IronCAD Design Collaboration Suite 2022
Product Update #1

Featuring User-Driven Productivity Enhancements that Improve the User Experience in Both 3D and 2D

We’re excited to announce the availability of the IronCAD® 2022 Product Update #1 (PU1), a major extension to the most recent 2022 release. Geared to enhance productivity and the user experience in both 3D and 2D for mechanical machinery and fabrication design users, PU1 was purpose-built with new improvements to empower manufacturing companies and their ability to drive efficiency. The power and flexibility added with this release to IronCAD are significant and can become an essential part of the user’s product development strategy. PU1 for IronCAD 2022 offers enhancements that empower engineers and increase user productivity through improvements to IronCAD’s performance when using the 3D Section Tool, usability for the 3D environment, and time spent for users during the detailing phase.

Below are more specific details about this release:

Quick Links

• Performance and User Interface Improvements
• 2D Detailing in IronCAD Drawing Improvements
• Design Process Improvements
• Component and Collaboration Updates

Performance and User Interface Improvements

3D Graphical Section Performance for Large Data Sets

Major performance improvements using the 3D Section Tool, especially with large data sets such as large machines. In addition, improvements have been made in the usage by automatically enabling the TriBall positioning tools and Default Orientation plane on the initial action to make the tool more intuitive.

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New Integrated 3D Object Viewer

Users are now enabled to use the Object Browser to visually identify catalog items and selected items in the scene browser using a 3D object viewer docked in the IronCAD interface. Thus quickly providing a visual representation of the selected object to help identify the correct element for a given task.

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Quick Restructure of the Assembly Structure Capability

PU1 introduces faster methods to restructure the assembly tree using Ctrl-X/CTRL-v (or CTRL-Shift-V for a place-in-place) to place under the selected item in the Scene Browser. This is a powerful ability in IronCAD to reorder the structure dynamically, and with this new improvement, it has become even faster and easier to update the assembly structure. Pasting on an Assembly will paste it directly inside the assembly at the top node below the assembly. Pasting on a Part will paste it directly below the part (under the same assembly level where the part is located). Pasting when nothing is selected (or on a feature/sketch), will paste the parts/assemblies at the bottom of the scene browser.

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Stretch Assemblies/Parts using a Measurement Tool

Direct Dimension Measure in the Stretch Tool to set the desired stretch distance without having to measure outside of the tool. Users typically want to stretch a model a certain distance from point A to B. With this new option, users can get that distance between A and B within the tool to quickly stretch the model.

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Quick Selection Filter to Access Assemblies

A new selection filter (`) has been added to select the lowest visible assembly in the path which enables quick access to an object’s parent assembly. Simple hold the ` key and click to get the select object parent assembly. Combine this with other selection filters like “Prevent Selection Below” to get the parent shape on click of these objects.

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Toggle Edge Visibility for Hidden, Visible, and No Edge Display

You can now use Ctrl-E (3-phase toggle) to Show Hidden Edges, Hide All Edges (or No Edges), and Show Visible Edges to help control visibility in the 3D, and to allow for speed increases to turn off edges on selected models that slow the performance during rotation.

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Box Select Option for Additive Selection

When box selecting elements in the scene, you may want to use the shift to continuously add to your selection list. Simply hold down the Shift + Tab and continue to box select to get an additive box select behavior.

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Status Setting on Parts/Assemblies

New display options for the Scene Browser have been added to show a series of 4 status types. Using this option, you can define the current design status of parts/assemblies and visually see the status in the scene browser at a glance.

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Scene Browser Display Setting for Internal/External Links

A new Scene Browser filter has been added to show an icon for Internal and External linked shapes to help you easily identify these types of links.

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Pin Favorites in Welcome Dialog

New options to right-click on recent files in the Welcome Dialog to pin the recent file at the top of the list adding it as a favorite. Simply right-click again to remove the favorite tag.

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Right-Click Menu Restructure

The right-click pop-up menus on objects have been restructured to give better access to commands. Commands are now consistently shown at the top of the menu and interactions/properties are located toward the bottom of the menu.

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Reset User Interface Customization

A new command has been added in the Ribbon Bar right-click menu to reset the user interface to the default settings. This provides a useful option to reset to the default.

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Help System Update

Major user interface changes and content changes have been made to the Help System (F1). Use the general F1 to access the home page entry location for useful links to training and our IronCAD Community. Mouse over a command in the Ribbon Bar or start commands and hit F1 to get context-sensitive help which contains additional information and video information(or certain commands) to assist in learning the command.

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2D Detailing in IronCAD Drawing Improvements

Improve Auto-Item Bubble Tool

Enhanced Auto-Item Bubble Tool with more controls for placement of Item Bubbles and improved results to reduce overlapping leader lines. You can set the desired pattern type for the view, control location, and set multiple row creation in the new improved dialog.

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BOM Controls to Show Items Currently Not Item Bubbled

New visibility controls for the BOM to show non-item bubbled rows in the BOM both inside the edit BOM control and with the Item Bubble creation Tool to help users understand what “is” an “is not” item bubbled.

