ASCON Releases C3D Kernel for the CAD Component Market
ASCON Group, developer and integrator of professional CAD/AEC/PLM solutions, announced today that it is making public its proprietary geometry kernel C3D as the foundation for creating computer-aided design systems and applications. The kernel is also well suited for designing computer-aided engineering (CAE) software, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programs for CNC machines, and modeling of engineering processes for product lifecycle management (PLM).
Development of the geometric kernel began in 1995, and then in 2000 ASCON released KOMPAS-3D v5.9, the first computer-aided design software system based on it C3D. Since then, the company continuously updated the kernel, and today is launching it as a separate product for the CAD component market. It handles all aspects of a CAD system: 2D drawing and sketching, 3D hybrid and solid modeling, parametric constraints, and translation.
“The decision to open access to our technology was the next logical step in our on-going development of the geometric kernel,” said Maxim Bogdanov, CEO of ASCON. “We are confident in the quality of C3D. For more than a decade, it has been the basis of our own line of successful CAD/CAM software.
“We see great prospects for its use, as new players appear on the market needing components for their CAD systems,” he added. “Standard 2D systems will inevitably switch to 3D, and consequently require a fundamental change to the core of the systems — or else find a replacement. The CAD component market is changing, and so there is a place for a Russian company with 17 years experience in geometric kernel development, and whose mathematical quality is recognized throughout the world.”
About the C3D Kernel
The main feature of ASCON kernel is that it is complete. The core of C3D combines everything necessary for the development of application solutions, as follows:
C3D Modeler is the geometric modeler with functions for 3D solid and hybrid modeling, sketching, and 2D drawing
C3D Solver is the parametric constraints solver with functions for creating and solving parametric constraints on 2D and 3D geometry
C3D Converter is the translator module that reads and writes geometric models in all primary exchange formats
Potential users for the C3D kernel are developers of CAD, CAM, and CAE systems and related applications requiring the processing of 3D models and 2D graphics. Among them are large industrial companies who often create software for internal use. Third-party developers can use the ASCON kernel to extend functions and abilities, increase performance and reliability, quickly create 3D modelers based on existing 2D systems, and reduce cost of development of their products.
Even before C3D was released officially, an early tester was already putting it to real-world use. "We were among the first to work with ASCON’s geometric modeling kernel,” explained Andrew Lovygin, ceo of LO CNITI and the official distributor of Esprit CAM in Russia. “In just four months, we embedded a full 3D solid modeler in our CAM system. Our choice of C3D was driven by ASCON’s flexible pricing policy and quality technical support. I am confident that ASCON will achieve excellent results with its kernel on the international market.”.
C3D was first announced in early April at the Congress On the Future of Engineering Software (COFES) held each year in Arizona, USA where the world's leading players and experts in CAD and PLM traditionally make presentations. C3D kernel is available now for limited licensing based on individual requests. Full access will be opened in January, 2013.
For further information regarding the C3D geometric kernel from ASCON, contact c3d@ascon.ru.
