Coming into Cad within the shop floor in various steel shops, and taking it with me to forging applications the biggest feature not found would be wrap/unwrap/unfold option.
True, it would ruin some of the mystical ninja skills used to come out with fitting voluminous shapes with software; but I am lazy sometimes, and other times there is just a tedious amount of longhand calculations.
All and all, ViaCad does everything well - even when I get frustrated at seeing result in my head and trying to get it to the screen with perfection.

Win 7 beater journeyman laptop,
shop tested, coffee lubricating the grinder grit keys.

Hi I am new to ViaCAD and Shark LT. I also would like to see a sheet-metal tools such as contour, lofted, dimple, Flange,holes , bend and unbend, Flat Pattern maker, and bend K-Factors data. Similar to Alibre Design Expert 2012. I am a retired Navy Aircraft Structure Mechanic. Now I do volunteer work at the Castle Air Museum, such as aircraft restoration (sheet metal work) and taking care of a F-14D.

Yes.. I've also been hoping for sheet metal tools for a while now..

Unfold differs depending on whether it's trying to emulate sheet metal features or uses an algorithm like Form Z's, which is like Pepakura or other paper modelers' unfold. They don't k-factor and aren't fussy about reliefs. Turbocad's got an unfold that emulates sheet metal apps (except that it uses a dimensional neutral depth figure rather than k-factor ratio. Six of one, half-dozen of the other, except when people who're schooled in one method declare that theirs is the only method), so users need to understand something of sheet metal cutouts and reliefs to use it with a minimum of frustration. Sheet metal specialists go for specialized software, while casual users with an occasional need would likely make tech support's life a little complicated, purely because a general-purpose ap isn't working in a specialised manner exactly as the user thinks it should.

The customer support issue is a tough call. Anyone trusting a computer to make perfect flat patterns that translate to real materials does not generally work with materials. I have worked with proe patterns and had good results, not epic perfect. breaks, punches, dies all have inherent personalities - especially rolls on changing axis. This is not software, but sweatware issue.
I think unwrap is best for getting a close pattern to begin manually getting final pattern.

I am again 100% agree!

and another vote here!!

Luis G.