SpaceClaim 2011+

SpaceClaim 2011+ 

Release Notes

Table of Contents 

www.spaceclaim.com 

SpaceClaim 2011+ Release Notes 

SpaceClaim 2011+ Enhancements Overview .......................................................................................................... 3 

Modeling .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 

Model Preparation for CAE ........................................................................................................................................ 3 

Ease of Use ................................................................................................................................................................. 3 

Sheet Metal ................................................................................................................................................................ 3 

Documentation .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 

File Operations ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 

Partners ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4 

General .................................................................................................................................................................. 5 

Pull tool ............................................................................................................................................................... 13 

Measure .............................................................................................................................................................. 15 

Sheet Metal ......................................................................................................................................................... 15 

Detail ................................................................................................................................................................... 32 

Display ................................................................................................................................................................. 51 

Select ................................................................................................................................................................... 58 

Design .................................................................................................................................................................. 60 

Prepare - Volume Extract ..................................................................................................................................... 62 

Import / Export .................................................................................................................................................... 66 

Repair .................................................................................................................................................................. 68 

Patterns ............................................................................................................................................................... 69 

Move Tool ........................................................................................................................................................... 72 

Sketching ............................................................................................................................................................. 73 

Standard Holes .................................................................................................................................................... 73 

SpaceClaim API .................................................................................................................................................... 79 

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SpaceClaim 2011+ Enhancements Overview 



SpaceClaim 2011+ provides product enhancements driven by customer feedback to continue 

SpaceClaim’s core modeling excellence and extend its strengths in sheet metal design and drawing 

creation. SpaceClaim 2011+ – the Company’s eighth release of its software – builds on features that 

enable engineers to leverage 3D for concept modeling, bid modeling, and model preparation for 

manufacturing and analysis. 

Modeling 

� Pattern tools (linear, rotational and fill pattern) w/ new UI 

� STL as solid import 

� STL cross-section curve fitting 

� Clipping planes and clipping regions 

� Standard Hole creation 

� Move drag in plane 

� Multi-threaded faceting (increases modeling speed with more cores) 

� Sketch dimensioning improvements 

� Measure minimum distances 

Model Preparation for CAE 

� Improved Volume Extract with leak preview and shrink wrap 

� Improved Missing Face repair (multiple patches & automatic tangent add) 

� Improved Merge Faces (neighboring edge cleanup) 

� New Duplicates tool removes duplicate surface/solid geometry 

Ease of Use 

� Selection: by color, body type, parent, instance, and polygon 

� View manipulation: improved Spin and Plan View 

� Import user settings 

� New interactive view orientation gizmo on screen 

� Align sketch grid with secondary selection 

Sheet Metal 

� Double walls 

� Tabs/Hinges 

� Gusset Creation 

� Markers 

� Improved unfolding 

� K-factor type 

� Stroke font support 

� Mirrored parts 

� Wrap curves from unfold 

Documentation 

� Offset cross-sections 

� Hole tables 

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� Bolt hole circles 

� Datum targets 

� External model drawing views 

� Print to PDF 

� Circular and mirrored text 

File Operations 

� Backup Assistant for recovering files 

� Send for sharing assemblies with external references 

� Import JT PMI 

� CATIA point import/export 

� JTOpen export configuration files 

� ProE assembly cuts 

� Dwg polyface mesh color and layer import 

� Dxf/dwg out: “scale output 1:1” option 

� Exclude drawing format on dxf/dwg out 


Partners 

� Improved KeyShot integration (shared material library, lightweight model transfer) 

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General 



There is now an option on the mini toolbar that enables you to modify the color of edges, faces and 

bodies when selecting an object. 

After installing Keyshotv2.2, each SpaceClaim startup automatically retrieves installed Keyshot 

materials. This feature consistently provides the user with the most recent rendering materials available. 

To get all available materials and preview images, made sure to refresh materials with Keyshot. 

Rendering with Keyshot can now be performed on lightweight assembly components. Lightweight 

components are a graphics-only representation of a design; only the component’s graphical information 

is loaded. Rendering designs with lightweight components reduces CPU memory and file size, which 

enhances SpaceClaim speed and performance. 

There is now an All checkbox option in the Selection Filter drop-down in the status bar. This enables the 

user to select all available filters with a single-click. Previously, all Filter checklists were selected by 

default and the user would have to individually deselect each unwanted filter’s checkbox. 

There is now a label in the status bar that displays the currently preselected object. In the status bar, this 

label is located to the left of the selected object status information. Previously, only the label of the 

selected object was displayed in the status bar. 

You can now lock the base dimension base point when sketching multiple objects. Locking a base 

dimension base point enables you to secure the dimensions of an object relative to that point, or, the 

dimensions of an object relative to any object you sketched previously. As you sketch, you can enter 

coordinates for each successive point relative to the previous point. Previously, you could only use a 

locked point once; now, with base dimension base point locked, it is not necessary to re-set the base 

point for each and every entity. 

To lock a base dimension base point: 

1. Enter Sketch mode. 

2. Select the Cartesian dimensions option from the Sketch options panel. 

3. Select the Lock base point dimensions checkbox in the Sketch options panel. 

4. Place the sketch on the sketch grid relative to your chosen dimensions from the locked base 

dimension base point. 

To change the location of a base dimension base point: 

1. While in Sketch mode, while hovering over the base dimension base point from which you want 

to take a dimension, press Shift to dimension between the selected object and that point. The 

Cartesian dimensions are now taken from this new base dimension base point. 

In the Control options section of the Popular options menu, you can now opt to 

select the Show view orientation in design window checkbox. When ON it displays 

a view orientation gizmo in the design window, as shown to the right. You can 

click a linear gizmo arrow to rotate the design to a new orientation in 3D, or a 

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rotational arrow to rotate the design in 90-degree increments in the plane of the screen (same behavior 

as the Rotate function in the ribbon group). 

When hovering over a menu-chosen Named view, the tooltip now displays a picture of the orientation 

of that view. This enables the user to visualize and verify the intended orientation before actually 

selecting the view. The user is no longer required to guess which view will display. 

You can now right-click on a lightweight object in the design window and select Load Component from 

the context menu. Selecting Load Component loads the component and all its subcomponents' 

geometry information. Once loaded, you can then use any tool to modify the components. Previously, 

you could right-click the component only in the Structure tree, and then select Load Component from 

the context menu. 

In the Advanced screen in SpaceClaim Options, you can now click Import User Settings to import user 

settings. This feature enables you to apply non-default, customized selections that are unique to an 

individual user. 

To import user settings 

1. Select SpaceClaim Options from the Application menu then click Advanced. 

2. Click Import User Settings. 

The Open dialog box displays. 

A valid SpaceClaim user.config file (XML format) must be available for import. 

User.config file location can vary depending on SpaceClaim installation, but generally, this 

file type is stored in your local AppData directory. 

3. Locate the user.config file you want to import, or, enter the name of the user.config file in 

the File Name text box. 

4. Click Open. 

5. Click OK to close the SpaceClaim Options window. 

There is now a new context menu command in the Design window named “Clip Volume”. As you 

develop a model, Clip Volume enables you to create a spherical clip volume around an object so that you 

can selectively isolate a specific region, element, or section of a design. Using ClipView can be 

particularly helpful when you need to closely view and work on a specific feature of interest within a 

complex model. For example, after using ClipView to isolate a design area, you can use the Repair > 

Missing Faces tool to help detect and fix missing faces on a body. 

To set ClipView options 

1. Select SpaceClaim Options from the Application menu then click Navigation. 

2. Select an option in the ClipView group: 


� Preview color: Sets the preview color of the sphere representing your selected ClipView. 

� Clip selection: Trims the visible and selected surfaces inside a Clip Volume by the Clip 

Volume boundary. If you select this option, you are working in Clip Selection mode, and you 

can toggle Clip selection and Zoom to fit from the Misc section of the Properties panel. If 

you do not select this option, you are working in Clip Interactive mode. In this mode, you 

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cannot modify options from the Misc section of the Properties panel. When you select a 

face within the boundary, the entire face (unclipped) displays. 

3. Select your options and then click OK to close the SpaceClaim window. 

To use ClipView in Clip Selection mode 

1. Rotate and zoom in to your model to locate the model element or area you want to view. 

2. With nothing selected, right mouse click and select Clip View > Set. 

3. Hover over the center of the element you want to view and click+drag to create your spherical 

clip volume. 

4. Release the mouse. The area you selected to preview magnifies and displays as clipped, or 

isolated, from the rest of the model. 

To re-display your design with no clipping, right mouse click and select Clip View > Clear. 

There is now an option in the general section of the Multitouch options ‘Select edge loops using touch 

gestures or mouse scroll wheel’. This option, checked on by default, allows you to query select through 

edge loops and use touch gestures to also query select through edge loops. This new multitouch option 

will override the same option in the Advanced> Selection section of the option panel, which is checked 

off by default. These two options are now independent of one another. 

In the Structure tree, you can uncheck the box next to an object to hide it in the Design window. This 

action now executes nine (9) times faster than previously. 

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There is a new option on the STL file options screen in the File Options group of SpaceClaim Options. 

You can select the Override model units checkbox to remove default settings for the number of model 

units in an imported STL file. You can also de-select the Check Geometry button, which, when enabled, 

checks a model’s solids and surfaces for ACIS errors. 

A new Facet maximum edge length checkbox now displays in the Export section of both the STL file 

options screen and the OBJ file options screen in the File Options group of SpaceClaim Options. To set 

the maximum length for edges, select the checkbox and enter the desired edge length. The value you 

specify is the maximum value for the edges, however smaller edge lengths may be created. The ACIS 

modeler will try to meet your desired edge length setting, but in some design scenarios, may create an 

edge length that is less than your setting, to best accommodate the design. Previously, edge length was 

not settable. 

In the General group in the Advanced screen in SpaceClaim Options, you can select the Backup every 

checkbox to enable the new recovery assistant feature. With recovery assistant, you can save your files 

automatically, helping to reduce the risk or impact of data loss in case of a crash or freeze. The default 

backup time interval is 10 minutes, but you can select a time interval from 1 to 100 minutes. Once you 

select a time interval, you can enter or click the Browse button to select a location for the backup files 

on your computer. If you save your file before your session ends, your backup files are purged. 

There is now a Clear Backup Files button in the General group in Advanced SpaceClaim Options. This 

allows you to manually purge all backup files from your backup file location at your convenience. 

Now, when you launch SpaceClaim after an application crash, an Information box displays to notify you 

that backed up files are available. To recover backup files, click Restore from the Application menu, then 

select the file you want to open. During your SpaceClaim session, up until you begin working with a 

model, you can also mouse over the Information icon to display the Information box, as shown 

below: 

There is a new user setting in the General group in Advanced SpaceClaim Options. Use the Keep backup 

files for ^ days scroll window to select the number of days (0-100) that you want to store your backup 

files. By default, SpaceClaim sets the number of days at 7. 

When you select a component in the Structure tree and right-click to select Convert to External, you 

place a file on disk as a representative of an external document. The Properties panel updates to display 

details in the component’s Name section. With external components, SpaceClaim now also creates a 

‘thumbnail’ image of a new external component’s .scdoc file. This thumbnail image helps you identify 


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the file before you insert it or perform some other file action. Previously, thumbnail images did not 

display for external documents. 

There is a new checkbox in the Send dialog box. You can now select the Create ZIP file checkbox to 

compress a model that you want to archive. When you archive a model, it stores the .scdoc file and the 

.zip file in a file folder named with the file naming convention _archive. This feature 

allows for improved file organization and use of file storage space. 

You can now single click to highlight an entire text string (across columns) in a Properties panel cell. This 

usability enhancement eliminates the need to backspace through other text in the cell, for example, 

when the value is “1mm”, in order to more quickly and easily reach the value entry you want to change. 

The color of the Progress bar, which displays in the Status bar to the 

right of the Selection Filter tool, has changed to a blue gradient, as 

shown in the image to the right: 

When you import or save a file, the Progress Indicator, which also 

displays now in blue, shows the progress of the file as a whole (0- 

100%), as shown in the image to the right. Previously, the indicator 

displayed progress for each individual file. 

The Orient group now displays on the Measure tab. Previously, the Orient group displayed on all other 

tabs except the Measure tab. 

Text has been removed for some tool icons from both the Insert group on the Design tab and the Orient 

group on all tabs in order to save space on the Ribbon, as shown in the image below: 

When you import an AutoCAD (.dwg) polyface mesh model with the option Solid Models (in the Import 

section of the AutoCAD file options screen settings) turned on, the color and layer of the model are now 

preserved. Previously, even though the Solid Models option was selected, SpaceClaim sometimes did 

not import the file as a solid, and in no case were color and layer settings being used. The image set 


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below shows an example of how this model type imported previously, and the same model imported as 

a solid, with color and layer intact. 

The Sketch group now includes the Face Curve button, as shown below: 

The Show popup messages in status bar checkbox is ON by default, and when enabled, displays pop up 

messages in the status bar area. These messages provide hints and feedback while you work in 

SpaceClaim. Deselect the checkbox to turn off the popup message display. 

Document tabs now include an ‘x’ (Close) button after the design or drawing sheet name, as shown in 

the image to the right. The button, and a thumbnail of your design, display when you hover over the 

name. A Save prompt displays if you have made changes to your design; select Yes to save your changes 

and close the design, No to discard your changes and close the design, or Cancel to stop the close 

process and return to your design. 

To save ribbon space, the Highlight options in the Show group on the Sheet Metal tab now display as a 

dropdown, as shown in the image below: 


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Two new rotation controls have been added to the Spin tool in the Orient 

group on the Design tab: Rotate 90 Clockwise and Rotate 90 Counterclockwise, 

as shown in the image to the right. These controls are provided in addition to 

the on-screen view gizmo control, and can be used whether your spin is set to 

On Center or On Cursor. Click either of the new controls once or multiple times 

to orient your design as needed for optimal viewing. Previously, these controls 

displayed in the Orient group on the Display tab. 



The Video Help (F3) tooltips feature, as shown in the Pull tooltip in the image to the right, is ON by 

default. Over 60 animated .gif files for F3 tool tips are 

now currently enabled. 

