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NickB  
#1 Posted : Friday, June 8, 2012 12:33:20 AM(UTC)
NickB

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 2/19/2007(UTC)
Posts: 501

Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 1 post(s)
Shark FX V7 sp1 or V8?

I am still on FX V7.1 and have not yet upgraded to V8. I have a few questions, and I want to be convinced that V8 is a worthwhile upgrade.

The PunchCAD website lists the main new features as:
Customizable grids. - If this means a grid that you model on, that is a feature that I have never used and have no interest in.
Push/Pull modeling. How does this differ from the gripper. A tool I use only very occasionally.

My question is for a seasoned user with a workflow that they have been using for years does V8 offer any substantial improvements:
Is it more stable
Less buggy tools
More consistant tool opperation
64 bit enabled / address more memory
Multi treaded
Save files faster

I am guessing that:
None of the extrude tools have been improved / enhanced so that you can revolve a negative cut, or do a cut along a path.

The Concept Explorer is still a single pallet so you cant see layers and history at the same time (something that has been requested, since Shark was Cobalt), and the Inspector still wont let me inspect multiple tabs simultaneously.

Constraints are still just there so that they can click a box on a feature chart, meaning they are still as rudimentary and basically useless as ever.

Shortcuts are still limited to a single key with no modifiers (other than the shift key).

When I import a SolidWorks file the Y and Z axis are still flipped.

Rendering is still stuck with an interface that felt kludgy and dated back in 1990 something when it was first introduced in Cobalt.

Please correct me if any of my assumptions are wrong. If multithreading and faster saves have been enabled (on OS X) that alone may be worth the cost of an upgrade. If the Concept Explorer can be split in two then I will definitely make the switch.
Shark FX 9 build 1143
OS X 9.5
3.6 GHz Core i7, 8GB, GTX 760 2GB

matter.cc
jol  
#2 Posted : Friday, June 8, 2012 1:16:46 PM(UTC)
jol

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 2/26/2007(UTC)
Posts: 2,156

Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)
Solidworks uses Y as up by default

This is pretty unusual - as far as my experience tells me

Many CADS use z for up

Motor cars are designed with z up

Yachts are designed with z up

All my experience tells me than z is up.

Changes between v7 and v8 are incremental only - you know this already from your long experience with these apps.
NickB  
#3 Posted : Monday, June 11, 2012 2:19:05 PM(UTC)
NickB

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 2/19/2007(UTC)
Posts: 501

Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 1 post(s)
Jol,
I know the changes are incremental, but what does that mean in this particular case? Is it the usual mix of fixing a few bugs / interface inconsistencies plus semi-working tool improvements ?

Are the incremental improvement worth upgrading too?

SolidWorks
SW may be the inconsistant Y up problem, but 95% of the people I work with use SolidWorks so I am constantly rotating models on import, then having clients grumble that my files are problematic because of my flipped axis.
Shark FX 9 build 1143
OS X 9.5
3.6 GHz Core i7, 8GB, GTX 760 2GB

matter.cc
jol  
#4 Posted : Monday, June 11, 2012 2:44:47 PM(UTC)
jol

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 2/26/2007(UTC)
Posts: 2,156

Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)
No - there are no magical leaps from V7 to V8 - just solid worthwhile incremental improvements IMHO

... Then perhaps we should petition Tim for a checkbox in every export option (not just OBJ etc) for "Y is up"
ttrw  
#5 Posted : Monday, June 11, 2012 3:20:32 PM(UTC)
ttrw

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 4/1/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,583

Was thanked: 2 time(s) in 2 post(s)
Just for the record, in maths from what I remember, y has always been up, x being across and z being back (depth).

It's a good point, and I think it would be a good idea too, petitioning Tim. :)
phil  
#6 Posted : Monday, June 11, 2012 5:38:39 PM(UTC)
phil

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 9/5/2010(UTC)
Posts: 105

uh oh. Now i don't know who to vote for!! :D
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartesian_coordinate_system If we go to Google Images and search "x y z axis", people pretty much put the Z axis anywhere they want:)
The other day I asked our mech/design engineer (we have 2 Solidworks seats) where is the Z axis, he went "Huh??" (looks like he doesn't care where it is, maybe as long as the shadow in the drawing looks correct lol).
Oh well...
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