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Position Item Bubble Horizontal/Vertical On Creations

Using the Alt key, you can place item bubbles horizontal and vertical during the creation time. This is useful when manually placing and arranging item bubbles.

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Part Quantity Counts for Externally Linked Assemblies/Parts 

Part quantity support for externally linked parts/assemblies views that are shown in individual drawing sheets having linked references in the main assembly document has been added. To support this, BOM’s have the ability to define a Custom Name. The part quantity string callout references the name to pull the quantity from the correct BOM versus the data from the External Linked File (which in the past would have been incorrect such as a QTY of 1 whereas it is linked multiple times in the main assembly).

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Improved Dimension Display for Spacing and Over/Under Scripts

Improvements in the Smart Dimension tool have been made when working with view scales and dimension spacing along with text placement on over/under scripts.

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Diameter Dimension Outside Arrow/Line Support

The diameter dimension now supports display settings for showing both an outside arrow and a continuous dimension line.

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Horizontal/Vertical Circumference Diameter Dimension

Using the current SmartDimension, you can now click on two horizontal quadrant points on a circle to place a horizontal/vertical dimension with a diameter value.

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Push Individual Style Changes to Global Setting

New options to “push” individual dimension style changes back to the global style which then would apply to all dimensions using the style are now available.

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BOM Table Global Dimension Style Setting 

BOM Decimal Precision control specifically for the BOM versus using the Tools-Options Decimal Precision. Access the BOM Style to set the desired Decimal precision from the BOM.

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Hole Callout Symbol Style Editor

A new Hole Callout Symbol Style Editor has been added to control custom callout symbols and test strings. In the drawing File Menu under, Edit-Styles, you can access the Hole Callout Symbol Styles to create your own style sets for the Hole Callout Tool. Then on the Dimension Styles, you can set the desired style for your dimension style.

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Associative View Broken View Support

Support for associative view Broken View relationships on views to allow edits in one broken view definition will update other associated views has been added. When creating a broken view, you can specify to inherit the broken view to associated views automatically.

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Sheet Names Linked to Property Information

Improvements have been made to the ability to link property information to Sheet names by caching the names and reducing the need to force updates when working with views (creation and updating).

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Detail Views Support for Dimension Lines 

Adding dimensions on Detail views where the dimension needs to be placed outside the detail area on trimmed edges inside the view, will now properly draw the dimension extension lines outside of the detail view.

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Symbol Palette Expanding Rows and Scroll

Users can continue to add many symbols to the symbol palette that is used in the smart dimension tool. This palette will automatically expand to fit the extra symbols. It will also add a scroll bar to allow you to scroll the palette when you have many rows in the property browser window.

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Scene Property Browser Bulk View Templates List Improvements

New capabilities have been added to display the file path on templates in the scene browser Bulk View Template list to help identify the proper template and to remove templates no longer used. At the bottom of the list, there is a new option to edit the list to allow for these customizations. Also if you have duplicate names, a unique identify will be added to the name to denote there are duplicates at different file paths to the templates.

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Design Process Improvements

Sheet Metal Sketch-Bend Support for Inverted Bends

New sheet metal sketch-bend tools (commonly used in corrugated packaging type applications) have been added to support inverted bends.

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Visibility Settings on Sketch Bend Options

Visibility controls in sketch bend for disabled bends and color differentiation for each sketch bend category are now available to help users work with the Sketch Bend tool.

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Parametric Control of Bend Size

A new ability to control bend sizes either to a specific size or parametrically while maintaining an associative relationship to the connected stock edge has been added in IronCAD.

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Structure Part Link Body Support

Link to Body for Structure Part Bodies is now supported which adds a powerful new ability to link to a Part Body in another Part so that changes can be made in one part and updated in the second part.

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Component and Collaboration Updates

Support for the Latest Translator Versions

IronCAD’s Native Translator has been updated to now support the latest versions of the industry-standard formats. Format support is listed below for formats such as SolidWorks, Inventor, Pro/E, Unigraphics, and Catia.

• CATIA V5: V5R8 – V5–6R2022
• Pro/E (CREO): 16 – Creo 8.0
• UG NX: 11 – NX 2007
• Inventor: V11 – V2022
• SolidWorks: 98 – 2022
• SolidEdge: V18 – SE 2022
• JT Import: 8 – 10.2, 10.3(18), and 10.5(19)
• IFC: IFC2x3, IFC4
• Rhino: V2-7

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Multiphysics for IronCAD

Multiphysics for IronCAD has been updated to the latest version that includes improved mesh solving among many other improvements. Details will be shared in a blog post for Multiphysics for IronCAD 2022 PU1.

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IronCAD Mechanical

Updates to the latest version of IronCAD Mechanical including improvements to the Status Manager, Fasteners, Pack and Go, External Link Manager, Export Elements, and many more. Details will be shared in a blog post for IronCAD Mechanical 2022 PU1.

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