CAD Converter: CAD Exchanger 3.21.0 Release

Paris, Wednesday August 30, 2023 - CADEX has unveiled the newest release 3.21.0 of CAD Exchanger, marking another milestone in CAD format support and visualization enhancements. Let's dive into its remarkable updates:

  • New Drawing mode, tweakable mesh decimation, and configurations support of the SOLIDWORKS models in Lab;
  • Integration of CAD Exchanger SDK with devDept Eyeshot;
  • Import of graphical PMI from CATIA;
  • End of support for Windows 32-bit configurations from release 3.22.0.

Drawing Mode Enhancements

At the forefront of the updates is the new Drawing mode, a tool specially tailored for viewing drawings, especially in the DWG file format.

  • It comes enabled by default, with options to toggle between dark and light modes. The dark mode, with its heightened contrast, enhances the visibility of intricate details.
  • Users can seamlessly inspect the product structure featuring sheets of diverse views. Each view encapsulates elements, further categorized into groups like geometry, dimensions, hatches, and text. As of now, properties such as opacity and color remain read-only.
  • For models housing both 2D and 3D data, a view switch can be executed with a mere click.

CAD Exchanger drawing mode visualization

Mesh Decimation Mastery

CAD Exchanger introduces a salient feature – Mesh decimation. This offers an avenue to optimize 3D mesh models by moderating polygon counts without compromising on visual integrity.

  • It provides granular control over the decimation process, ensuring the desired level of model simplification.
  • Users can lean on preset settings or manually set the target triangle count.
  • The refreshed mesh can either replace the existing one or manifest as a new representation in the Representations tab. This duality offers a choice between the original and the optimized versions, facilitating easy comparison.
  • Such mesh simplification proves indispensable for bulky and intricate models, bolstering performance while shrinking file size. This leads to swifter load times, smoother rendering, and a perfect balance between load speed and detail.

CAD Exchanger optimizing mesh decimation

Seamless Integration with Eyeshot

Integration has been ramped up between CAD Exchanger SDK and devDept Eyeshot, a prominent .NET software component in engineering. With this synergy, Eyeshot users can:

  • Visualize a plethora of entities, from B-rep to polygonal geometries.
  • Easily import and work with CAD files from diverse origins, regardless of their initial format.
  • Make the most of original CAD data, retaining each nuance of information such as hierarchy, colors, meshes, materials, and textures.
  • Furthermore, apart from the regular properties, the SDK grants access to PMI and metadata, letting users attach custom details to their models, streamlining project management and organization.

CAD Exchanger's robust integration with Eyeshot

Support and Updates

Ever committed to staying ahead of the curve, CAD Exchanger rolls out essential format improvements and support features:

  • Import of graphical PMI from CATIA and up-to-date documentation.
  • Termination of support for Windows 32-bit configurations from the subsequent 3.22.0 release. To avail all contemporary features and support, transitioning to a 64-bit Windows version is advised.
  • As usual, we are paying close attention to improving our formats and supporting their new versions.
    • BIM file formats updates   
      • Revit: support of Revit 2018 and 2019;
      • IFC: fixed incorrect import of certain IFC*TYPE entities, import of faces without explicitly specified outer bound, and a crash during import of empty solids or shells.
    • MCAD file formats updates
      • SOLIDWORKS: support of the 2023 version;
      • Solid Edge: support of 2022 and 2023 versions;
      • STEP: fixed incorrect conversion of shared appearance during import;
      • 3D XML: fixed a crash during import on models with shared mesh sub-shapes and import of mesh sub-shapes with transformations;
      • IGES: fixed a crash during the import of the degenerated plane and a crash during the import of a composite curve with null sub-curves.

CAD Exchanger supporting graphical PMI from CATIA

There are some other minor updates in Web Toolkit, CAD Exchanger Lab, and SDK. For more details on new features and bug fixes, refer to  CHANGES.txt file

CAD Exchanger stands as a beacon in the realm of CAD conversion and visualization. With its ever-evolving feature set, professionals across industries can look forward to optimized workflows, accurate translations, and pristine visualizations, ensuring that the intricate world of CAD becomes a little more accessible to all.