There is now an option to Power Select faces with the same color. 

How to Power Select faces with the same color: 

1. Open a model with different colors on multiple faces of the model. 

2. Select a face of a particular color 

3. Click on the Selection panel tab in the Structure Tree 

4. Click on the Faces with same color option under the Same color folder in the Selection panel 

5. All the faces with the same color as the originally selected face will be selected. 

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You can now pre-highlight a Component pattern member by hovering over the Component node under 

the pattern node in the Structure tree. Previously, hovering over the component under the pattern node 

in the Structure tree did not pre-highlight the component. 

You can now save a drawing sheet as a 2D PDF which reflects the current format and size properties of 

the drawing sheet. You can also now Print to PDF from a design window and the design window and its 

contents will scale to fit the current paper size of the selected printer. The Shaded Quality is 

automatically set to 110 dpi, which is best for on-screen viewing, and this value can be modified by 

changing the property in the Print Settings menu (300 is better for printing). 

Now, when you copy a subcomponent along with it parent and paste it into a new design window, the 

subcomponent retains its relationship to and within the parent component. Previously, the 

subcomponent was flattened to the same level as the parent component in the structure tree, and the 

geometry within each component existed in a new place in the design window space, separated from 

each other. 

You can now enter commas as European numeric character-separator in the dimension fields for 

Standard Holes, Option panels, and Sketches. 

Update Components on Pattern has now been moved to the RMB menu for the mating condition in the 

Structure Tree. Previously, the option was in the RMB menu for assembly-related Components in the 

Structure Tree. 

Now, the Move Each to New Component context menu item only appears when multiple items are 

selected in the Structure Tree. Previously, the menu item existed in the context menu when RMB 

clicking on a single component but was grayed out to show that the option was not available. 

There is now a submenu called Source in the RMB menu for Components. The following options have 

been moved to this submenu: Make Independent, Replace Component, Use Internal Copy, Internalize 

All, and Convert to External. Previously, all of these options, except for Internalize All, were located in 

the main RMB menu for components. 

There is now an Internalize All option in the Source submenu in the Component context menu. This 

option internalizes any external files below and including the selected node in the structure tree. There 

is a progress bar with the Stop button to allow for canceling the command. 

How to Internalize All Components: 

1. RMB click on an external Component in the Structure Tree 

2. Hover over the Source submenu to display more options 

3. Click the Internalize All option. 

There is now an option in the Popular section of the SpaceClaim options to enable Show popup progress 

messages for the Volume Extract tool and when Importing files. This option is checked ON by default. 


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You can now use the Origin tool as an action-object tool to quickly place an origin at any location in your 

design where you want to anchor the Move tool. Click Origin in the Insert group on the Design tab, then 

position and insert the origin. You can also still click the Move tool and, after clicking Origin, 

automatically position and insert the origin. 

Pull tool 

A new dropdown box now displays in the Pull Tool section of the Change advanced SpaceClaim options 

in the Advanced screen in SpaceClaim Options. From the Default extrude behavior dropdown box, select 

Automatic, Add, Cut, or No Merge to set the initial state of Pull. The Automatic option selects by default, 

as always. 

You can now pull the axis of a slot up to the axis of another slot. Previously, this action did not produce 

the correct geometry. 

You can now pivot two separate edges together when pulling in one direction, as shown below. 

You can now move a circular edge of a flat surface the same way you move a circular sketch curve, as 

shown below. 


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You can now draft a face of one pattern member and see the other pattern members modified as well. 

Previously, drafting a face of one pattern member only changed the geometry of the pattern member 

being modified. This works with the new pattern tools as well as in the move tool. 

Previously, when pulling on a face with an offset relationship, you had to pull on the baseline face to be 

able to pull both offset faces together. Pulling on the non-baseline face resulted in an extruded feature. 

Now the behavior has changed such that you can pull on either face, regardless of which one is the 

baseline face, and the faces will pull together with their offset dimension maintained. 

This option is ON by default. If you do not want to maintain the offset behavior when pulling on a face 

with an offset relationship, select the Maintain offset checkbox from the Options panel. Deselect it to 

release the offset relationship between the two faces. 

With the Cut option selected in the Options-Pull panel, you can now pull a face on a solid and cut 

through other bodies during the pull process. Previously, the cut process ended after the first body was 

cut, and, without the Cut option enabled, pulling a face would start cutting an intersected body in 

another component when the topology of the first body changed. The image set below shows that, with 

the Cut option selected and with Pull mode on, the face cuts completely through each separate body of 

the design. 


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Measure 



The Min. distance between objects measurement now displays when you measure the distance 

between objects with the Measure tool. 

When selecting on a point with the Select tool, the X, Y, Z location now display in the status bar. 

There are now minimum and maximum edge dihedral angles values in the Analysis section of the 

Properties panel when selecting a dihedral edge with the Dihedral tool in the Quality group on the 

Measure tab. The following images show a model with variable dihedral angles, and the edge analysis 

that displays when both edges are selected. 

There is now a Units option in the Measure tool which allows you to change the units of measurement 

quickly and easily without having to change the unit system of the document. 

Sheet Metal 

You can no longer use the Bend tool to attempt to create a bend line which coincides with an edge. 

Previously, the Bend tool would show a preview bend up line without any reliefs. The user would have 

seen the preview, but upon clicking the Complete button, no result was produced, nor was there an 

error message. 

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Faces which have beads can now be moved with the Move tool. Previously, the user would receive an 

error message stating the object (the wall) could not be moved. 

Partial hem parameters can now be modified in the Properties panel. Previously, attempting to modify 

the parameters did not produce the correct result 

When selecting on an edge to create a bend angle, modifying the Bend Angle option now propagates to 

the pull edge handles immediately. Previously, the handles did not display the change until the bend 

was actually being created during the pull. 

The Convert tool now converts a model - with complex geometry - to sheet metal six (6) times faster 

than the previous conversion speed. 

You can no longer create hems on non-thickness edges, such as those created with chamfers. Previously, 

this geometry was possible, but has been determined as an unrealistic manufacturing scenario. 

The Unfold button is now enabled when you select a single face of a sheet metal part. Previously, you 

could select on multiple faces to unfold a sheet metal part. However, the second or third face selection 

was not required in order to execute the unfold action. 

An error message now displays when you attempt to use the Split tool on a corner of a sheet metal part. 

Previously, this action produced a small step, which appeared as offset from the edge that you were 

attempting to split from. 

There is now a Marker tool in the Create group on the Sheet Metal tab. 

Use the Marker tool in the Create ribbon group on the Sheet Metal tab to create one or more ‘crosshair’ 

placeholder markers on planar sheets or sidewalls (flat surfaces). These marker objects move along 

with the walls on which they are initially placed. 

To create a marker: 

2. Click the Marker tool in the Create ribbon group on the Sheet Metal tab. 

3. Click on a surface to place the marker. 

To move a marker: 

1. Click the Move tool in the Edit ribbon group on the Sheet Metal tab. 

2. Click the marker you want to move. 


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3. Pull the marker’s handles to move the marker to a new position. 

There is now a Double Wall tool in the Create group on the Sheet Metal tab. 



Use the Double Wall tool in the Create ribbon group on the Sheet Metal tab to create a folded full or 

partial double wall. 

To create a double wall: 

1. (Optional) Make room for the double wall by adding the material thickness to the inside radius 

of any existing bends inside which new bends will be created when doubling. 

2. Click the Double Wall tool in the Create ribbon group on the Sheet Metal tab. 

3. Use the Ctrl key to select the face or set of faces where you want to place the double wall bend. 

4. Click the Select Edges tool guide, then click the edge or edges where you want to place the 

bend. 

5. Click the Complete tool guide. 

There is now a Gusset tool in the Create group on the Sheet Metal tab. 

Use the Gusset tool in the Create ribbon group on the Sheet Metal tab to create one or more flat or 

cylindrical gussets. 

To create a flat gusset: 

1. Click the Gusset tool in the Create ribbon group on the Sheet Metal tab. 

2. Click on the bend where you want to position the gusset. 

3. Click to place the gusset. 

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To create a cylindrical gusset: 

1. Click the Gusset tool. 

2. Click on the bend where you want to position the gusset. 

3. Select the Cylindrical gusset type in the tool options panel. 

4. Click to place the gusset. 

You can now move a gusset from one position to another. 

To move a gusset 

5. Click Move in the Edit group on the Sheet Metal tab. 

6. Select the gusset that you want to move. 

7. Move the gusset along the bend axis to relocate the gusset to a new position. 

You can now create a card guide form, such as for use when designing a sub-rack. 

To create a card guide 



1. Click Forms in the Create group on the Sheet 

Metal tab. 

1. Select the Create Card Guide – Double Rectangle 

form from the Special gallery group. 

2. Click on a face to place the form. 

� Before you place the form, you can edit the 

form’s parameters in the Options panel. 

� After you place the form, you can modify the form’s parameters from the Properties panel. 

3. Double-click to complete the form, or, click the Complete tool guide. 

The actual geometry used to create a new Thread Punch form now results in creating a realistic object. The object 

now unfolds correctly. Previously, the bend radius value did not reflect the correct value of the selected object, 

thus not creating an accurately drawn object. Because of this, the object did not unfold correctly. 

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You can now set the bend deduction (BD) for a bend calculation to a negative value. From the Properties panel, 

modify the Bend Deduction under Sheet Metal. This allows you to correctly calculate the BD from BA. Previously, 

the absolute value of a bend deduction corresponded to exact value, not the absolute value of a bend allowance, 

which resulted in positive value only. 

When box selecting a sheet metal junction, the status message now displays the selection as a junction. 

Previously, the status message recognized this selection as multiple faces. For example, when box selecting a 

bend, the status message displays 1 Bend instead of 2 Faces. 

The Identify tool now allows the user to box select identifiable sheet metal geometry. Box selecting selects front 

and back faces of the pre-identified sheet metal geometry. Previously, box select was not available in the Identify 

tool. 

With a part selected in the Structure tree, a new K-Factor Type option now displays In the Sheet Metal 

group of the Properties panel, as shown below: 

The Variable option is set by default, and graph function behavior is unchanged from previous 

versions. However, the Constant K-Factor type option allows you to enter a numerical value for the 

part. Using this option, you can map the design to other mainstream CAD functionality, or, adjust the 

design to a manufacturer’s unique standards or tolerances, to achieve different unfolding results. 

Previously, the K-Factor Type option was not available in the Properties panel. 

The graph below shows a constant K-Factor: 


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Bend table files are comma-separated value (CSV) files, which you can edit in a spreadsheet editor. You 

can now enter a value for BendAlllowance in a bend table to obtain the desired bend allowance, using 

the keyword description Type parameter BendAlllowance. The 

Properties panel displays bend allowance parameters as shown to the 

right: 

Adding this value enables you to assign bend allowance tables to a model to 

calculate the developed lengths for unfolded or flat patterns to be machined. 

Previously, BendDeduction was the only supported Type value, as 

displayed in the sample bend table below: 

You can now use the Up To tool guide to pull one plane up to another when a sheet metal model is in flattened 

mode. After you flatten the model and select a face to pull, click the Up To tool guide, then click the object that 

sets the plane up to which you want to pull. 

You can now move a hem. Moving a hem adjusts the length of the hem’s face. Partial hems can move along the 

bend as well, as shown: 

You can now unfold sheet metal with double-walled parts that include a complex unbending edge. Previously, the 

sheet metal would unfold, but the unbending edge of the double wall would not unfold correctly, resulting in an 

in inaccurately unfolded design. 


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You can now use Fill or Delete to 

remove a hem. With the hem 

selected, select Fill from the Edit 

group in the Design tab, or right 

mouse click and select Delete from 

the context menu. 



When creating multiple splits along a 

sheet metal part, regardless of whether you use one or two cutter points or bend direction, the resulting bend 

now spans the length of the sheet metal part across all splits, and, on both sides of the split(s). 

You can now completely unfold (flatten) a sheet metal part that includes holes that touch a bend or are included 

in an object that includes a bend, as shown in the image set below: 

Previously, a sheet metal part would not unfold after inserting a hole. 

When you now move a wall, any associated sheet metal objects associated with that wall, such as junctions, 

edges, reliefs, corner reliefs, and bends, also move with the wall. Previously, only the selected wall would move, 

and the wall’s associated objects would remain in place, resulting in an unrealistic result. 

You can now use the Pull tool to create a new offset wall in sheet metal. Previously, you could create only inside 

or outside walls in sheet metal. When you create an offset wall, you offset the sheet to allow space for the bend 

when pulling, essentially pulling the wall with the bend starting exactly from the edge location. 

You can now move a joggle along a bend. Previously, the Move tool functionality was not available to move 

joggles in this direction. 

Circular text can now be converted to lightweight (LW) text in sheet metal. Lightweight text is transparent, and is 

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used to represent text objects in a virtual way (so that further operations on the part do not have to recalculate 

all the new graphics data dealing with text). In lightweight mode, the text cutouts seen by the user are only 

recreated when the text is edited, as opposed to every time any other action is performed on the model. 

Now, when you use the Fill tool to fill a gusset, the bend geometry on which the gusset is defined 

remains intact. Previously, filling a gusset resulted in breaking the bend on which it was defined, which 

created incorrect geometry when the design was flattened. 

When using the Up To tool guide to move a face, form, or bead to a new location on a part, such as an 

edge or face, you can now select a direction with a Move tool handle and click the Up To tool to 

correctly move the face, form, or bead to the new location. Previously, you could select a direction 

with a Move tool handle and click the Up To tool guide, but the face, form, or bead would not move to 

the desired location. 

With a hem selected, you can now modify the hem’s Bend Allowance (BA) and Bend Deduction (BD) 

parameters in the Sheet Metal group of the Properties panel. When you change a hem’s BA, the BD 

parameter also automatically updates, depending on the hem’s other parameters, such as Inner Radius, 

Height, or Angle. Previously, after creating a hem, the bend radius or angle could not be modified. 

