Release Notes
License Key
HOOPS Exchange only requires a new license key if you are currently using a key which was generated for a prior major version. For example, developers upgrading from 2016 to 2016 SP1 may use the same key, but those upgrading from 2016 to 2017 need to generate a new key. Please visit the HOOPS Exchange download page if you need to generate a new key. The key is delivered in the file include/A3DSDKLicenseKey.h. Once you have generated a new key, you should copy the file to <EXCHANGE_INSTALL_DIR>/include/.
The expiration date for the generated license key is tied to your contract with Tech Soft 3D. If you have signed a license agreement for HOOPS Exchange, then the license key that is generated will be a perpetual (non-expiring) license key. If you are evaluating HOOPS Exchange, then the license key will expire when your evaluation expires. Evaluation license keys will expire at the end of the evaluation period and are not suitable for production software. Any software that uses an evaluation license key will no longer work after the evaluation period.
HOOPS Exchange releases are not binary compatible with older releases. You must recompile your application when updating to a new version of HOOPS Exchange. Please see the Distributing Your Application section for an up-to-date list of binaries required for distribution.
HOOPS Exchange 2017 SP2 U2
Fixed Bugs
Issue Number | Description |
---|---|
29270 | Parsing error when reading IPT file in tess only. |
29593 | Cyrillic characters get lost at Export |
30087 | NX 10 and PMI Issue |
29783 | CATIA PMI: Datum Targets are not converted |
28638 | CV5 PMI: CAX-IF / Missing datum targets |
27994 | STEP file Twisted Face |
30026 | Error loading ACIS binary file |
29270 | Parsing error when reading IPT file in tess only. |
29593 | Cyrillic characters get lost at Step Export |
30087 | NX 10 and PMI Issue |
29896 | JT Tessellation files read empty |
29132 | NX Point is represented as two identical items in Hoops Demo Viewer |
29129 | NX Datum Planes not showing up in Hoops Demo Viewer |
29775 | Increased sewing time for some files in 2017 SP2 |
29506 | SW hidden and suppressed parts are visible in BREP mode |
29947 | 3dm breps with units in feet are handled incorrectly |
28222 | Crash with Ideas file with VS2013 builds |
29131 | NX Model missing Datum Axis in HDV |
30008 | Unable to import solidworks assembly |
29565 | face based on revolution surface is not displayed in a step file |
29580 | Bad faces exporting a Step file to parasolid |
29583 | Wrong parasolid exported from a step file |
29584 | Wrong parasolid exported from a step file |
Enhancements
Parasolid
Import Parasolid parts directly into Exchange. New API to import Parasolid parts directly into HOOPS Exchange. Please see A3DPkPartsTranslateToA3DAsmModelFile for more information.
HOOPS Exchange 2017 SP2 U1
HOOPS Exchange 2017 SP2 U1 is a bug-fix release only.
Fixed Bugs
Issue Number | Description |
---|---|
27553 | Creo PMI issue |
28638 | CV5 PMI issue |
29269 | CV5 PMI issue |
29537 | NX PMI issue |
29615 | A3DAsmGetFilesPathFromModelFile issue |
29693 | Export to StepZ issue |
29756 | NX PMI issue |
HOOPS Exchange 2017 SP2
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Catia V5 | V5_6R2017 |
Inventor | Inventor 2018 |
Parasolid | v30 |
Acis | 2017.1 (R27) |
Enhancements
Parasolid
Faceted geometry import. HOOPS Exchange can import Parasolid files (v28.1 to v30.0) with faceted data. (Our Parasolid connector is not mandatory.)
Faceted geometry export. Our Parasolid connector* can export tessellated data into Parasolid. This new capability allows users to:
- Re-use faceted data from STL, IFC, VRML, U3D or CGR files directly in Parasolid.
- Load faceted data into Parasolid for specific assembly nodes where no B-rep is available. This is particularly useful for certain data types
in native CAD files, such as:
- Assembly-level features
- Creo family tables
- Missing files in Solidworks assemblies
*This function is available with Parasolid v28.1 and later.
iOS Platform Parasolid Export. The HOOPS Exchange iOS package can now export data into Parasolid.
Healing Performance. Healing performance in the Parasolid connector has been improved by a factor of 2 (when compared to the 2017 SP1 release).
IGES
Export to IGES is now available on the iOS platform.
Step
HOOPS Exchange users can now:
- Export to Step on the iOS platform.
- Export tessellated Geometry into AP242. This includes tessellated solids, shells, wires, and point sets.
- Export to STPZ (compressed Step file)
- Export the following file attributes: User Name, Organization Name, and Authorization Name
Semantic PMI (Import / Export) Enhancements. It's now possible to:
- Manage geometric tolerance with Maximum Tolerance on GD&T.
- Manage shape representation with a new parameter on Datum Target.
STL
Units. By default, there are no units in an STL file. Previously, HOOPS Exchange assumed that the generated STL file would use the initial CAD model unit. There is now an option to force the implicit unit used. See A3DRWParamsExportStlData for more details.
Ascii/Binary Naming Differences. For Ascii files, Exchange reads all solids and saves them as separate bodies, using the name field from "solid" as the body name. For binary files, Exchange now uses the header field as the body name.
Functionality Enhancements
Feature Tree (Beta Version). The Feature Tree represents all the steps that have been taken to create the final Part. As of this release, a new import mode has been included to read the Feature Tree and provide hole definition and pattern information for Catia V5, Creo, and NX.
