Xenon 8 SP1 Build 841

Professional 3D design, modeling, drafting & rendering software
Xenon is an application created specifically for the needs of 3D professionals that offerrs extreme power, performance and usability.

Integrating associative and history-based modeling, free-form wireframes, class-A NURBS surfacing, and ACIS solid modeling - Xenon allows designers to quickly and effortlessly create virtually any form they can imagine, and then easily make design changes at will.

Complete the design with associative 2D detail drawings with full dimensioning and then create presentation quality product renderings. Experience a new level of design freedom and productivity with Ashlar-Vellum Xenon!

Explore design ideas: conceptualize, experiment, even play, in 2D or 3D. Not even a pencil and cocktail napkin offer more freedom (Margaritas optional). Then work interactively with clients to painlessly refine designs. Powerful associativity and Design Explorer history tracking automatically ripple changes through the model and drawing sheets.

Imagine any shape: sensual curves, organic forms, and flowing edges are easily drawn in Ashlar-Vellum software, unlike traditional CAD programs. Set your own style, without limits.

Manufacture with confidence: Xenon's precise 3D data guarantees accurate drawings, letting you export data for fabrication and send shop drawings to manufacturing.

Rise above the competition: leading design innovators share a common tool: Ashlar-Vellum products. From renowned jewelry designers in New York and Paris to athletic equipment companies in the Pacific Northwest, from Apple Computer to Scaled Composites, Argon’s flexibility frees creative people to focus on design.

Transfer files seamlessly: collaborate creatively with others. Even files from high-end, enterprise-based CAD programs can be imported and exported. Work within the power and elegance of the Vellum interface, then export the file to meet the demands of less enlightened CAD users.

Show what you mean: the photo-realistic rendering in Argon goes beyond visualization to reality. 3D models promote greater understanding among designers, customers and manufacturing.

Main features of Xenon:

General Features:

Direct Associative 3D Modeling

ACIS Modeling Kernel from Spatial

16 Place Floating Point Accuracy

Hybrid Mac/Windows, Office/Home License

65,000 Hierarchical Layers

Unlimited Colors

Unlimited Number of Objects and Drawing Size

Single File Holds Drawings, Models, Assemblies, etc.

Direct Multi-sheet PDF Creation

Universal Binary Support for Intel Mac

User Interface:

Updated Intuitive Vellum Interface

Drafting Assistant for Automatic Snaps and Alignments

Smart Cursor Changes Shape Indicating Active Tool and Operations

Strokes and Short Cuts Provide Instant Access to Commands

Tear-off and Auto-hide Palettes

Dockable Tools and Palettes

Palettes can be Flipped Vertically or Horizontally

Resizable Dialog Boxes

Status Line to Specify Object Parameters

Message Line Provides Tool Instructions and Options

World and User-defined Coordinate Systems

All Data Entry Fields can Perform Numeric Calculations

TrackBall for View Selection and Dynamic or Step Rotation

Show/Hide Palette

Selection Mask for Easier Selection of Specific Entity Types, Layers, Colors

Grid (User Definable)

Object Editor

Design Explorer Layer Tree

Design Explorer History Tree

History Manager

Support for SpaceMouse Device on Mac and Windows

Easy Update Installer

Display and Visualization:
Scene Display Modes:

Flat Shaded

Gouraud

Gouraud w/Edges

Phong

Phong w/Edges

Hidden Line Dimmed

Hidden Line Removed

Photo-realistic
Scene Display Options:

Anti-alias

ZBuffer Curves

Clip at Eye Point

Transparency

Reflected Environment
Real-time Object Display Options:

Display Iso Lines

Silhouettes

Transparency

Direction

Curvature Comb

Surface Analysis Display (Gaussian, Mean, Min/Max, Zebra, Normals, Curvature, Draft)

Object Display Resolution (Coarse, Medium, Fine, Very Fine, Super Fine)

User Definable Object Colors

Adjustable Perspective

Infinite Pan and Zoom

Section Profiles and Cutaway View in the Edit Window
Real-time 3D Display:

Curves

Surfaces

Solids

Meshes

Text

Bitmaps

Dimensions

Object and Group Properties:

Material

Center of Gravity

Volume

Weight

Density

Moments of Inertia

Principal

Axis

Associative Parametrics:
Parametric Sketch-driven:

Direct Input

Dimensional

Geometric
Modify:

Wireframe Creation

Surface Creation

Solids Creation

Mesh Creation

Surface Edits

Solid Edits

Mesh Edits

Solid Features

Object Management Tools:
Design Explorer:

Layer Tree

Object List

Object Properties Dialog

Show/Hide Palette

General Transform Tools:

Move

Copy Along Path

Rectangular Array Duplicate

Feature Array

Rotate

Polar Array Duplicate

Scale (Uniform or Differential)

Mirror

Align

Text Tools:

Normal

Along a Path

Keep Screen Horizontal

At an Angle
Set:

Font

Size

Style

Color

Thicken

Extrude

Revolve

Sweep

Wireframe Creation Tools:

Point

Points on Curve

Points on Surface

Line

Connected Line

Arc

Circle

Ellipse

Conic

Rectangle

Polygon

Arbitrary Polygon

Sketch Spline

Through-point Spline

Vector Spline

Bezier Spline

Helix

Spiral

Wireframe Editing Tools:

Fillet

Chamfer

Trim

Relimit/Extend

Break

Offset

Join

Extrude

Revolve

Project to Plane

Extract Edge of Surface or Solid

Increase Order

Fair Spline

Add/Remove Spline Points

Modify Spline Slope

Curve by Intersection of Plane and a Curve, Surface, or Solid

Project Curve onto Surface/Solid

Intersect Two Curves

Create Points by Intersecting Surfaces or Solids

Surface Creation Tools:
Surface Primitives:

Sphere

Block

Cylinder

Pyramid

Infinite Plane

Lathe

Extruded Surface
Sweep:

In Place

Perpendicular

Ridged
Sweep Along One Rail:

Full Rail

To Entity

Between Rail Points
Sweep Along Two Rails:

With Maintain Height

Skin, Skin w/ Guide Curves

Tangent Loft

Cover Surface, Tangent Cover

Net Surface

Revolved Surface

Tube Surface

Offset Surface

Drafted/Extended Surface

Fillet Surface

Surface Editing Tools:

Freeform Deformation (Push/Pull Surface Points)

Deform to a Point, Factor, or Curves

Add/Subtract/Intersect Planar Surfaces

Join Surfaces

Trim/Untrim Surfaces

Match G1 and G2 Tangency

Insert Control Points

Elevate Degree

Rebuild Surfaces

Add, Remove, & Replace

Curves of Associative Surfaces

Imprint Profile Sketches for Surface Subdivisions

Solid Creation Tools:
Solid Primitives:

Sphere

Slab

Block

Cylinder

Cone

Torus

Prism

Pyramid

Ellipsoid
Lathe Profile:

With Draft
Extrude Profile:

Distance

Vector

To Entity

Mid Plane

Thin Wall

With Draft

Skin, Skin w/ Guide Curves

Tangent Loft
Sweep Profile Along One Rail:

In Place

Perpendicular

Ridged

Full Rail

To Entity

Between Rail Points

With Draft
Sweep Profile Along Two Rails:

With Maintain Height

Pipe Solid

Thicken Surface into Solid

Stitch Surfaces into Solid

Solid Editing Tools:

Boolean Add/Subtract/ Intersect Solids
Constant Blends:

Radial

Elliptical

Vertex
Variable Blends:

Linear

By Position

To Curve

To Fixed Width

To a Hold Line
Constant Chamfers:

By Length

Two Lengths

Length and Angle

Vertex
Variable Chamfers:

By Lengths

Four Lengths

Lengths and Angles

By Position

To Fixed Width
Holes:

With Bore

With Sink

To Depth

Through

First Blind

To Face

With Draft
Bosses:

With Specified Fillet

With Draft
Profile Cutout:

With Draft
Profile Protrude:

By Vector

To Face

With Draft
Split:

With Surfaces or Solids
Trim:

With Curves, Surfaces or Solids
Shell:

With Independent Face Offsets

With Core/Cavity Options
Parting Line:

With Draft
Local Operations:

Taper/Draft Face

Move Face/Edge

Offset Face

Remove Face

Replace Face

Match Face

Deform Face (By Factor, To Point, To Curves)

Bend Solids

Independent 2D/3D Drawing Creation:

Predefined and Customizable Layouts

Complete Professional Drafting Available

Create 2D/3D Drawings w/o Building Models

Stored in Same File as Model

2D/3D Drawing Creation from Models"

Associative 2D or 3D Views from 3D Wireframe, Surfaces, and Solids
Photo-renderings Accommodated in Views:

As Underlay

As Interleave

Associative Detail Views
Associative Section Views:

With Auto Hatching

Automatic Hidden Line

Predefined and Customizable Layouts
Automatic Labels:

View Name

Scale

2D/3D Drafting & Detailing"

Available for Independent and Model-driven Drawings

Smart Dimension Tool Automatically Creates the Appropriate Dimensions
Dimensions:

Linear

Angular

Diametric

Radial

Spline Length
Standard and User-definable Tolerances and Settings:

ANSI

DIN

ISO

JIS

Dual

Architecture

Stacked Fraction

Balloon and Callout Dimensions

Predefined and User Created Hatch and Fill Patterns

Predefined and User Created Line Weights, Colors, and Styles

Associative Bill of Materials

All Dimensions can be Associative, Dynamic, or Static

Photo-realistic Rendering:

Drag and Drop Materials
Realistic Texture Maps and Procedural Textures:

Wood

Marble

Granite

Leather

Plastic

Glass

Metal

Brushed Metal

Automotive Paint

and more
Advanced Material Editor:

Color

Reflectance

Specular

Diffuse

Ambient

Roughness

Bump

Transparency

Refraction

Texture Orientation

and more

Interactive Materials Display

Environment Maps

Customizable Scene Presets
Editable Light Sources:

Spot

Bulb

Distant

Photo-realistic Sunlight (Location/Date/Time)

Photo-realistic Tube and Area Lights

Adjustable Hard and Soft Shadows

Visible Volumetric Light Effects

Sketch Effects (SP1)

Fog Effects

Backgrounds

Raytracing with Anti-aliasing

Production Quality Resolution & Output (bmp, tga, tif, lwi, eps)

Multiprocessor Photo-realistic Rendering (Mac SP1)

Camera-based Animation:

Fly-by

Walk-through

Sunlight Timeline

QuickTime Object VR

QuickTime Panoramic VR

Direct Event Journal Recording and Playback

QuickTime Event Recording and Playback

Import/Export:

ACIS SAT

PDF (Export Only)

DWG/DXF

IGES

STEP

Pro/E (via SAT)

Parasolid X_T (Windows Only)

SolidWorks (via SAT)

Catia v4

3D Studio (Import Only)

Rhino 3DM (Import Only)

Facet

STL

Adobe Illustrator

EPS (Export Only)

CGM

VRML

ShockWave 3D (Export Only)
Bitmap:

BMP (with Alpha Channel)

JPEG

PNG (with Alpha Channel)

PPM

XPM

XBM

GIF

PICT (Mac Only)

Spline (Import Only)

RAW Triangle (Export Only)

ASCII Text

Grid Surface (Import Only)

Other Ashlar-Vellum Products

Localized User Interface"

English US

English UK

French

German

Italian

Portuguese

Russian (Windows only)

Swedish

PDF Integration:

Directly Generates Non-tessellated Arcs and Splines (SP1)

Multi-sheet (SP1)

Imbedded Exports Optional

Available Accessories:

Graphite v8 (included)

Cobalt Share for Viewing, Printing and Exporting at Client or Manufacturing Site (Free)

Vellum:environments

Vellum:tracks

Vellum:materials

Vellum:decals

Tutorials (Free)


Requirements of Xenon:

G4 or G5 processor

32 MB Accelerated Video Card w/ Open GL (Standard on all business-class systems since 2005. Additional RAM will not improve performance.)