With a joggle selected, you can now modify the joggle’s Inner Radius and Angle parameters in the Sheet 

Metal group of the Properties panel. When you change a joggle’s BA, the BD parameter also 

automatically updates, depending on the joggle’s other parameters, such as Inner Radius, Height, or 

Angle. Previously, after creating a joggle, the bend radius or angle could not be modified. 

Corner reliefs are created automatically and by default when you create a sheet metal design or 

convert a design to sheet metal. Converting corner reliefs to other types is a standard SpaceClaim 

feature. Sometimes, later rotations and wall modifications would not be possible because of 

complicated corner geometry. 

To achieve a solid rotation and retain the correct geometry, before rotating sheet metal wall faces, 

now you can automatically convert the corner reliefs to a default corner relief (which is purposely a bit 

over-sized). When finished with the user-requested rotation, the system automatically restores the 

corner reliefs to their original relief type. Many more modifications, particularly to walls with 

complicated corner reliefs, should now be possible. 

You can now select a wall as an object, and click the Delete key; or right-click and select Delete to delete 

a wall. When you delete a wall, you also delete any objects related to the wall, such as junctions or 

reliefs. 

Now, when you move a double wall, the wall and any objects related to the wall, such as junctions or 

reliefs, move together, as shown in the image below: 

Previously, double-walls and their adjacent or associated parts did not move together. 


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You can now use the Pull tool to pull an edge of a double-wall into a sheet metal wall, as shown in the 

image set below. Previously, you could not pull an edge of a double-wall. 

You can now not only rotate double walls around a bend axis, but you can also click anywhere on the 

model, such as a face, and rotate the double wall to change the model’s geometry. As shown in the 

examples below, how the double wall rotates depends on which face is selected: 

Now, when you select a sheet metal part and click Ctrl+ Move, the copied sheet metal part retains and 

recognizes all features of your selection, thus providing accurate part replication. Previously, the copied 

part did not retain bends, reliefs, hems, gussets, or other sheet metal features. 


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Creating holes in a sheet metal flat part and then including those holes completely within a bend zone 

now results in holes that bend up when you create a bend, as shown in the image below. Previously, 

holes in this design scenario did not bend up. 

When you use the Convert tool to convert a body to sheet metal, or, are working with an existing sheet 

metal body, only the sheet metal faces that are separated by the default sheet metal thickness are 

shown in blue, but not sheet metal that varies in thickness from the default, as shown in the image to 

the right: 

Now, when you convert a part that includes a notch, and then click 

the Identity tool and select the Notches tool guide, notches are 

clearly identified by the cyan color in the sheet metal part, as 

shown in the notch in the image to the right: 

You can now set the gage for a material used in a sheet metal part. Gage, or, ‘gauge’, is the thickness of 

the metal organized by numbers: the smaller the number the thinner the metal. A sheet metal design or 

component of a design must be assigned a material in order for the gage dropdown to display. You 

cannot select a gage for designs or components that are assigned the ‘Unknown Material’ option. 

To assign a material, from the Structure tree select the design at the top level, or select the component 

for which you want to assign a material, and then click the Material Name dropdown from the Material 

group in the Properties panel. From the Thickness group in the Properties panel, click the gage drop 

down, and select a gage. Assigning a gage enables you to control the thickness of a sheet metal part at a 

more granular level. 

For sheet metal bends that are greater than 90 degrees, the definition of the K-factor calculation has 

changed. Previously, Bend Deduction = 2 * SBout – Bend Allowance 

Now, for angles up to 90 degrees, the length of one side of a part is defined as a tangent length or a 

radius length, as shown in the image on the left, below. For larger angles, a reference point for 

measuring the length of a part cannot be practically measured, so tangent dimensioning is used instead, 

as shown in the image on the right: 


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Now, when you click the Convert tool and select a surface body of a design, the surface body 

automatically thickens into a sheet metal body at the default sheet metal thickness. This enhancement 

eliminates the need to redo a surface you may have sketched prior to converting the design to sheet 

metal. For example, if you make a mistake and start sketching a surface, not in Sheetmetal, you can click 

the Convert tool to immediately convert it when you go to the Sheetmetal tab, and not have to redo the 

sketch. 

You can use the Bend tool from the Create group in the Sheet Metal tab to place multiple bend lines 

along a surface. Now, existing in-progress bends (that are not yet bent, or ‘flipped) remain de-selected 

as you place one or more new, additional bend lines along the sheet metal surface. 

All now displays as the first option in the Highlight dropdown in the Show group on the Sheet 

Metal tab, as shown in the image to the right. Selecting this option enables this tool to highlight 

each object in the component. Deselect the All option to clear all Highlight checkboxes. 

The Highlight dropdown in the Show group on the Sheet Metal tab now displays a Tabs option, 

which, when selected, highlights all tabs in your sheet metal design. 

Now, you can define Bend Allowance calculations when you bend up (from flat and 3D) a sheet metal 

component, or when you create a joggle. 

Begin creating a Bend Up, then, before you click the Complete button to create the bend, you can use 

the Bend Options panel to choose your bend parameters, including Vee Die width setting. After you 

create the bend, you can modify these settings, here and in the Properties panel. 

From the Properties panel, in the Sheet Metal group, select a Bend Table from the dropdown. You can 

enter the bend allowance values you want for your model before you make the bend or change bend 

allowance calculations. Be sure your bend table document is closed prior to modifying the bend’s 

parameters in the Options panel. 


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When creating a joggle, among other values, you can enter a value for Bend Allowance from the Bend 

Options panel. As with creating a bend, you can also modify Bend Allowance by working with a bend 

table. 

Similar to other objects, such as a gusset or hem, a tab is now selectable as an object. As such, you can 

select the entire tab, edit the tab’s parameters in the Properties panel, and use the Fill tool (F) to 

remove a tab. 

In the Options panel, you can now set a tab’s clearance. Clearance is the amount of space that exists 

between tab faces. To set the space between tabs, when creating a tab you can enter the setting in the 

Clearance text box in the Tab Options panel. Once you create the tab, you can edit the clearance setting 

in the Sheet Metal group of the Properties panel. 

You can now click the Identify tool, and then click the Tabs tool guide, to locate and identify all tabs in 

your model. The tool guide identifies the tabs in red by default. Click the Complete button to display the 

tab in blue (default). 

You can create and/or edit tabs and slots in walls that intersect in the same body. 

The image to the right shows a vertical and horizontal wall intersecting in the 

same body, with the walls connected by a set of tabs and slots 

To change the shape of the sharp edges on tabs, click Round Radius from the 

Sheet Metal options panel. You can also change the edges when you create the 

tab by selecting Rounds or Chamfers from the Tab Options panel. These settings 

enable you to have more control and selection over tab and slot design. The 

image set below shows a sample of tabs with rounded corners, and tabs with 

chamfered corners: 


Page 26


You can now use the Mirror tool to mirror sheet metal components (not solids). In the Structure tree, 

select the solid, then right-click and choose Move to New Component. Select Plane from the Insert 

group on the Design tab to place the plane on the face you want to mirror. Click the Mirror tool, select 

the plane, and then select the component that you want to mirror. The last image in the set below 

shows a mirrored sheet metal component: 

Previously when attempting to identify notches, 45 degree and xy bevel notches were not identified. 

Now, when selecting the notches tool guide in the Identify tool, all notches are highlighted correctly. 

Previously, when moving a parent wall in a linear direction with a tab junction attached, the tab junction 

would separate, which is not the correct behavior. Now a tab stays connected when moving a parent 

wall in a linear direction. See example below. 

There is now an Unfold Layers section in the Options UI for Sheet Metal. This section has options for 

assigning default layer colors and linestyle for Bend Lines-Up, Bend Lines-Down, and Forms. Other layers 

include Overall Dimensions and Bend Dimensions but there is only a color option for these layers. 


Page 27


In the layers panel, you will now see a layer for each of the following features when the part is in an 

unfolded state: Dimension, Bend Lines Up, Bend Lines Down, Bend Dimensions, and Forms. All of these 

layers are turned off by default except for the Dimension layer. Previously, only Dimension, Bends, and 

Bend Dimensions were present in the layers panel. 

The Annotation Datum Plane and Annotation Datum for curves have now been moved to the Bend 

Dimensions layer which allows them to be hidden while still showing the bend lines. This proves to be 

helpful when exporting to line drawings. 

Now, sheet metal features remain highlighted when switching between tabs. Previously, if you had 

created a sheet metal part then switched to the design tab, for example, the highlighted sheet metal 

features would be turned off until the sheet metal tab was activated again. Sheet metal objects are 

always up-selected from faces in the sheet metal tab as well as all other tabs. You can pick on any of 

these features by simply just clicking on one face, rolling the mouse wheel to select a face behind 

another, or by box selecting the feature. 

When in the Design tab, the Select, Pull and Move tools work as they do in the Sheet Metal tab, 

however, if you want to use the Design Tab tools as usual there is a context menu option called Suspend 

Sheet Metal when you RMB-click the Sheet Metal part in the structure tree. This will turn off highlighting 

the Sheet Metal features and is similar to switching to the Design tab before this change was 

implemented. 

There is now a tool guide in the Bend tool, Select Curves, which allows you to select a sketch curve on a 

body to be bent up along with the faces with the chosen bend lines. 


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You can now use the Hinge tool to make hinges on Sheet Metal parts which rotate about the pin of 

the joint using the Move tool. See example to the right for rotating a hinge. Hinges can only be made 

between separate solids (ones that are connected by a Junction). Hinges are now part of Highlight drop 

down menu in the Show group and are highlighted in the same color as Tabs. You can select the Hinge 

object like other Sheet Metal objects by clicking on a face to select the entire feature. Hinge Properties 

include Pin Diameter, Pitch, Knuckle length, End play, and Paint clearance. There is also a Flip checkbox 

which when checked on alternates the hinge curves along the selected edge. Currently this option is 

only available in the options panel before completing the Hinge (not redefinable.) 

To Create a Hinge: 

1. Create one of the three overlap junctions at a bend on a sheetmetal part. Or create a split across 

a face of a flat wall. 

2. Select the Hinge tool from the Create Group on the Sheet Metal tab 

3. Select on a straight edge which is perpendicular to a thickness edge. You can also select on one 

edge out of two flat Sheet Metal walls which are next each other in the same plane. 

4. If it is possible to create a Hinge on the selected edge a preview will show in blue. You can ctrl + 

select multiple edges to create multiple hinges at a time. Creating multiple hinges at a time 

means they will all have the same properties after completion. You may then change the 

properties of an individual hinge in the properties panel. 

5. Enter in desired values for each of the 5 properties 

6. Click the Complete button or hit the enter key to complete the hinge. 

Reverse and Flip functionality has been implemented in the Tab tool. RMB-click on a tab feature to 

select either of the two new options. The Flip option alternates the tabs along the selected edge to be 

the opposite of the current interlocking position. The Reverse option picks the edge of the other body 

which the tabs will intersect so that the male teeth are made on that edge instead of the originally 

picked edge to create the Tab. 

For Hinge and Tab tools, there is a checkbox for the Flip option. Previously, this was called the Reverse 

option. It was changed because the Reverse option is actually effected by picking the edge of the other 


Page 29


body whereas the Flip option alternates the geometry along the axis of the edge picked for the Tab or 

Hinge. 

When pulling on a face of a Sheet Metal wall, the pull tool now acts like the move tool so that the offset 

face moves along with the selected face and bend junctions are maintained correctly. Tabs will also be 

maintained when pulling on a wall which has an interlocking tab feature attached. 

Hinges can now be filled with the Fill tool. 

Angled Notches (or chamfers) can now be identified with the Identify tool on the Sheet Metal tab. 

Previously, angled notches were not highlighted automatically when entering the Notches tool guide in 

the Identify tool. See example below. 

Bend Table Name and Thickness properties have been added to the Insert Field dialog box in the Note 

tool mini toolbar. To add these properties to a note click on the top level component and set the 

category to Selected Object to display the property options. This will allow users to place these 

properties as a Field Note into a Note that automatically updates when the properties change. 

Card guide forms are now mirrored properly. Previously, the mirrored component only had slot cutouts 

from the form but not the bump over the top of the cutouts. 

The default colors and linestyles for unfolded bend lines have been changed. Bend up is now a solid 

green line and Bend Down is now a dashed green line. Previously, the colors and linestyles for both lines 

were royal blue and dashed by default. Of course the user can re-set these via their layers. 

There is now an Invert Form option in the RMB context menu for forms. Clicking the option flips the 

form to the opposite side of the Sheet Metal wall. This option only works for Forms originally created in 

SpaceClaim, not ones that are Identified from foreign sources. 

You can now press the Delete key when a Form is selected to remove the Form association from the 

object. The geometry remains and you can use the Identify tool to change it back to a Form object if 

needed. This is consistent with other Sheet Metal objects such as Notches and Beads, Reliefs, Junctions, 

etc. 

Overall dimensions are calculated on an unfolded Sheet Metal part and are placed on the Dimension 

layer. Previously, when creating a new drawing sheet from the unfolded Sheet Metal part, the overall 

dimensions were transferred to the drawing sheet and placed on the active layer along with the Sheet 


Page 30


Metal geometry, meaning you could not have hidden these dimensions without also turning off the 

visibility of the geometry. 

The Select Curves toolguide is no longer available when the Bead option in the Bend tool is active. You 

can no longer use partially-crossing curves to create beads with the Bend tool. Use the standalone Bead 

tool to create beads which do not extend all the way across a Sheet Metal face. 

The Split tool now works on Sheet Metal faces whose thickness edges are not square (90° angle) to the 

face chosen for the split. 


Page 31

Detail 



In the Linestyle options section of the Detailing screen in SpaceClaim Options, there is now a line style rendering 

dropdown menu. To enable line style options, you must select the Lineweight checkbox in the Show group of the 

Display tab. New line style options include Dashed, Long dash dotted, Long dash double dotted, and Dotted. 

Using a non-solid line style helps to differentiate a detail view with clipped edges when in wireframe mode. Previously, 

you could change line thickness only, and only show a solid line weight on a clipped edge. 