Sewing Improvements.
- Performance of the sewing algorithm has been improved by a factor of 2 to 5, depending on files.
- The sewing algorithm now splits 3D curves on discontinuity.
- Sliver faces are better managed.

Hidden Line Removal. Hidden Line Removal functionality has been enriched with a new option to remove tan edges.
Tessellation Creation. By default, an algorithm is used to remove all duplicated points when creating an A3DTessBase object. This can result in slower performance; A3DTessBaseSetNoHash has been added to skip this pre-process phase when creating an A3DTessBase.
Package and Documentation
Binaries. The list of DLLs to distribute on 64-bit Windows has changed. sc_utils.dll is no longer mandatory for HOOPS Publish users who want to export 3D Data into HTML or SCS.
Samples. All samples have been modified to unify Linux and Windows input parameters and to use log files. The PRC2XML sample has been modified to traverse material properties and the Feature Tree. A new sample IOSWriter has been added to the iOS package.
Documentation Updates:
- New search functionality has been added to the API Reference. This feature is available with or without an internet connection.
- A new getting started guide for Parasolid users has been added to the Programming Guide.
Fixed Bugs
File Format / Component | Description |
---|---|
3DXML | Parsing issue fixed |
ACIS | Some Sab File parsing issues have been fixed.
Some Export issues fixed Update to 2017 version Problem with 3D Curve when Importing Sat file |
IDEAS | Parsing and Reading issues have been fixed. |
IFC | Better memory mangement when reading Pipe
MAPPED_ITEM support |
JT | Issue fixed - PMI / Geometry linked |
Kernel | Improve Hidden Line removal function on sectioned model
Sewing and sliver face functionality Remove potential Crash in the ComputeArea function Minor change to CopyAndAdaptBrep |
NX | Lightweight models referenced by RefSet are ignored if B-rep is available.
Issue fixed to retrieve file path. |
Parasolid-based formats | Changes evaluating blend and intersection curves near degeneracies |
Creo | Fixed issue reading xas file
When possible, the B-rep is loaded instead of the tessellation with Pro/E Boolean operations |
SolidEdge | Specific Linux 64-bit issue fixed |
SolidWorks | New flag to detect empty configuration
Fixed transformation issue with nested assembly and configuration Fixed an issue to retrieve file paths Windows x86-specific reading issue |
STEP | Problem Reading StepZ File on linux x86
Step AP242 Export issue : Bad Link between PMI and Geometry Step Export unit |
STL | New option to define the implicit unit used in Export Scaling |
V5 | New symbols supported in the TS3D Font |
HOOPS Exchange 2017 SP1 U2
Fixed Bugs
Issue Number | Description |
---|---|
28051 | PRC issue |
28162 | Forward PRC compatibility |
28238 | ACIS export issue |
28299 | Solidedge Assembly issue |
28506 | Forward PRC compatibility |
28810 | STEP export issue |
28821 | Catia V5 issue |
28919 | Catia V5 issue |
28932 | SolidEdge issue |
28956 | SolidEdge issue |
28973 | VRML issue |
29024 | ACIS issue |
29081 | Solidworks Default View support |
29101 | STEP export issue |
29144 | Catia V5 issue |
HOOPS Exchange 2017 SP1 U1
Fixed Bugs
Issue Number | Description |
---|---|
27593 | CV5 reading issue |
27757 | CAT Drawing – Line Pattern |
27891 | 3DXML Color issue |
27893 | 3D XML visibility issue |
27918 | JT ULP |
27953 | JT - Fix PMI link with geometry |
28314 | Step Export – scale issue |
28652 | STL read on Linux |
28840 | Solidworks reading issue |
28457 | Creo reading issue |
28828 | Loop closing algorithm |
28816 | DLL Minor version |
Other Enhancements
- Parasolid Bridge: Increased performance by a factor of 2 when activating healing
- A3DComputeOrthoHLROnModelFile3: Ability to detect Tan edges. Please note, A3DComputeOrthoHLROnModelFile2 has been deprecated.
- A3DGlobalFontTextTessellationGet: Improvement on Linux
- Step Writer: Improved writing of semantic PMI
- SolidWorks: User-defined camera support
- Removed hps_core.dll and hsfstep30.dll from the package. The HSF importer is now included in a3dpostergeneration.dll
HOOPS Exchange 2017 SP1
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Creo | 4.0 |
New Formats
HSF
- HOOPS Exchange now supports the HOOPS Stream Format.
File Reader Enhancements
STEP
- Semantic PMI are now supported for both read and write operations.
ACIS
- Custom attributes are now supported.
Rhino
- 2D & 3D wires are now supported.
JT
- Semantic PMI information can be retrieved as an attribute.
Functionality Enhancements
- We've made some improvements to our sewing algorithms, including increased performance and improvements to detecting and deleting small silver faces.
- Our healing algorithm has also been improved to correct face orientation when reading STEP files.
Special Notes
Compilation update: const qualifiers have been removed from structure fields. This change may generate some compiler errors in your code and require some minor adjustments.
Packaging update: We now offer two packages on Windows for the following compilers:
- Visual Studio 2015
- Visual Studio 2013
Please note, the Visual Studio 2013 package will be discontinued in HOOPS Exchange 2018 (to be released in November 2017).
We also offer two packages on Linux for the following operating systems and compilers:
- CentOS 5.11 using glibc 2.5
- CentOS 6.8 using glibc 2.12
The CentOS 5.11 package will be discontinued in HOOPS Exchange 2018 (November 2017).
