Will a Part Fit on Printer? Find out Fast with New Library of 3D Printer Build Volumes

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Earlier this month, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform received a major update, and with that came a flood of new features to SOLIDWORKS xDesign. SOLIDWORKS xDesign is a 3D parametric modeling “App” that runs completely in a web browser and is built on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It is part of a “Role” known as 3D Creator. Introduced at SOLIDWORKS World in February xShape is the key app in the 3D Sculptor Role.

One of the stand-out features for me is the new library of 3D printer build volumes. We used the vast knowledge from leading analyst firm Wohlers Associates and Wohlers Report 2018 to include virtually all commercially available 3D Printers. This makes it very easy to immediately see if your part is going to fit inside that printer, and scale it down to fit, if needed.


It also removes the trial and error or back and forth when sending a part to a third-party service provider. If you know the machine(s) they have, you can choose the best orientation and see exactly how it will fit.

For those of you who may not have come across Wohlers Associates before, it has over 30 years of experience providing technical and strategic consulting around Additive Manufacturing. Past work has involved over 260 client organizations in 26 countries. For the past 24 years, Wohlers Associates has published the Wohlers Report, a publication on the state of the Additive Manufacturing Industry, often referred to as the ‘bible’ of 3D Printing. In this report is a wealth of information about all things Additive.

Also added to the SOLIDWORKS Roles on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform was a range of things to make the tools even easier to use. Now we have Quick Tours to guide you through the phases of working in this new browser-based environment, a shiny new landing page, many improvements for working on touch-screen devices, spline, breadcrumbs and pattern enhancements, and many performance improvements. Image

For a complete listing of all the new functionality that was delivered in this latest 3DEXPERIENCE Platform update, head over to the Community page. This update has definitely been a good one giving a whole new look to the xApps.


Want to know more about the new 3DEXPERIENCE Design solutions? Click here for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark Rushton

Mark Rushton is a Product Portfolio Manager for SOLIDWORKS and has been involved with 3D CAD and 3D Printing for over 15 years in several capacities from research to consulting for the likes of Rolls Royce, GE, JCB and Dyson. When not playing with 3D printers or other tech, he is most likely out snowboarding, wake boarding or mountain biking.