ASCON Implements Variational Direct Modeling in KOMPAS-3D with help of LEDAS

Technology developed at LEDAS brings new value to customers of ASCON's award-winning KOMPAS-3D MCAD software.

ASCON, the leading Russian CAD vendor and developer of KOMPAS-3D modeling software, and LEDAS Ltd., the leading service provider in the field of engineering software development, today jointly announced their cooperative implementation of state-of-the-art variational direct modeling technology in KOMPAS-3D.

Upon the completion of the project in 2012, KOMPAS-3D users will be able to import and modify history-free 3D models in a manner almost as simple and flexible as with native models created in KOMPAS-3D. Users will be able to add geometric and dimensional constraints (parallelism, perpendicularity, distance, angle, and so on) to the model without maintaining a history, which enables them to make changes to the 3D model using only constraints.

The project began three months ago at LEDAS by a team of highly-qualified software engineers who have previously implemented variational direct modeling in software products such as SketchUp, RhinoWorks, and Bricscad V12. Some first results of the project are shown in the video available here.

“I’m very impressed with what I have seen so far, three months after starting the project,” said Maxim Bogdanov, CEO of ASCON. “The pace of development is very good. As a result of the work done by LEDAS and Bricsys, we will provide our customers with new functions in our award-winning KOMPAS-3D MCAD software, which is widely recognized in Russia and abroad.”

“ASCON is a very important customer to us,” added Alexey Ershov, CEO of LEDAS. “Our many years of experience in working with CAD and CAM vendors as exacting as Dassault Systemes, Bricsys, Cimatron, and JETCAM helps us complete projects on time, and so bring new value to ASCON customers.”

“Transferring IP rights from LEDAS to Bricsys will not affect this project,” said Erik de Keyser, CEO of Bricsys. “We are glad to see ASCON among the many CAD vendor-licensees of the brilliant component technology we recently acquired from LEDAS.”

LEDAS Appoints Alexey Ershov as New CEO

Appointment emphasizes company's focus on service business in engineering software development.

Novosibirsk, Russia: LEDAS Ltd., a leading provider of technology-intensive services for engineering software companies, announced today the appointment of Alexey Ershov as its new chief executive officer. Mr Ershov replaces Dmitry Ushakov, who stepped down to become CEO of the newly established Bricsys Technologies Russia.

Alexey Ershov, 32, began with LEDAS in 1999 as a software developer and quickly progressed to the position of project manager, and then chief technology officer. In this time, Mr Ershov proved his abilities by becoming a key software developer, and then project manager for LEDAS development services, in which CAD/CAM vendors contract their programming work to LEDAS on a long-term basis.

With the assignment of Mr. Ershov, LEDAS announced other changes to its management team. See ledas.com/group/team for further details. Mr Ushakov continues as a member of the board of LEDAS.

“Alexey’s rich experience in working with different customers on a variety of projects, and his commitment to helping people succeed professionally, make him the right executive to lead our company,” said Dmitry Ushakov. “LEDAS is a recognized worldwide service provider in the field of CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM software development. Over the last year, I’ve witnessed LEDAS achieving great things, including a significant growth in revenue that resulted from an increased customer base and selling the part of business related to component technologies.

“Leaving my current role to head the newly established Bricsys Technologies Russia,” he continued, “I look forward to working with the LEDAS team. My plan is to extend the success of my former company by combining forces with Bricsys, a global provider of .dwg-based engineering software for 3D modeling.”

“I am confident that Alexey’s engineering skills and management and business expertise will keep LEDAS on its successful course of sustained growth,” added David Levin, chairman of the board, and co-founder of LEDAS. “This business update will enable us to significantly expand our firm’s leadership in providing high-quality software development services for vendors of engineering software.”

LEDAS Achieves Record Revenues from Its Portfolio of Software Development Services

LEDAS Ltd., a leading provider of products, technology, and services for CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM market, last month significantly increased the scope of services it provides to engineering software vendors worldwide.

The LEDAS team has attained a remarkable level of experience from working twelve years for exacting client Dassault Systemes and other notable CAD and PLM firms. And so today, the skills of the LEDAS team are in high demand as more and more software firms outsource their R&D to LEDAS, increasingly on a long-term basis.

“Because of the unique ratio between the high quality of service provided by LEDAS and our reasonable rates -- as well as the ready source of graduates from our neighboring Novosibirsk State University and the scientific campus of Russian Academy of Sciences -- this part of the LEDAS business has a huge potential for expansion,” explained Dmitry Ushakov, CEO of LEDAS, Ltd. “To ratchet up the marketing of our business, LEDAS is now looking for a sales representative to promote the company effectively in the USA and globally.“
New Customer JETCAM International

One new customer is JETCAM International, who transferred part of their software product development to LEDAS. JETCAM is the global market leader for nesting and material lifecycle management software for the sheet metal and aerospace industries. The two firms recently signed a cooperation agreement under which experts from LEDAS will develop advanced functions for JETCAM and CrossTrack code, and provide general support.

“We are a long-established (since 1986) CAD/CAM development company, and in our effort to shorten the time-to-market of new releases of our products we desired to set up a small team of very capable developers with strong experience in applied mathematics,” said Ivan Stern, CEO and founder of JETCAM International. “The intention is for this to be a long term engagement, with the goal of eventually outsourcing all the development of our JETCAM CAD/CAM mainstay product. We found LEDAS answers these issues perfectly.”
Record Revenues for 2011

In parallel to the JETCAM projects, LEDAS now performs several contracts for other customers in USA, Europe, and Russia. The total volume of the projects today provides LEDAS with its largest annual revenues in the history of the company.

