Parasolid is a

geometric modeling kernel A geometric modeling kernel is a solid modeling software component used in computer-aided design (CAD) packages. Available modelling kernels include: * ACIS is developed and licensed by Spatial Corporation of Dassault Systèmes. *SMLib is devel ...

originally developed by Shape Data Limited, now owned and developed by

Siemens Digital Industries Software Siemens Digital Industries Software (formerly UGS and then Siemens PLM Software) is an American computer software company specializing in 3D & 2D Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software. The company is a business unit of Siemens, operates u ...

. It can be

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

by other companies for use in their

3D computer graphics 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...

software products. Parasolid's capabilities include model creation and editing utilities such as Boolean modeling operators, feature modeling support, advanced surfacing, thickening and hollowing, blending and filleting and sheet modeling. It also incorporates modeling with mesh surfaces and lattices. Parasolid also includes tools for direct model editing, including tapering, offsetting, geometry replacement and removal of feature details with automated regeneration of surrounding data. Parasolid also provides wide-ranging graphical and rendering support, including hidden-line, wireframe and drafting, tessellation and model data inquiries. Parasolid parts are normally saved in XT format, which usually has the file extension .x_t. The format is documented and open. There is also a binary version of the format, usually with an .x_b extension, which is somewhat more compact. To use Parasolid effectively, software developers need knowledge of CAD in general,

computational geometry Computational geometry is a branch of computer science devoted to the study of algorithms which can be stated in terms of geometry. Some purely geometrical problems arise out of the study of computational geometric algorithms, and such problems a ...

and

topology In mathematics, topology (from the Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without closing ...

. Parasolid is available for Windows (32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64), Linux (64-bit), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), iOS, and Android.

Applications

It is used in many

Computer-aided design Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...

(CAD),

Computer-aided manufacturing Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) also known as computer-aided modeling or computer-aided machining is the use of software to control machine tools in the manufacturing of work pieces. This is not the only definition for CAM, but it is the most ...

(CAM),

Computer-aided engineering Computer-aided engineering (CAE) is the broad usage of computer software to aid in engineering analysis tasks. It includes , , , durability and optimization. It is included with computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) ...

(CAE),

Product visualization Visualization or visualisation (see spelling differences) is any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message. Visualization through visual imagery has been an effective way to communicate both abstract and ...

, and

CAD data exchange CAD data exchange is a method of drawing data exchange used to translate between different Computer-aided design ( CAD) authoring systems or between CAD and other downstream CAx systems. Many companies use different CAD systems and exchange CAD d ...

packages. Notable uses include: *

Abaqus Abaqus FEA (formerly ABAQUS) is a software suite for finite element analysis and computer-aided engineering, originally released in 1978. The name and logo of this software are based on the abacus calculation tool. The Abaqus product suite consi ...

* ADINA * Alibre Design * Altair HyperWorks * Ansys * TopSolid * Cimatron E *

Delcam Delcam is a supplier of advanced CAD/CAM software for the manufacturing industry. The company has grown steadily since being founded formally in 1977, after initial development work at Cambridge University, UK. It is now a global developer of ...

* COMSOL Multiphysics *

Femap Femap (''Finite Element Modeling And Postprocessing'') is an engineering analysis program sold by Siemens Digital Industries Software that is used to build finite element models of complex engineering problems ("pre-processing") and view solution ...

* HyperMesh * IRONCAD * MasterCAM *

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Thos ...

* MicroStation * Moldflow * Siemens NX * Onshape * Qinetiq Paramarine * Plasticity *

PowerSHAPE Delcam is a supplier of advanced CAD/CAM software for the manufacturing industry. The company has grown steadily since being founded formally in 1977, after initial development work at Cambridge University, UK. It is now a global developer of ...

* Shapr3D *

Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Simcenter STAR-CCM+ is a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based simulation software developed by Siemens Digital Industries Software. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows the modeling and analysis of a range of engineering problems involvin ...

* SimScale * Solid Edge * SolidWorks *

T-FLEX CAD T-FLEX CAD (T-FLEX) – is a Russian-made parametric computer-aided design (CAD) software application for 2D design, drafting, and 3D solid modeling based on commercial Parasolid geometric kernel. It's primarily developed and distributed b ...

Vectorworks Vectorworks, Inc. is a U.S.-based software development company that focuses on CAD and BIM software for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), landscape, and entertainment industries. Vectorworks is owned by the Nemetschek Group ...

* WorkXPlore 3D

References

External links

Official Parasolid web page
Graphics software Computer-aided design software CAD file formats Siemens software products {{graphics-software-stub