Importing Text From Adobe Illustrator

Tim — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:24:26 +0000

We have many ViaCAD users who also include Adobe Illustrator in their tool chest. One common use is to create text in Adobe Illustrator using their advanced text tools (kerning/tracking) and then importing into ViaCAD. Once in ViaCAD you can extrude into 3D and perform operations such as blending and chamfering. This video shows how you can share data between the two applications.

ViaCAD™ 2D/3D v8 Now In Apple App Store

Tim — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:34:21 +0000

Encore Software, Inc., a leading retail software publisher and wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of ViaCAD™ 2D/3D v8 in the Apple App Store. ViaCAD is a highly functional, low-cost 2D/3D design product that revolutionizes the entry point for sophisticated, precise, general-purpose design.

New Features: v8 introduces significant feature enhancements related to usability, 2D drafting, 3D modeling, performance, and data sharing. Specific features include:

• New Push/Pull tool for planar objects and faces of solids
• Interactively translate, rotate, scale faces with the Gripper
• Dynamically create linear and polar arrays of features
• Automatically create 3D walls, windows, and doors from 2D drawings
• Create 3D roofs and slabs
• Logicursor™ snapping updated to callout coplanar faces and cylinder axis alignments for intuitive part positioning

Full Featured CAD for All: ViaCAD 2D/3D includes a powerful array of design tools not normally seen at this price including an innovative user interface supporting the LogiCursor™ technology. Based upon the highly precise ACIS® modeling kernel from Dassault, ViaCAD provides over 300 design tools for hobbyist and professional designers. Featured among these tools are:

• Associative NURBS-based modeling with skins, covers, and nets
• Constant and variable radius blending and chamfering
• Twist, bend, boss, hole, Boolean, and shell features
• History based solid modeling
• Local face editing tools for designing independent of history tree
• Draft, annotate, and automatically generate 2D drawings from 3D
• Mass properties and interference checking
• Intelligent wall, door, and window tools
• Access 90 minutes of training videos, plus free phone support

Industry-Standard Interoperability: ViaCAD provides an extensive set of interoperability solutions for professional industry standard data sharing through IGES, STEP, and SAT. Additional formats include SketchUp®, AutoCAD® DXF/DWG, Adobe Illustrator, Rhinoceros®, STL, 3DS Max®, and more.

Pricing and Availability: ViaCAD is available from Apple’s App Store at http://www.itunes.com/appstore/ for $99. For more information including versions for PC visit http://www.punchcad.com/

ViaCAD 2D/3D v8 What’s New Video

Tim — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 02:23:10 +0000

ViaCAD 2D/3D v8 introduces some exciting new features that once again push the “value” bar higher in the CAD industry. Check out some of the new features and the video demonstrating v8 in action.

• New Push/Pull tool for planar objects and faces of solids
• Interactively translate, rotate, scale faces with the Gripper
• Dynamically create linear and polar arrays of faces
• Automatically create 3D walls, windows, and doors from 2D drawings
• Create 3D roofs and slabs
• Logicursor™ snapping updated to callout coplanar faces and cylinder axis alignments for intuitive part positioning

Visit www.punchcad.com for more information on this new product release.

Tip: Using AutoSave

Tim — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 02:02:56 +0000

ViaCAD’s automatic backup utility can help you in situations where your current file has become damaged.

The first thing that you must do is turn on “AutoSave”. If you don’t have the AutoSave setting turned on, there will be nothing to recover. To turn on Auto Save, go to the Preferences dialog box and click on the Filing category. Next click on Auto Save and select a “trigger” option. The trigger will automatically save files based on time or number of commands.

To recover a backup file, just visit your ViaCAD “BackUp” folder. This BackUp folder is located under your user documents folder within the ViaCAD folder.

Tip: Setting the Workplane Normal to a Curve

Tim — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:11:51 +0000

One my favorite shortcuts is the “c” key. Hitting the “c” key with a snap point highlighted by LogiCursor will set the WorkPlane to the snap location. Hitting the “c” key repeatedly thereafter will toggle the WorkPlane orientation from:

Top (XY plane)

Side (YZ plane)

Front (XZ Plane)

Use view

Normal to Curve

Check out the video below where the “c” key is used to set the workplane for a profile to sweep along a 3D path.