With its increasing service portfolio, LEDAS continues to invest in R&D of its own products, such as its series of Driving Dimensions plug-ins for Google SketchUp, and Rhinoceros 3D by Robert McNeel & Associates. The underlying constraint solving technology (LGS) is available for licensing by all CAD/CAM/CAE vendors, and is now in use by a dozen commercial parametric drawing, assembly design, and direct modeling applications. As well, the entire development of some of these applications has been outsourced to LEDAS.
Contract with Dassault Concluded After 12 Successful Years

Beginning in 1999, LEDAS initially concentrated on providing software development to Dassault Systemes, a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions. LEDAS began by embedding its solutions in CATIA Version 5 software, and then followed up with the development and maintenance of a powerful constraint solver, the implementation of end-user solutions, the extension of user shell functions based on the needs of DS customers, and the implementation of research projects to determine the future direction of constraint-based solutions.

In 2005, a second agreement concentrated on the development of core components for CATIA and related products. Under the new agreement, LEDAS implemented significant projects successfully in the field of computational geometry, including advanced geometric constraint solving and real-time polyhedral operations.

A short time ago, the software modules LEDAS designed for Dassault reached the required level of maturity, and so all projects were brought to a conclusion. No additional services were required from LEDAS, and both sides agreed to terminate the agreements to their mutual benefit.

Intergraph® Debuts Latest Version of I/LEADS

Intergraph® has introduced the newest version of one of the public safety and security industry’s most widely deployed records management solutions. I/LEADS version 9.0 gives law enforcement and security agencies advanced tools to manage the daily deluge of law enforcement information, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. Currently, Intergraph customers in 27 states utilize Intergraph’s I/LEADS solution.

“Intergraph is proud to offer this latest update to bring I/LEADS up to the latest database and virtualization platforms,” said Teresa Smith, Senior Vice President, Product Development, Intergraph Corporation. “By providing increased access to records data, the enhancements to Intergraph’s I/LEADS software further enable agencies to boost their productivity and increase their ability to save lives and protect property.”

Intergraph’s I/LEADS version 9.0 also supports Citrix XenApp 5.0 for client virtualization and VMWare’s VSphere ESX for server virtualization, which increases return on investment by reducing hardware and system administrative costs. The updated version embraces industry-standard platforms, such as Oracle Database 11g, SQL Server 2008, Microsoft® Windows® 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008. I/LEADS version 9.0 includes an enhanced General Permits module that allows flexibility in various types of permit management.

Intergraph is the leading global provider of public safety and security emergency incident response, reporting, analysis and records management solutions. One in 12 people in the world is protected by Intergraph public safety and security solutions. Intergraph solutions protect the largest and most complex cities and government installations in the world.

LEDAS Drastically Improves Performance of its LGS 3D Constraint Solver

Version 5.0 introduces new functions, improves speed by 30-100%.

LEDAS Ltd today announced the availability of version 5.0 of LGS 3D, its powerful geometric constraint solver. As a core technology component of CAD/CAM/CAE software, LGS 3D is used to implement geometric, dimensional, and engineering constraints in applications involving assembly design, motion simulation, and direct modeling.

Version 5.0 improves on its performance, introduces several new functions requested by LEDAS customers, and enhances the quality of its solutions.
Improved Performance

The move-under-constraints function allows users to drag one or more geometric objects interactively, while LGS 3D solves the constraints dynamically at each intermediate step. This makes it easy for users to adjust their designs, and to explore the kinematics of complex mechanisms. The new algorithm for adaptive calculation of move-under-constraints in LGS 3D 5.0 speeds up this function by 100%, on average.

LGS 3D can deal with inconsistent problems, and with version 5.0 inconsistent models are processed 30% faster on average, thanks to minimizing of the number of iterations to solve.
Extended Functions

In some design contexts, users need to know whether a particular constraint is satisfied. In previous releases, the only way to do this was to run the LGS 3D solver procedure, which proved to be time-consuming for large models. Version 5.0 introduces new functions that very quickly check if one or all constraints are satisfied.

The tangency constraint between cylinders and tori now supports the orientation attribute. Version 5.0 of LGS 3D now automatically detects the orientation attribute for coincidence constraints between circles and tori.

The distance constraint between two spheres now supports user- and application-defined help points. This allows users to measure distances between different combinations of the spheres’ sides.
Enhanced Solution Quality

The scope of some problem decomposition and heuristic methods has been extended to support models with non-rigid objects and variables.

The DOF (degrees of freedom) analysis introduced with the previous version of LGS 3D has been improved in version 5.0. The number of spiraling DOFs is minimized whenever possible.

LEDAS developers also eliminated several bugs reported by customers.

RhinoWorks from LEDAS Revolutionizes Direct Modeling

New plug-in gives Rhino users parametric control over their 3D models.

Novosibirsk, Russia – LEDAS, Ltd. today released RhinoWorks, their latest plug-in for Rhinoceros 3D, bringing constraint-based parametric design to the popular freeform modeling tool from Robert McNeel and Associates. Rhino is used extensively by designers of architecture, furniture, consumer goods, yachts, and jewelry. Now all of them can benefit from the new plug-in.

Based on the original technology developed by LEDAS and smoothly integrated in the Rhino environment, RhinoWorks allows designers to edit many kinds of solid, surface, and wireframe models parametrically. It gives them full control over design intent through the application of geometric and dimensional constraints, which significantly increases the productivity when designs change.

RhinoWorks unifies two previous LEDAS’ plug-ins for Rhino, RhinoAssembly and RhinoDirect, in one product. It is fully compatible with any model created by the two former plug-ins.

Functions

Adding constraints with RhinoWorks is like declaring, “these two faces should be parallel” and “the distance between these edges should equal 100mm.” Constraints are added easily to all existing models, including those imported to Rhino from other CAD systems. Once added, constraints are immediately solved, forcing changes to geometric shapes and body positions. Constraints added by designers are solved simultaneously, even in the case of constraint “loops” (such as three distances between three points). Constraints are stored in Rhino’s native .3dm files, and so can be used for further parametric modification of the same model.

For easy navigation through constraints, RhinoWorks includes RhinoWorks Manager, a special user interface that lets users switch constraints on and off individually, and change the value of their parameters.

Designers are not forced to add all constraints manually. RhinoWorks recognizes many geometric relationships automatically (such as coincidence, tangency, parallelism, concentricity, and equal radii). This means that designers merely need add a few dimensional constraints to have full control over the design intent for their models; the rest are added automatically. An Options dialog box allows users to specify specific modes in automatic recognition of constraints.

