Italy's Think3 Releases ThinkDesign Suite v2011.1

ThinkDesign Suite 2011 contains new functionalities and improvements in 2D and 3D environments, concerning both solid and surface modeling, besides some particularly interesting interventions in specific areas:

The sketch profile environment has been enhanced with the changes to the constraint graphic representation, which now uses geometric symbols instead of texts, getting a more efficient readability, with the full support of the Offset on Plane command and the possibility to use arcs and fillets in 3D profiles.

The solid modeling environment has been enhanced thanks to the introduction of the new Rib command for the creation of the typical reinforcement elements used in the design of mechanical and plastics injection molded parts. The command offers now the possibility to decide whether preserving only one or both parts of the solid involved in the Cut/Split Solid operation. In the Interactive Solid Modeling (ISM) the commands Move Faces and Offset Faces can now update and regenerate the fillets between the entities involved in the changes. The feature for reconstructing the geometry after the elimination of some faces has been also greatly improved.

ThinkDesign 2011 introduces the new Assembly Features. The commands Hole and Linear Slot on a component used as an external reference and having many instances in the assembly, now offer the possibility to decide whether these features must be carried out only on the selected instance or on all copies belonging to the same component, with a great benefit in flexibility.

Also the functionalities for the design of sheet metal parts have been improved, increasing the options for managing the length of flanges in parts with sharp edges, by preserving the slanted faces in thick plates, and also for managing twisted surfaces with the use of the Step Bend command. Some other improvements are offered in the Wizard and in the bend data representation in the drawing layout.

The new Curve Approximation by Lines-Arcs command allows the conversion of a generic planar curve into a sequence of line segments or a combination of arcs and line segments. The conversion is controlled through some options by the user. The resulting geometry can be used, among others, as input tool path for numerically controlled machines.

The new Geodesic Curve command enables the creation of the curve, lying on a surface, having the shortest distance with respect to a defined passing point, while the Invert Surface command introduces new and very useful modes for orienting the normals to surfaces, which is an essential element for users adopting hybrid modeling approaches.

This version introduces important innovations in the field of styling prototypes and sheet metal stamping for forming tools thanks to the new operational modes. The new command Adapt on Measured Data allows the user to apply a deformation to the tree-dimensional model in order to adapt it to the original shape, imported in the system through a physical prototype scanning. With the Compensation on Measured Data it is possible to compensate the 3D model on the basis of the real digital model, rather than on FEA data. Both these commands ensure the alignment between digital and real world, by maintaining the quality throughout the design process and considerably reducing time and cost.

There are innovations and improvements also in the design module of plastics injection molding, strongly improved thanks to the work of Think3’s R&D. MoldDesign now offers the new feature of Region Analysis for the model analysis useful to check the undercut and the hidden geometries, the new Separation Surface command for the mold entity separation, improvements to the settings of the scaling factor of the part and to the Mold Cooling. Very interesting is the new Mold Base management, fully renewed and enhanced thanks to a more efficient installation, configuration and usability.

The new Subdivision Solid tool represents not only a new command but also a new approach to the free-shape modeling. Through a net of control point and handles, designers can produce complex final shapes, starting from much simpler shapes, by deforming them freely in the space. It is possible to deform, add, delete and divide the faces belonging to the solid by keeping the perfect continuity and consistency of the solid. For example it is possible to get the shape of a tap starting from a simple cube.

About Think3

Founded in 1979 as Cad.Lab, Think3 today is one of the leading world-wide players in the CAD and PLM market. For 30 years, Think3 has assisted manufacturing companies with unique technical solutions and customer support services designed to help producers optimize the entire product development process, and help industrial designers to create better, more innovative products.

Year in and year out Think3 has innovated and evolved to become a multinational corporation with bases in Europe, Japan and India . It can also boast a world-wide network of selected resellers. Opening operations in emerging markets, confirms the company’s mission to maintain its leading role in the CAD and PLM market.

Thanks to an experienced, international R&D team working at sites in Italy, France, India, Think3 represents the new global approach to design technology, speaking the same language as designers, technicians and producers.

Think3 provides the only technology which covers the entire product life cycle, from ideation, through development and finished product and on to end of life. This type of process integration reduces time-to-market and costs and means that Think3 can offer its industrial customers the opportunity to innovate, compete and face the challenges of the global market.

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