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What’s New in Studio 2012

November 2011

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About Geomagic

Founded in 1997, Geomagic (www.geomagic.com) is a privately owned company, based in

Research Triangle Park, NC, USA, with subsidiaries in Europe and Asia and distributors worldwide.

Geomagic is a leading provider of 3D software for creating digital models of physical objects.

Professionals involved in the design, reverse engineering and inspection of parts and products

use Geomagic Studio and Geomagic Qualify to shorten time to market and improve quality.

Geomagic software is also used in the dental and medical markets to create customized

restorations, appliances, prosthetics and treatment plans that help improve patient care. Some of

the leading companies around the globe using Geomagic software include Ford, Harley-Davidson,

Richard Childress Racing, Timberland, Fisher Price, Pratt & Whitney, NASA, Alcoa Howmet,

Danaher and Invisalign.

Copyright

© 2011, Geomagic, Inc. All rights reserved.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this document may

be reproduced in any form or by any means including photocopying, recording, or microfilming

or by any information storage and retrieval system including a web site, without the written

permission of Geomagic, Inc. No liability is assumed by Geomagic, Inc. with respect to the use of

the information contain herein. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this

documentation, Geomagic, Inc. assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. References in

this document do not constitute an endorsement of any products or services.

Geomagic, the Geomagic logo, Geomagic Studio, Geomagic Wrap, Geomagic Qualify, Geomagic

Blade and "the magic of making it Simple” are either trademarks or registered trademarks of

Geomagic, Inc. Other trademarks, trade names, or product names mentioned are the property of

their respective owners.

Geomagic, Inc., PO Box 12219, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA www.geomagic.com

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Table of Contents

1 OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................................................... 5

2 USER INTERFACE .......................................................................................................................................... 6

2.1 GUI Search Box ..................................................................................................................................... 6

2.2 Context-Sensitive Right Mouse Menu ......................................................................................... 6

2.3 Selection Sub-Objects ....................................................................................................................... 6

2.4 User Interface Options ....................................................................................................................... 6

2.5 Improved Customization .................................................................................................................. 6

2.6 Polyline Selection Tool ...................................................................................................................... 6

3 FILE I/O ............................................................................................................................................................. 7

3.1 Model State Preservation on Save ................................................................................................ 7

3.2 Save Using Temporary File .............................................................................................................. 7

3.3 Improved File Loading Speed across Networks ....................................................................... 7

4 PERFORMANCE, GRAPHICS & NAVIGATION .................................................................................... 7

4.1 Expanded Use of Multi-Threading ................................................................................................ 7

4.2 Anti-aliasing of Curves, Edges ........................................................................................................ 7

4.3 Animated View Transitions .............................................................................................................. 7

4.4 Improved Selection Speed ............................................................................................................... 8

4.5 Dynamic Sampling with 3D Mouse .............................................................................................. 8

4.6 Scripting .................................................................................................................................................. 8

5 LONG RANGE DATA HANDLING ........................................................................................................... 8

5.1 CSYS Creation upon Spherical Data Import .............................................................................. 8

5.2 Filter by Distance ................................................................................................................................. 8

5.3 Filter by Edge Length & Aspect Ratio.......................................................................................... 8

5.4 Delayed Redraw for Large Models................................................................................................ 9

5.5 Walk Through Mode for Spherical Data ..................................................................................... 9

5.6 Set Camera Position ........................................................................................................................... 9

6 POINT CLOUD DATA HANDLING .......................................................................................................... 9

6.1 Advanced Wrap Options .................................................................................................................. 9

6.2 Reduce Overlap Option in Merge ................................................................................................. 9

7 POLYGON DATA HANDLING ................................................................................................................. 10

7.1 Remesh .................................................................................................................................................. 10

7.2 Patching ................................................................................................................................................ 10

8 SKETCHING/CURVES ................................................................................................................................ 10

8.1 Improved Profile Curve Fitting ..................................................................................................... 10

8.2 Curves from Point Clouds .............................................................................................................. 10

8.3 New “Sketch” Entity .......................................................................................................................... 10

8.4 Cross-Section Curves from Hard Probe .................................................................................... 11

8.5 Sketch Editing ..................................................................................................................................... 11

