D-Cubed -- Latest release of the 2D DCM, version 46.0

FOR RELEASE Monday, June 28, 2004

D-Cubed announces the latest release of the 2D DCM, the variational constraint solver used in most of the world’s major CAD systems. In addition to performance and reliability improvements, the new features include:

Alignment control for tangency constraints
Applying a tangency constraint between two geometries can result in either an aligned solution or an anti-aligned solution, as illustrated below.

In previous releases, the 2D DCM would return the solution that was closest to the initial position of the geometries, not necessarily the preferred result. In version 46.0, the 2D DCM permits applications to specify which of the two solutions is required, regardless of the initial positions of the geometries.

Circle inversion
The 2D DCM supports circles (and arcs) of variable radius, where the radius can be determined by other dimensions in the sketch. In previous releases, any modifications to these dimensions would be limited to the point where the circle degenerated. It is now possible to specify that a circle should invert in order to solve dimension modifications beyond this point. In such circumstances, the radius of the degenerate circle increases and all dimensions and constraints to the circle have an inverted sense, as illustrated below.

This functionality will provide seamless transitions for a wider range of variational design changes.

Better control of underdefined sketches
An underdefined sketch has insufficient dimensions and constraints to fully specify the location of its constituent geometries. In such cases, a range of 2D DCM options have previously been available to help determine which underconstrained geometries should move in order to satisfy the dimensions and constraints.

Version 46.0 introduces Transform Bias to provide additional control of underdefined sketches. Transform Bias enables applications to assign variable priorities for preserving the position of underconstrained geometries. The new functionality firmly places the 2D DCM as the system of choice for bringing end-users more predictable results when modifying underdefined sketches.

About the 2D DCM
The 2D Dimensional Constraint Manager has been used in an increasing number of 2D and 3D CAD systems for over 10 years. In addition to driving the sketcher in most mainstream mechanical CAD products, applications as diverse as standard parts libraries, model translation, mold, ship and garment design have all benefited from the comprehensive, dependable and cost effective solution provided by the 2D DCM.

About D-Cubed Ltd.
Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, England, D-Cubed provides software components and technical consulting services to the CAD/CAM/CAE application development industry in all areas of geometric, solid and variational/parametric modelling. Most of the world’s leading CAD vendors have adopted one or more of D-Cubed’s widely respected component technologies for integration into their end-user applications.