If you have any concerns with these changes, please contact our support team.
HOOPS Exchange 2017 U2
HOOPS Exchange 2017 U2 is a bug-fix release only.
Fixed Bugs
Issue Number | Description |
---|---|
26075 | Publish template: fix issue with data field |
26843 | SLW unit in Incremental load: fix issue |
27764 | SLW Physical properties unit: fix issue |
27799 | JT Brep face creation error: loading tessellation instead of B-Rep |
28025 | ACIS Export: fix issue |
28029 | Poster Generation Improvement in memory management |
28116 | JT Brep face creation error: loading tessellation instead of B-Rep |
HOOPS Exchange 2017 U1
HOOPS Exchange 2017 U1 is a bug-fix release only.
Fixed Bugs
Issue Number | Description |
---|---|
26843 | Solidworks Config product occurrence importing in mm. |
27764 | For SolidWorks files physical property can be given in the wrong unit. |
HOOPS Exchange 2017
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
SolidWorks | 2017 |
Solid Edge | ST9 |
NX | 11 |
New Export Formats
JT
- HOOPS Exchange can now export JT 9.5 files. This new version also supports views, PMI, mesh and exact geometry.
3MF
- The 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF) is a 3D printing format. HOOPS Exchange can now export to 3MF.
With the exception of digital signatures and thumbails, everything defined in the core specification of this format is supported.
Our 3MF exporter also supports textures, colors & texture groups as defined in the materials & properties extensions. (Version 1.0).HOOPS Exchange 2017 uses lib3mf; please see the Acknowledgments page for license and copyright information.
New Functionality
Multi-cores usage for CAD assemblies import
- HOOPS exchange can now use multiple processes when loading Assemblies. This is a new option that significantly improves performance.
More specifically, this version improves performance when reading V5, NX, ProE, SolidWorks and JT assembly files.
To use the multiprocess loading mode, you need to define a number of processes to use in A3DRWParamsGeneralData::m_iNbMultiProcess.
Please note that this option will not improve performance when reading parts.
- With Exchange 2017, there are 6 readers which support the incremental loading mode: Catia V4, Catia V5, Creo, I-deas, NX, and SolidWorks.
Multi-cores usage for Parasolid export
- Parasolid users can now export Parasolid data in their session using multiple processes. Please see the function A3DRepresentationItemsTranslateToPkPartsMultiProcess for more details.
Representation Item modification
- New functionalities have been included in the product to easily edit existing representation items, including sets, pointsets, directions, coordinates systems, curves, planes, BrepModels and PolyBrepModels.
Enhancements
Creo
- Screen-located PMI support has been improved.
ACIS Import
- Some changes have been done to better manage color.
- Some limitations when saving ACIS b-rep into PRC have been removed.
Inventor Import
- Some limitations when saving b-rep in Inventors files into PRC have been removed.
SolidWorks
- Fixed some issues related to a specific SolidWorks Education version.
- Hierachical configuration management has been improved.
STEP
- Different fields are now used to retrieve product name in STEP files.
- Plane can now be written as GEOMETRICALLY_BOUNDED_SURFACE_REPRESENTATION with our exporter.
- Several general bug fixes and improvements to our STEP reader and writer.
NX
- Some issues have been fixed with NX files that embed JT data.
Others
- General improvements have been done in the following functionalities:
- Sewing
- Copy and adapt b-rep
- Simplify surface as analytics
- Physical props computations
- Parasolid Bridge
HOOPS Exchange 2016 SP2 U2
Functionality Enhancements
- A new function has been added to determine if a Markup is described in the screen coordinate system: A3DMarkupPositionIsScreenLocation.
- An executable has been added in our binaries directory to export Parasolid files using Multi-process; see the function A3DRepresentationItemsTranslateToPkPartsMultiProcess.
Fixed Bugs
Issue Number | Description |
---|---|
27359 | Error when loading an NX file with PMI |
27375 | Error when loading a Creo file with PMI |
27388 | Error when loading a V5 file with PMI |
27331 | Issue when using HLR functionality on Linux |
27412 | Fixed issue managing persistent ID on V5 - Files failed to load |
HOOPS Exchange 2016 SP2
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Inventor | 2017 |
CATIA V5-6 | 2016 |
File Reader Enhancements
STEP
- New options have been added to read, compute, and compare STEP validation properties. This can be used when importing or exporting a STEP file.
- Color is now better managed.
- Issues related to link PMI with edges have been fixed.
Parasolid
- Parasolid customers now have the ability to use multi-process when exporting assemblies into Parasolid.
Creo
- Better management of screen notes.
Inventor
- Inventor files created from tessellated formats such as STL are now supported.
Functionality Enhancements
- The Mobile SDK is now available. Android and iOS platforms are now supported. With this initial version, only STEP, JT, PRC, IGES, Parasolid, IFC, and U3D import are supported. Export is not available. One sample for each platform, PRC2XML, is included which converts any supported CAD format to an XML file.
- The HLR functionality has been improved to better manage models with sections. Oriented loops are now returned which allows the developer to easily create hatching.
- Our sewing algorithm has been improved.
- Bugs have been fixed in our CopyAndAdaptBrep function.
- A new function, A3DRiRepresentationItemEditCoordinateSystem, has been added to modify an existing representation item.
Other
- To ensure consistency across the API of the product, some function names have been modified in this release. If you use these APIs, then you will need to modify your source code in order to move to this release. A sample python script has been included in the tools folder to help facilitate this change.
