v11.0.14

[Jeff]

I just loaded v11.0.14 and am playing with some of the new features. The new automatic viewpoint technology the put into it will take a little getting used to. I am not use to the screen jumping around that much. Let me know what everyone else thinks? Thanks! Jeff

[jrayself]

I LOVE the new automatic viewpoint changes.  I was able to easily scan surfaces that were above my head and out of sight without having to manually interact with the 3D scene.

I appreciate all these great changes, yet am constantly disappointed that all the same little "quirks" and inconsistencies remain in the software.  One example being Snapshots.  I can rename the snapshot to something meaningful, but the snapshot caption must be changed also.  I have created a macro that handles that for me, but I still don't have the ability to use the Snapshot caption inside of the EZLayout Report.  It drives me crazy!

[PW User]

The Automatic viewpoint had a bug in V11.0.14: the scale was 25.4 times too small when scanning in inches.

It has been fixed in V11.0.15, comming out just about now.

[PW User]

Extract from the Readme:
WHAT'S FIXED IN 11.0.14

General

* JT is a 3D data format developed by Siemens PLM Software and is used
for product visualization, collaboration, and CAD data exchange.
Starting with release 11.0.14, InnovMetric offers a new optional JT
translator capable of importing:

- JT files describing NURBS-based representations of CAD parts
and assemblies

- JT files containing polygonal models

A new File > Import Reference > JT File menu item is available in
IMInspect to browse JT CAD files. Polygonal JT files are imported or
exported by using a standard polygonal file browser in the IMInspect,
IMEdit, or IMAlign modules.

Access to the new JT translator technology is controlled by a license
key. The JT translator is available free of charge to corporate members
of the JT consortium on a valid support/maintenance contract. For
non-members, please contact your authorized PolyWorks representative for
a quotation.

* A new automatic viewpoint technology is released to enhance the
operator's capability of visualizing a laser scanning session performed
in the IMInspect or IMAlign module. The new technology has been
developed with three main purposes in mind:

- The operator wants to see the current laser line while
scanning or between two scan passes.

- The operator wants to control the orientation of the 3D Scene
with the laser scanner.

- Although the operator generally wants to have a close-up view
while scanning, it is also desirable to have a mechanism to
easily obtain a global view.

To meet these requirements, InnovMetric has designed an approach that
makes the operator feel as if he is holding a camera in his hand. The
3D Scene is displayed from the general point of view of the laser
scanner. On the other hand, the laser scanner is constantly moving as
the operator is scanning the surface. To ensure viewpoint stability and
optimal graphical performance, the viewpoint is only changed if the
current laser line becomes suddenly out of sight or if the scanner
orientation is significantly changed. When such an event occurs, a new
viewpoint is computed and a quick animation is generated to make a
smooth transition between the two camera viewpoints. The Dynamic drawing
type is used to accelerate the animation. Unacceptable computer
performances are automatically identified and the animation is switched
off if necessary.

In order to zoom out and get a global view of the laser scanning session
between two scan passes, the operator simply needs to move the scanner
backward, away from the digitized surface and beyond the scanner field
of view. InnovMetric monitors the incoming flow of valid 3D points from
the device. If the flow stops, the view is automatically zoomed out. To
go back to a close-up view, the operator simply needs to move the
scanner within its field of view.

Laser scanner dialog boxes offer an Options button. A new 'Automatic
viewpoint' section has been added to the General page of this Options
interface. Three parameters control the automatic viewpoint algorithm:

- The 'Device vertical axis' combo box specifies a reference
axis for the automatic viewpoint algorithm. The algorithm tries
to keep this axis as vertical as possible while computing
intelligent viewpoints.

- The 'Scan line close-up zoom (%)' parameter controls the size
of a laser scan line on the screen. It specifies that the laser
scan line will fill a given percentage of the 3D Scene graphical
window.

* When an IMInspect Project was duplicated in the Workspace Manager
(within a Copy-Paste workflow for example), properties of Device
positions could be lost. The issue has been resolved.

