 | | How CADKEY is Different, and WhyBy Robert W. Bean, President and CEO, CADKEY  CADKEY Mechanical CAD software has been a pioneer in innovative solutions that have focused on meeting the daily needs of design and manufacturing professionals for nearly two decades. While CADKEY was initially released in 1984 as the very first true 3D CAD system for the PC, the latest generation of CADKEY software has been completely re-written since then "from the ground up". It is built on an all-new Windows architecture, making it one of the newest MCAD engines released on the market in years. CADKEY Workshop is the same great CADKEY you've known - only better.
 While the MCAD marketplace has also changed dramatically since 1984, CADKEY software products have remained the leading solutions for providing practical, flexible, interoperable, explicit (freeform), geometry-based design and manufacturing tools that focus on ease of use and getting products manufactured faster. CADKEY Workshop's geometry-based architecture and freeform solid modeling, advanced surfacing and wireframe tools make it the essential software tool for Design Engineers as well as Manufacturing Engineers, Tool & Die Makers, Job Shops and Moldmakers. It's the perfect product for users who design products as well as users who "design the machines that make the products".
In this article I will discuss the advantages of having a choice of freeform tools for designing. The Limitations of Designing Using a Single ToolThe vast number of typical MCAD products released in recent years offer a "single tool" (feature-based, constraint-driven parametric solid modeling) and focus primarily , and in some cases exclusively, on product design. While these single "2D extruder" tools are adequate for many applications, their rigid design environment and limited tools are not appropriate for all design tasks. Those of you who have tried feature-based parametric solid modelers know first-hand how entangling the constraints can become for numerous applications, sometimes warranting scrapping the model and starting over. The Advantages of Freeform Design Tools Freeform modeling is a much more natural progression from 2D Drafting and 3D Wireframe, involving many of the same concepts. Many are still designing in 2D because they think solid modeling is "too hard" or "too complicated." That is likely with some solid modeling products, especially constraint-driven, feature-based parametric solid modelers. But we have designed CADKEY Workshop to be easy to learn and use, especially for someone transitioning from 2D.
In fact, with CADKEY Workshop you can go from 2D to 3D wireframe, or 2D to 3D to solid modeling, then toggle between 3D wireframe and solid modeling, then add surfacing tools, and progress using different tools at any time during the design process. Designers often require a choice of design tools for maximum flexibility and control over the way they want to approach a design. The design tools you need depend on your applications. For example, if you are designing a unique "one off" complex machine, it can be pointless to endure hours setting up constraints in a parameter-driven modeling environment if you are not planning to design any iterations of the unique machine. Further, all of the constraint, history and parametric information ('smarts') fall off the model when the file is sent through a translator (such as STEP, IGES, DWG, etc.) to be manufactured. What is left after translation is geometry - CADKEY's core is Pure Geometry. The 'smarts' are not useful in the manufacturing process - so they really only benefit the design process. 
There are also product design applications where a mid-range, feature-based constraint-driven parametric solid modeler "single tool" is insufficient, such as when designing an ergonomic and aerodynamic ski helmet, aesthetic sunglasses or an organically shaped product. Typical mid-range parametric, featured-based constraint-driven solid modelers can not efficiently design an advanced, complex freeform surface model because they lack the advanced surfacing tools and often charge thousands of dollars extra to add these capabilities on. CADKEY Workshop V21 comes complete with advanced freeform surfacing tools that can be used at any time during the modeling process to solve the curviest of design tasks. With CADKEY's Freeform Design Tools You Are Prepared for Any JobIf you have ever seen an army knife, you know that it provides many essential tools in one compact, easy to use device. CADKEY Workshop also has multiple tools that prepare you for designing and editing whatever task is at hand. A single tool, such as a hammer, can be invaluable for some projects, but it is useless for turning a screw or cutting paper- both very simple tasks when you have the right tool. And, CADKEY's multiple tools cost less than most other single-tool MCAD products on the market. Why spend more for a single tool? CADKEY Workshop gives you a choice of tools the power to "Model Anything." CADKEY Workshop's explicit (freeform) environment, interoperable Pure Geometry core, and ability to tackle the design and editing needs of design engineers as well as manufacturing engineers continue to differentiate it from all the other MCAD solutions on the market today. Contact your local CADKEY Reseller to ask how CADKEY Freeform Modeling products can help you with YOUR specific application today! About the AuthorRobert W. Bean, President and CEO, co-founded the company with Karen L. Bean, Chief Operating Officer, in 1989. Mr. Bean is a registered Professional Engineer with Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Worcester, MA. Related Articles |
