RE: Hardware/Software: Real-Time 3D Rotation of CAD Piping Models

From: <Goh>
Date: Fri Aug 31 2001 - 05:31:00 EDT


Mr Shivaprakash C Rao seem to know a lot about NavisWorks. I am impressive.

   Other than the good point you mentioned, I have got more to add:

· Interactive navigation around massive models (millions of polygons)
View and interactively navigate around whole assemblies of models you previously have never seen assembled together!

· Works on standard PC hardware

Pentium processor, 32MB RAM (64MB recommended), Windows 9x/NT - even on minimum specification PCs, you can still review large models.

· Append multiple models from different formats into same scene
Bring together models from ArchiCAD, MicroStation, AutoCAD, 3D Studio and SolidWorks, or transfer via .dxf.

· Automatic scene graph authoring

No manual pre-processing of your models required – let NavisWorks optimize your data for interactive viewing.

· User-definable frame rate

Choose from 1fps to 20 fps, allowing you to adjust the smoothness of navigation around your model.

· 9 different navigation methods

With a choice of flying, walking, orbiting, examining, turntable, zooming, zooming to box, panning and looking around, you can intuitively navigate and examine both the inside and outside of your models.

· Fast selection of components in large models
No more waiting as you select an object.

· Visual analysis

Easy to find and select components to hide/unhide in a flash.

· Model-centric sectioning

The section stays with the model as you move around it and is remembered when you make a viewpoint, which means it’s easy to animate!

· View frustum and user-definable screen area culling
For extra performance gains.

· OpenGL rendering

To experience even smoother navigation with an OpenGL accelerated graphics card.

· Full shaded, wireframe or hidden line modes
For semi-realism, NavisWorks reads in scene lights, and material properties include ambient, diffuse, specular, emissive, shininess and transparency with no loss of performance.

· Compact file size

NavisWorks files are automatically compacted to help ease the transferral and communication of large 3D data sets.

· Safe data: published .nwd files cannot be edited
Distribute your models in the knowledge that they won’t be changed without your consent. Files can also be encrypted and unlocked by those to whom you give a certificate.

· Communication using standard MAPI compliant email software
Once you’ve examined the latest model, send comments to your colleagues using your existing email setup.

· Clash Detective

A product level offering full audit trail, batch processing and soft or hard clashing options.

· Multiple levels of undo/redo

Cover up your mistakes without the fuss.

· Easy-to-use animation recording

Record your motion through a model, or interpolate between set viewpoints and then export to an .avi file if you wish!

· Try new configurations of objects

Hold onto an object while moving and it moves with you! Drop it where you would like it to be, and if necessary reset it back to its original location.

· Plan and section thumbnails

To easily and quickly locate your whereabouts in large models.

· Measure tool

Quick and easy measuring between within the model.

In fact, there will be a seminar in Singapore origanize by IOCS to present NavisWorks and another to present the collaboration between CADWorx with NavisWorks at mid of Sept.

www.iocsasia.com

Regards

Kenrick
-----Original Message-----
From: Shivaprakash [mailto:shivaprakashcrao@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, August 31, 2001 4:38 PM
To: 'PipingDesign@yahoogroups.com' Subject: RE: [PipingDesign] Hardware/Software: Real-Time 3D Rotation of CAD Piping Models

Hi Paul,

This is an intresting topic.Though AutoCad provides 3D tools its very hard to use.I feel like a man trying to move an elephant around holding its tail.Real-time rotation of an rendered 3D is not possible at least in my workstation.I too am exploring possibilities of how to increase my navigation capabilities inside the 3D model.

1)Hardware options : Like you said buying an expensive Video Card will not make up for the limitations inherent in the software.About the Raid and SCSI , I have the faintest idea.I would be glad if you could explain it to me.

2)Software:I feel the problem with the AutoCad 3D objects are that they carry a lot of information with them making them bulkier and also the treatment has been given with 2D as its basis .Either AutoCad has to sqeez these 3D objects and make them more agile by changing the format (Hope AutoDesk guys read this mail ) or we have to import it into another s/w which weeds out unnecessary information , compresses the 3D objects so that walkthroughs and navigating bcomes easy.AutoPlant and CadWorks which rely on AutoCad for their graphics engine use the software developed by Navisworks (www.navisworks.com). Using this software you can have a quasi-real time 3D rotation. The software recognizes DWG , DGN and 3DS file formats. There is an demo which can be downloded with some sample model files including the millenium dome in London. The software has its own clash check facility.The drawbacks being its still not customized for Plant Design Functions.Measuring and querying some minimum data of the objects are not satisfying.

I guess these three people can improve the scenario.....Intel , AutoDesk and Graphics Card Makers.

I am forwarding some information on Graphics Card maybe it could be usefull to the members

(There are two criteria for choosing a graphics card, Driver quality and performance. The market divides into professional and consumer cards. Professional cards are higher priced, have excellent quality drivers, are well tested with leading CAD applications and usually the best performance.

Consumer cards are cheaper, generally have poor drivers, are tested with games rather than CAD applications and have generally average performance. There are many brands of consumer cards, usually based on one of a small number of graphics chipsets. Often the design of card and driver used are identical for the same chipset. We list consumer cards purely by chipset used.

Professional cards are recommended over consumer cards for CAD applications.

A)Recommended Professional Cards (in order of performance):

  1. 3DLabs Wildcat 5110
  2. ATI FireGL2
  3. 3DLabs GVX1
  4. NVIDIA Quadro Pro based (e.g. Elsa Gloria III)

B)Recommended consumer (reasonably stable drivers but be prepared to download latest from manufacturers website, in order of performance):

  1. NVIDIA GeForce 2
  2. ATI Radeon
  3. NVIDIA TNT2
  4. NVIDIA TNT
  5. ATI RageFuryPro

C)Tested, not recommended consumer (unstable drivers, poor performance):

Matrox G400/G500/G550
S3 Savage4

)

Shivaprakash C Rao

Tessag Edeleanu

www.edeleanu.com.sg

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Bowers [SMTP:pbowers@pipingdesign.com] Sent: Friday, August 31, 2001 3:36 PM
To: <a href="/group/PipingDesign/post?postID=vmz88TgJLs81WiCFTCJNwDxEe9yOaWMhUc2kc-f6I6AXzSmYuTME1npWuC3InmEWoxb3Kn0gqjzP22to5xY2AHhI6EY">PipingDesign@yahoogroups.com</a> Subject: [PipingDesign] Hardware/Software: Real-Time 3D Rotation of CAD Piping Models

Guys, I'm about to sink a few dollars into a new system.

I'll spare you all the ugly details except to mention that ultra SCSI and RAID are involved.

My question is:

-how can I obtain real-time rotation of a 3D CAD piping model (doesn't have to be rendered during rotation)?

I won't throw $2000 worth of video card into acheiving this if AutoCAD simply cannot do it.

Paul

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Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at <a href="http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp">http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp</a> Received on Fri Aug 31 05:31:00 2001

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