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Weekly UpdatesCADKEY Corporation, Marlborough, Mass., a developer of mechanical PC-CAD solutions for the global marketplace, has released CADKEY 19, a new version of its flagship product line available for Windows 95/98/00 and NT 4.x. CADKEY 19 assembles new customer-driven features for hybrid modeling and blending, 2D drawing and detailing, data translation, display and graphics. The software also includes six new CDE (CADKEY Dynamic Extensions) Utilities with hundreds of productivity tools to enhance 2D layout, dimensioning, plotting, file management and more. CADKEY Corporation reports significant performance improvements in three key areas: 1) solid model shading is up to 100% faster, 2) on average, blending and lofting reveal 20% increases in speed, and 3) optimal NURB computation results in accelerated surface modeling, sweeping and lofting.
"In a nutshell, we have sharpened our hybrid vantage point for CAD users ready for 2D-to-3D migration," states Robert W. Bean, President and CEO of CADKEY Corporation. "The CADKEY 19 release is all about refining our hybrid toolset, streamlining CADKEY's interoperability, and elevating performance levels in anticipation for CADKEY 20. We have incorporated many customer- driven requests that are sure to please both the 2D and 3D sides of the house. The product's ability to create and modify 3D models or 2D engineering drawings imported from a variety of sources has never been more impressive." CADKEY 19 Upgrades Data Translators; Spins Up New Hybrid Modeling Features The CADKEY 19 data translation lineup now includes support of ACIS(R)-SAT 6.2 import and export of solid models. The DWG/DXF(TM) translators offer AutoCAD(R) 2000 file support, improved dimension and spline mapping, and a progress indicator, which visually displays the status of the translation process.
Utilizing CADKEY's interoperability tools, solid body healing and tolerant modeling capabilities, users can either repair less precise "imported" model geometry or work directly with imprecise models. CADKEY 19 significantly expands support for the editing of tolerant (partially) healed solid models. Advanced blending has been upgraded with options such as constant width, rotated ellipse, and thumb weighting options. Users will find a new blending option allowing for interference with holes/bosses contained within blended faces. Blending, lofting, and sweeping functions perform up to 20% faster in CADKEY 19.
New to CADKEY are the Twist Body and Stretch Body functions. The Twist Body function allows for solids, surfaces or wireframes to be twisted about an axis for any given angle. For added design flexibility, the Stretch Body function allows a specified region of a solid, surface or wireframe to be extended in either or both directions along an axis by given distances. Users will note a tremendous performance gain in visualization, as solid shading is up to 100% faster over the prior release. The newly updated Shell Solid function now automates the creation of a lip around open faces, allows for different offset distances to be applied to specified sets of faces, and yields inward/outward offset at the same time.
Detailing Productivity Features Deserve a Look
CADKEY 19 is sure to please engineers who require more automation for 2D detailing and drawing. The product includes a solid line-up of functionality and plug-ins that integrate instantly into the software. The Smart Layout utility enables drawing borders and multiple view layout drawings to be automatically created. Users can rescale existing layouts, and also import and export between model and layout modes.
CKTools for CADKEY 19 contains dozens of productivity tools driven from a logically organized standard CADKEY icon palette and a pull-down menu. These functions offer many additional wireframe construction, detailing, editing and entity management methods. CKTools icons can be added to CADKEY toolbars and keyboard files just like any other fully integrated enhancement product.
The new Dimension Wizard tool packs in new features like automatic dimensioning (horizontal, vertical, ordinate, diameter, radius and tabular) on selectable geometry in either model or layout mode. Users can reposition extension lines of regular dimensions, merge serial linear dimensions, and much more.
CADKEY 19 sports a new PlotDate CDE utility for customizable date/time stamp during printing. A PlotFast for Windows CDE is included for the plotting of CADKEY Uniplot format (.plt) files allowing older plotters to function under Windows.
New File Management, Display and Graphics Tools Promote Usability
CADKEY 19 introduces new "single button" incremental pan functions moving the display at 5% increments in a specified direction. The window zoom functions quickly increase or decrease the view scale by 10% increments. The view rotate function rotates the view in 10-degree increments in a designated direction about a specified axis. The pan, zoom and rotate display functions all support single key keyboard mapping.
Also included in CADKEY 19 is a File Manager utility providing a dialog- based browsing tool with a user-selectable "thumbnail" preview, a file property data listing, and conditional searching of the property database. Other CADKEY Corporation Products
CADKEY WIREFRAME and CADKEY DESIGN SUITE each deliver an ascending level of mission-critical CAD functionality required for the bulk of mechanical applications performed by engineers. This product line's ease-of-use, high end 3D design capabilities, 2D drafting, and "in the box" data translators provide three winning CAD choices for migrating 2D-to-3D CAD users and professionals who require a 3D hybrid modeling environment.
Users can easily add other CADKEY-integrated products such as FastSURF(R), an advanced surface modeling program, and DRAFT-PAK(R), the exclusive "Machine Design Handbook for CADKEY". CADKEY POWER-PAK(TM) includes advanced modeling and detailing utilities capable of 3D assembly management with pattern file referencing and exploded assembly creation. CADKEY TRUE TEXT(TM) allows the user to create characters and text as standard CADKEY geometry using TrueType(R) fonts, which can be output to engraving or general machining applications.
Pricing and Support
CADKEY 19 is sold for US $1,995 through Authorized CADKEY VARs and via the CADKEY WebStore at www.cadkey.com/webstore. For VAR referral in USA/Canada, call CADKEY Corporation at +1-800-372-3872. For International Distributor referral call +1-508-229-2020. Free technical support is available via the Web site: www.cadkey.com, Email: support@cadkey.com and via FAX: +1 508-460-0724. Technical support programs are also offered through Authorized CADKEY VARs.
About CADKEY Corporation
CADKEY Corporation, a Boston-area company, develops and markets the price/performing CADKEY and CADKEY-integrated 2D/3D PC-CAD product lines -- CADKEY DESIGN SUITE(TM), CADKEY(R) 99, CADKEY PARAMETRICS(TM), CADKEY WIREFRAME(TM), FastSURF(R), DRAFT-PAK(R), CADKEY POWER-PAK(TM), and CADKEY TRUE TEXT(TM). First in its industry to fully embrace e-Commerce, the company offers its entire product line, training materials, and best-in-class e- Partner products for engineers at www.cadkey.com/webstore. Dedicated to the mechanical CAD marketplace, CADKEY Corporation's software development efforts focus on innovative hybrid modeling advancements. With over 265,000 copies shipped worldwide, CADKEY Corporation's award-winning products are widely used in the global marketplace in more than 40 countries. For
For more information, visit http://www.cadkey.com or call 508-229-2020, Liz@cadkey.com,
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