FreeDesign has announced that the second update of FreeDimension, its 3D surface modeler, is now available for download at its website, along with two optional modules for a more complete array of design tools.
This latest version of FreeDimension, like the previous version, is compatible with SketchUp Import and Export, and also outputs data into commonly used .OBJ, .POV and .STL formats. In addition to refinement of the software's general functionality, FreeDimension1.2 contains new architecture to add on options according to the specific needs of users.
One optional module is an IGES/NURBS export capability, which allow FreeDimension-generated models to be passed to any CAD system that can accept IGES input or NURBS surfaces.
FreeDesign also offers a second module called Professional Tools, a comprehensive set of design commands that enable users manipulate, combine, and analyze freeform surfaces.
The Professional Tools module includes a variety of features: Inspection Renderers offers a variety of model viewing and analysis modes; Reference Curves and Reference Surfaces adds "helping" lines and surfaces that allow designs to be manipulated in segments; a Mass Properties Tool calculates object volume and surface area, and a Curve Construction Surface feature lets freestanding curves be controlled by its projection onto a plane.
Inspection Renderers -- A variety of rendering styles provide several different ways to view your model to help to analyze subtle shape variations and imperfections.
"Our first release of FreeDimension was essentially a baseline tool which lets anybody simply design," says Dick Sowar, CEO of FreeDesign Inc. "It brought the emphasis back on spontaneous creativity, and ushered in a new era that does not require complex skill sets for 3D creation. Now with the addition of export compatibility and Professional Tools, FreeDimension becomes a highly effective application for everyday design tasks."