HOOPS Exchange 2016 SP1 U3
File Reader Enhancements
3DXML
- Fixed various issues
CATIA V5
- Support of V5_6R2016
- PMI improvements
NX
- Improved file support
Solidworks
- Fix view scale issue
Functionality Enhancements
- Improved A3DGetFileFormat
- Fixed problem with A3DComputePlanarSectionOnModelFile and A3DComputePlanarSectionOnRepresentationItem
- Fixed problem in A3DFaceUVPointInside
- Add "report callback" to sample ImportExport
- PMI support: Dimensions, values, and tolerances are now expressed in the units defined by the A3DMDDimensionValueFormatData.m_iUnit and A3DMDDimensionValueFormatData.m_dGlobFact fields.
Special note
For Linux users: please create a symbolic link named libA3DLIBS.so pointing to libA3DLIBS.9.1.3.so.
Parasolid users: ParasolidWorkShop is now part of the package. It's used optionally when exporting data to Parasolid using A3DAsmModelFileTranslateToPkParts or A3DRepresentationItemTranslateToPkParts. ParasolidWorkShop 27.0.111 for Windows and Linux is located in the bin folder of the package.
HOOPS Exchange 2016 SP1 U2
File Reader Enhancements
CatiaV5
- Fixed various issues regarding CGR files.
STEP
- Fixed an issue that occurred when exporting surfaces with several loops
Functionality Enhancements
- Fixed a problem with the A3DAsmModelFileCompare function.
- Changed the A3DGlobalFontTextTessellationGet function to return oriented loops when tessellating glyphs.
HOOPS Exchange 2016 SP1
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
STEP export | AP242 |
ACIS | 25 & 26 |
Parasolid | 28.1 |
File Reader Enhancements
CATIA V5
- Fix for conversion issues on a CV5 R21 file
- Fix for conversion issue ReadHiddenObjects=true
- Improvement on the CV5 mirrored entities management
- Improvement on a CATIA V5 file taking a long time to import
- Fix on a CATIA V5 file that was not converted
- Several bug fixes and improvements
Creo
- A new option has been added to hide datum when construction entities are loaded. See A3DRWParamsProEData::m_bDisplayVisibleDatum. Please note that the default behavior has changed compared to the previous version. Set this Boolean to true to retain the previous behavior.
- Our reader now supports notes parallel to the screen. This is managed by a new parameter m_bHandlePMIScreenLocation.
- Several bug fixes on reader and PMI
JT
- Fix for conversion issue on specific parts
STEP
- Improvement related to the support of the validation properties
- Improvement on the management of STEP AP 242 compressed files
- Improvement on the management of the PMI cross highlight (geometry/PMI)
- Several general bug fixes and improvements on our STEP reader and writer
SolidWorks
- Specific files containing variable patterns are now supported
- Several bug fixes and improvements
Solid Edge
- Several bug fixes and improvements related to sheet metal alternate assemblies
IFC
- Specific files containing Boolean operations are now properly converted
- Fix for specific IFC conversion issue
All formats
- The m_ucBehaviour parameter on product occurrences is now set as "For future use". We recommend you use the information provided on m_uiProductFlags rather than in m_ucBehaviour as in previous versions.
Functionality Enhancements
Persistent IDs
The new function A3DASMProductOccurrenceGetIdentifier has been introduced to retrieve persistent IDs on assembly nodes. This function should be used instead of using A3DRootBaseData::m_uiPersistentId on product occurrences.
Incremental load
The existing incremental load function has been enhanced and changed. A new function, A3DAsmModelFileUnloadParts, to unload parts has been introduced. This function can load or unload only leaf nodes. The function A3DProductOccurenceUnload is deprecated.
Parasolid bridge
- Many general improvements have been made to the quality of our Parasolid bridge
- Some fixes and improvements in our healing algorithm
- Healing, sewing, and merging operations can now be done after translating data to Parasolid using A3DHealPkParts
- Additional attributes, colors, and layer information can be stored directly inside Parasolid parts. See A3DRWParamsTranslateToPkPartsData::m_bUseColour2Attribute, A3DRWParamsTranslateToPkPartsData::m_bUseUTF8ForNameAttribute, and A3DRWParamsTranslateToPkPartsData::m_bUseLayerAttribute
Density
Support of density has been improved
HOOPS Exchange 2016
New License Code
As HOOPS Exchange Publish 2016 is a major release, the license code used in previous versions will no longer work. Please generate a new licence code from the Tech Soft 3D Developer Zone.
File Reader Enhancements
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Solid Edge | ST8 |
SolidWorks | 2016 |
Functionality Updates
Creo
- The default behavior for loading a file with a family table has changed. Generic representations will no longer be loaded by default. See Creo reader file format guide for details.
- New home view setting allows you to create a view that is equivalent to the state in which the file has been saved. See A3DRWParamsSpecificLoadData::m_sProE::m_bComputeHomeView.
- Several bug fixes on reader and PMI
- Several enhancements related to memory leaks and PMI
SolidWorks
- Several enhancements related to configuration, memory, and PMI
- Several bug fixes
Inventor
- Several enhancements related to B-rep mode
- Several bug fixes
- Support added for using embedded tessellation instead of generating it from B-rep for Inventor file. See Inventor reader file format guide for details.