RhinoWorks also works in an “assembly mode” to prevent changes to geometric shapes. In this mode, the plug-in is limited to moving and rotating rigid parts sufficiently to satisfy constraints. Assembly mode is useful for simulating assembly processes and checking the kinematics of mechanisms.

The animation function of the RhinoWorks plug-in allows users to produce high-quality videos through the built-in or plug-in renderer. The movies are useful for demonstrating the motions of mechanisms, and for observing the changes of shapes and dimensions in realtime.

Availability and Price

Commercial single-user licenses of RhinoWorks are US$595 (EUR 595 in Europe) each, and can be purchased from the Share-it! online store at www.DrivingDimensions.com/store/Rhino. The plug-in is also available from authorized resellers; see the complete list at www.DrivingDimensions.com/resellers.

With this release of RhinoWorks, LEDAS stops sales of RhinoAssembly and the beta test program for RhinoDirect. Users of RhinoAssembly v1.0 and v1.1 can upgrade their licenses to RhinoWorks for just US$95 (EUR 95), which works out to less than the half of the difference in price for the products. With this low upgrade price, LEDAS thanks the first users of its plug-ins for Rhino.

A 30-day evaluation version of RhinoWorks plug-in can be downloaded at no cost from www.DrivingDimensions.com/download, where visitors also can watch video tutorials, read online help, and ask questions of LEDAS developers and users through the online forum. The Web site was recently redesigned to simplify the navigation, guaranteeing access to any information with just a couple of clicks.

With RhinoWorks, LEDAS extends its Driving Dimensions product portfolio, a collection of plug-ins that adds constraint-based parametric designing to popular 3D modeling software, like Rhinoceros from Robert McNeel and Associates, and SketchUp from Google.

Driving Dimensions software is based on Variational Direct Modeling, a powerful technology invented by LEDAS for easily modifying 3D solid, surface, and wireframe models parametrically in history-free environments, complete with automatic recognition of design intent. VDM combines direct modeling with a constraint-based approach, placing direct modeling systems at the level of parametric (a.k.a. history-based) ones - yet retains for end users the simplicity of direct modeling operations.

The core of VDM technology is the LGS 3D constraint solver. Already integrated into a dozen commercial CAD/CAM packages, it is available for licensing to all developers of engineering software.

LEDAS Adds Profile Management to LGS 2D Constraint Solver

Latest release of LGS 2D now parametrically controls bounded geometry.

Novosibirsk, Russia: LEDAS Ltd today announced version 6.0 of LGS 2D, its 2D geometric constraint solver. As the core technology of parametric software packages, LGS 2D allows users to express design intent in sketches and drawings through geometric, dimensional, and engineering constraints.

Previous versions of LGS 2D modeled only untrimmed geometric objects, such as points, infinite lines, and full circles. Version 6.0 adds the ability to deal with boundary geometries, like segments, circular arcs, and elliptic arcs. It also computes more natural solutions, as preferred by most CAD users.
New: Segments and Arcs as Edges

LGS 2D 6.0 implements segments and arcs as new types of entities. Jointly, they are known as edges. Edges can be interpreted as new kinds of geometric objects and as ternary constraints. (The latter means that each edge is created on top of three LGS2D objects -- a line, circle, or ellipse, and two points -- and then imposes two coincidence constraints between the first object and each point.)

In addition, the endpoints of edges keep their order during the constraint solving process. For segments, this means that the direction of lines is always oriented from the first to the second end point. (This direction can be reverted by modifying the edge’s alignment attribute.)

Each edge also has a length attribute, with values of free, fixed, or linked to a variable. Circular and elliptic arcs have the angle attribute with the same properties.

Through edges, any LGS-based application can provide users with full parametric control over their drawings, which is unreachable when the geometry is modeled with unbounded objects (i.e., lines, circles, ellipses) that are connected with two incident points. An example can be found in the video at http://ledas.com/EdgeConstraints.php.

Edges also represent a special case of dependent curves with three control objects. This means that they can be linked with other geometries using the appropriate constraints, such as incidence with a point, and tangency to a line. For example, when users set the incidence constraint between a point and a segment, then the point will always lie between the segment's endpoints. This is behavior that cannot be modeled with unbounded geometry.

Edges gain the advantage over user-defined curves in the area of improved performance. This is achieved from the application of analytical methods and decomposition techniques to solve the constraints.

Edges are implemented as a new add-on module for LGS 2D named LGSProfiles. Programmers can use edges in the same way as they do other LGS 2D objects. In the future, LEDAS plans to extend the LGSProfiles module with other bounded geometries, such as composite and offset curves.

The LGSProfiles module is licensed with LGS 2D at an additional price. Please contact sales@ledas.com for details.
Other Improvements in LGS 2D

Version 6.0 produces more natural solutions for several constraint scenarios. The solver implemented two new techniques to minimize changes to the model, and to keep the sketch as close as possible to the initial drawing. These techniques work effectively for scenarios with one to three unsatisfied constraints, which are typical for interactive sketcher applications.

"Version 6.0 opens a new direction of the development for our 2D constraint solver," said Ivan Rykov, Director of R&D of Component Technologies at LEDAS, Ltd. "This was requested by our customers, whose satisfaction is the priority for our development direction."

Since the first commercial release in 2004, LGS 2D and 3D software components have been licensed by a dozen CAD/CAM/CAE vendors, who have embedded them into their applications successfully.

The LGS 2D and 3D geometric constraint solvers are used as parametric engines for 2D sketching and drawing, direct 3D modeling, assembly design, motion analysis, and other applications. LGS 2D/3D are cross-platform software packages running on 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, *BSD, AIX, HP-UX, and other operating systems. LGS 2D and 3D have a C-style API for easy integration into a broad range of software applications using a variety of wrappers, such as .NET, Java, and C++.

