews, that will be nice.

Adding an Apply button to assembly constraints, that will be nice but it seems like that could have been done with an update to v23, unless there was something in the constraint engine that needed a rewrite.

Planes along a sketch, nice but could there also be a dimension as well as a percentage along?

As much as I try to avoid Lofts having a Centerline loft will be welcome.

Closed Loft Tangency at the start/end. I never understood why that wasn't part of the tool in the first place. Glad that is finally getting fixed.

No new vertices for lofts. It's nice, but why an option to prevent them and why are they being added/created anyway. I would prefer that they not be created at all. AND with the example shown will it be easier to loft something like a twisted bar. I could use something to make that easier so I don't have to add all the 3D guide curves, which are a PITA.

This example still doesn't look right even with guide curves.

 

[JST]

Agree looks odd, is it a visual illusion? more views?

 

[swertel]

Drafting updates?

 

[jfleming]

Drafting updates?

Let's sure hope. 90% of my gripes are with the Drawings module.

 

[Seal1966]

Drafting updates?

I love seeing the 3D side getting updates. But, 100% agree the Drafting sides needs help. Maybe V25.

 

[skeller]

Updates look great!

Is there any way to get a filename only with no path information in the list of available properties? Currently, Part Name gives the filename including the path. It would be nice just to have the file name.

 

[idslk]

Preview of V24 looks interesting.
Will there be an Script and/or API enhancements?

Is there any way to get a filename only with no path information

yes.
create a custom property named eg. "Filename":



run this little script

import os
data = os.path.split(CurrentPart().FileName)
CurrentPart()._Part.DesignProperties.CustomProperty('Filename',str(data[1]))

Add this field to a drawing template


and when using this template for a drawing you will have only the filname.

Regards
Stefan

 

[DavidJ]

Since we're all talking about needed updates, here are a few that really needs to be added to V24:

This thread is a sneak preview of what will be in v24 - it isn't for 'shopping lists'. It is much too late now to add items to the v24 development sprint.

We get this off topic drift every time Max shows a preview.

 

[swertel]

This thread is a sneak preview of what will be in v24 - it isn't for 'shopping lists'. It is much too late now to add items to the v24 development sprint.

We get this off topic drift every time Max shows a preview.

I completely agree.

And please don't make it "like Solidworks."
If I wanted Solidworks, I would have bought Solidworks.

 

[MilesH]

Center Line Lofting! Yay!

 

[oilman]

Very impressive - especially the new loft tools. Keep up the good work!