MachineWorks Version 5.1 Released

Version 5.1 released of MachineWorks, the World's leading CNC simulation/verification technology

SHEFFIELD (October 23, 2002) - LightWork Design, the world's leading supplier of quality advanced computer graphics software for rendering, simulation and verification solutions, has announced today the release of v5.1 of its leading MachineWorks technology.

One of v5.1's major developments is the introduction of Feature Based Picking across all MachineWorks' geometric engines. Feature Based Picking enables CAM packages to accurately report the co-ordinate of a point on the actual cut surface rather than the facetted representation of the cut surface. The surface normal and the surface type (e.g. Plane, Cylinder, Sphere) are also given.

Another major improvement lies in the visualisation of results from a target part comparison. V5.1 now features an option whereby un-machined areas can be ignored. This aids clarity by restricting only undercuts or gouges caused by the current toolpath to be displayed.

Other general improvements are as follows:

* MachineWorks' exception handling capabilities have been enhanced. This protects applications in the event that problems are experienced when making calls to the MachineWorks libraries.

* Reporting of self-intersections has been enhanced. MachineWorks now returns full details of the faces involved, including the point of self-intersection, the plane equation of the face, the number of vertices in the face loop and the vertex position in the face loop.

* Enhanced tool definition for Ball-end and Bull-nose tools.

Enhancements specific to the Visicut MachineWorks geometric engine:

* Enhanced support of complex tool shapes. Previous restrictions on the definition of 2D tool profiles have been removed so that the profile can be non monotonic in Y. This allows tools with concave ends to be properly simulated in plunging operations, whereby an 'island' of material remains. Closed profiles (e.g. toroidal tools) are now also supported.

* Ray-traced target part comparison now supports transparency. This can help to improve the visualisation of gouges or areas of rest material. Additionally, the performance of ray-traced target part comparison has been significantly improved, particularly when large stock models are used.

* Wire EDM support has been enhanced to support the simulation of different XY/UV and XY'/UV' planes.

Enhancements specific to the Rapidcut MachineWorks geometric engine:

* Holders can now be attached and detached from selected tools at anytime. This removes the previous restriction that the holder must be attached before the tool is positioned.

* Target part comparison has been enhanced such that the results can be filtered so that false gouges or undercuts are not displayed. This results in clearer and more concise visualisation.

Enhancements specific to the Pixelcut MachineWorks geometric engine:

* Significant performance gains in terms of speed and memory usage. This is particularly applicable when creating a session using complex solids.

* Inheritance of cut information from solids extracted from other MW simulation engines.

MachineWorks Division Manager, Dr David Manley commented, "v5.1 is first and foremost a release for our partners and their customers. We have listened to what our partners have said and succeeded in not only improving our core technology, but also in introducing new functionality".

About MachineWorks 

MachineWorks is LightWork Design's leading CNC simulation and verification technology for manufacturing software developers. It combines unparalleled speed and accuracy with industrial strength robustness, and is embedded within the majority of the world's CAM packages.

By integrating MachineWorks directly into their applications, developers access world leading technology to shorten their R&D cycle, and get to market faster with a better solution - one that their customers can subsequently rely on to increase productivity and guarantee the quality of their manufacturing output.

 www.machineworks.com

About LightWork Design 

LightWork Design is the world's leading supplier of quality advanced computer graphics for rendering, simulation and visualization solutions within CAD, CAM & AEC markets. Established in 1989, LightWork Design continues to invest in research and development to provide its customer base with innovative and market-focused technology. The company's products are used in more than 150 software applications worldwide and by over one million 3D software users.

LightWork Design offers LightWorks� for photo-realistic rendering and lighting simulation, and MachineWorks� for CNC toolpath simulation and verification. 

www.lightworkdesign.com

 

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