You can now select a Microsoft Windows 3.1 single line stroke font when creating a Note. With the note selected, 

choose Modern, Roman, or Script from the Font dropdown in the mini-toolbar. The addition of single stroke fonts 

enables you to use a simpler, single line font when etching or laser-cutting in sheetmetal, where the width of the 

character is determined by the width/focus of the laser beam. Previously, only TrueType fonts (multi-line) were 

available. 

You can now create and edit circular Note text. Text types include clockwise (CW) or counterclockwise 

(CCW). To prevent 0 radius, a reasonable radius is automatically chosen when CW/CCW is user-selected. 

The circle center is indicated by a cross-hair marker. The circle radiuss displays as a visual guideline. Use the 

pull handles to size the circle, or, adjust the orientation of the note by dragging the rotation handle. You can 

enter or change new radius settings in the Options panel. 

As shown in the image set below, with circular text you can create: 

� Single line text 

� Multi-line text. Type the first line of text, and then press Enter to create an additional line of text. 

� Formatted single or multiple line text. Use the mini-toolbar to format circular note text. You can 

change the font, font size, and style of all or some of the text; however, you cannot underline circular 

text. Both True Type and Microsoft Windows 3.1 fonts are available for creating circular note text. 

Page 32

To create a Note with circular text 

1. Select the Create tool from the Annotation ribbon group in the Detail tab. 

2. Click a face to create the plane on which to place the note. 

3. Click to place the note on the plane. 

4. Enter the text of the note. 

5. In the Properties panel, select Clockwise or Counterclockwise from the Type dropdown. 

6. Click the face to update the note. 

To edit a Note with circular text 

1. Click the circular note to display the radius and the mini-toolbar. 

2. Click the note text. 

The text box changes in shape from circular to rectangular for easier editing. 

3. Edit or format the text as needed. 

4. Click the face to update the note with your changes 

To create a Note with circular text 

7. Select the Create tool from the Annotation ribbon group in the Detail tab. 

8. Click a face to create the plane on which to place the note. 



Page 33

9. Click to place the note on the plane. 

10. Enter the text of the note. 

11. In the Properties panel, select Clockwise or Counterclockwise from the Type dropdown. 

12. Click the face to update the note. 

To edit a Note with circular text 

5. Click the circular note to display the radius and the mini-toolbar. 

6. Click the note text. 

The text box changes in shape from circular to rectangular for easier editing. 

7. Edit or format the text as needed. 

8. Click the face to update the note with your changes. 



To get started with creating circular text, select the Create tool from the Annotation ribbon 

group in the Detail tab. In the Properties panel, select Clockwise or Counterclockwise from the 

Type dropdown. Once you create your circular text, you can use leading spaces (inserted 

before text or within text) and trailing spaces (inserted after text) to position text around the 

circle radius as needed. 

You can now anchor text, of regular, circular, and mirrored types. Where you anchor the text 

determines the direction that the text will fill the note. For example, if you select the Left Top 

position, as you type, the expanded text box flows from left to right and top to bottom. 

Choose an Anchor option In the Position group in the Properties panel. Anchor positions include 

Left Top, Left Bottom, Right Bottom, Right Top, Left Center, Right Center, Bottom Center, or 

Center. This feature enables you to influence the position and size of how a note will fit on a 

plane. 

When including Hebrew characters in any type of note, be advised that the modern Hebrew 

alphabet is written and read from right to left. English alpha characters and all numeric 

characters (letters and numbers) are written and read from left to right. Hebrew text 

automatically right justifies as it is entered in your note. If note text includes a mix of Hebrew 

and non-Hebrew language, edits you make to the Hebrew text will run from right to left, and 

edits you make in the non-Hebrew text (and numbers) will run from left to right. 

Field codes can be included within a note. The text in field codes is variable text; in other words, the text 

within a field is tied to code, so if you change a field code in your note or drawing sheet, for example, a 

date format, the field automatically updates. Some field codes are bi-directional; for example, adding the 

Scale field code to a drawing sheet enables you to change the scale by editing the note, or, change the 

scale by changing the value from the Scale drop-down in the Sheet Setup group in the Detail tab. 

With the note text selected, Click in the mini-toolbar to insert field codes into your note at the cursor 

location. From the Insert Field dialog box, select one field at a time from the Fields list. Select a Category 

from the dropdown, and click the Format tab to select a format for your field choice. For example, if you 

select the Create field, the Format tab displays a list of possible date formats. Select a format to see a 

field code example in the Example text box. Make your field and format selections and click the Close 

button. 

Page 34


You can hover over an area in the design window to highlight the field code as shown below. When 

selected, a field code displays as a note in the status bar. 

3D Markup slides display by name, such as Slide1, as components in the Structure tree. To delete a slide, 

you can now select the slide in the Structure tree, and then right mouse click and select Delete to remove 

the slide. 

Because a slide is a component, when you delete a slide from the Structure tree you also delete all of that 

slide’s objects. This feature allows you to organize your 3D Markup slides as you work towards creating a 

design or finished assembly. Previously, you could not delete a slide in the Structure tree. 

Nine anchor positions now display with non-circular note text. For illustration purposes, the Center 

anchor is shown in the image below: 

To select an anchor, simply click to make it active. A selected anchor displays as a red ball on the 

note boundary. 

To move a note anchor 

1. Select the anchor, then drag it to a different area of the design window, including anywhere 

inside or outside the note boundary. 

To move an anchor, you can also select a new anchor location from the Position group in the 

Properties panel. 

When you change an anchor’s position, the Anchor dropdown automatically updates in the 

Properties panel. 


Page 35


Where you anchor the text determines the direction that the text will fill the note. For example, if you 

select the Left Top position, as you type, the expanded text box will flow text from left to right and top 

to bottom. This feature enables you to influence the position and size of how a note will fit on a plane. 

As with non-circular text, you can also work with the same anchor set to change anchor position, and 

determine text direction for a circular note. 

When you change an anchor’s position, the Radius textbox automatically updates in the Circular Text 

section of the Properties panel. Circular note text includes the rotation handle and two additional 

controls: a radius handle and a center/move handle, as shown in the image below: 

To rotate a note Select the rotation handle and rotate the note either clockwise or 

counterclockwise. The green rotation handle is located at the top of the 

handle bar. 

To change note’s radius Select the radius handle and move the handle.The radius handle is located 

To change a note’s 

position 


on the note’s radius-defined circle. 

Select the center/move handle, then drag it to a different area of the 

design window, including anywhere inside or outside the note boundary. 

The center/move handle is located at the center of the note’s radiusdefined 

circle. 

You can now left-justify, center, or right-justify circular note text. 

To format the text, place your cursor within the text, or select the text you want to format, and use the 

tools in the Font ribbon group in the Detail tab. All text within the note boundary – singular or 

multiple lines of text – will align to the format you set. 

By default, all circular text, whether clockwise or counterclockwise, now displays around the outside 

radius of a circle. 

When designing a model, you can insert sub-components into an assembly multiple times. The QTY 

column in the model’s Bill of Materials (BOM) now updates to show the correct number of subcomponents 

included in an assembly. Previously, the number of items, not sub-components, displayed in 

the BOM’s QTY column, as shown below: 

Page 36


You can now split the cross hatching lines of a cross section plane on a drawing sheet. This interactive 

feature is unique to SpaceClaim. With each new split of a cross-section plane, a new view is created and 

labeled automatically, and hatch lines update as you split or make changes. 

To split a cross section plane 

1. Click the Cross Section View tool on the Detail tab's Views ribbon group. 

2. Click the Select Section View tool guide, and then select the cross section view you want to split. 

You can modify the values in the Options panel as needed. 

3. Click the Cut Existing Section tool guide, and select the location on the cross-section indicator 

where you want to make the split. 

The indicator splits at your cursor location. 

4. Slowly move the mouse to size your split, then click anywhere in the Design window to finalize. 

As you make the split, the cross-section view changes to reflect the new geometry created by 

the split, as shown in the image set below: 

There is a new Select Section View tool guide icon for the Cross Section tool. Use this tool to select a 

drawing view to section. 

Using the Cut Existing Sections tool guide, create an offset cross section by selecting an existing 

planar cross section, and then click+ drag a section line, or a segment of a section line. The curve you 

choose determines the direction of the cross-section. When you click, a small red diamond cut indicator 

displays at your cursor location to set the location of the cut, as shown in the image below: 


Page 37


The cut indicator slides as you move your cursor along any section line or segment that is parallel to the 

primary direction of the section arrows. The image to the right shows a model with section lines that cut 

across the holes, and two cross-section cuts: 

From the Appearance SpaceClaim options screen, you can set the color of cross section planes with the 

Clip face color option, so that they display correctly along cut planes. The sample images show the cross 

section planes in blue. The default for this option is the body color. 

There is now a new Hole Table tool in the Annotation group on the Detail tab. Use this tool to create a 

table that orders a design’s round holes by size (classified by duplicates) and labels the holes on a planar 

face. Holes are sorted by in order from left to right, then top to bottom, as shown in the image below: 


Page 38


To create a Hole Table, click the Hole Table tool and then click on a planar face that includes holes. 

SpaceClaim creates a datum plane for the Hole Table. Now click+ drag the Hole Table to an empty space 

in the design window. Once you create a table, X and Y axis labels display. 

A Hole Table displays in the Structure tree on an Annotation Plane. You can deselect the Annotation 

Plane checkbox to hide the Hole Table. Just like a regular table, you can change the values in the Rows 

and Columns cells in the Properties panel to adjust the number, width, or height of a table element. Use 

the pull handles on the table or chart to size as needed. Use the round handle at the top of the table to 

rotate the table or chart. To remove a table or chart, select the table, right-mouse click, and select Cut. 

A Hole Chart displays the quantity of holes with similar diameters. If you make changes to your design, 

with the table ( or X or Y axis) selected, you can right-click and select Show Hole Chart to create another 

chart, Show Hole Table to create an updated table, or select Save Table As, to save the table as a Web 

(.htm, .html) or XML file. 

When you change the size of a hole, the values in the table update, and the table re-orders and reclassifies 

the holes and rows of the table. When you copy and paste a hole, the table updates to display 

a new row with the hole’s X, Y, and Description values. After you drag a label to another position on the 

design, the table updates to the size and position of the new hole. To display your changes in a new 

table, right-mouse click and select Show Hole Table. 


Page 39


Now, when adding ordinate dimensions to an existing Ordinate Dimension Stack in ISO, auto-jogging 

(the automatic creation of aligned jog points and lines) adjusts the location of all the dimensions to fit 

the added dimension. Each offset dimension in a stack has a unique line that identifies its connection to 

a point of reference, and to the baseline dimension (0). 

When moving a note or circular note, the note’s anchor (or circular note’s text center) now snaps to an 

edge, a sketch point, or an axis. Select the Move tool, and then select the note’s red anchor and drag it 

to an edge, sketch point, or axis. The red anchor will snap to the note’s anchor location that is closest to 

the drag point. The Anchor position updates in the Position group of the Properties panel as you move 

the anchor to a new location. 

In the Cross Section tool, select the Create Offset Sections checkbox from the Options panel to create an 

offset section. Once you create an offset section, you can click the section’s cross-section indicator and 

then right-click and choose Flip Viewing Direction to reverse the direction of the section, as well as the 

orientation arrows. This option toggles so you can adjust the direction of the offset section as needed. 

When you select and drag an individual section line segment, the segment you are dragging will snap to 

and merge with other sections as it moves across other segments on the drawing sheet. 

You can now create an offset section from inside the tool. To view the cross-section cut indicator (red 

diamond), select the Cut Existing Sections tool guide, then click a section line. 


Page 40


To create a cross-section from inside the tool, click the Cross Section tool, and then within the drawing 

sheet, select a view. Use the Select Reference Geometry Inside Drawing View tool guide to place the 

section line. 

You can only divide a section on segments that are perpendicular to the principal direction; at your 

cursor location you can right-click on a section line segment and select Split Section. This RMB option is 

no longer available for segments that are parallel to the section direction. 

To view a dotted-line preview of the principal direction of a cross section, scroll with the mouse wheel 

onto the entire section line. 

You can now drag a Hole Table origin. To view the origin, hover over the two perpendicular axes for the 

X and Y coordinates (with extension lines). As shown in the image below, an origin displays as a red 

circle (ISO style axis circle terminator) at this juncture: 

When you select the origin, its size increases and all valid origin positions display as red origin points. 

These origin points remain visible until you begin to drag the origin to a different position. As you drag 

the origin, the X and/or Y coordinates data in the Hole Table immediately updates to provide a preview 

of X and Y coordinates data for the various origin positions. When you release the origin to set the new 

location, the origin points no longer display, and the Hole Table updates to reflect the X and Y 

coordinate position of the new origin location. When moved close enough to another valid origin 

position, the X and Y coordinate display in the new position, and the origin snaps to the new location. 


Page 41


You can use the Font options in the Font group of the Design tab to change the font properties of the 

X/Y labels and all hole labels, as shown in the image set below. Select and an origin axis or extension 

line, then choose your Font options. This works for hole tables that display for either single or multiple 

faces. 

It is also possible to change individual axis label font properties and/or text (text is single line). For 

example, instead of X/Y coordinates, you could have X/A coordinates, as shown in the image below. 


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Note that the table header title shows the new axis label (A). 



SpaceClaim uses not just one face selected to create a Hole Table but all faces of the solid with the same 

orientation to collect holes for a Hole Table. Label editing works for holes that appear on multiple faces, 

as shown in the image to the right: 

The Annotation group in the Detail tab has been restructured 

to include a new tool icon: Datum Target, as shown in the 

image to the right: 

You can now use the new Datum Target tool in the Annotations group on the Detail tab to create a 

new datum target. 

To create a datum target 

1. Click the Datum Target tool. 

2. Hover over the planar surfaces of your model. 

An annotation plane displays. The Options-Insert Datum Target panel displays. From the panel, 

select a placement option: Point, Circular Area, Rectangular Area, Line, or Axis, as shown in the 

image below: 

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3. Click the planar surface on which you want to place the datum target point. 

