Auto.des.sys has rolled out a new version of its hybrid solid and surface 3D modeler, form.Z 3.8, incorporating new parametric functionality.
Originally announced to be part of version 4.0, auto.des.sys decided not to hold back some features and tools. Given the focus of version 4.0 on opening Form.Z's architecture to plug-ins, auto.des.sys recently concluded that it would be beneficial to the interest of users to release additional parametric capabilities as general-purpose features, before the arrival of version 4.0. The new features in version 3.8 are primarily additional parametric capabilities and operations based on ACIS and on auto.des.sys' own newly enhanced modeling libraries.
Form.Z is a hybrid solid and surface 3D modeler that combines polygonal with smooth parametric modeling under a single roof. It is complemented by drafting, photorealistic rendering, Radiosity, walk through animation, and advanced CAD capabilities.
Form.Z 3.8 has new types of objects that are based mostly on the ACIS modeling engine and are called smooth to distinguish them from the traditional form.Z objects that are referred to as facetted. To blend and integrate the two types and make them work together as if they have always belonged together allows form.Z to offer some significant benefits. It offers super-flexible rounding and blending, trimmed surfaces that preserve their smoothness after operations are applied to them, and exporting/importing parametric entities that preserve their parameters all the way to the milling machines. In addition, smooth objects render perfectly smooth, regardless of how close the viewer is positioned.