Medium- to High-performance Workstation-class Graphics Subsystem Recommend for Real-time Environment Mapping on Complex Files

512 MB RAM

250 MB Free Hard DriveSpace / 1 GB Allocated Virtual Memory

DVD Drive or High Speed Internet Connection


Limitations of Xenon:

In demo version you are not able to save, export and print.

What's New in This Release:

Parametric Sketch-driven:

Conditional Equations.

Nested Equations.

Variables allowed in Status Line and Edit Object fields.

General Transform Tools:

Enhanced Transform Tools that Directly Move Faces and Edges in Solids without Using the Specialized Local Face Tools.

Spherical Duplicate Tool.

Cylindrical Duplicate Tool.

Enhanced Polar Duplicate Tool.

Wireframe Creation Tools:

Mid-point Line.

Star Polygon.

Surface Editing Tools:

Imprint Profile Sketches for Surface Subdivisions.

Enhanced Curve/Surface Projection: To Entity, To Face.

Solid Tools:

Twist Tool.

Stretch Tool.

Extrude, Cutout, Lathe, Protrude Tools support Nonplanar Profiles (SP1).

Enhanced Holes and Bosses (SP1).

Enhanced Rib Tool.

Ability to Move Vertex and Edges Using Local Tools.

Enhanced Skinned Solid Tool.

2D Drafting:

Optional Automatic View Scale Indicator.

Photo-rendered Model to Sheet Views.

Give User a Possibility to Handle Wireframe and Shaded Representation Separately.

During MTS Creation and Editing View Properties.

Pan Tool for Drawing Views.

Export and Import:

Updated ACIS, STEP, IGES and Catia Translators.

Batch Convert Tool.

AutoCAD 2008 DXF/DWG Support.

Ability to Open Password Protected DWG Files.

Enhanced Import/Export Dialog Box Featuring Target and Source Software by Product Name.

Import and Export of Bitmap Images.

Direct, Multi-sheet PDF Creation with Optionally Embedded Source and Exported Files.

ClarisCad Import (SP1).

Photo-realistic Rendering:

Multiprocessor Photo-realistic Rendering on Mac OS X (SP1).

Ability to Create Custom Decals From Alpha Image.

Enable Using of Custom Render Presets.

Advanced Control of Antialiasing for Objects, Edges, Shadows and Reflections.

Independent Control of Reflections and Refractions.

Accelerated Phong and Gouraud Shading Options for Render to File, Fly-by and Walk-through Animations.

Photo-realistic Environment Maps for Stills and Animations.

Photo-realistic Sunlight (from Location and Date/Time) for Stills and Animations.

Photo-realistic Tube and Area Lights for Stills and Animations.

Optionally Include Wireframe Geometry in Photo-realistically Rendered Stills and Animations.

Photo-realistic Material Changes Displayed in Real Time in the Edit Window.

Decals Have Their Own Material Options.

Material Per Face (SP1).

Edit Window:

Ability to Customize Surface Analyse Options via Edit Object.

Real-Time Environment Maps, Curvature, Draft Angle.

Enhanced Clip Plane.

Enhanced Shade Now Shortcut.

Color Per Face (SP1).

Preferences:

User-definable Interface Skins.

Support Shared Layouts, Photorender Materials and Textures on Network Drive.

Right-Click Popup Menu:

Ability to Save Entity As Symbol.

Commands Working With Several Objects.

Add New Items (Style, Weight, Pattern).

Design Explorer:

Enhanced Profiles of Extrude, Skin, Lathe, Cutout, Protrude, Boss, Hole Tools.

Layers Optionally Override Pen Properties.