* Enhancements are released for the IGES and STEP readers.

* An issue with AC files containing empty scan lines has been resolved.

IMEdit

* Bug fixes are released for the watertight tessellation and NURBS
surface fitting algorithms.

* A patch picking issue has been fixed in the interactive mode to edit
the low-/high-curvature status of NURBS patches.

IMInspect

* The DMIS file import reader (File > Import Objects > From DMIS File)
has been modified. Objects without tolerances are now imported by
default. Users who need to preserve the old behavior - of not importing
objects without tolerances - can press the Options button in the DMIS
file browser and check the 'Exclude objects without a tolerance' option.

* A bug has been fixed in the import of composite IGES curves.

* Cropped planes written in IGES files are now correctly imported.

* A new automatic viewpoint technology is released to provide efficient
visualization while probing. The new technology has been developed
having two main purposes in mind:

- For each probing operation, there is a given area of interest
in the 3D Scene. This area should be in the middle of the
computer screen, or at the very least visible.

- For most probing contexts, there is a preferred orientation
that should be used to display the 3D Scene.

Within the context of the automatic viewpoint algorithm, there are three
categories of probing operations:

- Device-driven: The area of interest and preferred orientation
are set by the probe. If the probe does not provide orientation
information (if an SMR reflector is used for example), then the
current orientation is kept. The following probing operations
are device-driven:

+ Feature probing without nominal information
+ Surface and Boundary Point Cloud probing
+ Target probing

- Object-driven: The area of interest and preferred orientation
are set by IMInspect objects. The following probing operations
are object-driven:

+ Feature probing with nominal information
+ Comparison point probing
+ 6 Surface Points Alignment
+ RPS Alignment
+ Build/Inspect

- Hybrid: The area of interest is defined by IMInspect objects
and the orientation is defined by the device. The following
probing operations are hybrid:

+ Cross-section probing
+ Gauge probing

During a probing session, an operator may perform a variety of probing
operations on different objects. When the area of interest or preferred
orientation changes, a quick animation is automatically generated to
make a smooth transition between the previous and new 3D Scene
viewpoints. The animation is automatically switched off if the computer
performance is unacceptable.

The automatic viewpoint algorithm also manages zooming factors. In all
probing modes, a close-up view is used when the probe is close to a
specifically targeted object or if an object probing mode has started. A
zoomed-out global view is used when the probe is far from a targeted
object or between object probing operations.

A new 'Automatic Viewpoint' option page has been added under the Display
branch of the Probing Options interface. Users have access to the
following parameters:

- The 'Automatic viewpoint' check box enables/disables the use
of the automatic viewpoint algorithm.

- The 'Device vertical axis' combo box specifies a reference
axis for the automatic viewpoint algorithm. The algorithm tries
to keep this axis as vertical as possible while computing
intelligent viewpoints.

- The Overview 'Project zoom (%)' parameter controls the zoom
out factor used to produce a global view. It specifies that the
project will fill a given percentage of the 3D Scene graphical
window.

- The Close-up 'With nominal object - Object zoom (%)' parameter
controls the object size on the screen. It specifies that the
object will fill a given percentage of the 3D Scene graphical
window.

- The Close-up 'Without nominal object - Min visible length'
parameter controls the zooming factor when there are no nominal
objects. It specifies a minimum visible length in units.

* In the 'Auto-extract' tab of a Feature's Properties window, users can
press the Auto-Extract Options button to set a value for the 'Shrink
nominal by' parameter. This parameter is used to exclude data points
that are too close to a feature's outer boundary. In release 11.0.14,
'Shrink nominal by' is now supported for trimmed cones, cylinders, and
spheres.

* IMInspect now offers the possibility of probing uncompensated vectors.
When a Vector creation method is set to Probe, two sub-methods are
available: Compensated and Uncompensated. The second sub-method should
be used to probe uncompensated vectors.