In Development: Multi-Surface Splitting

Tim — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:05:46 +0000

A design practice taught to me while in the aerospace industry is to use construction and reference surfaces where I would later trim these surfaces back into a final surface. This practice seems to produce smoother surfaces. For me, this practice has extended outside the aerospace industry into any shape that may involve complex surfaces. However, when you have many surfaces, the final trimming can be a bit tedious. With that in mind, I’m exploring a new multi-surface split tool inside Shark FX for V8. This tool would allow the designer to select a large number of surfaces, find all intersections, and split accordingly.

Check out the video below where I create an interesting bottle bottom using the multi-surface split tool. If you have any suggestions for improvements, please drop me an email at tim.olson@evo-soft.net.

ViaCAD 2D/3D v8 Beta

Tim — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:26:40 +0000

Encore is pleased to announce open beta testing of ViaCAD 2D/3D v8 for Mac and PC platforms. Most notably, v8 introduces Push/Pull Modeling tools with intelligent face snapping via LogiCursor for intuitive positioning. ViaCAD 2D/3D v8 continues to raise the bar for state of the art digital design at an industry low $99. Come visit our lab site to access the beta and join in on the discussion of this exciting upgrade.

V8 New Features Videos
Check out the new Push/Pull modeling videos.

Download ViaCAD 2D/3D v8
Download a fully functional beta.

PunchCAD Labs
News and activity regarding PunchCAD development.

Punch!CAD Tip: Quick Trimming

Tim — Thu, 26 May 2011 17:46:45 +0000

The Trim tool is used to re-limit curves to other objects. Located in the Curve Utilities palette this tool is one of the most frequently used tools to modify curve extents.

Several useful tips related to the Trim tool are:

Press the Shift Key to extend the number of objects selected

Press the Control Key (Option Key Mac) to extend the curve to a selected boundary

Press the Control Key (Option Key Mac) to keep the selected curve after the trim is performed

Another useful tip when using the Trim tool is using it in conjunction with Select All. Selected objects not only serve as a trim boundary, but can be trimmed as well depending on where you click with the mouse. Check out the video below demonstrating the Trim tool.

Customer Success Story: XYZ Marine Products

Tim — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:31:15 +0000

Dragomir Ivicevic is the founder of XYZ Marine Products which is known in the marine industry for its highly rated Extreme Boat Anchor. Dragomir is also the inventor and mastermind behind the novel design approach that makes this anchor rated #1 in the industry and a preferred choice by demanding customers such as the US Navy and Oceaneering International. The Extreme Boat Anchor was designed using Shark FX.

The challenge faced by Dragomir was to design a lightweight anchor that could withstand the extreme forces and deformations common in deep sea environments. Key to the design was the choice of materials and the patented cutting edge saw blade enabling the anchor to penetrate a variety of bottoms. With plenty of design decisions on his plate, Dragomir needed a CAD tool that would allow him to freely conceptualize his design and yet create a precise, manufactorable part. After comparing usability, features, and price of a variety of CAD systems, Dragomir chose Shark FX. Of particular appeal was Shark’s ability to create and modify complex shapes in a precise yet intuitive manner.

“As an inventor I am working with companies such as Humanscale, Knoll, Westinghouse, Herman Miller, and NASA where precision standards are expected. My personal approach to design is “less is more” where the subject is reduced to its necessary elements. Shark FX belongs to the same philosophy where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental feature, with minimum mouse movement needed to create complex yet precise 3D form. It just works flawlessly. What I can imagine I can draw using the Shark FX.”

Dragomir Ivicevic
XYZ Marine Products
www.xyzanchor.com

Creating Custom Symbols

Tim — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:47:50 +0000

The ViaCAD and Shark products include thousands of pre-made CAD symbols categorized under the AEC, Electrical, Mechanical, and Process Plant & Piping headings. These are found under the Symbols tab in the Concepts Explorer dialog box which allow simple drag and drop of these symbols into your drawings.

In addition, to the symbols that come along with the application, you can create custom symbols.

Steps to Create a Custom Symbol
1. Create the entities associated with your symbol. A symbol may consist of curves, surfaces and/or solids.
2. Shrink the window down to about 128×128 in width/height to generate a nice preview.
3. Save the file to the appropriate location.
PC-> c:\Program Files\Punch! Software\ViaCAD Pro v7\Symbols
Mac-> /Applications/ViaCAD Pro v7/Symbols
4. In the Concepts Explorer Symbols window, right click “Reload”. (in V7 builds 966 or greater).
If you do not have a current version, you will need to exit the app and restart to rebuild the symbols contents.

Check out this video demonstrating how to create a custom symbol. The video also shows adding an attribute to the symbol and how it can be used to create a Bill of Materials.