CAD software is an essential element in the management of a company's product lifecycle, helping to shorten time-to-market, improve product quality and reduce costs. Without them, product development would be a far more complicated and time-consuming process. 3D scanning gives you the opportunity to generate an accurate CAD model of physical objects, quickly and easily. Portable 3D scanners are now essential for designing the best possible product, with minimal costs and rapid time-to-market. They enable engineers to retrieve CAD files much more easily than in the past. They can work from the scanned file and use other software to develop and test new products.
To go from 3D scanning to CAD software, designers can use one of three workflows: CAD software, complete reverse engineering software, scan-to-CAD software, each of which has advantages and disadvantages, described below. The best option will depend on the designer's specific needs, frequency of use and allocated budget.
CAD software
This workflow is carried out entirely with CAD software, where the CAD file in .stl format is imported, the mesh is cleaned and then aligned. Once the mesh has been cleaned and aligned, measurements and features are extracted. Feature modeling can now begin to produce the final CAD model.
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The design tree is stored in the CAD software. If a feature is modified (e.g., by increasing or decreasing the dimensions of a hole), all associated features are updated without having to touch anything. | Compared to other software, CAD software is limited to mesh editing (mesh cleaning, noise removal and hole filling), as well as alignment. With some CAD software, designers cannot edit the mesh, which can then only be used as a visual reference. |
Dedicated reverse engineering software
This workflow starts directly in the reverse engineering software, where the mesh is created, edited and aligned. Once the scan has been cleaned and aligned with the desired coordinate system, the dimensional properties are extracted. CAD operations, i.e. feature modeling, are performed in the reverse engineering software before the solid model is transferred to the CAD software and the final CAD model is obtained.
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The reverse engineering software offers powerful features for mesh modification and alignment. The construction tree can be transferred from the complete reverse engineering software to the CAD software. | However, CAD and reverse-engineering software can generate compatibility problems, and transferring the construction tree can be problematic. It's more expensive than any other software. Designers, often skilled and experienced in the use of CAD software, have to learn how to use new software with different functionalities. |
Software gateway from digitization to CAD
Once the mesh has been generated, aligned and optimized, dimensional properties are extracted from the geometric entities, cross-sections and parts of surfaces (for free-form shapes). These entities can then be transferred to CAD software and used as reference data on which to base feature modeling. A final validation step, comparing the final CAD model with the mesh, completes this workflow and produces the final CAD model.
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This bridging option is less expensive than full reverse engineering software, and easier to use. The software bridge between digitization and CAD enables designers to switch more quickly to CAD software. | It sometimes requires juggling between different applications when additional features are needed. |