LEDAS Adds Movie Recording and Localization to RhinoAssembly

Driven by user requests, RhinoAssembly v.1.1 renders and saves animations, allows use of third-part renderers, and is available in seven languages

Novosibirsk, Russia, April 16, 2010 - LEDAS Ltd., the independent provider of variational design tools, technology components, and software development services for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM market, today announced version 1.1 of its RhinoAssembly plug-in module for Rhinoceros 3D modeling software from Robert McNeel and Associates. RhinoAssembly is the ultimate tool for assembly design and kinematic simulation of mechanisms composed of rigid parts directly in the familiar Rhinoceros 3D design environment.

RhinoAssembly 1.1 introduces several important features: the ability to record movies of animated 3D mechanisms, support for seven languages, integration with several Rhino commands, and general improvements in stability and performance.

“More than 5,000 Rhinoceros users worldwide have downloaded previous versions of our RhinoAssembly plug-in,” said Dmitry Ushakov, Director of Product Management, LEDAS Ltd. “We receive constant feedback from them, which allows us to improve our product based on user requests.”

New Features in RhinoAssembly v.1.1

Version 1.1 adds the ability to record movies of animated 3D mechanisms. Any built-in or plug-in rendering module can be used to generate a sequence of image files corresponding to key frames of the animated mechanism. The images can be converted to a movie with one of many free or commercial software packages available on the market. LEDAS provides a detailed, step-by-step tutorial that describes how to create a simple 3D cartoon from scratch. The tutorial is available at www.DrivingDimensions.com/Rhino/tutorials.php.

Version 1.1 adds several other enhancements to RhinoAssembly. Geometric constraints and driving dimensions can now be copied and pasted. They also can be imported into any Rhino drawing from a 3DM file. The plug-in now supports Rhino’s built-in history (the Record History mode).

RhinoAssembly v1.1 plug-in is now available in the Czech, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish languages, in addition to the original English. The international versions include translations of the installation wizard, user interface elements, system messages, and all help files. The translations were performed by professional translators having rich user experiences with Rhinoceros.

LEDAS invites Rhinoceros users to try out another plug-in called RhinoDirect, which is currently in beta. The new plug-in differs from RhinoAssembly in that it allows Rhinoceros to work with non-rigid solid bodies by modifying them parametrically using geometric constraints and driving dimensions. Version 0.2 of the RhinoDirect beta is now available as a free download from www.DrivingDimensions.com/labs.php.

Availability and Price

A 30-day evaluation version of the RhinoAssembly plug-in can be downloaded at no charge from www.DrivingDimensions.com/Rhino, where visitors will also find detailed on-line help, written and video tutorials, and a set of sample drawings.

Commercial licenses of RhinoAssembly v1.1 may be purchased for US$395 from the Share-it! online store, accessible from www.DrivingDimensions.com/store/Rhino. All customers who bought licenses for version 1.0 may upgrade to v1.1 free of charge.

About RhinoAssembly, Driving Dimensions and LGS 3D

RhinoAssembly plug-in v1.1 is compatible with Rhino 4.0 SR5B and above, and has been thoroughly tested on the 32-bit versions Windows XP, Vista, and 7.

RhinoAssembly v1.1 is based on the latest version of LGS 3D, a geometric constraint solver integrated into a dozen commercial CAD packages. The latest release, version 3.0 of LGS 3D, contains many improvements in stability and performance, which are also available to Rhinoceros users.

Both RhinoAssembly and RhinoDirect belong to the LEDAS Driving Dimensions product line. Driving Dimensions are end-user applications developed by LEDAS as plug-ins for popular 2D and 3D modeling systems. They provide advanced parametrics to programs like SketchUp and Rhinoceros. Driving Dimensions are based on the LEDAS’ Variational Direct Modeling technology for history-free model editing model that preserves design intent. It is expressed by explicit and implicit geometric constraints and driving dimensions (linear, angular, radial).

LGS 3D geometric constraint solver, technology that LEDAS has developed since 2001, is available for licensing to all CAD developers. More information about LGS 3D can be found at www.ledas.com/products/lgs3d, while Driving Dimensions portfolio of end-user applications is presented in details at www.DrivingDimensions.com.

About LEDAS

LEDAS Ltd. is an independent software development company founded in 1999. It is based in the Novosibirsk Scientific Centre in Akademgorodok, Russia at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science. A leader in constraint-based technologies, LEDAS is a well-known provider of computational software components for PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) solutions. Its solutions include geometric constraint solvers for CAD/CAM/CAE, optimization engines for project management, work scheduling and meeting planning software, and interval technologies for knowledge-based engineering and collaborative design. The company also provides services for PLM markets, including software development, consulting, reselling, and education and training.

More information about LEDAS is available at www.ledas.com

RhinoAssembly, RhinoDirect, Driving Dimensions and LGS are trademarks of LEDAS Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.