JT
- Support for JT file created from Daimler NX version (JT Version 10.0 DM 8.1.3.3)
- Enhancement density and PMI views
CATIA V5
- Persistent IDs now supported
- Several enhancements related to reader performance
- Enhancement related to graphical PMI
- Enhancement related to markup linked items
- Several bug fixes
NX
- Support for files created by NX Daimler version 10.0.4
- Several bug fixes to reader and PMI
IGES
- Enhancement to orientation computation
- Several bug fixes
Parasolid
- Support for persistent ID on topological entities
- Now supports connection between PMI and Parasolid B-rep
- Several bug fixes on both the reader and writer
STEP, Solid Edge, PDF, IFC
- Several bug fixes to these readers
Enhancements
- The HOOPS Exchange API will now avoid splitting parametric surfaces. You can now compute parametric curve that cross periodic surface boundaries. The result is better performance and a better overall model, as the topology of the B-rep doesn't change (previously, a split could cut a cylinder in two half cylinders).
- There are general improvements in performance and quality with our AdaptAndReplaceAllBrepInModelFile function.
- HOOPS Exchange is now about to detect degenerate surfaces or continuous surfaces. See API functions A3DSurfIsDegenerated and A3DSurfIsG1Continuous.
New API functions
New data structures added to A3DMiscMaterialPropertiesData
Other data structures, fields, and types
New error messages
Functional Changes
- A3DAsmProductOccurrenceData::m_uiAssemblyMaterialAndVisualisationSetupSize removed
- A3DAsmProductOccurrenceData::m_psAssemblyMaterialAndVisualisationSetup removed
HOOPS Exchange 2015 Service Pack 2
File Reader Enhancements
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Inventor | 2016 |
CATIA | V5-6 R2015 (R25) |
Enhancements
Creo
- Skeleton entities are now set as hidden by default, however, there is a new import parameter to set them as visible, if needed: m_bHideSkeletons.
SOLIDWORKS
- Several enhancements related to configuration management
- Bug fixes
Inventor
- Several enhancements related to B-rep
- Bug fixes
JT
- Enhancement related to markup linked item
- Enhancement related to PMI cross highlighting with geometry
- Enhancement related to PMI filtering
Solid Edge
- Enhancement related to assembly feature support
- Bug fixes
CATIA
- Several performance enhancements with buffered data support
- Enhancements on graphical PMI data
- Enhancements on markup linked item
- Bug fixes
NX
- Enhancements on tree structure
- Better support of reference sets
- Better support for PMI
- Bug fixes
IGES
- Enhancements on orientation computation
- Bug fixes
STEP
- Enhancements on orientation computation
- Bug fixes
Functional Changes
- HOOPS Exchange on Windows can now be built with either Visual Studio 2012 and 2013 - you will have to provide the corresponding redistributable on the target machine. Visual Studio 2008 is no longer supported. On Linux, HOOPS Exchange is now built with gcc 4.8.2 and glib 2.5.
Enhancements
- HOOPS Exchange now provides original file paths and located file paths using A3DAsmProductOccurrenceGetOriginalFilePathName.
- HOOPS Exchange now provides fields representing density. The density fields A3DAsmProductOccurrenceData::m_dDensityVolumeUnit and A3DAsmProductOccurrenceData::m_dDensityMassUnit have been designed to work with the following formats: CV5, NX, Creo, JT, SOLIDWORKS, SolidEdge, Inventor.
- HOOPS Exchange now offers a function to compute hidden lines, A3DComputeOrthoHLROnModelFile.
- A new function, A3DMiscGetBoundingBox enables you to compute the AABB of a native CAD file. This function works with the following formats: CV5, NX, JT, SOLIDWORKS, Solid Edge, Inventor.
- HOOPS Exchange now provides the function A3DGetFileInformation to get file information from CV5 or SOLIDWORKS files without the need to perform a full conversion.
- HOOPS Exchange now provides the function A3DExtractFileThumbnail to extract the file thumbnail image from CV5 or SOLIDWORKS files.
- HOOPS Exchange now provides new functions to easily access A3DTopoBrepData sub-items:
- A3DTopoBrepDataGetFaces
- A3DTopoBrepDataGetEdges
- A3DTopoFaceGetShell
- A3DTopoLoopGetFace
- A3DTopoCoedgeGetLoop
- A3DTopoEdgeGetCoEdges
- A3DTopoEdgeGetSurfaces
- A3DTopoEdgeGetOrCompute3DCurve
- A3DCrvEvaluatePointAndNormal
- The HOOPS Exchange Parasolid direct export has been enhanced to better manage accurate edges for better performance.
- Face_Self_Int consistency issues have been reduced
- A new option to better respect the assembly structure has been added - A3DRWParamsExportParasolidData::m_BStringAssemblyStructure
HOOPS Exchange 2015 Service Pack 1
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
SOLIDWORKS | 2015 |
JT | 10 |
Parasolid | 27 |
NX | 10 |
Enhancements
CATIA V5
- Dimensioning and markup/model links have been improved.
- Piping elements are now supported.
Creo
- User simplified representations are now managed.
- Dimension positioning, markup/geometry links, and management of assembly part visibility by views has been improved.
- Family tables are now supported.
NX
- View filtering has been improved.
IFC
- A new Boolean field, m_bFACETED_BREPAsOneFace has been added to A3DRWParamsIFCData. If this field is true, our reader will merge all facets in a face to a single face, which boosts performance when loading IFC files.
Parasolid Connector
- Healing can now be enabled or disabled in A3DAsmModelFileTranslateToPkParts. See field A3DRWParamsTranslateToPkPartsData::m_eHealing.
