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3DPowerTools Review

Dennis Shinn

3D CAD modeling is fast becoming the technique of choice for a designers and detailers although uptake remains sluggish in the AEC industry. With respect to AutoCAD, one of the primary hurdles is the steep learning curve associated with the use of native 3D modeling tools AutoCAD provides.

I do a lot of 3D work. In fact almost all my work is done in 3D. In my business of detailing concrete, both precast and cast-in-place, solids modeling has become the primary technique for generating all the finished drawings for practically every project I undertake. Once the tools for creating and manipulating solids primitives become part of one’s vocabulary, the process is far less abstract than ordinary two dimensional drafting.

Even veteran AutoCAD users tend to agree that out-of-the-box, AutoCAD is a rather clumsy, difficult to master 3D modeling application. This has spawned a growth of add-on applications that claim to enhance the 3D capabilities of vanilla AutoCAD. Having started in solids modeling with R12 AutoCAD with the AME, I’ve relied almost exclusively on native AutoCAD commands and tools.

The first question I have to ask of any application making such a claim is: ‘What does it do for me that I can’t already do just as easily using the tools and features already provided in the core AutoCAD software?’ And more importantly, ‘How does it extend or expand the limited editing capabilities of AutoCAD itself?’ Slight improvements in AutoCAD 2000 notwithstanding, editing solids in straight AutoCAD remains a royal pain. Things I look for in an application aimed at using 3D objects in AutoCAD are:

• how well the solids editing capabilities have been addressed and,
• how well it facilitates the creation of solids models.

Try Before You Buy

Evaluation versions (15 day trial) of 3DPowerTools and its derivative 3DPowerToolsViz, are available for free download from two locations. I began looking at the full functioning, time-bombed evaluation version v1.1 of 3DPowerTools. Intermittent distractions timed out the evaluation version before I could examine it thoroughly. 3DPowerTools, Inc. graciously provided an authorized version on which to complete the review.

Electronic delivery provides a self extracting/installing EXE file, which installed painlessly with only one prompt to activate 3DPowerTools autoloading with AutoCAD, which I selected. 3DPowerTools is an ARX application that works with AutoCAD 2000, ADT 2.0 and MDT 4.0.

Toolset

Of 3DPowerTools’ seven toolbars, four open by default and consist of…

• a set of primitive creation buttons,
• a choice of Modifications,
• various Sweep options and,
• a "MetaBar".

On opening AutoCAD, these toolbars are stacked on top of each other in the center of the screen. A cascading presentation would have made the open toolbars a little more obvious. Other toolbars can be opened from the View>Toolbars menu selection as required.

Solid Objects Creation

AutoCAD provides its own toolbar for creating primitives. The difference with 3DPowerTools I that it offers an interactive environment for creating each of the basic ACIS solids primitives. Parameters can be entered at the Command: line in normal fashion or you can drag at each parameter entry using osnaps for accurate definition of the geometry. This is a definite asset in creating primitives such as pyramids and wedges. With respect to visual aids and interactive feedback while drawing solid primitives, 3DPowerTools rates a solid bravo.

3DPowerTools does not create custom solids objects which might affect some users negatively, but at least drawings retain their portability to other AutoCAD users and DXFOut will perform correctly.

There are no Boolean operation commands included in the 3DPowerTools menu pulldown nor any toolbar buttons associated with them. To perform any Boolean operations you use the native AutoCAD commands. The focus of 3DPowerTools’ functionality and feature set appears to be on creating solid primitives and manipulating them in three dimensional space.

Modifications

I saved the drawing below from AutoCAD 2000 in R14 format, opened it in R14, subtracted the interior box from the exterior box to create the window then brought it back into 2000. There were no proxy notifications from AutoCAD anywhere along the way.

The sample drawing consists of a simple flat box or slab which might represent a wall or floor with a rectangular and circular opening.

How easily can we move either or both of the openings or can we move them at all? 3DPowerTools claims to be a "powerful solid and surface editor". I found this to be misleading. I expected to be able to select either the faces of the subtracted rectangle or the box subentity as a whole and move it in one manner or another. I found it impossible to select all four faces of the inner box. 3DPowerTools support advised that was due to an AutoCAD limitation in faces selection—any face that would not be visible given a hidden line view of the model cannot be selected. Confused? I was. Using AutoCAD’s solidedit command, I was able to easily select all four faces of the inner box and move them, with the net effect of moving the opening. It was also impossible to select all the mesh faces of the circular opening using the 3DPowerTools solid/surface editor. Yet the AutoCAD solidedit command worked. 3DPowerTools works fairly well with solids primitives, but is limited with complex composite solids. Native AutoCAD 2000 solidedit provides equal or better results.

[Ed: Jon Tyson of 3DPowerTools. Inc comments that it is possible to select all four faces. "Face selection behavior is more obvious and intuitive when operating in shaded mode. Then all that is required is to rotate the view so that you can see the desired faces. This can be done transparently -- in the middle of the 3DSurfEdit," said Tyson. "It is also possible to select all the mesh faces of the circular opening, in fact you can use the "smart Pick" sub-function to do so with only a couple of clicks. This feature finds a set of faces such that the angles between each is less than some threshold. All of these such faces are selected. These selections take advantage of one of 3DPowerTools' most powerful features -- transparent orbit. In the middle of any command (and in particular, in the middle of the 3DSurfEdit), you can orbit the camera view."]

Part II >>

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