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Delcam peacock ring render
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Delcam diamond beads
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Delcam jewellery renders
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Sedbergh School at the BJA Awards
Sedbergh School at the BJA Awards
3D technology and CAD/CAM software specialist Delcam's position as a major player in the UK jewellery-making industry has been further cemented.
As well as preparing to showcase its successful, industry-tailored ArtCAM JewelSmith software at an important jewellery event at the NEC in February, the Birmingham-based company is celebrating Sedbergh School's British Jewellers' Association (BJA) Awards win due to its close relationship with the school.
Delcam demonstrates ArtCAM JewelSmith at Spring Fair
The latest incarnation of Delcam's ArtCAM JewelSmith software for the design and manufacture of rings, broaches, cufflinks and other types of jewellery will be on show at the Spring Fair from February 2nd-6th 2014.
ArtCAM JewelSmith has been designed to allow jewellery-makers to combine their traditional bench skills and creativity with a powerful computer-aided manufacturing resource, optimising both core techniques and new technologies in the process of bringing a design to life, helping to boost quality, productivity and efficiency.
Key features of the newest edition ArtCAM JewelSmith include:
- A new gem library and the inclusion of the rendering system, KeyShot, with the software
- STL, OBJ, 3DS or 3DM file formats of custom gems can be stored in the library
- Alternatively, new gems can be created from any 3D model and used to create bespoke jewellery designs.
With KeyShot, designs can be rendered to create highly accurate images for customers and retailers to view and changes to be suggested and actioned quickly and without great expense, or for the production of catalogues and other marketing materials. The high quality of these images allows the customer to review the design before manufacturing begins, ensuring the finished item meets client expectations.
The latest release of the jewellery-making software has made it much easier to create complex designs thanks to a new approach called interactive distortion modelling. This allows users to distort either vectors or reliefs within ArtCAM JewelSmith models by bending or stretching the design and to see the results in real time.
Once the design of the particular element has been finalised, it can be moved, rotated, rescaled and copied either individually or as part of a group. At any stage in the process, either individual items or a group of items can be saved within the clipart library in ArtCAM JewelSmith for use in future projects.
Another major focus in the new release is on vector creation and editing. New snapping options make vector creation much quicker.
They include the ability to snap to anything in the design, including any point on a vector, intersections between vectors, guidelines and key points within a model, such as the origin, centre and corners.
The Vector Doctor has been enhanced so imported vectors from 2D artwork or sketches can be cleaned up more quickly. Duplicate vectors and vectors longer, shorter, larger or smaller than specified sizes can be identified immediately. Moreover, 'quick-select' functions help to spot unobvious open vectors that could cause machining issues.
Vectors can now be joined when they are mirrored using any of the many mirroring options in ArtCAM JewelSmith. This allows faster creation of vertical and horizontal vector patterns. In addition, vectors can now be offset interactively by dragging the offset to the required position as well as by a specified amount.
Finally, the latest ArtCAM JewelSmith can specify colours for areas within different height bands, making it easier to sculpt reliefs to a required depth.
On the machining side, a new strategy gives the ability to add linear or curved fluting to designs. The fluted-weave machining option also allows fluting toolpaths, including Celtic weaves, to be created from vectors.
Delcam celebrates Sedbergh School BJA Awards win
Delcam has forged a good relationship with independent, co-educational school Sedbergh School, when educators decided to invest in high-quality facilities and staff training to allow its students to study jewellery production. In the three years since Sedbergh School made this decision, more than 250 students have had the chance to try jewellery-making and silversmithing and design their own creations on Delcam's ArtCAM JewelSmith software.
Because of this relationship, Delcam is pleased to report that Sedbergh School has taken home the Newcomer of the Year Award at the BJA Awards, which was held in Birmingham in December.
Sedbergh School now has options at both GCSE and A-Level allowing students to study jewellery design and manufacturing, with its first GCSE candidates passing with flying colours last summer. Sedbergh School is the first UK school to be granted BJA membership.
The recent arrival of Jeweller in Residence, Christine Davies, a BJA Baxendale Award Winner in 2009, and the installation of a state-of-the-art Roland MDX540 sponsored by Delcam has reinforced the strength of both the teaching and equipment at the school. Pupils, aged 13 to 18, are now equipped to produce industry-quality designs, from simple gemstone rings and pendants to complex investment castings.
In addition to its relationship with Sedbergh, Delcam has recently developed a close partnership with the School of Jewellery in Birmingham to encourage more young people into jewellery as a career.
