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| Open CASCADE, simulation integrator / News / U.C. Berkeley Adopts Open CASC ... | | U.C. Berkeley Adopts Open CASCADE for Developing Future CAM Applications and Will Contribute New Components to the Open-source Software |
| After three months of evaluation, the University replaces its existing development software with Open CASCADE for reasons of economy, performance and a wealth of 3D modeling functionality |
Paris, May 4, 2001 – After a successful introduction at U.C. Berkeley's Integrated Manufacturing Lab by Dr. Gilles Débarbouillé of the Open CASCADE team during a three-month seminar course for professors and students in mechanical engineering, Open CASCADE becomes the software tool of choice for developing the University's CAM applications and algorithms.
Available free of charge (see: http://www.opencascade.com), the Open CASCADE modeling kernel provides a number of outstanding functions. These include smart pointers (handles) that enable managing memory and preventing memory leaks, a drastic reduction in the number of application source code lines, a selection of collector classes for storing data, efficient means of subdividing complex surfaces, and a highly effective WOK module for recompiling the source code and applying patches.
Impressive convenience and time-saving features lead to a very positive evaluation
A spokesperson for the Department of Mechanical Engineering, headed by Prof. Paul Wright, comments that Open CASCADE was chosen because of its convenience and its numerous time-saving features: "Our focus is on developing small applications for testing and implementing our algorithms. Since we use Windows NT as our development platform, Open CASCADE is ideal because it is easy to develop an application in Visual C++ using wizards."
Since these Open CASCADE wizards provide handy standard features like zooming, panning and data exchange, the University workers can concentrate their efforts on developing their own algorithms rather than wasting time on implementing standard CAD/CAM capabilities. "The applications can be written in the familiar VC++ environment, thus avoiding having to learn a new development environment," continues the spokesperson. "This was a very convenient match for the kind of quick application we needed."
U.C. Berkeley plans to contribute to the enrichment of Open CASCADE software by publishing components that will allow an optimization of surface triangulation. The University will also contribute a new user interface using virtual reality tools that are based on stereoscopic perception and a haptic device.
Open CASCADE provides expert guidance and professional support for the long term
Following completion of the seminar, Dr. Débarbouillé continues to serve as a consultant to the CyberCut and CyberBuild projects of the University's Integrated Manufacturing Laboratory. In addition to these projects, the University plans to collaborate with Open CASCADE in providing development manpower and services to an industrial company for the development of an application that will slash machining preparation time and optimize the machining sequence. Future applications will center on automatic mold design and machining. |
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