* Special reflectors used with laser trackers now offer three tangent
compensation methods. In previous versions, users could use the
'Internal (Hole)' method to probe holes or 'External' method to probe
pins. The compensation point was only used to determine the normal
compensation direction. Starting from version 11.0.14, a new
'Compensation point' method is available. With the new method, the
compensation point is used to determine both normal and tangent
compensation directions.

* In the 'Probing parameters' tab of the 'Edit Measured Data Points'
interface, users of special reflectors are now able to independently
invert the normal and tangent compensation directions.

* IMInspect now supports tangent compensation for Vectors probed with
a special reflector. The compensation direction is set by a compensation
point.

* When a Reference Point object is bound to a point cloud Data object
along one axis, Calipers are internally used to match the reference
point to the measured point cloud. In the Alignment tab of a reference
point's Properties window, two parameters in the 'Adjustment on point
cloud' group box control these calipers. The 'Depth' parameter was
incorrectly used. The issue has been resolved.

* The retraction distance and fit depth Caliper adjustment parameters
were not scaled when changing units. The issue has been fixed.

* In some cases, the normal vectors of unfolded cylindrical/conical
cross-sections could be inverted. The issue has been resolved.

* The FEATURE PRIMITIVE REMAP_ON_CONE_CYLINDER command used to fold
selected points and polylines defined on the XY plane onto a cone or
cylinder has been renamed FEATURE PRIMITIVE CONE_CYLINDER_MAPPING FOLD.

* A new FEATURE PRIMITIVE CONE_CYLINDER_MAPPING UNFOLD command has been
added to unfold selected 3D points and polylines on the XY plane,
using the same mathematical techniques used to unfold a conical or
cylindrical cross-section.

Plug-ins

* A new plug-in is available in IMInspect and IMAlign for the
'Perceptron xyz' laser scanner. The plug-in is started by clicking on
menu item 'Plug-ins > Perceptron > xyz'. The plug-in interface is
similar to the Perceptron Contour Probe plug-in. Unlike the Contour
Probe scanner, the Perceptron xyz scanner is mounted on a CMM. As there
are no arm buttons available to start or stop a scanning pass, a new
button has been added to the right of the 'Start Scan' button. After
having pressed 'Start Scan', users need to press the Record button (red
circle) to start a scanning pass, then the Pause button to stop a
scanning pass. Once all scanning passes have been captured, the scanning
session is completed by pressing the 'End Scan' button.

* The Manual CMM plug-in now supports a new 'Renishaw UCCserver'
protocol to be used in conjunction with a Renishaw UCClite controller.

* In the 'Coordinate system' tab of the Manual CMM plug-in Properties
window, users have the capability of translating their coordinate system
by specifying new x, y, or z coordinates for the next probed point. In a
previous patch, a bug was introduced. As a result, the new coordinates
were always 0,0,0. The issue has been resolved.

* A bug has been fixed in the CimCore plug-in. A probed point was
automatically captured when manually changing the feature selection in
either the Define Measured or Build/Inspect dialog boxes.

* A 64-bit version of the CimCore plug-in is now available in the 64-bit
version of PolyWorks. In InnovMetric's FTP site (ftp.innovmetric.com),
new CimCore portable arm drivers can be found.

- For 32-bit platforms, download:

/pub/nt/drivers/Hexagon/WinRDS_5.3.4.zip

- For 64-bit platforms, download:

/pub/nt/drivers/Hexagon/WinRDS_5.3.4_x64.zip

* A Go XYZ is now automatically invoked by the Faro Laser Tracker
plug-in after the 'Orient to Gravity' operation has been invoked. If the
tracker was locked on a reflector, the laser is returned to the
reflector location. Otherwise, the laser is returned to its Home
position.

* A bug has been fixed in the implementation of the 'Go to XYZ Position'
operation for the TrackArm plug-in.

* A device position alignment bug has been fixed in the opening of an
IMInspect project measured with a TrackArm device.

* Communication issues between a TrackArm device and a Faro Laser
Tracker have been resolved.