LGS 2D and 3D support the creation and modification of geometric models by means of explicit and implicit constraints. Geometric objects that can be constrained include points, lines, circles, ellipses, planes, cylinders, spheres, NURBS, application-defined parametric curves, and surfaces. Objects can be fixed in the absolute coordinate system or relative to each other. Supported constraints include geometric relations between objects (coincidence, parallelism, tangency, and so on) and dimensions that specify the required values for distances, angles, and radii. LGS 2D and 3D move and rotate objects to positions that satisfy all constraints, yet minimize transformations from initial configurations.

Other LGS functions implement advanced features of CAD/CAM/CAE systems, such as diagnostics of over- and under-defined parts of models, engineering variables and equations, help points, and tolerance management.

LEDAS Appoints Dmitry Ushakov as New CEO

New Management Team Strengthens the Position of LEDAS in the CAD/CAM/CAE Component Technologies Market.

Novosibirsk, Russia: LEDAS Ltd., an independent provider of constraint-based design tools, component technologies, and software development services for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM market, today announced the appointment of Dmitry Ushakov as its new chief executive officer. Previously the director of product management, Dr Ushakov replaces co-founder David Levin, who continues as chairman of the board to concentrate on expanding and optimizing the business of the LEDAS group of companies.

LEDAS Ltd. also announced the appointment of Alexey Ershov, previously the Director of R&D, as the new chief technology officer. In his new role, Dr Ershov will oversee all of LEDAS’ technologies, and will drive the technical direction of the company.

“LEDAS has the unique opportunity to become the #1 provider of intelligent direct modeling technology, which serves as the basis of the next generation of CAD programs,” said Dr Levin. “Our primary goal is to leverage our goodwill to strengthen our position in the CAD/CAM/CAE component technologies market, and to bring our innovative technologies to end users in partnership with the leading developers of engineering software. With their skill, experience, ideas, and enthusiasm, Dr Ushakov and Dr Ershov will drive the LEDAS business to new achievements.”

Dmitry Ushakov, 39, was hired by LEDAS in 1999 as a lead programmer, then became the chief technology officer and director of product management. He initiated and supervised the development of LGS, the LEDAS geometric constraint solver, which defined the LEDAS business model for successive years. Dr Ushakov was visionary in developing new variational direct modeling technology for the next generation of CAD, implemented as a series of Driving Dimensions plug-ins for Google SketchUp and McNeel Rhinoceros 3D modeling software.

Alexey Ershov, 32, also joined LEDAS in 1999 and then quickly progressed through the positions of software developer, manager, and finally director of research and development. He participated in many mathematical software projects, such as theoretical areas of sub-definite computations based on constraint propagation, and practical CAD problems, like part and assembly design, motion simulation, and direct modeling. For several years Dr Ershov has been one of the key developers and managers of science-intensive outsourcing projects for different CAD/CAM vendors.

At the same time, LEDAS made other appointments to its management team.

LEDAS Improves Google SketchUp 8 with Driving Dimensions 1.4

LEDAS updates Driving Dimensions plug-in after SketchUp 8 released; achieves full compatibility on Mac and Windows platforms.

Novosibirsk, Russia: LEDAS Ltd today announced the updated version 1.4 of its Driving Dimensions plug-in for Google SketchUp software, the easy-to-use toolset for parametric modification of history-free 3D models. The LEDAS development team modified the code of the Driving Dimensions plug-in to capitalize on several important changes made to Google SketchUp V8. One of the primary changes in SketchUp 8 is its migration to a new Ruby interpreter, version 1.8.6. (Due to the changes in the syntax of the programming language, SketchUp no longer interprets some Ruby programs created with previous versions.) The LEDAS development team carefully revised the source code of Driving Dimensions, migrating the Ruby code to the new version. Driving Dimensions v1.4 is now fully compatible with the new releases of Google SketchUp – both the free 8 and the Pro 8 – running on Windows XP/Vista/7 and Mac OS X 10.6

The behavior of SketchUp’s Push/Pull tool changed in version 8, which affected the inferred dimensions mechanism of Driving Dimensions. (The inferred dimensions mechanism automatically captures design intent, including when the Push/Pull tool is used, and then converts it into a set of driving dimensions that are placed on the new geometric entities.) Now the mechanism works correctly in both the new and previous versions of SketchUp.

“People seem very much interested in adding parametrics to their SketchUp V8 licenses,” reported Nicola Caraccia, co-founder and CEO of SIMIT, exclusive distributors of Google SketchUp and official reseller of LEDAS Driving Dimensions plug-ins in Italy. “I'm very excited by the great opening created by the new v8 launch, and I'm confident that Driving Dimensions for SketchUp has an excellent opportunity to become a best seller.”

Driving Dimensions plug-in v1.4 is compatible with Google SketchUp 8. It has been thoroughly tested on the 32-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista, and 7, and on Mac OS X 10.6.

Availability and Price

Commercial licenses of Driving Dimensions v1.4 for Google SketchUp may be purchased for US$145 (EUR 145 in Europe) from the Share-it! online store at www.DrivingDimensions.com/store/SketchUp. All customers who bought the licenses during last year can upgrade to v1.4 free of charge.

Free test drives of the Driving Dimension plug-in can be downloaded from www.DrivingDimensions.com/SketchUp, where visitors will also find detailed on-line help, written and video tutorials, a set of sample drawings, and testimonials from our customers. The free version is not intended for commercial use and limits users to 10 driving dimensions per model.

Cimatron to Introduce New Motion Simulator Powered by LEDAS LGS 3D

LGS 3D will be integrated into CimatronE’s new industrial motion simulation and analysis solution.

Givat Shmuel, Israel – Cimatron Limited (Nasdaq: CIMT), a provider of integrated CAD/CAM solutions for mold, tool and die makers as well as manufacturers of discrete parts, and LEDAS Ltd, the independent provider of constraint-based design tools, component technologies, and software development services for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM market, today announced a new partnership.

Cimatron has licensed from LEDAS the geometric constraint solver LGS 3D and intends to use it within CimatronE software as a part of a new industrial motion simulation solution.