- New enhancement to ensure Parasolid data remains unmodified when extracted from Parasolid-based formats (NX, SOLIDWORKS, and Solid Edge).
- An option has been added to allow you to choose between loading "tolerant" or "accurate" entities. See field A3DRWParamsTranslateToPkPartsData::m_eComputeAccurateEdges.
Shattered assemblies
Our shattered assemblies function can now support:
- NX models that contain reference sets
- SOLIDWORKS files that contain configurations
- Creo files that contain family tables
Point cloud projection
- Instantiated data can now be managed using A3DProjectPointCloudManagerCreateFromRI.
- Point clouds can now be projected onto tessellated meshes and edges.
- A new API function is available to project point clouds - A3DProjectPointCloudOnModelFile.
- Various bug fixes
Functional Changes
- HOOPS Exchange now uses Visual Studio 2013. This means you need to include Visual Studio 2013 redistributables with your application.
- Windows XP is no longer supported.
HOOPS Exchange 2015 Update 1
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
NX | 9.0.2 |
Enhancements
CATIA V5
- Improved performance
- Piping is now supported
- Several bug fixes such as conversion issues, PMI cross highlighting, hidden objects
SOLIDWORKS
- Improved performance
- Configuration management enhancement
- Several bug fixes
Functional Changes
- ProjectPointCloud function accuracy enhancement
- Piping support for sample viewer
- SOLIDWORKS and Inventor textures only available in tessellation reading mode (no B-rep support)
- Several bug fixes in NX, ACIS, and JT readers
- DLL versioning 8.0.1
HOOPS Exchange 2015
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Autodesk Inventor | 2015 |
Solid Edge | ST7 |
Catia V5-6 | 2014 |
Creo | Parametric 3.0 |
Enhancements
Parasolid
A new Parasolid bridge is available which leverages the native Parasolid binaries to provide healing as a part of the export process. The result is a higher quality model. You are also able to export directly to an open Parasolid session. See the Programming Guide section 4.2.1 for details.
SOLIDWORKS
Our SOLIDWORKS reader now supports diffuse textures and views. Improved support for PMI.
IFC reader
Our IFC reader has a new option pertaining to faceted B-rep. Previously, a single face would be generated for each triangle imported as a part of a faceted B-rep structure. Now, the reader will merge collections of faceted triangles into a single entity by default. You can control this behavior by altering the m_bFACETED_BREPAsOneFace member in the A3DRWParamsIFCData structure.
NX9
Our NX reader PMI support is improved.
Creo
Better management of markup data positioning.
JT
Our JT file reader now supports ULP (Ultra-Lightweight Precise) B-rep as well as LODs.
Autodesk Inventor
The Autodesk Inventor reader now supports diffuse textures.
Functional Changes
IFC Improvements
- GUIDs are now included with the minimal set of attributes when loading IFC files.
- Performance has been improved.
Parasolid export
When exporting Parasolid models, we now keep the topology as close as possible to the original topology in order to prevent topological artifacts.
HOOPS Exchange - v7.2 Changes
Enhancements
Platform updates
CentOS 6.5 is now supported.
Autodesk Inventor reader can now import B-rep
B-rep may now be imported from Autodesk Inventor files. The functionality is provided in beta status.
Please note that this feature may impact the reading of Inventor files in kA3DReadGeomAndTess mode.
Parasolid Export Improvements
By employing a variety of healing techniques, we've continued to improve the quality of our Parasolid export. In addition, if the source file was Parasolid based (i.e. NX, JT, SOLIDWORKS, or Solid Edge) then we'll make extreme efforts to provide the original Parasolid data when you export to Parasolid.
View and PMI Improvements
There has been continued improvements in our visual PMI support with the main focus being CV5, NX, and Creo.
File Reader Improvements
- Our Rhino reader now supports external references.
- Extensive quality improvements have been made to both the Rhino and SAT readers.
Functional changes
STEP importer
Our STEP importer now disables healing by default. Healing can be enabled using the m_bHealOrientations flag.
The STEP importer flag m_bSplitSHELL_BASED_SURFACE_MODEL flag controls whether each logical body is put into a separate B-rep entity. Please note that this flag is set to true by default, thus in order to achieve similar results to HOOPS Exchange 7.1.0, this flag should be set to false.
HOOPS Exchange - v7.1 Changes
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Siemens PLM NX Software | 9.0 |
Enhancements
Better File Management Handling
A new API (A3DAsmGetFilesPathFromModelFile
) has been introduced which allows developers to query the file dependencies of a particular assembly. It also returns a missing file list which is the list of files referenced by the assembly that HOOPS Exchange cannot find.
Parasolid Export Improvements
By employing a variety of healing techniques we've continued to improve the quality of our Parasolid export. In addition, if the source file was Parasolid based (i.e. NX, JT, SOLIDWORKS, or Solid Edge) then we'll make extreme efforts to provide the original Parasolid data when you export to Parasolid.
View and PMI Improvements
There has been continued improvements in our visual PMI support with the main focus being CV5, NX and Creo.
STEP Import Improvements
We now use some of the healing capabilities available in HOOPS Exchange to address common problems with STEP files related to face and edge orientation problems.
JT Export now includes View and PMI Support
In this release we extended our JT exporter so that it also exports any Views or PMI that is included with the model.
IFC Improvements
We implemented some optimizations within our IFC reader which will improve loading time with many IFC files.