4. Move your mouse to pick a location for the datum callout. 

5. Drag the callout to a location inside or outside the plane. 



When you create a datum target, by default, the datum callout height ratio is 3.5. This setting controls 

how many times the current text height the callout circle size should be, for example, the setting of 3.5x 

is for ASME, and ISO and ISO-based models use a 4x setting. 

You can change default settings for datum callouts and targets from the Annotation group in General 

SpaceClaim Options. Select the Show datum target end points checkbox to control 

whether or not datum target lines should show their end points. In the Linestyle options 

group, on the same page, you can choose the linestyle settings for datum target area 

borders and lines. 

The top field of a datum target is the dimension (target area size, or, the diameter of the 

datum target point); the bottom field is the reference letter (target identifying letter), as 

shown in the image to the right: 

You can use a separate callout (line, or leader) to refer to one or both text fields. Leaders are attached to 

their respective targets, i.e., when the target moves, the leader follows. Callouts can appear inside or 

outside a target. If a callout reference text is outside a target, a small circle displays by default. You can 

create multiple callouts for a datum target. To create a new callout for an existing datum target, select 

the datum target and drag the new callout to its location. 

To edit a datum target callout, double-click the callout. Use the mini toolbar to make your changes: 

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In the Properties panel, you can change the datum callout’s parameters. Use the Move tool to reposition 

a target. 

You can now view diameter, radial and angular dimension 

information for a Bolt Circle. Create a circular pattern, and then 

click Bolt Circle in the Annotation group on the Detail tab. 

To activate the Annotation plane, select the face that holds the 

pattern member. Select the pattern member for SpaceClaim to 

automatically add dimension callouts, arrows and lines to the 

annotation plane. You can click on an arrow or line to view or 

modify each dimension’s values in the Properties panel. The image 

to the right shows a bolt circle with dimension callouts, arrows, 

and lines. 

When you create a drawing sheet from a document which has a design model with dimensions, you can 

RMB click on the annotation plane in the drawing sheet and select from the following options: Show 

Notes, Show all Dimensions, or Show Dimensions. These options are available when making a new 

drawing sheet from the design or when adding a view of an external design model to a new blank 

drawing sheet. 

The Bolt Hole Circle tool now inserts relevant angular dimensions to a hole pattern. Previously, only the 

diameter of the circle pattern and the diameter and count of the patterned holes were present on the 

annotation plane. 

The dimensions made for Bolt Hole Circles, specifically the count for the pattern and the angular 

dimension are made separately. This means that you may delete dimensions individually. 

In Hole Tables, holes with counterbore, countersink, or fillets at their tops are now shown in the hole 

table and dimensions are taken from their intersection with the top plane about the cylindrical hole. 

Previously, the hole table tool did not recognize these aspects of the holes to document them in the 

hole table. 

There have been several updates to Datum Targets and Callouts: 

There are five new detail settings that control the following: 

� Datum Callout text height ratio – this controls how many times larger the callout circle should be 

compared to the text height. 


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� Datum Target default point size – this controls the default datum target point size used by datum 

target points, datum target lines, and datum target circles. This default can be optionally overridden 

on a per object basis 

� Datum Target area default hatch spacing – this controls the hatch spacing for circular and 

rectangular datum targets. This default can be optionally overridden on a per object basis. 

� Datum Target area default hatch angle – this controls the hatch angle for circular and rectangular 

datum targets. This default can be optionally overridden on a per object basis. 

� Datum callout leader arrow shape – this controls the arrow shape of leaders connected to datum 

targets. 

The connection point for callout leaders used to run through the target and hatch area because the 

connect point was placed in the center. This was incorrect in terms of drawing standards. Now the 

virtual point is still placed in the center but instead of the line going through the target or hatch area, it 

is now clipped at the boundary of the target or hatch area. See example to the right. 

The Datum callout size can now be changed from the font size drop down menu. Select the Datum 

Target then choose a different font size in the drop down 

menu in the Font group on the Detail tab. 

You can now move all types of Datum Targets with the Move 

tool. Any dimensions applied to the datum target will update 

with the movement. 

Datum Target axes can be translated along a cylinder or cone axis and rotated with a special move 

handle which displays only one direction handle and one rotational handle. 

You can now click on a Datum Target line to display the length in the Properties Panel. 

You can now override some settings on a per occurrence basis. Per occurrence basis means that you can 

change the datum targets properties one by one after creation. The settings which can be overridden 

are Hatch Angle, Hatch Spacing, and Point Size. Each of these can be overridden by changing the value in 

the properties menu after creating the Datum Target. 

There are now status messages for the Datum Targets tool to help guide the user. 

Datum Target lines and Datum Target axes now have the same Show Point property behavior in the 

properties panel. 


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A Datum Target circular area shows a diameter and a Datum Target rectangular area shows an area 

dimension value. However, the size information for Point Targets is suppressed by default. There is no 

area value for a point, therefore, there is no value attached to the target point. 

Datum Targets and Callouts only appear in the root document in the current design window. If you have 

multiple objects of the same component, any changes made to one component will be reflected in the 

rest of them. Datum Targets and Callouts only appear in the root document because if they appeared in 

all of the components, there would be multiple of the same callout when it is not needed or called for. 

This also enables you to start fresh when dimensioning in a new design window. If you do not want the 

dimensions previously applied the design in the current document, they will not follow along when 

opening this design in a new document. 

For example, if you have a table with 4 legs, each of these legs are the same component; however you 

may want to place different datum targets on each of the 4 legs, or 3 out of 4, 2 out of 4 etc. Since the 

Datum targets only appear in the root document, you can place different datum targets describing 

different features for each leg on an individual basis even though they are all the same component. See 

example image below. 

Datum Targets can be dimensioned in the following ways: 

� You can dimension to or from the circular area of a datum. You can also dimension to or from the 

center of a rectangular area datum or from any of its edges. 

� You can dimension to the end points of a datum target line or click the line itself to dimension to 

entire line. 

� You can dimension the whole datum target axis by clicking on the circular line. You can also 

dimension from each point of the datum target axis. 

Pasting notes has been enhanced to resemble functionality in MS PowerPoint. If pasting a note on the 

same page, the note will be pasted slightly below and to the right of the original note. If you are pasting 

a note from one page to another it will paste in the same position on the new page as it was placed on 

the original page. The note will never be placed by the cursor position. If for some reason you are 

zoomed in on a particular part of a drawing sheet, the note will be pasted in the middle of the view. If 

there is already a note there, it will paste slightly lower and to the right. 

When you add Bolt Hole Circle dimensions to a non-periodic circular pattern, the number of gap angles 

is now displayed correctly. Previously, that value reflected the number of features in the circular 


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pattern. See an example of the differences in the image to the right. 



There is now an option in the context menu called Show Bend Dimensions on an unfolded Sheet Metal 

view in a drawing sheet. Once this option is enabled, any changes made to the model will automatically 

update these bend dimensions in the drawing sheet. The Bend Dimensions layer must be turned on to 

see this. 

While dragging an individual planar section line segment for a Cross Section view, the preview shows the 

cross sections faces and edges in the Cross Section view preview but does not show the cross hatching 

lines that are displayed once you complete the placement of the Cross Section view. This allows for a 

faster preview display while dragging. This faster preview has now been enabled for dragging offset 

section line segments. Previously, in offset cross section previews, the hatching was shown, which made 

the preview while dragging very slow. The example below shows the differences in behavior for cross 

section display while dragging the offset section line segment. 

You can now drag slanted section line segments in an offset cross section view. Previously, only 

horizontal and vertical lines could be dragged. The image at right shows the effect of slanted crosssection 

end segments – a slanted (auxiliary) cross-section. 

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To make an offset cross section view with slanted segments: 

1. Sketch some lines in the drawing view 

2. Select on a single line 

3. Click the Cross Section tool 

4. Place the new cross section view with slanted lines 

Alternative workflow: 

1. Sketch some lines on the drawing sheet 

2. Select a single line and the view you want to use 

3. Click on the Cross Section tool 

4. Drag out a new cross section view with slanted lines 



You can now copy a note and then paste it in the same annotation plane before creating any geometry 

in the design window. Previously, the paste button was not active right away and you had to select on 

the annotation plane to make the paste button active. Notes can only be pasted onto datum planes or 

drawing sheets. 

Notes which are copied and pasted by CTRL+ dragging the note now retain their user-set anchor 

position. Previously, if the user changed the anchor position to something other than the default, the 

new note would revert to the default anchor position. 

You can create a Detail View that intersects multiple parts in an assembly, which then takes all the 

different body colors into account when assigning a certain color to the clip view edge. If only one solid 

is being cut by the detail view, then the clipped edge is the color of the body. If there are multiple bodies 

being cut by the detail view, then since it is undetermined as to which body color to use for the clipped 

edge, we default to Black. 

This linestyle color can be set to a different color if needed. There is now a Color setting for Detail view 

clipping edges in the Linestyle section of the Detailing options. This setting applies to Wireframe and 

Hidden line graphics modes on solid models; and, these settings will not work for clipping a view of a 

surface. See example below, and note the different colors for all the separate components intersected 

by the circular detail view boundary, and that the boundary is black. 

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The Show Notes command in the RMB context menu has been implemented. When you create notes in 

a design, then create a new drawing sheet, the datum planes appear but they are empty. RMB-click on 

the datum plane and select the Show Notes option to see the notes made on the datum plane. Notes 

will only show on the particular plane you select, and will not automatically show up in the other views 

planes. 

You can now create multiple ordinate dimension sets from the same baseline edge. The baseline edge is 

the one that is assigned the 0 dimension. Previously, if you clicked on an edge that had already been 

used as a baseline, additional dimensions would appear (according to the behavior in the standard – 

either aligned or not with the rest) in the same baseline set. Now, a new set of ordinate dimensions can 

be made, and this is useful when there are features of interest on both sides of a part and crossing the 

dimension lines across the part would make for an unreadable or unnecessarily cluttered view. See 

example below. 

You can now create Ordinate Dimensions from a non-linear reference. You will first need to establish a 

simple, oriented dimension, whose witness line, sets both the baseline and the orientation for the 

Ordinate Dimensions. See example to the right, where the left-most witness line of the existing circlecircle 

dimension was selected in the Ordinate Dimension tool, to make the baseline for the dimension 

set along the top of the view. 


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When a note is selected in edit mode (its selection box is dashed dark blue lines), pressing Ctrl+A selects 

all the text within the note. When a note is selected in drag mode (its selection box is solid cyan lines,) 

pressing Ctrl+A selects all note fields in the design window. Previously, pressing Ctrl+A with a note 

selected in drag mode did not select all other note fields, because it incorrectly set its context for 

operating. 

Display 

You can now use the Clip with Plane feature to select up to 10 planes to set a clipping volume. 

Previously, Clip with Plane was limited to selecting one plane. Planes selected for clipping 

display with red boundaries. To clip with plane, select a plane and right mouse click, then 

select Clip from the Clip with Plane context menu: 

Clip with Plane 

Clip with Plane enables you to flip clipping direction. To enable this option, you must first lock 

the clipping direction. By default, when clipping is initially set, clipping direction is not locked, 

and the direction to clip is set automatically to clip above plane(s). If clipping direction is not 

locked, the Reverse Direction checkbox enables and is selected. 

The images below show a model with Lock Direction on, and the same model with Reverse 

Direction on: 

Lock Direction On Reverse 

Direction On 


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By default, when clipping is initially set, selected planes automatically combine using an “and” 

operation. This way you can isolate the inside of two parallel planes or the inside of 3 pairs of 

parallel planes (these are the most common usages.). 

Clipping multiple planes to isolate an area 

Selecting multiple planes for clipping adds them to an ‘or’ set. With a group (2 or more) of 

planes, you can also right mouse click, then select Unite from the Clip with Plane context 

menu. This option is essentially an “or” operation that defines a plane group that you intend 

to combine with the rest of the planes. Once you define and unite a group of planes, the 

United set is put at the beginning of the logical set, and the rest of the planes follow with their 

default “and” states. 

For example, you can select 3 planes and get these logical sets, as shown in the table of 

images below: 

� A and B and C, which is the default (showing 1/8 of the model) 

� (A or B) and C, where A and B are united (showing 3/8 of the model) 

� (A or C) and B, where A and C are united (showing a different 3/8 of the model) 

� (B or C) and A, where B and C are united (showing a different 3/8 of the model) 

� A or B or C, where A and B and C are united (showing 7/8 of the model) 

A and B and C, which is the default (1/8) (A or B) and C, where A and B are united (3/8) 

(A or C) and B, where A and C are united (3/8) (B or C) and A, where B and C are united (3/8) 


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A or B or C, where A and B and C are united (7/8) 

You can also define clipping volume by: 

� Some number of planes selected together 

� Pairs of planes used in “or” group (Unite) 



� Clip direction 

The number of all possible clipping volumes (or states) depends on the number of planes 

selected and clip options (lock/inverse/unite.) set on each one and on any selected pairs. The 

image below shows the results of uniting two planes, A and B: You can see that sets of parallel 

planes default to keeping the material inside them. 

Before Planes Unite (Unite 

off) 

After Planes Unite 

(Unite on) 

You can now set a clip face color as a global display option. In the General section of Appearance 

SpaceClaim Options, select a Custom, Web, or System color, and click OK. 

When you set a clip face color, the color you choose: 

� Changes the Section mode cut face color, unless it is invoked when you use the Plane tool, or if 

you use another Color tool or Style Override to change the color 

� Is not saved with the model, since it applies to all documents used in that session 

If you set a clip face color from the Properties panel, the setting is stored in the document. 

The Exclude from Planar Clipping function allows you to exclude components from the Clipping 

operation, so you can colorize clipped faces for an enhanced model display, as shown in the orange 

color in the image. With a component selected in either the Structure tree or the Design window, rightmouse 

click and choose Exclude from Planar Clipping > Set. Once you set this option, that sub-assembly 

is not cut with any specified Clipping Planes (see the central shaft and gears that have no orange in the 

picture at right). To remove the setting, right-mouse click and choose Exclude from Planar Clipping > 

Clear. 