9 HARDWARE INTERFACE .......................................................................................................................... 11

9.1 New Capture Tab ............................................................................................................................... 11

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9.2 Separate Scanning and Probing Plug-In Option ................................................................... 11

9.3 Split Plug-In Command into Multiple Commands ............................................................... 11

9.4 Manage Transforms .......................................................................................................................... 12

9.5 Transform Handling Options ........................................................................................................ 12

9.6 Hard Probing Feature Gallery ....................................................................................................... 12

9.7 Measure Commands ........................................................................................................................ 12

9.8 Hard Probe Emulator ....................................................................................................................... 12

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1 OVERVIEW

With the release of Studio 2012, Geomagic has added flexibility in curve and

profile editing by incorporating a purpose-built sketcher into the application.

This new toolset allows for easier editing of both automatically generated and

manually created curves. The sketcher contains tools for creating lines and

arcs in a variety of ways including fitting through point data, snapping to

horizontal, vertical, parallel and perpendicular entities, and unique filleting

tools that utilize the point or polygon information to ensure an accurate

solution.

In addition to the new sketcher function, users can now create curves by

taking cross-sections directly through point clouds, not just polygon meshes.

This alleviates the step of having to polygonize, or “wrap”, point data to

extract a cross-section, saving users’ time.

Many more commands in Studio are now multi-threaded, resulting in faster

processing speeds. In addition, the capacity to handle large point and

polygon models has been increased.

The ability to import, filter and view scans from medium- to long-range

scanners (e.g. Faro Focus, Surphaser, etc) has been improved. A new viewing

method was developed to better visualize these large files, and filters to crop

the data are included as well.

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2 USER INTERFACE

2.1 GUI Search Box

A new Search box appears in the upper right corner of the user interface. Typing a

word or phrase in this box (e.g. “mesh”, “feature”) will produce a custom tab with all

relevant commands that contain the word or phrase. This is a very useful way to

search for a particular command, and is an alternative to using the Command Finder.

2.2 Context-Sensitive Right Mouse Menu

A new menu bar appears above the right mouse menu when certain entities are

selected. This menu bar provides shortcuts to the most commonly used commands

for that particular selection.

2.3 Selection Sub-Objects

A feature of Geomagic Qualify called Selection sub-objects has been added to

Studio, with some enhancements. Selections of points and polygons can be saved as

Selection sub-objects. Similar to layers in CAD packages, users can choose to view

only the selection(s), which helps minimize graphics load. These sub-objects can be

removed, hidden and even promoted to an object.

2.4 User Interface Options

Upon first launch of the application after install, the user will be prompted to choose

whether to use a Basic or Advanced user interface. The former is good for beginning

users, as it minimized the amount of visible buttons on the ribbon, whereas the latter

is the full interface, with all available buttons displayed.

2.5 Improved Customization

In the previous version, only one custom interface could be created and used at any

given time. In this version, users can create as many custom interfaces as they like,

and then toggle between them in the Options panel.

2.6 Polyline Selection Tool

A new selection tool that uses a series of straight lines to create a polygon-shaped

selection area has been added. Located on the right toolbar (and on the Selection

tab), this new tool functions similar to the Lasso or Paintbrush tool, in that it can be

set as your current selection tool and used as needed.

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3 FILE I/O

3.1 Model State Preservation on Save

When a model is saved, the current active object(s), as well as visible state of all

objects and features is recorded in the .wrp file, such that when the file is reopened,

the active states and visibilities are restored.

3.2 Save Using Temporary File

When clicking Save to overwrite an existing file, there is a new option which, when

enabled, will first save a temporary file before overwriting the existing file. This

prevents the extremely rare case where a model might get corrupted during file

writing.

Find it at: Options > File I/O > General

3.3 Improved File Loading Speed across Networks

When opening or importing a file from a network drive, there is an option to copy a

file locally before opening. This results in faster overall loading versus loading the file

directly from the network drive.

Find it at: Options > File I/O > General

4 PERFORMANCE, GRAPHICS & NAVIGATION

4.1 Expanded Use of Multi-Threading

Many more commands are now multi-threaded, enabling the use of multi-core

processors to improve performance.