HOOPS Exchange - v7.0 Changes
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Parasolid | v26.0 |
Solid Edge | ST6 |
SOLIDWORKS | 2014 |
STEP | AP 242 |
Enhancements
Physical Properties Calculation
A new set of APIs (A3DCurveLength
and A3DComputeFaceArea
) have been introduced which allow you to calculate the length of edges and the surface area of faces, in addition to existing features which allow to calculate the surface of parts and the volume and center of gravity of parts.
Exact Sectioning
A new set of APIs (A3DComputePlanarSectionOnModelFile
and A3DComputePlanarSectionOnRepresentationItem
) allow you to cross section a model. The APIs return the exact curves representing the outline of the section as well as the triangles which will represent the interior of the section.
Compare Functionality
A new set of APIs (A3DCompareFaces
, A3DCompareFacesInBrepModels
and A3DComputeFaceArea
) have been added which allow you to check for geometrical differences between two parts. The APIs not only tell you if two parts differ geometrically but also can provide triangles representing the differences between the two models.
Optimizations to approximation of geometry as analytics
A new API (A3DSimplifyModelFileWithAnalytics
) allows you to specify which analytics you want to consider approximating a geometry as. For example, excluding whether you want to approximate a surface as a torus can significantly improve the performance of this function.
Welding and Frame Support in Solid Edge
Our Solid Edge reader will now import Welding and Frame data.
View and PMI Improvements
There has been significant improvements in our visual PMI support with a particular focus on CV5, NX and Creo. In addition to bug fixes we now support exploded views for Creo.
Progress Bar Improvements
Improvements were made to the progress bar so that it will more accurately reflect the progress on an import or export operation.
HOOPS Exchange - v6.10 Changes
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
ACIS | Up to v23.0 |
Autodesk Inventor | 2014 |
CATIA V5 | V5-6R2013 |
Enhancements
Ease of Use Improvements
A new set of APIs have been introduced which make it much easier for developers to initialize HOOPS Exchange, to read in a file and to also export a file. With this API a developer can turn a CATIA V5 file into a Parasolid file with just a couple of lines of code. Please refer to the new sample ImportExport for an example of how to use these APIs.
JT Export of PMI Data
Our JT export will now include any of the PMI data that is included in the model.
Tessellate Text Strings
A new function A3DGlobalFontTextTessellationGet()
has been added which allows developers to turn a text string with a font definition into a series of triangles. A common use-case here is a developer using this API to turn PMI text data into triangles for use in their visualization system.
Remove BREP information in PRC/PDF export
Developers can now easily remove the BREP definition prior to export to PRC to PDF. This allows developers to potentially sensitive information independent of the import settings.
Honor NX and Creo Application Settings
Developers can now request that our provided View definition with NX files honors the default application "single click" view activation behavior. While in Creo you can now request that the default PMI coloring is the same as the default setting in the version of Creo which authored the file.
HOOPS Exchange - v6.00 Changes
New Platform Support
Platform | Architecture | Operating System | Compiler |
---|---|---|---|
osx_x64 | x64 | Mac OS X 10.7 | gcc/g++ 4.2.1 |
New Import Formats
Format | Supported Versions |
---|---|
All | |
Rhino | 4, 5 |
Note, in the current implementation PDF is not supported via the standard read API (i.e. A3DAsmModelFileLoadFromFile()
). Instead Developers must first use the function A3DGet3DPDFStreams()
to extract the PRC/U3D data from the PDF document and then provide this data to appropriate Exchange or Publish API. An example of using this API is provided in the samples\publish\publishsource\DemoFunctionalities sample.
New Export Formats
Format |
---|
JT |
VRML |
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Siemens PLM NX Software | 8.5 |
Enhancements
Healing and Model Preparation for B-rep export
To address some issues for Parasolid and ACIS customers we now do significant post-processing of the data prior to exporting it to Parasolid or ACIS. This has particular impact when dealing with data which originated in IGES files.
Special handling for IGES Data
IGES data is now pre-processed to address issues which were previously impacting import success rates. This includes dealing with corrupt files as well as using advanced geometric algorithms to massage the data. These geometric algorithms include fixing B-rep orientation errors, closing open loops, adjusting tolerances, etc. This pre-processing has resulted in a slight increase in import time. Developers can also use the new Sew API (see below) to turn logical sets of surfaces into closed solids.
New Sew API
A new API A3DSewBrep()
has been added which will sew a series of sheet bodies. The API will create either a Solid or Sheet body depending on the structure of the provided data. A higher-level function A3DAsmModelFileSew()
has also been added which will perform a sew on all appropriate entities in a given model file.
Semantic PMI improvements
Our semantic PMI structures have been enhanced to allow developers to determine the plane that a particular plane/axes associated with a particular datum.
Ignore hidden attribute when exporting to Parasolid
Developers can now request that our Parasolid writer exports all entities regardless of the value of their hidden attribute.
HOOPS Exchange - v5.30 Changes
Format Updates
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
SOLIDWORKS | 2013 |
Enhancements
New Tessellation Controls
Two new parameters have been added for controlling tessellation:
- m_bUseHeightInsteadOfRatio
When m_eTessellationLevelOfDetail is set to kA3DTessLODUserDefined and m_bUseHeightInsteadOfRatio is set to TRUE, the tessellation algorithm is controlled by the m_dMaxChordHeight value. m_dMaxChordHeight specifies the maximum distance between a tessellation triangle and the actual surface geometry.
