MachineWorks Ltd. will be unveiling their new release, Polygonica v2.1, at RAPID+TCT 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from the 8th to the 11th of May on booth 1351.
Polygonica is a software development toolkit for handling triangulated meshes that helps manufacturers in the additive manufacturing world solve complex geometrical problems. By creating their own software applications, 3D printing manufacturers can gain quicker access to market, closer ties with their customers and tighter control over their IP.
Main functions of Polygonica include Mesh Healing, Mesh Offsetting, Mesh Analysis, Mesh Simplification, Remeshing, Boolean Operations and Point-Cloud Manipulation.
At RAPID, visitors can get an insight into Polygonica v2.1’s highlights at booth 1351:
- Support for Lattice Generation
- New Sweeping Feature
- Solid Convexification
- Engraving Curves and Profiles
- Fairing and Smoothing Algorithm
Support for Lattice Generation
Polygonica provides a highly efficient method for defining a lattice, coupled with an exceedingly fast function for intersecting lattices with solids. Lattice generation is indispensable when it comes to creating support structures in 3D printing.
New Solid Creation by Sweeping Feature
Now in Polygonica v2.1 users can simply create a 3D shape by moving a 2D profile or 3D solid along an arbitrary 3D path. Self-intersections can be removed to form topologically closed solids. This is a vital function when it comes to creating tubes, pipes or mouldings.
Solid Convexification
Polygonica’s new algorithm automatically decomposes a concave solid into convex shells. This function has proven invaluable in optimising collision detection functionality and extremely useful to applications interested in motion planning or shape approximation.
Imprinting, Embossing and Engraving Curves and Profiles
Polygonica new API allow users to imprint, emboss or engrave a curve or a 2D profile onto a solid. Imprinting allows users to easily generate curves on the surface of solids and use them to trim surfaces and extract regions bounded by the curves. Embossing and engraving enable 2D profiles to be wrapped onto 3D surfaces and for enclosed regions to be offset outwards or inwards. This type of functionality is often used in a wide variety of industries from consumer goods such as jewellery or textiles to nanotechnology.
Fairing and Smoothing Algorithm
Smoothing to remove noise from a mesh is a common requirement, particularly in processing solids obtained from scans where the surface can be rough. Fairing enables a region of a solid to be made as smooth as possible while maintaining continuity at its boundary. Smoothing is important for reverse engineering and additive manufacturing. Fairing is often used for solid modelling.
“We are delighted to be showcasing Polygonica’s latest software release at RAPID+TCT 2017”, says Richard Baxter, Sales Manager for Polygonica at MachineWorks, “that give us the opportunity to present the technology face-to-face and offer customers a real-time experience”.