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Now, you can select the visible plane you want to clip, then right-click anywhere in the Design window 

or the Structure tree to display the Clip with Plane context menu. 

You can now change the transparency of the inside of individual datum planes. Setting a different 

transparency can help you identify different planes and see their intersection with the model more 

easily, while balancing the ‘washed-out’ effect on the rest of the geometry as seen behind the plane. 

After you create a datum plane, select Transparent from the mini-toolbar. To change the transparency, 

select Color from the mini-toolbar, and move the Opacity slider. 

While using the Clip with Plane tool for graphics clipping, when you select Clip, the plane’s interior now 

changes to transparent, which allows for enhanced usability. Also with Clip with Plane, you can now click 

the Undo and Redo tools in the Quick Access toolbar or press Ctrl+Z to undo and Ctrl+Y to redo. 

There is now an icon of a broken brick on the gray background when you encounter a graphics crash. 

See example below: 

There is now an option to set the default layer color when creating new documents in the General 

section of the Appearance SpaceClaim Options. You will find this option in between the y-axis and the 

ruler dimensions. 

The Clip with Plane feature allows planes to exist in 3 different states: Clip, Reverse Direction, or Union. 

This feature has been enhanced so that now, when you save a model with clipped planes, and you are 

working with the model in various clipped plane states in two or more design window panes, the clip 

state of each plane in the model is saved per window with the model. As you move between window 

panes, the Structure tree updates to reflect the clip state of each plane in the active window context. 

The image set below shows two window panes and their associated Structure trees: 


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The face color of a part, such as a body, now dims correctly if the part is inactive. Once the part is 

selected and thus becomes active, the face color no longer displays as dimmed. 

Now, when working with Clip with Plane, the portion of the model that is between the plane and the 

viewpoint of the user, is the portion that is removed. This way the back side of the model is always 

shown first. 

When you use the Thread tool in the Annotation group on 

the Detail tab to create a threaded surface, the threads 

(either inner or outer) now display as spirals. Previously, 

threads displayed as rings, not spirals. The image set to the 

right shows examples of threaded surfaces: 

There are now options for a Plane in the Properties panel named Fill and Outline which change the 

appearance of a plane. The defaults for both options are set to Automatic. The other options are No Fill 

and No Outline. When Fill is set to automatic, the geometry behind the plane looks lighter than any 

geometry that is not under the plane in that view state. If you set the Fill option to No Fill then all the 

geometry under and outside of the plane view will be the same opacity. A plane which has annotations 

can be set to a No Fill state but will not show a difference in opacity because the plane becomes 

completely transparent once any annotations are made. When the Outline is set to automatic, you will 

see the light blue outline of the plane. When the Outline is set to No Outline, then the outline is invisible 

unless the plane is selected. Setting planes to a No Fill and/or No Outline state are useful when 

dimensioning parts; it is easier to see annotations when the planes are less visible. Below are examples 

of the planes in different states. 


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You can now set a Clipface color override for each clipping plane in the design window. This does not 

change the color of the clipping plane itself, just the face color which the plane is touching. This option is 

available in the Properties panel above the Fill and Outline properties when a plane is selected. See the 

example above to locate the Clipface property for planes. 


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Cosmetic Threads are now clipped correctly with the Clip with Plane tool. There is now a custom icon to 

show the thread is clipped in the Structure Tree. Previously, the outer thread was not clipped. 

The Plan View tool has been updated so that the point you pick on the face you select for the plan view 

always stays centered in the design window. Previously, the selected face would spin such that it was 

outside of the design window, and you had to then Pan to get it to a position that you could see and 

work with. 

You can now Alt+select an edge of a body to get a secondary orientation when you click the plan view 

button. Select a face that you want to see in Plan View, then Alt+select an edge to orient the Plan View. 

The Alt selected edge will either orient vertically or horizontally, depending on which is closer. 

Previously, when opening an assembly which had external, lightweight components, selecting Use 

Internal Copy from the context menu resulted in the component disappearing from the design window. 

The component node in the Structure tree would remain and reflect an internal copy but the geometry 

disappeared. Now when performing this command the structure tree node reflects an internal copy and 

the part geometry remains in the design window. 

There is now a Brushed rendering style option in the Rendering Style dropdown in the Style group on 

the Display tab. In the Structure tree, select the solid, and select Brushed. This option renders the bodies 

you select in the Structure tree with random gray and white sketch lines, as shown in the image below: 


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There is now a Hatched rendering style option in the Rendering Style dropdown in the Style group on 

the Display tab. In the Structure tree, select the solid, and select Hatched. This option renders the bodies 

you select in the Structure tree with diagonal hatch lines, as shown in the image below. Previously, only 

Metallic and Plastic rendering options were available in the dropdown. 

When entering Sketch mode, you can now align a sketch plane to any linear reference that you 

Alt+Select. For example, on a block with angled planar faces, as shown in the image to the right, select a 

face and then Alt+Select an edge. The Sketch grid aligns to the Alt reference when placed. 

Select 

The status bar area of the Design window now includes new Selection buttons: Select Parents and Select 

Children. Use these buttons to select the parents or children of currently-selected objects. Click the 

Select Parents (Up) button to select child-to-parent components. Click the Select Children (Down) 

button to select parent-to-child components. A child that has been traversed-from recently is 

remembered and selectable with the Select Children button. Multiple children, at different subassembly 

levels, are selected from their respective sub-assemblies to parents, until all children converge 

at a common parent in the hierarchy. 


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With one or more objects selected, each time you click either button you traverse up or down through 

the components and sub-assemblies in the Structure tree. Parents and/or Children highlight in the 

Structure tree as they are selected. The Properties panel updates to display each component or subassembly 

properties. 

The context menu option Isolate has been changed to Hide others. Functionality remains unchanged; 

this command hides all but the selected object. With a component selected, you can right-click and 

choose this option, as well as Hide, Hide in selected view, and Isolate in selected view, from the 

Structure tree or the Design window. 

Multiple instances of an external component are known as dependent components. Changes to one 

instance will change all instances; a copy exists in the .scdoc file, but its geometry comes from the 

external file. Now, with Power Selection, you can show all instances of a selected component, as well as 

component names. 

Power Selection has been enhanced to enable you to search a model for all solid and surface bodies. 

With a single component selected, you can now view the component’s name by hovering over the 

Selection status bar item. With 2 or more components selected, the tool tip displays number of 

components only. To view the tooltip, select the component and hover over the Selection status bar 

item, as shown in the image below: 


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Design 



As with the Combine tool, you can now select a surface in the Structure tree to split with the Cutter tool 

for Split Solid. Previously, you could not select the cutter from the Structure tree, only from the Design 

window. 

You can now use the Fit Curve tool to convert a Mesh model’s complex segments into simpler lines and 

arcs and splines. Use this tool to fit curves to a cross section of Mesh models in Section mode. Click the 

Select tool, and then mouse over the grid to locate the curve you want to fit, or, convert. Select the 

curve, then right-mouse click and select Fit Curve. The image below shows a selected curve’s segment 

points, and then how the curve displays after conversion with Fit Curve. 

The Fit Curve tool now adapts to the presence of one or more segments that should be created as 

splines, or, as continuously curved lines, without sharp boundaries (that is, without vertices). The image 

below shows segmented spline areas that were detected and smoothed by the Fit Curve tool. 

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Using the Fit Curve tool, you can now more closely fit and smooth line-arc-line segmented sections 

(where there are more curve points than line points). The image to the right shows a line-arc-line 

section smoothed by the Fit Curve tool. Previously, Fit Curve would fit the section, but the tangency 

point of a line would sometimes run into the arc segment. 


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Prepare - Volume Extract 



You use the Volume Extract tool in the Define group on the Prepare tab to create a solid based on 

the volume enclosed by a single body or set of bodies. A solid named Volume is created in the Structure 

tree, and the bodies used to generate the volume are temporarily transparent when the volume is 

created. Now, when creating a volume body, the following tool guides* can help step you through the 

process: 

The Select Edges tool guide is active by default. Use this tool guide to select edge loops that 

enclose a region. 

The Select Faces tool guide selects faces whose edges seal an enclosed region. 

The Select Cap Faces tool guide is used to select optional capping faces. 

The Select Seed Face tool guide allows you to select a face that lies within the volume you want to 

enclose, i.e., determine the inside of the enclosed volume. 

The Complete tool guide creates the volume solid based on the edges and seed face you select. 

To create a volume body 

1. Click the Volume Extract tool in the Define group on the Prepare tab. 

2. Click the Select Edges toolguide to select the edge loops that enclose the volume of the area. 

Select edge loops only that you intended to use to enclose the volume area. The Select Seed 

Face tool guide was (and still is) used to select a face to determine the inside of the enclosed 

volume. You can double-click to select more than one contiguous edge. You can also click a 

selected edge to deselect it. If you hover over a face that contains internal edge loops, the edge 

loops are highlighted. Click the face to select the highlighted edge loops. 

� If you want to seal an enclosed region instead of enclosing an area volume, click the 

Select Faces tool guide. 

3. If necessary, you can click the Select Cap Faces tool guide to cap a face. 

4. Click the Select Seed Face tool guide and select a face inside the volume area. 

You only need to use this tool guide if the Volume Extract tool fails to correctly identify the 

inside of the volume. You can select a split face as the seed face. 

5. Click the Complete tool guide. 

SpaceClaim creates a surface part based on the volume you defined. 

Previously, the Select tool guide was active by default, and was used for three combined purposes: 

� To select edge loops (from edges) to bound the inside volume faces 

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� To select all the edge loops (within a face) to bound the inside volume faces 

� To select optional, already-created capping surfaces 



There are now two new tool options for the Volume Extract tool. Both options default to Off. These 

options, when combined, allow you to ‘shrink wrap’ specific proprietary parts or assemblies contained 

inside a model, for example, to send to vendors for use in other work, and/or to copy-protect 

proprietary parts or assemblies of models. 

In the Options panel, you can select the Merge created volume checkbox to merge an inside solid into 

an outside solid. For example, you may want to use the outside of a complicated assembly to define a 

SpaceClaim model, or, block out keep-away volumes or areas of potential intersections. Selecting the 

Imprint Capping Edges checkbox retains the edges that existed prior to merging the solids. For example, 

you may want to use the edges left behind with the second option On, so you can define the boundaries 

of a new matching part, such as a gasket on an engine face. 

The image set below shows a model with selected parts intended for shrink-wrap, how the model 

appears with the Merge created volume option enabled, and then with both options enabled: 

You can now select multiple seed faces to create multiple distinct bodies in the Volume Extract tool. This 

works with or without the Merge created volume option on. For example, if you have two spaces which 

need to be filled with two separate volumes, you can create these volumes within the same operation 

because you can Ctrl+ Select more than one seed face. Previously, you had to create volumes one at a 

time, which resulted in two separate volume components. 

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Previously, while in the Select Seed Face tool guide, once you selected one face, the tool guide would 

automatically revert back to the Select Faces tool guide. This now longer happens, meaning you can 

Ctrl+ Select multiple seed faces, and then choose to click on a different tool guide. 

Now, when selecting partially coincident faces for a volume extract with the Merge option on, the 

correct volume is created. Previously, with the Merge option on, creating a volume between partially 

coincident faces failed. The image below shows a dark blue and a red volume successfully created, even 

though they share a coincident face at the top of the image. 

The Volume Extract tool guide icons have changed, as shown in the table below. Tool guide functionality 

remains the same as previous. 

Select Edges 

Select Faces 

Select Cap Faces 

Select Seed Face 


Active by default. Use this tool guide to select edge loops that enclose a 

region. Edges are used to stop the propagation of face selection, emanating 

face-wise outward, starting at the selected seeds. 

Select faces whose edges seal an enclosed region. This is a shortcut to 

selecting all the edges that are detected in a face. 

Select optional capping faces. This is important when an internal edge loop is 

either not simply Fillable, or when you want some non-standard fill geometry 

to be created. 

Selects a face that lies within the volume you want to enclose. If this is not 

chosen, then the system will chose an arbitrary face to start from, and test 

whether any bounded volumes are created. If they are not, another face will 

automatically be selected and the algorithm will start afresh. Select a face 

here to save this iteration time. 

Clicking in whitespace, anywhere in the Design window, now clears the selection of the currently active 

tool guide only. 

As you work with the Volume Extract tool guides, the progress dialog popup now describes each current 

action as a process completes. For example, when capping multiple faces, the dialog box popup would 

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display ‘Capping 2 of 17’. This display provides a more granular progress to the user, which is helpful for 

complex processes to see where any possible errors occurred. 

The Progress Indicator, as shown below, also displays as SpaceClaim steps through various processes in 

the tool. 

The Volume Extract tool now includes a new option that enables you to see how each selected face 

propagates, once given a selection of boundary and seed faces. Select the 

Preview inside faces checkbox, as shown in the image above, to activate the 

Preview slider. Your model immediately updates to paint a preview of the 

inner faces shown in red at 100%. Move the slider to the left and right to 

preview the faces and see a progression of how the faces were captured. The 

image set below shows a preview at 100%, and then at two other stages 

before moving back to 0: 

When previewing the faces, all Select tools and context menu Select tools, as well as all Volume Extract 

tool guides, are disabled until the Preview checkbox is turned off. 

When you select the Volume Extract tool, the Select Faces tool guide now activates as the default tool 

guide. Previously, the Select Edges tool guide was active by default. 

Once you create a volume, the Select Faces tool guide resets by default. 

Using Select Faces tool guide eliminates the need to up-select from a face to all face loops with the 

Select Edges tool guide. 


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Import / Export 



When importing or exporting CATIA files, the XYZ locations of point objects now scale correctly. 

Now, when you import a JT assembly structure, the component positions translate properly in the 

import. Previously, the relative positions of the components of JT assembly structures did not always 

properly translate, which potentially impacted a larger assembly if present in the design, resulting in an 

inaccurate and unrealistic design. 

In the File options screen in SpaceClaim Options, you can now click JT Open to select an export 

resolution option for a JT Open file, or, you can click Browse to locate a JT Open toolkit configuration 

file. 