"We worked very closely with LEDAS to create a simulation product that is seamlessly integrated into CimatronE and that provides the right response for our customers," said Roy Sterenthal, Cimatron’s Vice President of Research & Development. "We appreciate LEDAS’s hard work and effort throughout the development of the product, and we are proud of the results that we have achieved."

Cimatron and LEDAS worked together for about one year to develop the new industrial motion simulation solution based on the LEDAS geometric constraint solver LGS 3D and a collision detection module provided by Cimatron. The combined technologies will allow CimatronE users to test the efficacy of their tool design, isolating problems at an early stage to achieve shorter overall design times.

"We have created a product that simulates motion in assemblies and also includes comprehensive collision detection, to cater to the specific needs of CimatronE toolmakers," said Alexey Ershov, Director, Research & Development, LEDAS Ltd. "Testing of the project, demonstrated on industrial scenarios provided by Cimatron, verifies the robustness of our solver for industrial CAD/CAM applications."

"We are very proud that our product has been chosen by Cimatron, one of the top 10 CAM software providers in the world," said David Levin, CEO and founder, LEDAS Ltd. "This demonstrates the high level of value that we offer to software developers, from start-up companies to world market leaders."

The new motion simulator will be released as part of CimatronE 10.0.

LEDAS Adds Advanced Parametric Drawing Functions to Version 4.0 of its 2D Constraint Solver

Patterns, directed distances, and orientation/alignment attributes help users of CAD/CAM/CAE applications to fully control constrained drawings.

Novosibirsk, Russia – LEDAS Ltd., the independent provider of constraint-based design tools, component technologies, and software development services for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM market, today announced version 4.0 of LGS 2D, its geometric constraint solver. As a core component of parametric drawing applications, LGS 2D allows users to express design intent through geometric and dimensional constraints applied to elements of sketches and drawings.
New Features in LGS 2D 4.0

Version 4.0 of LGS 2D introduces the following new functions: linear pattern constraints, directed distance constraints, and alignment/orientation attributes for most constraints.

Linear pattern constraints set relations between several sub-geometries of equal shapes (e.g. rectangles), aligning and uniformly distributing them along a given direction. Any changes in position or orientation of any one of the pattern constraint’s arguments leads to corresponding changes in other arguments. As with other LGS 2D constraints, a linear pattern constraint is variational, which means it can be combined with other constraints that are imposed on pattern’s sub-geometries. All constraints are solved simultaneously.

Directed distance is a new constraint that generalizes horizontal and vertical distance constraints introduced in previous versions of LGS 2D. It is a ternary (three-element) constraint imposed on any pair of objects (points, circles, or curves) and a line that represents the direction of distance measurement. It can be used to prevent segments from flipping their end points; using a signed, directed distance constraint (instead of the ordinary distance) fixes the desired relative locations of the end points.

Alignment attributes specify whether the tangent vectors of the constraint arguments are co-directed (collinear vectors with positive scalar product) or counter-directed (collinear vectors with negative scalar product). The attribute can be applied to any constraint involving two non-point entities: tangency, distance, parallelism, or perpendicularity between lines, circles, curves or ellipses.

Orientation attributes control whether an argument is positioned to the left or right side of other ones. They are applied to all distance constraints, except point-point distances. Orientation and alignment attributes fully control the chirality (left or right handedness) of constraints.

For developers, LEDAS provides special integration facilities that simplify the job of embedding LGS 2D into their applications. In particular, all members of Open Design Alliance can use the LGS 2D integration module (developed jointly by LEDAS and the ODA) to quickly implement constraint drawing functions that are fully compatible with the DWG file format. The ODA is a non-profit organization that develops the Teigha™ (formerly DWGdirect) software development platform for CAD and other technical graphics applications.

“The new functions in version 4 were ones requested by our customers,” said Dmitry Ushakov, Director of Product Management at LEDAS. “Our customers’ satisfaction with our products is the greatest recognition we can receive. We appreciate their feedback on our components so that we can continue to improve them.”

LEDAS Releases Driving Dimensions v.1.3 for Google SketchUp

More than 20,000 SketchUp users downloaded LEDAS Driving Dimensions toolset for easy parametric modification of their 3D models.

Novosibirsk, Russia - LEDAS Ltd has announced the availability of version 1.3 of its Driving Dimensions plug-in for Google SketchUp software, a simple in use toolset for parametric modification of history-free 3D models.

Version 1.3 supports new platforms and contains several improvements and fixes. Answering numerous requests by the users of Windows 7 and Mac OS X v.10.6 operating systems, LEDAS development team focused on supporting these new platforms for its SketchUp plug-in. The functionality of multi-document interface (MDI) on Mac platform has been improved. Version 1.3 also includes several fixes of internal errors reported by Driving Dimensions users. To see the full list of changes, please visit the release status page.

“More than 20,000 of SketchUp users worldwide downloaded our Driving Dimensions plug-in,” said Dmitry Ushakov, Director of Product Management, LEDAS Ltd. “When we first released it in October 2008, many users did not understand the value it added to SketchUp, but now reviewers estimated it as “an essential plug-in that can really help you speed up your designing”. We really appreciate this recognition.”
Availability and Price

A free version of the Driving Dimension plug-in for SketchUp can be downloaded from www.DrivingDimensions.com/SketchUp, where visitors will also find detailed on-line help, written and video tutorials, a set of sample drawings, and testimonials made by our users. The free version is not intended for commercial use and does not allow users to add more than 25 driving dimensions to one model.

Commercial licenses of Driving Dimensions v1.3 for Google SketchUp may be purchased for US$45 from the Share-it! online store, accessible from www.DrivingDimensions.com/store/SketchUp. All customers who bought the licenses during last year may upgrade to v1.3 free of charge.
About Driving Dimensions and LGS 3D

Driving Dimensions plug-in v.1.3 is compatible with Google SketchUp v.6 and 7.1, and has been thoroughly tested on the 32-bit versions Windows XP, Vista, and 7, as well as on Mac OS X 10.6.