When m_bUseHeightInsteadOfRatio is set to FALSE, then the tessellation algorithm is controlled by the m_dChordHeightRatio value. - m_dMaximalTriangleEdgeLength
This parameter specifies the maximum edge length of a tessellation triangle. If it is set to 0, then this parameter is not used when calculating the tessellation.
JT PMI
When reading PMI from a JT file, the link between PMI and its associated geometry is now maintained.
Automatic Healing when Exporting to X_T and SAT
Exchange now automatically heals invalid geometry and topology when exporting to the X_T (Parasolid) and SAT (ACIS) formats.
HOOPS Exchange - v5.20 Changes
Format Updates
A number of file formats were updated to support more current software versions. These format updates include:
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
CATIA V5 | V5-62012 (R22) |
CATIA V6 | 2013 |
Solid Edge | ST5 |
B-Rep Enhancements
Global Copy and Adapt B-Rep
A new function has been added to globally adapt geometry and topology to your modelers specific needs. This function provides the capability to programmatically control the following repair behaviors:
- Convert curves and surfaces to NURBS
- Shrink surfaces
- Remove UV curves that cross the bounds of periodic surfaces
- Recompute UV curves
- Recompute 3D curves
For more information, please see the A3DAdaptAndReplaceAllBrepInModelFile function.
Physical Properties
A new function has been added to return the physical properties of a B-Rep model. These properties include:
- Center of Gravity
- Surface Area
- Volume
For more information, please see the A3DComputePhysicalProperties function.
Point in FACE classification
A function has been added to determine whether a point lies inside or outside of a given FACE. For more information, please see the A3DFaceUVPointInside function.
Geometry Simplification
A function has been added for globally simplifying spline curves and surfaces to their analytic form (such as planes, cylinders, spheres, etc.). For more information, please see the A3DSimplifyModelFileCurveAndSurfaceAsAnalytic function.
PMI Enhancements
Semantic PMI
The data structure for returning semantic P}{MI have been enhanced to return the values of the semantic PMI data. This allows applications to easily read the numeric data associated with feature control frames and other PMI. For more information, please see the A3DMDSemanticFeatureControlFrameGet function.
Associative Datum
A new structure has been added that contains direct links between Datum and other associated entities such as other Datum and model geometry. For more information, please see the A3DMDFCFDrawingRowData data structure.
Text Bounding Box
A function has been added to calculate the 2D bounding box (height and length) for a text string. For more information, please see the A3DGlobalFontTextBoxGet function.
Font File Path
A new data member for specifying the font file path has been added to the A3DFontData structure.
Import Enhancements
Reading Files from Memory
A new function has been added to allow PRC data to be read directly from a memory buffer. Please see A3DAsmModelFileLoadFromPrcStream for more details.
IFC Enhancements
An import option has been added for the IFC reader. You can now specify the code page to use when converting 3D text to Unicode. For more information, please see the A3DRSParamsIFCData structure.
HOOPS Exchange - v5.10 Changes
Format Updates
A number of file formats were updated to support more current software versions. These format updates include:
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
Autodesk Inventor | 2013 |
Creo Parametric | 2.0 |
Interface Changes
Editing Functions
Two new functions have been added to enable editing of Product Occurrences and Part Definitions. Please refer to the Programmers Guide for more information on A3DAsmProductOccurrenceEdit and A3DAsmPartDefinitionEdit.
Enhancements
IGES - Sewing Option
A new structure, A3DRWParamsIGESData, has been added to the A3DRWParamsSpecificLoadData structure to control how IGES files are read. This new structure contains a data member, m_bSewBrepModels, that controls whether Exchange will try to sew IGES surface models into a solid model. Please see the Reference Guide for more information on the A3DRWParamsIGESData data structure.
JT Reader
A number of internal improvements have been made to the JT reader. The results of these improvements are general improvements to the stability of the JT reader.
HOOPS Exchange - v5.0 Changes
Format Updates
A number of file formats were updated to support more current software versions. These format updates include:
Format | Updated Version |
---|---|
CATIA V5 | R21 |
Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) | IFC 2x4 |
Siemens PLM Software NX | NX 8 |
Solid Edge | ST4 |
SOLIDWORKS | 2012 |
New Formats
ACIS (SAT)
For HOOPS Exchange v5.0, we have added the capability to save PRC data to ACIS SAT files. This interface allows direct exchange of data with applications that support the SAT format (AutoCAD, Inventor, etc.). It also provides ACIS developers with an easy route to integrate HOOPS Exchange by using Exchange to convert CAD files to SAT format and using ACIS to read the generated SAT data.
In order to have maximum compatibility with other applications (including Autodesk applications like AutoCAD and Inventor), the Exchange SAT exporter writes an ACIS 5.0 format file.
Format | Version |
---|---|
ACIS (SAT) | 5.0 |
CATIA V5 Drawings (CATDrawing)
CATIA V5 drawing files (CATDrawing) are now supported. Please see the Drawing Model section of the Reference Manual for more information.
Interface Changes
Precise Measurement
A number of functions have been added to enable precise measurement of PRC B-Rep models. These functions include curve and surface simplification as well as high performance point project functions.
PRC Assembly File Management
Two new functions have been added to help manage subcomponents (parts, sub-assemblies) of a PRC assembly file. The first function extracts the filenames (including path) of all the parts and sub-assemblies referenced by a model file. The second function A3DAsmModelFileLoadFromMultiplePrcFile creates an assembly modelfile from multiple PRC files.