what happened?

[CGN]

what happened?

what is the deal behind x-CAD?, no more comments?

 

[MilesH]

So, what was your comment?

 

[CGN]

Hi milesh i was refering to the thread that was originated few weeks ago, i just wanted to ask if there anyone in the forum knew more about x-cad.

 

[MilesH]

Hi CGN,

Sorry, I was just being facetious...

I don't think anybody here knows anything, but it's fun to speculate : )

You're right, we should keep the rumours flying, because it helps Alibre with its teaser...

I still think it's something like the Xchangeworks freebie that Solidworks gave away to MegaloCad users. They bundled their '98 plus part modeler with some translation tools. I tried it briefly, back in the last millenium, it's my only experience of MCAD apart from Alibre.

Miles

 

[CGN]

I used Xchangeworks for a while that's how i started with solidworks, it is a very good way to bring new users, ptc did something similar but one step ahead of solidworks, "giving for free" pro desktop express, completley open to save and open files.

 

[siggy]

The free software you'll get is probably just the 30 day trial version you can already download would be my guess.

 

[MilesH]

Re:

The free software you'll get is probably just the 30 day trial version you can already download would be my guess.

Quote "Not a demo or trial software, X-CAD provides fully-functional, intelligent, parametric sketching with an array of rich features such as "on-the-fly" automatic constraint capture, auto-dimensioning, various sketch tools including lines, circles, arcs, polygons, splines, etc., and a complete set of constraints such as vertical/horizontal, perpendicular, parallel, tangent and more. Rather than creating "dumb" geometry like traditional CAD systems, X-CAD enables users to capture design intent with feature-based modeling including engineering features such as bosses, cuts, holes, fillets, chamfers, lofts, sweeps, shells and helical features."

Miles

 

[moyesboy]

There is no doubt that X-CAD comes from Alibre as the reply mail has Alibre.com in the headers.

Anyone remember solidedge origin?
Saveable part modelling with unsavable 2D drawings and no assemblies. a give away taster for Solidedge.
no doubt it will be a taster with some vital (to most) functionality removed. Alibre have a better business head that PTC who completely failed to do anything with the proDesktop giveaway.
Probably more Alibre users started with PTC proDesktop (its often mentioned here) than switched to PTC pro/E!!

 

[MilesH]

Re:

Anyone remember solidedge origin?
Saveable part modelling with unsavable 2D drawings and no assemblies. a give away taster for Solidedge.

This is what Xchangeworks was, also - without the unsavable drawings bit and with a plug-in translation utility for MegaloCad.

In this case it seems to be fully functioning part-modeler (I can't find anything missing from the list) but no drawings or assemblies (not mentioned).

Miles

 

[siggy]

Anyone else wondering why Alibre would allow ads on the bottom of their X-CAD pages advertising BobCAD and AutoCAD? Take a look at the bottom - there are a couple of ads placed there by the Ads by Google technology. The ads may change but the page I have open now is advertising BobCAD and AutoCAD...

 

[cclark440]

I was actually using SolidEdge Origin before I moved to Alibre. I we had paid the extra $450.00 to get some added functionality. Then I got a new computer and was having trouble installing Origin so I called support. They said they no longer support Origin (1-1/2 years after first buying the software). I then found Alibre and have been stuck on it ever since.

 

[MilesH]

Did Origin allow non-contiguous parts? This was the major limitation in Xchangeworks, for me. The part modeler in Alibre does allow non-contiguous solids, which would make it much more useful, sans assemblies.

Miles

 

[cclark440]

Origin did not allow assemblies of any kind, nor did it allow export of any models. Really the only thing that Origin did was allow you to create models, then create drawings form the models. The $450.00 upgraded kept the drawings related to the models.

 

[MilesH]

Thanks Clint,
I think Solidworks called it multi-bodies or something, when they allowed this "feature" (un-contiguous entities in part file). I could never understand the logic of the restriction in the first place....

Miles

 

[swertel]

The Parasolid kernel does not allow non-contiguous, or non-manifold, bodies. ACIS does. That's why Alibre allows for it and SE, SW, and others do not. Try creating cylinder tangent to a solid block using parasolid (a single line contact). That create a non-manifold body and fails with Parasolid.

 

[jwknecht]

Re:

The Parasolid kernel does not allow non-contiguous, or non-manifold, bodies. ACIS does. That's why Alibre allows for it and SE, SW, and others do not. Try creating cylinder tangent to a solid block using parasolid (a single line contact). That create a non-manifold body and fails with Parasolid.

So, does anyone know which CAD programs use Parasolid and which use ACIS?

 

[MilesH]

From memory:

Alibre - ACIS
SolidWorks - Parasolid
Solid Edge - Parasolid
Inventor - Diverging from ACIS
IronCad - Parasolid and ACIS
Ashlar - ACIS
Key Creator - ACIS
Microstation - Parasolid
VX - Proprietary
Think3 - Proprietary
NX - Parasolid
ProE - Granite
ProDesktop - Granite

Please send additions & corrections
Miles

 

[MilesH]

Re:

The Parasolid kernel does not allow non-contiguous, or non-manifold, bodies. ACIS does. That's why Alibre allows for it and SE, SW, and others do not. Try creating cylinder tangent to a solid block using parasolid (a single line contact). That create a non-manifold body and fails with Parasolid.

Thanks Scott,

So, what are multi-body solids?

 

[moyesboy]

A multi body solid is as it is described.
A single part file that contains more then one unconnected lump of solid.

Add to swertel's list

Pro/E uses PTC's own Granite (not acis or parasolid).
Prodesktop used parasolid, then was converted to Granite with instability added at v7.

Solidedge used to use ACIS and changed to parasolid so it is not unique for systems to switch between kernels, but when they do you can expecxt some of your more complex parts to fail to translate!

 

[MilesH]

That's what I meant by non-contiguous. So it is possible using the Parasolid kernel? Why does it feature under advanced part modeling in SolidWorks training??