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MESH Unfolder v 2.0 - The 3D Mesh Unfolding Software
Update Released On: 2 August 07
MESH UNFOLDER is very powerful CAD software that is able to unfold 3D CAD designs that are more general than the design set of Sheet Lightning v5 but can be defined by 3D mesh surfaces. The mesh must be created in a
CAD system such as Autocad, exported to a dxf file, then imported and unfolded in the mesh unfolder software.
Download Mesh Unfolder Demo (5MB) - Fully functional demo software except for output disabled. Can be used to import and unfold and view meshes for software evaluation.
PURCHASE Mesh Unfolder ($495 - with free updates)
How does it work?
Mesh unfolder works with 3D mesh data generated in a general CAD design program such as Autocad. It imports DXF data that was exported from a CAD system. It extracts the 3D meshes (see later), unfolds (i.e. flattens)
the mesh (by minimising tensions) and exports the unfolded data back to the CAD system.
Mesh Unfolder 1.0 was originally created and used for boat design to unfold complex 3D panels. Since its release to boat construction companies it has been applied to many other designs - including Tents, Shoes,
Aerofoils and generally to many difficult 3D sheet metal designs. Although still i. The product is easy to use requiring only import-process-export design cycle. It is designed for use wth a CAD system such as
Autocad that can be used to design the 3D meshes.
Fig: Showing a 3D mesh design created in Autocad.
Fig: Shows the unfolded patterns of the rowing boat design above.
The mesh program tackles the difficult problem of converting a 3D formed surface into a 2D unfolded pattern. The problem is that designs like these have tensions in the surface arising from the
deformation in material when the product is formed. Mesh Unfolder reverses the process to calculate the best result - i.e. the result with the most even tension distibution.
MESH UNFOLDER is a very powerful and versatile tool. When combined with skills in general CAD environments, such as Autocad, meshes can be create from lines, arcs and spline curves to form
any shape (see the CAD system instructions). The rowing boat is a good example of this kind of application. It is then simply a case of exporting the design to DXF from the CAD system and
importing into MESH UNFOLDER. With a few parametric selections and the click of a command the mesh can be unfolded and seamlessly exported back to the CAD system, or saved to file.
Contact us to obtain the demo program info@revcad.com
AUTOCAD has a number of 3D meshing facilities. The most powerful and applicable of these is perhaps the commands EDGESURF with SURFTAB1 and SURFTAB2. The EDGESURF command
allows any four enclosing sides of a 3D polygon to be selected and it generates a mesh between these edges. This facility can be used to generate many designs using 3D surfaces. MESH
UNFOLDER then steps in with its unique technology to unfold/flatten these designs. the product is proving extremely powerful for many sheet material manufacturers.
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