The JT Open Toolkit is a C++ library that provides read/write access to JT data. It allows applications to 

dramatically reduce coding and maintenance effort needed to create JT-enabled applications. Using the 

toolkit also ensures 100% data compatibility. 

SpaceClaim JT translator uses this file type to import/export JT files, which allows users to control 

common translation parameters using a standard configuration file, the format of which is defined by JT 

Open Toolkit. Using this configuration file, user can have more control over number of “Level of Details” 

(LODs) and tessellation parameters for each LOD in an exported JT file. Choosing an export resolution 

option provides a quicker and simpler way to configure a file’s parameters (for example, coarseness). 

SpaceClaim can now import JT PMI (Product and Manufacturing Information) files (.jt file extension). 

Files of this type can now also import GTOLs (geometric distance and tolerance information, also called 

GD&T), as seen when a file displays with a JT viewer, as well as datum features. 

This option is ON by default; however, in the JT Open file options page, in File Options SpaceClaim 

Options, you can deselect the Import part manufacturing information checkbox to disable the option 

and import .jt files without PMI information. 

A sample .jt file, imported with tolerance annotations, and a sample .jt file, imported with datum 

symbols , is shown in the image set below: 

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You can click any tolerance annotation or datum symbol to view its values in the Properties panel. Click 

on an arrow or line to view or modify arrow or styles values in the Properties panel. 

3D PDF files now retain their highlight, shading, and edge colors when exporting so that the PDF file 

looks better when opening it in Adobe Reader 

There is now the ability to import Datum Target symbols for JT PMI files. In the JT Open file options, 

check ON the Import part manufacturing information option. 

Teigha 3.05 (OpenDWG) libraries have been added to the AutoCAD file options. 

RealDWG 2012 has been added to the AutoCAD File options. 

The Hole Table and Bolt Hole Circle dimensions (in a drawing sheet) now export correctly to a DWG file. 

The Import object names and Export object names options have been moved from the CATIA file options 

tab to the General File options tab. 

There is now a SketchUp tab in the File Options drop down menu in the SpaceClaim options menu. 

There is one active section under this tab: 

� Display: contains Show Hidden Geometry checkbox, which is checked ON by default. This option 

cosmetically hides faceted edge representation of any curved geometry. 

When exporting STL files, the output is now set to Binary by default, as seen in the Format group of the 

Export screen in the File Option screen in SpaceClaim Options. Although the STL format specifies both 

ASCII and binary representations, binary STL files are more commonly used, since they are more 

compact than ASCII files. Previously, STL export format was set to ASCII by default. 

There is now an Import section in the STL file options which gives you the option to Import an STL as a 

solid. This option is checked off by default. 

When importing a complex Sketchup (.skp) file that includes assemblies groups at different scales, all 

groups – regardless of scale - now import at the correct scale. Previously, when you imported .skp files 

with groups, some groups imported out of scale. 

You can now detect and recreate Pro/ENGINEER assembly cuts (created in Pro/E as either Visible in the 

Assembly or Visible in the Part) and create them on import to SpaceClaim. Previously, SpaceClaim did 

not recognize or create Pro/E assembly cuts due to translator inadequacies. 

You can now opt to export (Save As) a file to an AutoCAD file format (.dwg/.dxf) without including the 

drawing format. In the Save As dialog box, deselect the Include Drawing Format checkbox. This checkbox 

is selected by default. Previously, the format was always exported with the file. 


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There are two new Export settings for AutoCAD files. In the File Options group in SpaceClaim Options, 

under the AutoCAD>Export section, you can de-select the Include Drawing Format checkbox (ON by 

default). 

Select the Scale Output 1:1 checkbox (OFF by default) to set the output scale of your AutoCAD files to a 

1:1 ratio. When saving a drawing as a .dwg or .dxf file, you can also access these two options by 

choosing Save As from the Application menu: from the Save As dialog box, click the Options button. 

Repair 

Use the Duplicates tool in the Fix ribbon group on the Repair tab to detect and remove surfaces that 

are exactly on top of solids faces. This new tool detects and removes surfaces that are exactly coincident 

to existing solid faces. To detect and fix duplicates, click the Duplicates tool. Duplicates display on a 

model in red. Select a highlighted duplicate surface to repair an individual area; or, click the Complete 

tool guide to fix all remaining areas. 

Now, when you click the Allow multiple faces checkbox in the Options panel within the Missing Faces 

tool, the Patch radio button automatically selects. With these options selected, you can click an edge 

loop to create a single missing face, and other faces, if missing, are not impacted, and allowed in the 

design. Previously, you had to select the checkbox first, and then the radio button, to achieve the same 

results. 

Split edges can sometimes remain as a result of merging two or more faces. The Merge Faces tool in the 

Adjust group on the Repair tab now checks for and fixes any split edges that exist in the edge loop of the 

new face. The image to the right shows a model with multiple faces that merge into one. The fixed split 

edge loop is shown highlighted in orange. 

When using the Repair tool to patch a model, you can now select the Allow multiple faces checkbox in 

the Fix Options panel to repair a hole in the surface with two or more missing faces. Previously, the 

Missing Faces tool repaired holes in surfaces by creating single faces only, as shown in the figures below: 


Page 68

Patterns 



There are now 3 new pattern tools in the Insert group on the Design tab: Linear, Circular, and Fill. Linear 

and circular patterns are similar to patterns created with the Move tool. Fill patterns are a new type of 

pattern. 

When creating a Fill pattern, you can now set X Spacing and Y Spacing direction independently. Changing 

one spacing direction does not impact the other, or the Margin setting. This layout option applies to 

both Grid and Offset fill types. After you set the direction of the pattern, enter the X Spacing and/or Y 

Spacing setting in the Options panel to define the pattern dimensions. Note that the initially-selected 

member (the leader) is still not moved. Previously, X and Y spacing direction could not be set 

independently; when one was changed, the other automatically updated to the same setting. As shown 

in the image set below, results display in the Design window to automatically reflect your changes. 

With a Pattern node selected in the Structure tree, you can now change fill pattern parameters in the 

Layout section of the Properties panel: Fill Type can be set to Offset or Grid, X spacing and Y spacing 

parameters can be changed, and Margin parameters can be modified. Changing any of these parameters 

from the Properties panel automatically updates the Pattern in the design window. 

With a Pattern node selected in the Structure tree of a pattern on a sheet metal part, you can now right 

mouse click and select Lightweight Pattern to toggle a pattern component between a lightweight 

pattern and regular pattern. When selected, a � checkmark displays next to the Lightweight Pattern 

command. Previously, this command was named Toggle Lightweight Pattern. 

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You can now update lightweight fill patterns to fit the existing geometry of your design. With a 

lightweight Pattern node selected in the Structure tree, right mouse click and select Update Pattern. 

There is now a new tool guide flow for Patterns tools. Once you select the leader on which you want to 

base a pattern, click the Direction tool guide to set the primary direction of the pattern. Clicking in the 

whitespace in the Design window clears your primary or secondary tool guide selection. If no secondary 

selection exists, you cannot advance to the Create Pattern tool guide. 

To complete the pattern creation process for all pattern types (Linear, Circular, and Fill), you can now 

press the Enter key. Previously, you had to click the Complete tool guide to complete the pattern 

creation process. 

When attempting to create linear or circular patterns of bodies or sketch curves, you can now use the 

Select>Using Box command from the context menu, or click the Select tab and choose Using Box, to 

draw a selection box around the leader and members of the pattern. You can verify your selection in the 

Selection area of the status bar. 

There is a new UI element for the Linear pattern tool. When creating a 2D linear pattern, four new X/Y 

directional arrows display for bodies, components, curves, faces, and points. After clicking the Design 

Pattern tool guide, 2D linear pattern directional handles (X,Y axes) display on the pattern leader. 

These handles enable you to see a preview of the completed pattern. You can click a handle to flip the 

direction of the pattern. For better layout control of your pattern, you can modify the X Count or Y 

Count to change the number of patterns you want to create on either axis, and/or change the X Pitch or 

Y Pitch to change the pitch of the patterns you create. When done entering your changes, click the 

Complete tool guide to create your 2D linear pattern. 

Now, when you click the Fill tool to fill a pattern, red margin lines enable you to preview the boundary 

area of the completed pattern fill, as shown in the image below. In the Pattern Options panel, you can 

enter a value in the Margin text box to modify the margin parameter closer or farther from the 

component’s edges. 


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You can now select a solid to make the entire solid the leader of a linear or circular pattern. Select the 

solid from the Structure tree, and then click the Pattern tool. Select the solid from the Structure tree, 

and then click the Pattern tool. Select the Direction tool guide to display a preview of the pattern, which 

shows the edges of the members in the new locations. If desired, modify the values in the Pattern 

Options panel or, use the directional arrows to flip the pattern direction. Click the Complete button to 

create the pattern. 

Direction arrows (red color) have been added to the Circular pattern tool, which allows you to choose 

the direction for a circular pattern which is not a full 360 degrees. Also, there are now radial handles 

added (green color) for a two-dimensional circular pattern. This allows you to start a pattern closer to 

the center of the circular direction chosen. Previously there were no direction handles and it was 

difficult to make the desired pattern. See examples below. 


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The angle dimension for a circular pattern has been fixed so that the angle value input is now correctly 

reflected in the preview and final pattern for the circular pattern tool. Previously, when the value input 

was 120 degrees, for example, the preview showed ~ 90 degree angle. The example below shows the 

previously incorrect result on the left and the correct result on the right, both of which have a 120 

degree angle input value. 

Now when all the faces of a pattern have been deleted, the pattern node in the structure tree 

disappears as well. Previously, problems were experienced when the user attempted to click on a 

pattern node which no longer had valid geometry attached. 

Move Tool 

You can now Alt + select on a plane in between the Move handles to invoke free drag movement in that 

plane. Place the Move Tool on any moveable object then hold the Alt key. You will see quarter circle 

planes in between the Axis Move Tool handles. Click on one to free drag within that plane. You will see a 

free drag cursor. Picking on any move handle (rotational or linear) cancels free drag movement. 


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Sketching 



You can now create a Three-Point Arc in 3D mode, as shown. A Three-Point Arc defines an arc start 

point, arc end point, and arc radius. Previously, 3D mode supported the creation of splines, lines, and 

three-point circle only. 

Standard Holes 

The Standard Hole tool is located in the Insert group on the Design tab. This tool allows the user to set 

hole parameters automatically once a standard fastener and its usage (tapped or not) are chosen. 

Additional treatments like counterbore and countersink can be specified. A user has the ability to 

customize the contents of the feature UI via an .xml files. This content can be modified both by the 

addition/changes to rows/cells in the tables, or entirely new xml files can be added. 

Activating the tool opens up a new ribbon tab. There are currently 5 different hole table files (ISO, NPS, 

NPT, UNC, and UNF) on which the UI depends, and that UI updates depending on what parameters are 

chosen by the user. 

Choosing a Series from the drop down menu in the Type group provides a list of associated machine 

screw/bolt sizes in the Size drop-down menu. Choosing a Size and a Depth provides a diameter 

dimension for the hole as well as whether or not the Fit option is available. If the Fit option is available, 

modifying it also changes the diameter dimension. There is a Preview group with a panel of images 

which show what a user can expect the hole to look like after it is created. CHoosing an image from the 

drop-down menu updates the check boxes in the Treatment, Style, and Bottom groups. Alternatively, 

checking ON certain options in these groups will change the preview image to reflect the options 

chosen. 

The image below shows an excel chart for the UNC standard and points out which values go where in 

the Standard Hole UI. 

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Customizing the Standard Hole tool can be done by editing the .xml files in the following directory: 

C:\SpaceClaim\Library\Holes. To add new standards to a Series file edit the file in Notepad. Use the 

existing format to help you write new standards. If you want to add a completely separate file with your 

own standards, use the Support Files page in the options. Click the Add button and select a directory for 

SC to search for additional .xml files. Also placing this new file in the directory which already has the 

other .xml hole files will allow you to avoid adding a new directory to the Support Files options page. 

The following will act as a guide for these customized standards: 

The image above is an example of the format used in the .xml file. Refer to this image as a guide for 

customizing the Standard Hole tool. You can see that after the fastener size line, it’s indented to show 

that they are all parameters of the fastener size. Each “..Drill” parameter is followed by its decimal 

equivalent “..Decimal”. 

Keyword description parameters for Standard Hole tables 


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Keyword Sample 

Value 



Description Notes 

SC Version 8 Specifies the file format version Corresponds to 

SpaceClaim Release 8. 

Thread Series UNC Specifies the type of standard used for The thread series chosen 

hole table dimensions. 

dictates which Fastener 

names will show up in the 

UI 

Units in Specifies the Unit type for the chosen The unit type must be mm 

Series standard 

or in 

Depth Ratio 1.25 Specifies the depth ratio for tapped This relates the depth of 

blind holes. 

tap drilling to the depth of 

the tapped threads 

themselves, here 1.25. 

Fastener Name 1/4-20 Specifies the screw size for the hole. The fastener name chosen 

updates all other hole 

properties to match that 

standard screw size. 

Basic Diameter 0.250 Specifies the initial diameter 

The diameter is 

measurement for the hole with no dependent on the size, the 

specified Fit. 

Fit, and whether it is 

threaded. 

Thread 20 Specifies number of Threads per inch The Thread count is 

(imperial) or thread pitch (metric). associated with the 

Fastener Name chosen, 

but does not show up in 

the UI in its own field 

Tap Decimal 0.2010 Specifies the diameter dimensions for a This is the diameter of the 

tapped hole. 

hole before being 

threaded, also known as 

the tap drill diameter. 

Close Fit Drill F This is the drill bit size for a Close fit 

clearance. 

Close Fit Decimal 0.2570 Specifies a diameter of a Close fit hole. 

Free Fit Drill H This is the drill bit size for a Free fit 

clearance. 

Free Fit Decimal 0.2660 Specifies a diameter of a Free fit hole. 

Medium Fit Drill This is the drill bit size for a Medium fit Only Metric standards 

clearance. 

have Medium clearances 

Medium Fit Decimal Specifies a diameter of a Medium fit 

hole. 

