New morphing options in
PowerSHAPE allow quick and
easy modification of product designs
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Morphing allows rapid styling changes to be made in a single
operation that would otherwise require extensive, time-consuming modification
of the separate elements in a design. It is, therefore, ideal for the
“what if” stage of new product development, when designers
need to generate quickly a number of variations on a new concept.
The new method in the latest version of PowerSHAPE uses a control surface
to modify the existing design. The distance for which the model follows
this new surface can be specified, as well as the decay curve through
which the modified shape transitions back to the original model.
As with the previous options, which either replace an existing edge of
the solid with a new curve or allow a single point within the model to
be altered, the new technique automatically reshapes the whole model to
maintain smoothness and consistency over the design, and to preserve the
links between the various design elements.
All of the morphing methods now allow the dimensions of any features
wrapped onto the design to be restored after the change. This will be
useful when designing products like packaging or footwear, when it is
often necessary to experiment with the overall shape of the product but
to preserve the aspect ratio of logos, text and other decorations.
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