Shapr3D siemens tech soft 3d
Shapr3D, a Budapest-based mobile 3D CAD modelling company, has partnered with Siemens PLM Software and Tech Soft 3D, creating a CAD system able to support Parasolid and Hoops Exchange natively on iOS.
The newest release of the Shapr3D software is the first of its kind to run on the iPad Pro, and was available to customers as of Monday 11th December. It enables solid modelling and data translation within the app, and per the partners, ‘takes mobile CAD experience to a new level.’ By integrating Parasolid and Hoops Exchange with Shapr3D’s touch screen interface, the trio of companies are delivering desktop modelling capabilities to engineers and designers on a tablet.
Shapr3D, launched in March 2016, is a direct modelling tool, which, though developed for professionals, is said to be easy to learn and easy to use. It runs everything through the iPad Pro device, meaning there’s no need to push files into the cloud, and can also be used without internet connection. Compatible with all major CAD software, and ideal for 3D printing jobs, Shapr3D has integrated Parasolid, for better geometric modelling, and HOOPS Exchange, as a leading CAD translation software development kit (SDK). By developing a software solution for the iPad Pro, Shapr3D has aimed to deliver to market a product fit for the 21st century which allows design work to be done on the move.
“The barrier to entry with CAD software is high in any case of traditional CAD tools that are complicated and expensive,” said Istvan Csanady, Founder and CEO of Shapr3D. “We want to make 3D CAD modelling available for all creative professionals, and now, all you need is an iPad Pro, an Apple Pencil and some inspiration. We are creating 3D modelling for the 21st century, enabling 3D modelling anytime, anywhere in a new way that is much easier and much more affordable.
“After years of research, we found that touch screens are not optimal for precise engineering. Detailed 3D CAD design on tablets only became a reality after Apple released the iPad Pro line in early 2016, which uses a pressure sensitive, active stylus. The key to success was to integrate the Apple Pencil’s pixel-perfect precision and the touch-based user interface. We were the first company to do this successfully.”
Shapr3D says it has seen custom on the professional side as well as the academic. Educational institutes to use its software have included MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Cambridge, University of Tokyo, and Singapore Polytechnic, while professionals have included product designers, engineers, architects and jewellery designers. Shapr3D has sought to integrate software solutions from Siemens PLM and Tech Soft 3D, as it enables 3D modelling for professional users of the iPad Pro. The partnering companies are considerably keen to see what comes of the new software tool.
“Siemens PLM Software has a proven track record of making Parasolid openly available to other software vendors, so that designers and engineers working in different domains can design, edit and share Parasolid models, regardless of their choice of application,” said Jim Rusk, CTO, Siemens PLM Software. “Working closely with Shapr3D accelerated our release of Parasolid on iOS, which has enabled us for the first time to make Parasolid available to users and developers of apps for the iPad Pro.”
“Finding a way to do professional-grade 3D modelling natively on a mobile app has been something that so many in the industry have been striving [for],” added Gavin Bridgeman, CTO at Tech Soft 3D. “The team at Shapr3D has taken mobile 3D CAD modelling to a new level, and the feedback we’ve seen from users so far is indicative of just how powerful this new app will be. We are thrilled to be a part of this pioneering journey to bring industrial 3D modelling and data conversion to mobile devices – a move that will have a lasting impact on the engineering world.”
A basic version is free for all users, while a PRO version is available for just under $150 (free for individual students, teachers and faculty members from any accredited educational institution).
