Renewal again?

[Dcrouch9]

Well it's that time again and I have to ask myself if renewal is worth it. From the beta test that's in progress I don't think 3DS is interested in putting too much time and effort into Geomagic. It's just a feeling but I really think they wish all us ex-Alibre people would just go away. I use it for mechanical design, parts and tooling. To 3DS, if it's not made out of plastic on a printer it's not worth fooling with. Forget sheetmetal, I don't think they even know what that is.

On the plus side it's hard to beat what you get for the price.

Any thoughts?

 

[kev h]

I like what I've got , but is a shame nothing much more is being added/improved apart from fixes and translators really . The yearly costs have gone up too so I think will probably be my last subscribing year for a while as it just doesn't seem worth it...

I also remember Max posting a couple years ago assuring us all about how the software's programming type had changed and also now more resources would be available too with 3DS which would enable new features to be implemented much ..much.. more quickly.........don't think things have quite turned out as planned.... :roll:

Cheers Kev 8)

 

[Jimpulse]

I'm right there with you. I'm at the stage where I'm getting expiration warnings when I log in. I'm not 100% sure I'll pull the plug but it seems likely.
It seems obvious that this program is essentially an Orphan inside the house of 3DS...surviving on programmatic table scraps. I just called support on Tuesday to inquire on the logistics of moving my license as my computer is periodically replaced in the ensuing years. The rep was quite polite and helpful, but I wonder how much effort will be given 2 years from now to keeping legacy licenses operable.
I gave 3DS a pass on the non relavent features added when going from r15 - R16, allowing them that this was what was going to to be done to bring the product into the 3d Printing/scanning "fold". But now after seeing the minimalist features for r17 I have to wonder why I would want to give another $400 to them....I fear that doing so might be interpreted as an endorsement of their product management.

I would love for someone here to give me a valid reason to continue supporting this product. The only thing I can think of is that the import/export facilities might be periodically updated.

-jimpulse

 

[MikeHenry]

I'm in the same boat, except that the next update will probably be out before my next maintenance bill arrives so I get to postpone the decision for a few months longer than you. At the moment, I think that GMD has a darn good bang for the buck on the initial purchase, but the justification for paying annual maintenance fees is becoming increasingly hard to make. The 3D printing features seemed interesting when I got a 3D printer but have been of no help at all, especially so far as editing an STL file. My main interest is MCAD though, and I'll be exploring other options in the next few months, starting with Spaceclaim and ZW3D with SW as a long shot possibility.

Mike

 

[Giecon.nl]

+1

Look at their product line:
/ Some items /
Geomagic® Design™ : formerly known as Alibre
Geomagic® Design™ Direct : Spaceclaim clone
/ even more items /

Take a look under industries on their website, I may be blind but I cannot find Alibre (Yes I know Geosomething) anywhere. That says it al to me Alibre has no place in there future...

 

[ajayre]

The 3D printing features seemed interesting when I got a 3D printer but have been of no help at all, especially so far as editing an STL file.

You haven't found the ability to export an STL already rotated so the desired face is on the print bed useful? I guess it depends on your 3D printer type, but for the low-cost versions that feature is necessary and invaluable IMO. I use it for almost every part...

Andy

 

[bigseb]

The 3D printing features seemed interesting when I got a 3D printer but have been of no help at all, especially so far as editing an STL file.

You haven't found the ability to export an STL already rotated so the desired face is on the print bed useful? I guess it depends on your 3D printer type, but for the low-cost versions that feature is necessary and invaluable IMO. I use it for almost every part...

Andy

I would have thought that one could do this in the slicer. Is there a slicer that can't do this?

 

[MikeHenry]

The 3D printing features seemed interesting when I got a 3D printer but have been of no help at all, especially so far as editing an STL file.

You haven't found the ability to export an STL already rotated so the desired face is on the print bed useful? I guess it depends on your 3D printer type, but for the low-cost versions that feature is necessary and invaluable IMO. I use it for almost every part...

Andy

I use a Zortrax printer and its proprietary slicer lets you scale and rotate the part about all 3 axes. Since GMD is part design software, I'd have expected it to be much more effective at editing STL files. GMD has been of almost no use at all for me in that area so the #d printer "enhancements" in the last upgrade have had even less value than I'd originally thought.

 

[ajayre]

I would have thought that one could do this in the slicer. Is there a slicer that can't do this?

Sometimes I slice a part several times with different settings for different requirements. Or I make different combinations of groups of parts, sliced at the same time. It would be tedious for me to rotate parts every single time I wanted to slice them.

If you create a part in an assembly work space that ends up needing to be rotated 52.5 degrees around the X axis, -12.4 degrees around the Y axis and 0.4 degrees around the Z axis in order to be printed, how are you going to work out those angles to put into the slicer? Where are you going to keep a note of those angles for future slicing? It seems like a lot of hard work to me when the 3D printing features in GD can just handle the rotation for you on export...

Andy

 

[MikeHenry]

Where are you going to keep a note of those angles for future slicing? It seems like a lot of hard work to me when the 3D printing features in GD can just handle the rotation for you on export...

Andy - can't you just save the file that the printer uses to print the part(s) and reload that into the printer if you need to print again?

 

[bigseb]

Sometimes I slice a part several times with different settings for different requirements. Or I make different combinations of groups of parts, sliced at the same time. It would be tedious for me to rotate parts every single time I wanted to slice them.

If you create a part in an assembly work space that ends up needing to be rotated 52.5 degrees around the X axis, -12.4 degrees around the Y axis and 0.4 degrees around the Z axis in order to be printed, how are you going to work out those angles to put into the slicer? Where are you going to keep a note of those angles for future slicing? It seems like a lot of hard work to me when the 3D printing features in GD can just handle the rotation for you on export...

Andy

Not arguing with you, just pointing out that with Makerware it is very simple to rotate a part and moving it round the platform.

 

[ajayre]

Where are you going to keep a note of those angles for future slicing? It seems like a lot of hard work to me when the 3D printing features in GD can just handle the rotation for you on export...

Andy - can't you just save the file that the printer uses to print the part(s) and reload that into the printer if you need to print again?

Yes, of course, but see my previous comment for why I don't always find that useful.

 

[MikeHenry]

Yes, of course, but see my previous comment for why I don't always find that useful.

OK, I see your point now. The Zortrax slicer will let me reload the sliced file and I'll check tonight and see if it maintains orientation when it does. It's the only one I've had experience with, so that success for me, may not mean much for you.

Mike