4.2 Anti-aliasing of Curves, Edges

A new option enables anti-aliasing of curves and edges in the graphics window,

resulting in better looking models.

Find it at: Options > Graphics > OpenGL

4.3 Animated View Transitions

When changing views with a command (i.e. Predefined Views, Fit to View, etc), the

model will rotate and translate to change position, rather than just immediately

appearing there.

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4.4 Improved Selection Speed

On-screen selection of ordered data points has been greatly improved, and results in

a quicker refresh time after moue release. This allows users to select regions of

ordered data much faster than previous versions.

4.5 Dynamic Sampling with 3D Mouse

As a model is rotated with a 3D mouse (like SpaceBall or SpacePilot), the graphics will

dynamically sample to make rotation faster.

4.6 Scripting

It is now possible to create Python scripts that can access certain aspects of the

Geomagic command structure. This allows for the creation of custom commands,

including custom dialogs, to aggregate and automate processes. Currently, many of

the point, polygon and features commands are exposed for scripting.

Find it at: Options > General > Miscellaneous

5 LONG RANGE DATA HANDLING

5.1 CSYS Creation upon Spherical Data Import

When importing data sets from long- to medium-range scanners like Leica,

Surphaser, Z+F and the Faro Focus, a coordinate system (CSYS) will be automatically

created at the origin of each scan in the file. This CSYS can be used to position the

viewpoint for Walk Through mode (new in v2012). It can also be used with Filter By

Distance command (new in v2012) to crop point data based on distance to scanner

origin.

5.2 Filter by Distance

If the imported data set has a CSYS associated with it (see Sec 5.1), then Filter by

Distance can be used to crop data within a certain distance of the scanner.

Find it at: Points > Repair > Filter by Distance

5.3 Filter by Edge Length & Aspect Ratio

Designed for medium- to long-range scan data, these new filters remove data based

on either edge length or aspect ratio, two criteria which are used to identify

unwanted cells in ordered data.

Find it at: Points > Repair > Filter

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5.4 Delayed Redraw for Large Models

For models with a large number of entities, it is helpful to delay the screen redraw

after a rotation to allow the user to make another rotation without waiting. This new

option allows the user to set the thresholds that enable it, and when on, will delay

the redraw from the Dynamic Sample value to the Static Sample value by the delay

amount.

Find it at: Options > Graphics > Primitive Settings

5.5 Walk Through Mode for Spherical Data

A new visualization mode can be used with data from long- to medium-range

scanners. Walk Through mode allows the user to optionally position the viewpoint at

an existing CSYS position, and then move forward, backward, left, right, up and down

within the scene using keys on the keyboard. The user can swivel the camera around

using the middle mouse button as well.

Find it at: View > Navigation > Walk Through

5.6 Set Camera Position

When using Walk Through mode (see Sec 5.5), it is helpful to place the camera

viewpoint at the origin of a particular scan, allowing user to “see” the scan as the

scanner saw it. This makes it easier to navigate through the scan and crop or delete

data.

Find it at: View > Navigation > Camera Position

6 POINT CLOUD DATA HANDLING

6.1 Advanced Wrap Options

Two new options are exposed in the Wrap dialog which enable different settings for

polygonization:

* Optimize for Sparse Data – allows Wrap algorithm to polygonize points that

are very unevenly distributed; effectively, this option will fill more holes.

* Optimize for Evenly Spaced Data – forces Wrap algorithm to polygonize

points which are very evenly distributed (e.g. a perfect grid).

6.2 Reduce Overlap Option in Merge

A new option is exposed in the Merge command to control the removal of overlap. If

toggled on, overlapping regions will be trimmed by retaining only the best data,

based on point normal. A variable field allows the user to set the allowable distance

between overlapping scan patches.

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7 POLYGON DATA HANDLING

7.1 Remesh

A new command which generates a mesh from an existing mesh by creating very

regularly shaped (i.e. equilateral) triangles. User can control the average edge length

of the new mesh triangles, while also choosing to preserve small features. This

command is useful for converting coarse or sparse polygon meshed into dense,

evenly distributed meshes for downstream use in Studio.