Driving Dimensions for SketchUp is a plug-in that performs parametric modifications of 3D geometric models in very simple and intuitive way. With Driving Dimensions, users can modify any dimension (length, distance, radius, or angle) in any SketchUp model with just one click. All driving dimensions set in one model are satisfied simultaneously. The simplicity of the user interface of Driving Dimensions plug-in hides a very strong set of mathematical algorithms in the field of geometric constraint solving. Parametric design has never been so easy – even for beginners.

Driving Dimensions v1.3 is based on the latest version of LGS 3D, a geometric constraint solver integrated into a dozen commercial CAD packages. The latest release, version 3.0 of LGS 3D, contains many improvements in stability and performance, which are also available to SketchUp users.

LEDAS Adds Movie Recording and Localization to RhinoAssembly

Novosibirsk, Russia - LEDAS Ltd., the independent provider of variational design tools, technology components, and software development services for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM market, today announced version 1.1 of its RhinoAssembly plug-in module for Rhinoceros 3D modeling software from Robert McNeel and Associates. RhinoAssembly is the ultimate tool for assembly design and kinematic simulation of mechanisms composed of rigid parts directly in the familiar Rhinoceros 3D design environment.

RhinoAssembly 1.1 introduces several important features: the ability to record movies of animated 3D mechanisms, support for seven languages, integration with several Rhino commands, and general improvements in stability and performance.

“More than 5,000 Rhinoceros users worldwide have downloaded previous versions of our RhinoAssembly plug-in,” said Dmitry Ushakov, Director of Product Management, LEDAS Ltd. “We receive constant feedback from them, which allows us to improve our product based on user requests.”
New Features in RhinoAssembly v.1.1

Version 1.1 adds the ability to record movies of animated 3D mechanisms. Any built-in or plug-in rendering module can be used to generate a sequence of image files corresponding to key frames of the animated mechanism. The images can be converted to a movie with one of many free or commercial software packages available on the market. LEDAS provides a detailed, step-by-step tutorial that describes how to create a simple 3d cartoon from scratch. The tutorial is available at www.DrivingDimensions.com/Rhino/tutorials.php.

Version 1.1 adds several other enhancements to RhinoAssembly. Geometric constraints and driving dimensions can now be copied and pasted. They also can be imported into any Rhino drawing from a 3DM file. The plug-in now supports Rhino’s built-in history (the Record History mode).

RhinoAssembly v1.1 plug-in is now available in the Czech, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish languages, in addition to the original English. The international versions include translations of the installation wizard, user interface elements, system messages, and all help files. The translations were performed by professional translators having rich user experiences with Rhinoceros.

LEDAS invites Rhinoceros users to try out another plug-in called RhinoDirect, which is currently in beta. The new plug-in differs from RhinoAssembly in that it allows Rhinoceros to work with non-rigid solid bodies by modifying them parametrically using geometric constraints and driving dimensions. Version 0.2 of the RhinoDirect beta is now available as a free download from www.DrivingDimensions.com/labs.php.
Availability and Price

A 30-day evaluation version of the RhinoAssembly plug-in can be downloaded at no charge from www.DrivingDimensions.com/Rhino, where visitors will also find detailed on-line help, written and video tutorials, and a set of sample drawings.

Commercial licenses of RhinoAssembly v1.1 may be purchased for US$395 from the Share-it! online store, accessible from www.DrivingDimensions.com/store/Rhino. All customers who bought licenses for version 1.0 may upgrade to v1.1 free of charge.

LEDAS Ships LGS 3D v3 for Variational Direct Modeling Developers

LGS 3D v.3.0 takes a major step towards full-scale variational direct modeling – technology that creates design intent by combining the simplicity of history-free geometric editing with the power of constraints

Novosibirsk, Russia – LEDAS Ltd., the independent provider of end-user variational design tools, technology components, and software development services for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM market, today announced the availability of version 3.0 of its LGS 3D geometric constraint solver. This core technology component of parametric modeling allows assembly design, motion simulation, and history-free geometric editing. LGS 3D permits users to express their design intent through a combination of geometric constraints and driving dimensions.

Version 3.0 contains many improvements in stability and performance; as well, it implements new features requested by developers of history-free 3D geometry editing applications.

Varational Direct Modeling based on LGS 3D v3

“We developed LGS 3D v.3.0 in close cooperation with our customers,” explains Dmitry Ushakov, Director of Product Management, LEDAS Ltd. ”We detected significant interest from many CAD, CAM and CAE vendors in our variational direct modeling technology, and we plan to extend its scope with several successive versions of LGS 3D to be released this year and next.”
New Features in LGS 3D

Version 3.0’s primary new feature is its ability to adjust the radii of circles, cylinders, and spheres automatically to satisfy constraints. This function allows users to modify fillets, blends, and round holes in their models parametrically. By default, the radii are fixed so that existing assembly design and kinematic simulation applications implemented with previous versions of LGS 3D continue to work as expected.

Version 3.0 also contains significant improvements for the support of periodic curves and surfaces, improvements that were based on testing by customers and their dynamic scenarios.

The algorithms that handle over-defined constraint diagnostics and move-under constraints have been tuned using feedback from customers. The behavior of LGS 3D in solving planar angles is now more natural.

Additional improvements to LGS 3D 3.0 include extended API error diagnostics, corrected journaling mechanisms, and bug fixes.

Version 3.0 of LGS 3D is already embedded in several commercial applications, including a recent release of the RhinoDirect plug-in for McNeel & Associates’ Rhinoceros 3D modeling software. RhinoDirect, as a part of the Driving Dimensions product line, aims at making advanced mechanical CAD technology available to all users of popular 3D software at an affordable price.

LEDAS Releases Next Beta Version of its RhinoDirect Plug-in

Rhinoceros users now enjoy history-free parametric modifications to 3D solid models through new features of free* RhinoDirect plug-in.

Novosibirsk – LEDAS Ltd., the independent provider of end-user variational design tools, technology components, and software development services for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM market, today announced the public release of beta 0.2 of its RhinoDirect plug-in module for Rhinoceros 3D modeling software from Robert McNeel and Associates. RhinoDirect allows Rhinoceros users to modify 3D geometric shapes parametrically using geometric constraints and driving dimensions. Version 0.2 of RhinoDirect is available as a free download at www.DrivingDimensions.com/labs.php.

