3D Power Pack Features

Polygonal Solid Modeler
A new 3D modeling engine improves the performance and consistency of modeling operations. In some cases, solids modeling calculations are ten times faster!

Improved 3D Object Snapping
VectorWorks' 3D snapping capability has been greatly enhanced. Now VectorWorks' Smart Cursor™ can easily find 3D objects, points, centers, and distances along curves and edges-making it easy to create and align 3D objects. See Example

3D Reshape Capabilities
New capabilities added to the 3D Reshape tool and Object Info palette make it simple to reshape NURBS surfaces. Control vertices can be easily added, given weight, and moved to create exactly the shape you need.

New Option for Setting Working Planes
In addition to aligning a working plane by clicking on three points, you can now simply click on the planar face of a solid.

Protrusion/Cutout Too
Easily create bosses and cutouts. With the new Protrusion/Cutout tool, you can interactively 'push' or 'pull' faces or NURBS curves to add or subtract volume from a solid. See Example

Helix-Spiral Command
Improvements to VectorWorks' 3D capabilities include the ability to create helix and spiral objects. Once created, you can easily edit the number of turns, pitches, and the start and end radius. You can reverse the direction of the helix or spiral, flatten it, and use it as a path when extruding objects. See Example

Loft Surface Tool
Create organic shapes by lofting through 3D cross sections. Lofts can be created either as open surfaces, closed surfaces, or solids. Addition option allow you to loft with no rails, one rail and even two rails, for maximum flexibility. Also, profiles can be manipulated to add twists and avoid self-intersections. See Example

Revolve with Rail
Now you can create complex NURBS surfaces by revolving a profile along a guide curve, or rail. See Example

Shell Solid Tool
A single tool makes it easy to create hollow shells from solid objects. New shelling capabilities make it easy to thicken NURBS surfaces. See Example

Chamfer Edge Tool
You can also chamfer edges with a user-defined setback. Once Created, Chamfers can be easily edited with the Object Info palette. See Example

Fillet Edge Tool
Edges can be blended with either a single radius fillet or variable radius fillet. Fillets can also be easily edited with the Object Info palette. See Example

Surface Filleting
Fillets are the perfect way to create smooth transitions between surfaces. Easily create a smooth, user-defined fillet surface between two adjacent surfaces. See Example

Tapered Extrude Command
The Tapered Extrude command now supports 3D polygons and NURBS curves, circles, and arcs, in addition to the 2D objects previously supported. See Example

Improved Extrude Along Path Command
You can now linearly or exponentially scale profiles as they are extruded along a path to create extruded objects that were difficult to create in previous versions of VectorWorks. See Example

Create Contours Tool
Easily create contours of a solid or surface at user-defined intervals and direction. This is an easy way to create cross-sections of a solid that can then be lofted to create new free-form shapes. See Example

Connect/Combine Tool
Now it's simple to connect/combine NURBS curves and surfaces. New functionality makes it easy to match NURBS surfaces with position/tangent/curvature continuity, as well as create blended surfaces, and do mid-point positional matching.

Convert to NURBS Command
Now in addition to the existing behavior of converting 2D curves to NURBS curves, you can convert the faces of solids to NURBS surfaces. This new functionality makes it easy to create NURBS surfaces from extrusions, sweeps and other solids.

New NURBS Curve Option
You can now specify the degree of a NURBS curve while drawing, allowing you greater control. See Example

Curve and Surface Analysis Tool
A new Analysis tool automatically provides the closest points, intersection, and curvature information for NURBS curves and surfaces. See Example

Visible Curve and Surface Directions
The results of many modeling operations depend upon the NURBS surface normal or NURBS curve direction. In version 10.5, you can now display surface normals and curve directions and easily reverse them in the Object Info palette. See Example

Extract Tool
This single tool can extract curves, surfaces, 3D loci, and iso-parametric curves from a NURBS surface or solid object, to be used to create new shapes or modify existing ones. See Example

Split Tool
The Split tool now includes solids and NURBS surfaces among the objects that it can split. Surfaces can be split with line or point method. Solids can be split to create a planar section. See Example

Project Tool
This tool makes it easy to split, trim and add profiles into nonlinear surfaces. Great for punching holes and creating ribs. See Example

Stitch and Trim Surfaces Command
This is an easy way to create complex free-form shapes. Simply define the boundaries that enclose a shape and this command will create a solid by 'filling' the void. Boundaries can be defined with NURBS surfaces, solids, extrudes, or sweeps, and then stitched together and trimmed to create the desired volume. See Example

Create Planar Caps Command
A single command allows users to cap the ends of open-ended solids with a planar NURBS surface.

Create Surface from Curves Command
With this one command you can easily create NURBS surfaces from closed 2D objects, a network of lines and NURBS curves, from a four-boundary curve, from planar curves, and more. See Example

Compose/Decompose Commands
These commands have been renamed to more accurately reflect the fact that they now work on NURBS surfaces. Now you can easily combine several NURBS surfaces into one continual surface, or decompose surfaces to create individual surfaces without discontinuities.

Convert to Generic Solid
Complex solids don't have to mean large files. When your drawing is in its final stages and modeling changes are complete, you can reduce file size dramatically by converting the solids to generic solids.

New Scaled Solids Options
Before, if you wanted to scale a solid asymmetrically, you'd have to convert it to NURBS and lose the ability to edit its components. Now, no conversion is necessary. You can easily asymmetrically scale any solid along the X, Y, or Z axis. See Example

Section Solids Command
Create more than just simple planar sections. Now you can create sections from almost any shaped surface including stepped or even wavy surfaces. Simply define the sectioning or cutting surface, and then section the object. Another nice feature is that sectioned surface can be 'marked' by the sectioning surface color, so it can be easily identified. See Example

Wireframe Improvements
We've improved how 3D objects, like sweeps and curved extrudes, appear in wireframe view. Now it's easier to visualize complex 3D geometry, especially when the 3D Resolution Preference is set to high or very high. You can also easily see and select the edges of extrudes and sweeps. Also, extruded surfaces with holes now display correctly, without the split line. See Example

Import/Export IGES Command
In addition to exporting VectorWorks models as 3D IGES files that can be read by other CAD and CAM programs, you can now import IGES files into your VectorWorks drawings.

Stereo Lithography File Export
Models created can be exported as .stl files (stereo lithography) for rapid prototyping.

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