Find it at: Polygons > Repair > Remesh

7.2 Patching

A new command that allows users to patch holes in a mesh by combining a point

cloud or polygon mesh with a “master” polygon mesh. Very useful for patching holes

in a mesh by using a new scan, or using another portion of the mesh which has been

copied and moved over the hole.

Find it at: Polygons > Combine > Patch

8 SKETCHING/CURVES

8.1 Improved Profile Curve Fitting

As part of the effort to enhance the overall creation and editing of curves, the

automatic fitting of profile curves has been improved.

8.2 Curves from Point Clouds

Cross-section curves can now be extracted directly from a point cloud. Similar to how

curves are created through a polygon mesh, users can control the placement and

number of sections, as well as the slab thickness of the points being projected to

create the section.

Find it at: Curves > Free Curves > Create by Section

8.3 New “Sketch” Entity

When a 2D curve is generated by either the Create by Section command, or Probe

Section command, it will appear in the Model Manager as a Sketch. This new entity

type is a planar curve which can be edited with the Edit Sketch command (see Sec.

8.5).

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8.4 Cross-Section Curves from Hard Probe

Users can specify a number of parallel planes offset from each other at a prescribed

distance, and then move the hard probe across these planes in space. Points are

created at each intersection of the probe with a plane. When complete, these points

can be saved to a new point cloud object, and/or a curve can be immediately fit to

the points, and new curve objects created. This allows a user with a hard probe

device to quickly create cross-section curves on an object.

Find it at: Capture > Collect > Probe Sections

8.5 Sketch Editing

To better edit profile curves generated by the Parametric Surfaces commands, as well

as those created by cutting cross-sections through polygons and point cloud, a new

sketcher was created that allows users to directly edit the curve sets in a 2D view.

Similar to many popular CAD systems, users can create new lines, arcs and circles, as

well as edit existing entities. An intuitive snapping system helps create parallel,

perpendicular, horizontal and vertical lines with ease, as well as managing tangent

and coincident points. Dimensions are visible for arcs, and can be edited quickly and

easily.

Find it at: Curves > Free Curves > Edit Sketch, or Parametric Surfaces > Primary

Surfaces > Edit Sketch

9 HARDWARE INTERFACE

9.1 New Capture Tab

Formerly called the Hardware tab, the new Capture tab is home to any plug-in

related functionality for controlling scanners and/or hard probing.

9.2 Separate Scanning and Probing Plug-In Option

Users can now specify separate plug-ins for scanning and probing. Previously, only

one plug-in could be chosen to handle both.

Find it at: Options > Hardware > Digitizers

9.3 Split Plug-In Command into Multiple Commands

Formerly, there was a single command which contained many of the hardware-

related tasks, like hardware options, probe scanning, and transformation

management. Now, these components have been split into individual commands for

easier use.

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9.4 Manage Transforms

A new single source for managing both hardware and software transforms, making it

easier to see what transformations are being applied when data is collected from an

arm.

Find it at: Capture > Align > Manage Transform

9.5 Transform Handling Options

When restarting the application, the user can now choose whether to apply previous

hardware and/or software transforms or not.

Find it at: Options > Hardware > Digitizers

9.6 Hard Probing Feature Gallery

A new feature creation gallery on the Capture tab allows for easy and immediate

access to the different feature types available for probing. This easy to use gallery

automatically sorts the most commonly used feature types to the top of the list,

making it easy to repeat feature collection.

Find it at: Capture > Collect > Create Features Gallery

9.7 Measure Commands

A new set of measurement commands for use with a hard probe device, these

commands enable quick and simple measurement without a lot of setup.

Find it at: Capture > Measure > Measure Features Gallery

9.8 Hard Probe Emulator

Useful for offline training and demonstration, a hard probe emulator is now available.

If an actual hard probe is not available, the emulator can be used in conjunction with

an existing 3D model (polygon mesh, CAD model, etc) to practice or demonstrate

creating features, probing sections or even measure distances.

Find it at: Options > Hardware > Digitizers

10 CAD MODEL HANDLING

10.1 Integration with SpaceClaim

CAD objects, such as those created by the Trim/Stitch command in Parametric

Surfacing, can be transferred to SpaceClaim® Direct Modeling Software with a single

click.

Find it at: CAD > Output > Send to SpaceClaim

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