Version 0.2 adds several important features to RhinoDirect. Geometric constraints and driving dimensions are now stored when users perform commands such as copy-and-paste and importing models from other 3DM files. Constraints and dimensions are no longer deleted when users modify geometry with Rhino commands, such as for holes, fillets, and Boolean operations. The plug-in now correctly supports Rhino’s built-in history. And in another enhancement, the plug-in can now parametrize arbitrary solid bodies composed of planar and cylindrical faces independently of their orientation with each other.

"In the two months since we released RhinoDirect 0.1, more than 500 worldwide Rhino users took part in beta testing the plug-in," said Dmitry Ushakov, Director of Product Management at LEDAS. "Driven by reports from our beta testers and internal quality assurance process, we found and fixed several bugs. As a result, we significantly increased the stability of the plug-in. We thank these uses for their useful feedback that helped us to improve our product."

Open Design Alliance and LEDAS Implement Parametric Drawing Tools Compatible with the DWG 2010 file format

Phoenix / Novosibirsk – The Open Design Alliance (ODA) and LEDAS announce the integration of version 3.0 of the LEDAS LGS 2D geometric constraint solver through the ongoing cooperation between the two organizations.

Version 3.0 of the LGS 2D geometric constraint solver is an upgrade of the initial integration with the ODA platform implemented in 2009 when the cooperation between the ODA and LEDAS began. Since last year, the constraint solver has been a component available to ODA members who require constraint support for their applications. Implementation of the constraint system, jointly developed by ODA and LEDAS, is fully compatible with the DWG 2010 file format.

Dmitry Ushakov, LEDAS Director of Product Management, will present the new version and its integration with the ODA platform at the ODA World Conference, Orlando, FL USA, May 4–5. The updated solution contains new support for NURBS curves, equal curvature geometric constraints, memory management tools, and many other improvements. Mr. Ushakov will also present a demo application that everyone can use to evaluate parametric drawing technology and its compatibility with the DWG file format. Attendees of the ODA Technology Exchange will learn how they can embed parametric drawing technology into applications for different platforms.

Arnold van der Weide, President of the ODA, stated, “The third-party component solution delivered by LEDAS has been a success for both the ODA and LEDAS — an active cooperation between development teams has ensured an efficient integration and robust solution.” Mr. van der Weide added, “I’m looking forward to seeing the results of the cooperation directly from Dmitry Ushakov during his presentation at the ODA Technology Exchange portion of the ODA World Conference in May.”

“LEDAS is the only vendor-independent provider of geometric constraint solvers for parametric drawing and design applications,” said David Levin, LEDAS CEO and founder. “Our constraint solvers were proven to be robust by embedding into many CAD systems, and we are happy to see LGS 2D integrated with the ODA platform, a leading industrial system for technical graphics applications. We offer ODA members the opportunity to license our ready-to-use solution at a very affordable price.”

ODA members who have a license for the LEDAS LGS 2D geometric constraint solver can integrate the new 3.0 version easily to provide the enhanced support for parametric and constraint drawing to their applications.

LEDAS Announces RhinoDirect 0.1 - public beta release

New plug-in parametrically edits history-free 3D geometry in Rhinoceros.

Novosibirsk - LEDAS Ltd., the independent provider of variational design tools, technology components, and software development services for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM market, today announced the public beta release 0.1 of its new product, RhinoDirect. This new plug-in for Rhinoceros 3D modeling software by Robert McNeel and Associates is built on the functions provided by the RhinoAssembly plug-in released last month by LEDAS. The version 0.1 of RhinoDirect is available as a free download from www.DrivingDimensions.com/labs.php.

RhinoDirect allows Rhinoceros users to assemble complex mechanisms composed of rigid and non-rigid parts. Three-dimensional shapes of non-rigid parts are adjusted automatically to satisfy the geometric constraints and driving dimensions set by the user. Moreover, RhinoDirect allows users to apply constraints and dimensions directly between the faces and edges of one part.

The first beta version of RhinoDirect has very few limitations. Solids can be modified if their boundaries consist of planar faces with sharp or filleted edges, round holes, and protruding cylinders. These limitations will be overcome by later beta releases; the next beta ships in February.

"RhinoDirect is the next in our Driving Dimensions series of plug-ins for Rhinoceros," explained Dmitry Ushakov, Director of Product Management at LEDAS. "Our first one, RhinoAssembly, has proven to be extremely popular among Rhino users, and we expect an even greater interest in this new plug-in. Our goal is to provide Rhino users with powerful tools that parametrically modify 3D geometry in a direct modeling environment that outperforms the capabilities of all other MCAD and AEC CAD systems on the market."

The version 0.1 of RhinoDirect is compatible with Rhinoceros 4.0 SR5B and higher, and runs on 32-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista, and 7. A set of tutorial videos are available at www.DrivingDimensions.com/labs.php. LEDAS plans to ship the commercial version of RhinoDirect before the end of 2010.

University of Michigan Taubman College Licenses Academic Version of LGD 3D Geometric Constraint Solver by LEDAS

Ann Arbor, MI – The University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and LEDAS Ltd., an independent provider of variational design tools, component technologies, and software development services for CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM market, today announced that LGS 3D geometric constraint solver will be used for scientific research in the field of robotics.

Wesley McGee, a Researcher/Lecturer in Architectural CAD/CAM technologies at the University of Michigan Taubmann College of Architecture and Urban Planning explains: "My current work, along with Dave Pigram of Pratt Institute includes developing robotic scripting applications using Rhinoceros 3D software. We are very interested in LEDAS Rhino Assembly plug-in and the geometric constraint engine it based on. One area we are investigating is the development of kinematic simulation of our robotic workcell in Rhino. We currently use several competing products to handle this, but to have a system completely based in Rhino would provide a lot of freedom. While our scripts are currently very successful at generating robotic code, we still simulate using an offline simulation package. We believe using the LGS 3D engine we may be able to build an offline simulation plug-in for Rhino."