Counterbore Diameter 0.4375 Specifies the diameter at the top of the 

hole if a counterbore is applied. 

Counterbore Depth 0.250 Specifies the depth of the counterbore. 

Countersink Diameter 0.507 Specifies the diameter at the top of the 

hole if a countersink is applied. 

Countersink Angle 82 Specifies the total angle of the 

countersink. 

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Bottom Countersink Diameter 0.507 Specifies the diameter of a countersink 

at the bottom of the hole. 

Bottom Countersink Angle 82 Specifies the angle of a countersink at 

the bottom of the hole. 



Not yet implemented 

Not yet implemented 

A Blind hole created by a drill creates a Drill Point angle. A through hole (clearance hole) is the only hole 

that can have a Fit. The Size of the hole can dictate dimensions for countersink and counterbore 

diameters and angles, if there are valid values in the chosen table. If the hole is a clearance hole 

(through hole) then there are 2 or 3 Fit options available: Close, Free, and Medium. 

Each of the preview images available in the drop down menu illustrate what kinds of holes could be 

created. The preview image will change based on what parameters have been set in the UI. 

Alternatively, you can drop down the preview menu and select on one of the images to make the check 

box options reflect the chosen preview. 

Example Preview Image 

All the options going across the top 

of the ribbon are checked ON: 

None of the checkboxes are checked ON: 

Blind, Countersink, and Point angle options are 

checked ON: 

Clicking within the other parameters (Hole depth, tap depth, 

countersink/counterbore diameter and angle, and point 

angle) shows a blue arrow or dimension on the preview 

image to show what will change if different values are 

entered by the user. The example to the right shows the user 

clicking in the diameter dimension box for a counterbore 

hole. 

Using the Grid Placement tool guide for Standard Holes allows you both to snap to grid locations, and to 

press the SHIFT key while hovering over geometry in the sketch plane to make dimensions for hole 

placement to that geometry, in the standard way. See example below. 

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The standard Drill Point Angle has been set to 118 degrees and the option is checked ON by default 

when creating a Blind hole. 

The Hole Depth of a Blind Hole has been set to be 3 times the dimension of the hole’s diameter. 

Each dialog box which has a depth, diameter, or an angle dimension now displays a preview when you 

click in the box. Previously, none of the dialog boxes displayed previews when clicking in the box. The 

chart below provides examples for each of the options. 


Preview Images 

Hole Diameter 

Countersink 

Angle 

Blind Hole 

Depth 

Counterbore 

Diameter 

Thread Depth 

Counterbore 

Depth 

Countersink 

Diameter 

Drill Point 

Angle 

The Size chosen for each Series will be remembered when switching back and forth between Series 

standards during a session. For example, if you create a 1/4 – 20 hole from the UNC series and then 

switch to the ISO Series, when you select the UNC series again, the 1/4 – 20 hole will still be present in 

the Size dialog box. Closing out the session of SpaceClaim will reset the hole Size to the first row in each 

hole Series’ table. 

Holes can now be selected as singular objects as opposed to selecting multiple faces to capture the 

entire hole object. However, individual faces of a hole object can also be selected by query selecting to it 

while hovering over any of the hole faces. Hovering over a face of the hole pre-highlights the entire hole 

Page 77


object and you can check the Selection Status Bar to make sure what is pre-highlighted is the intended 

selection. 

The Cosmetic option now works for Tapped holes in the Treatment group on the Create/Edit tab for 

Standard Holes. Previously, you could check this option ON but cosmetic threads did not appear on the 

inside of the hole. Note that all hole sizes in the tables do not have a corresponding cosmetic 

representation, only the most common sizes are available. 

The Diameter dialog box in the Type group now displays the Drill Size when the Tapped option is 

checked. Previously, only the diameter of the hole was displayed. 

If you modify any table-driven dimension of a Standard Hole by typing a value in the ribbon text entry 

boxes, the new value displays in bold. Previously, there was no visual indication that the value had been 

modified. 

You can now modify multiple holes at the same time if they share any of the same parameters. You can 

CTRL select or box-select multiple holes. The Standard Hole Edit tab will then become active to allow you 

to enter in new values to each of the parameters in the Ribbon tab. If you select multiple holes with 

different parameters, the Edit tab will not appear in the Ribbon bar. 

Standard Hole dimensioning symbols are now shown in the Description field in a Hole Table, in as little 

horizontal space as possible. For Hole Size callouts there are no spaces around the ‘x’ for ISO and the ‘-‘ 

for ASME standards. The example below highlights these callouts for better understanding. 

The default Thread Depth has been changed to be 2 times the size of the Basic Diameter of the hole. The 

default Hole Depth is now the Thread Depth times the Depth Ratio set in that particular hole table. See 

example in the chart below 

Series Size Basic Diameter Thread Depth Depth Ratio Hole Depth 

UNC 1/4 -20 0.250 0.250 X 2 = 0.500 1.25 0.500 X 1.25 = 

0.625 

Holes can now be filled with the Fill tool by selecting the object then clicking the Fill tool. The Fill tool no 

longer stays selected after this action. Previously, selecting the hole then clicking the Fill button 

activated the Fill tool even though the user only intended to fill that one hole. 

To Fill a Standard Hole: 

1. In the Select tool, click a face of a Standard Hole to select the entire object 

2. Click the Fill tool 


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The Standard Hole Ribbon tab is now labeled Create when creating new holes and Edit when editing 

existing holes. Previously, the Ribbon tab was labeled Edit when creating and editing holes. 

A Nominal option has been added to the Fit drop-down menu to represent the Basic Diameter of a hole. 

This is now the Default option when creating holes. 

You can now undo the action of multiple holes created at once, in one undo step. Previously, the undo 

action only removed one hole at a time. 

A Standard Hole is no longer a Standard hole once you delete a face of the hole or reference face (the 

face the hole was created on) of the hole. Individual faces are still selectable but no longer have any 

Standard Hole association. 

SpaceClaim API 

V8 – Final 

This version was released with SpaceClaim 2011+. 

SpaceClaim API and .NET 4.0 

SpaceClaim 2011+ now uses .NET 4.0. This is a significant change that affects developers creating 

SpaceClaim add-ins or calling the SpaceClaim API from another process. Note that this only affects 

developers building projects using the SpaceClaim API. It does not affect existing add-ins that have 

already been built. 

Earlier framework versions, .NET 2.0, .NET 3.0, and .NET 3.5, were all based on Common Language 

Runtime (CLR) 2.0, and each new framework version extended the previous version with more 

functionality. In contrast, .NET 4.0 is based on CLR 4.0, and there are compatibility rules that need to be 

appreciated. 

At run-time: 

� A CLR 4.0 process (such as SpaceClaim 2011+) can load either CLR 2.0 or CLR 4.0 assemblies. 

� A CLR 2.0 process cannot load CLR 4.0 assemblies. 

At build-time: 

� A CLR 4.0 project (one targeting .NET 4.0) can reference either CLR 2.0 or CLR 4.0 assemblies. 


Page 79

� A CLR 2.0 project cannot reference CLR 4.0 projects. 

See the CLR Team Blog on the MSDN website for more detailed information. 



SpaceClaim API assemblies are installed in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) when SpaceClaim is 

installed. At run-time, the assembly for the API version being used is automatically found in the GAC. At 

build-time, an identical copy of the API assembly is provided inside the SpaceClaim installation folder, to 

be used as a project reference. This is because the internal structure of the GAC is not made public, so 

assembly files cannot be browsed and referenced. 

Regardless of whether the Copy Local setting is true or false for the SpaceClaim API project reference, it 

is the assembly in the GAC that will be used at run-time. It is therefore recommended that Copy Local is 

set to false, merely to emphasize this fact and avoid any misunderstanding. 

There are now two variants of each SpaceClaim API assembly, one for CLR 2.0 (built with .NET 3.5) and 

one for CLR 4.0 (built with .NET 4.0). Each CLR version has its own GAC, and the correct variant will be 

loaded automatically at run-time. At build-time, two variants of the SpaceClaim API assembly are 

provided for project references. For example, with API V8, the two variants are found in the following 

folders: 

� CLR 4.0 – “\SpaceClaim.Api.V8\SpaceClaim.Api.V8.dll” 

� CLR 2.0 – “\SpaceClaim.Api.V8\.NET 3.5\SpaceClaim.Api.V8.dll” 

The same folder structure exists for other SpaceClaim API versions too. 

For new add-ins, it is recommended that the project targets .NET 4.0, and the CLR 4.0 variant of the 

latest ‘Final’ API version is referenced, which for SpaceClaim 2011+ is API V8. 

For existing projects: 

� If there is no reason to continue to target an earlier .NET framework version, then the project 

properties can be changed to target .NET 4.0. The existing SpaceClaim API assembly reference 

path will be correct for .NET 4.0. 

If it is impractical to change the target framework to .NET 4.0, perhaps because the API is being called 

from another application and this is using an earlier framework version, then the SpaceClaim API 

assembly reference should be removed and the corresponding assembly inside the “.NET 3.5” sub-folder 

should be used instead. 

Sheet Metal 

� Sheet metal object type names no longer have the "SheetMetal" prefix unless the remaining 

name is too generic to imply sheet metal, as is the case with SheetMetalFeature and 

SheetMetalForm. So SheetMetalBend and SheetMetalBead are now simply Bend and Bead. 

Page 80


� SheetMetalHem was renamed HemBend and is now derived from 

Bend. FlatPatterAspect.PartialBends now also works with hems. Since SheetMetalAspect.Bends 

now includes hems, SheetMetalAspect.Hems was removed. 

� IHasBendSteps was removed. Instead, AxialBend was added as the parent class for 

CylindricalBend and ConicalBend, with an Axis property for the axis of the 

bend. AxialBend.BendSteps allows the distribution of bend angle and bend allowance across the 

bend steps to be controlled, and the forming order to be specified. 

� SheetMetalBend.Angle was removed, and IHasBendAngle was added, which is implemented by 

AxialBend and JoggleBend, but not by HemBend. 

� SheetMetalAspect.Gussets was added. A Gusset sits between two coaxial AxialBend objects. 

� SheetMetalAspect.Markers was added. A Marker is a location on a planar sheet metal face, and 

is indicated in both the folded and unfolded sheet metal part. 

� SheetMetalForm.IsCutout was added. 

Geometry 

� Surface.IntersectSurface was added. 

� CurveCurveIntersection was renamed IntPoint, and 

SurfaceCurveIntersection was renamed IntPoint. 

� Parameterization.IsPeriodic was replaced by Parameterization.Form (open, closed, or periodic). 

� Parameterization.Range was replaced by Parameterization.Bounds to better represent 

unbounded parameterization. 

� Surface.ParameterizationU and ParameterizationV were replaced by a single Parameterization 

property that contains values for U and V. 

� Surface.IsSingular was added, which returns whether there is a parametric singularity at the 

start or end of the U and V ranges. 

� CurveEvaluation.Derivative, Derivative2, and Curvature were added. 

� SurfaceEvaluation.DerivativeU, DerivativeV, DerivativeUU, DerivativeUV, DerivativeVV, 

MaxCurvature, MinCurvature, MaxCurvatureDirection, and MinCurvatureDirection were added. 

Options 

� Static events have been added for when options are changed, e.g. 

ImportOptions.CleanUpBodiesChanged is raised when ImportOptions.CleanUpBodies is 

changed. 

� Options.Culture and Options.CultureChanged were added. 

� ExportOptions.Parasolid was added, and ParasolidExportOptions.Version allows you to control 

the Parasolid version used when exporting. 

� CatiaImportOptions.ImportObjectNames was replaced by ImportOptions.ImportNames, since 

this option now applies to import in general, and not just Catia import. Similarly, 

CatiaExportOptions.ExportNames was replaced by ExportOptions.ExportNames. 

Interaction Tools 

� Various methods for creating Callout objects (known as ruler dimensions in the UI) were 

added. Callouts are temporary graphical dimensions that an interaction Tool can display for 

feedback to the user or to allow the user to enter values. Different measurement types are 


Page 81


supported: CreateAngleCallout, CreateCurveLengthCallout, CreateDiameterCallout, 

CreateLengthCallout, CreateOffsetCallout, and CreateRadiusCallout. 

� Indicators were added. These are used by several tools on the Repair tab and often appear as 

small disks highlighting problem areas. They allow temporary highlighting of DesignCurve, 

DesignFace, or DesignEdge objects, or of a Point location in the model. CreateIndicator is used 

to create various indicators, and OnIndicatorSelectionChanged can be overridden to handle 

when the user clicks on or drag-selects indicators. 

� OnDragStart now returns a bool to indicate whether the tool will handle the drag. If the tool 

returns false, and there are indicators in the scene, a pick box for drag-selecting indicators is 

used. 

Appearance States 

� Appearance states (known as view states in the UI) were added. An AppearanceState captures 

the visibility of objects in a part, and optionally the view projection, so that these can be 

restored later. Part.AppearanceStates returns the appearance states for the part. 

Other Enhancements 

� Application.UndoSteps and RedoSteps were added, which return the list of command strings 

displayed on the undo and redo droplists. Application.Undo and Redo were added, which allow 

you to undo or redo a specified number of steps. 

� Document.DocumentSaving event was added. DocumentSavedEventArgs was renamed to be 

SaveDocumentEventArgs, since it now used by both the DocumentSaving and DocumentSaved 

events. 

� Document.Export was replaced by Part.Export, and DocumentExportFormat was replaced by 

PartExportFormat. This now allows an internal component part to be exported. 

� Body.Save and DesignBody.Save were added, allowing you to save a single body to a file. The 

difference between these two methods is that DesignBody.Save also writes attributes to show 

which DesignFace and DesignEdge each face or edge came from. 

� Window.TryParseValue was added. This static method allows you to use the expression parser 

independent of any window. 

� The SpecialChar enum is now a SpecialChar static class with char fields. 

� If you call Command.Execute for a command that is associated with an add-in ribbon tab or a 

custom panel, that tab or panel is now activated. Of course, if that command also has an 

Executing handler, that handler will get called. 


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