LEDAS licensing policy for non-commercial academic and educational organizations assumes granting a free access to its LGS software in exchange to mentioning it in academic publications, which researchers will publish. Free Academic Licensing approach gives unique opportunity for researches and students to access state-of-the-art parameterization technology.

"Several leading universities has already licensed our LGS software," said Dmitry Ushakov, Director of Product Management, LEDAS Ltd. "Examples are Purdue University in USA and Northwestern Politechnical University in China. We are happy to extend our academic program by entering into a partnership with the world famous University of Michigan."

Cyon Research announces COFES Russia Seminar in partnership with LEDAS

Bethesda, MD– Cyon Research Corporation announced that its first COFES Russia Seminar will be held September 14, 2010 in Moscow, Russia. The event will bring together the community of engineering software vendors, developers, resellers, analysts, and users for private and public discussion in a relaxed and informal—but intense—atmosphere. The COFES Russia Seminar will be a part of isicad-2010 forum organized by LEDAS Ltd.

COFES has historically focused on creating an environment where the strength of our community takes precedence over our individual needs to sell, and where c-level executives can openly discuss the important issues facing business today. COFES Russia Seminar will bring together senior executives from firms in manufacturing, construction, and design to discuss innovation in the face of the current economic situation both globally and within Russia and the CIS.

Isicad, the biennial forum organized by LEDAS Ltd., is a recognizable brand for the Russian IT-community. Isicad-2010 is the fourth event in the line and will take place in Moscow in September 14, 2010 under the theme "CAD and PLM as tools of innovative economics".

"Partnership with Cyon Research for the COFES Russia Seminar gives us a unique opportunity to take advantage of Cyon Research’s outstanding research and apply it to the Russian CAD/PLM market as a part and tool of an innovative economy," explained David Levin, CEO and founder, LEDAS Ltd. "I expect participation of many leading companies, including Autodesk, Dassault Systemes, and ASCON who have already become partners of our Moscow events."

Alexander Tasev, Regional Sales Director, Autodesk Russia and CIS, said: "Autodesk is known as an active participant and sponsor of COFES conferences in Arizona, USA. The COFES events remarkably contribute to the determining and refinement of the priorities and direction of CAD technology, industry, and business. I believe that closer contacts of COFES - Cyon Research and the Russian market with its huge potential will be very useful for all involved participants."

Cyon Research welcomes all top managers and experts from leading providers in the fields of BIM/CAD/CAE/DP/PLM, top managers from Russia manufacturing, construction and industrial organizations, in addition to analysts, media, and representatives from academia and government.

The COFES Russia Seminar is an invitation-only event. For more information on the forum, and how to obtain an invitation, please visit http://apply.cofes.com (English) and http://isicad.ru/ru/2010/request (Russian).

Cyon Research has been bringing the unique vision of COFES to a select group of international venues where the event can trigger a leap forward for the industry. This COFES Russia Seminar follows in the footsteps of the annual COFES events, held since 1999 in Scottsdale, Arizona; the 2006 COFES India Summit; and is a precursor to the December 2010 COFES Israel Forum.

LEDAS Enhances Parametric Drawings with Updated 2D Geometric Constraint Solver

Novosibirsk, Russia – LEDAS Ltd., an independent provider of variational design tools, component technologies, and software development services for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM market, today announced version 3.0 of its LGS 2D geometric constraint solver. As a core component of parametric drawing applications, LGS 2D allows users to express design intent through geometric constraints and driving dimensions applied to 2D points, lines, curves, and other elements of sketches and drawings.

Since its first release in 2004, the LGS 2D software component has been licensed and embedded by several CAD/CAM/CAE vendors into parametric drawing applications. In five years, LEDAS has released eight intermediate versions of LGS 2D.
New Features in LGS 2D 3.0

Version 3.0 of LGS 2D adds support for NURBS curves, equal curvature geometric constraints, memory management, and many additional improvements.

Wing design with NURBS in Legend 2D powered by LGS 2D verison 3.0

NURBS (non-uniform rational B-spline) curves are commonly used in computer-aided design and computer graphics applications. Previous versions of LGS 2D supported NURBS curves, but required that they be evaluated on the application side. Whereas application developers before had to implement callback functions to regenerate the shapes of curves, they will now find that working with NURBS curves is as easy as working with lines and circles in LGS 2D 3.0. The application simply calls the spline creation function, passing all needed parameters (algebraic degree, control points, knots and weights), and then the solver evaluates the spline. This new feature reduces the software development cycle and shortens the time to market for a new parametric drawing application.

An even greater advantage to using the new NURBS curves support is the significant performance improvement. The derivatives of NURBS evaluation functions needed for numerical methods of constraint solving are now expressed analytically and computed by the solver.

Version 3.0 supports a new form of geometric constraint, equal curvature. It is useful for parametric drawing applications that require smooth (G2) tangencies between curves. In this case, application developers create both tangency and equal curvature constraints between two curves (or between a curve and a circle or a line) and then make the corresponding "help" parameters equal.

Version 3.0 allows application developers to define custom sets of memory management tools for controlling and optimizing memory use. This new feature is critical for applications that deal with large drawings, which are typically composed of thousands of geometric elements.

LGS 2D 3.0 also contains many other improvements, such as alignments for tangency constraints with curves, versioning for binary dump, and journaling enhancements. Several bugs in the autoconstraining function have been fixed, and issues reported by LEDAS customers have been resolved.

"LGS 2D is used by our customers to implement powerful parametric drawing functions, which are compatible with the capabilities of mainstream MCAD systems, but at an affordable price," said Dmitry Ushakov, Director of Product Management, LEDAS Ltd. "Our new version 3.0 is another significant step towards this direction: it introduces new functions aimed at supporting advanced user requirements yet shortening the application development time."

An integration module has also been created, which allows version 3.0 of LGS 2D to be used with applications based on DWGdirect of the Open Design Alliance (ODA). This integration module was developed jointly by LEDAS and the ODA, and it provides DWGdirect-based applications with support for constraints contained in the DWG 2010 file format.