Easily convert 3D scans to CAD

SHINING 3D, a global leader in 3D digitization and scanning, is pleased to announce the launch of EXModel. This software ensures an easy transition from 3D scanning to production, providing a reliable CAD modeling tool. EXModel has an easy-to-use workflow and intuitive interface, making the reverse engineering process easy and convenient.

EXModel provides a rich set of tools that can easily convert 3D meshes into professional CAD models. The software focuses on extracting all the necessary elements from meshes for direct application into CAD programs, bridging the gap between 3D scanning and design.

EXModel greatly simplifies workflows by easily converting 3D scans to CAD. It provides a complete and intuitive reverse engineering solution, allowing you to convert meshes into professional CAD models in just a few steps.

In addition, EXModel offers many export options. Users can save files in standard IGES or STEP formats, making them easy to integrate with other CAD/CAM packages. These exported files can also be used for 3D printing or CNC machining, greatly lowering the barrier to entry and increasing the overall value of the scanner and software.

SHINING 3D Product Manager, Rebecca Kho, stated:

“EXModel is a great choice for users looking for a cost-effective reverse engineering solution. It is an ideal choice for both those who are experienced in reverse engineering and want feature-rich software at an affordable price, as well as those new to reverse engineering software. SHINING 3D provides this proven and cost-effective solution for applications in a variety of industries.”

In addition to the standard EXModel package, SHINING 3D also provides EXModel Pro, a comprehensive reverse engineering solution. The Professional Edition contains all the features of the Standard Edition, plus added tools to make it easier to convert meshes into professional CAD models.

The engineer responsible for developing this software, Dai Zhechen, noted:

“The launch of EXModel symbolizes an important milestone for SHINING 3D, bringing the company one step closer to achieving its goal of providing comprehensive solutions. For example, everyone knows that creating free-form surfaces is one of the most difficult tasks in reverse engineering. The technology provided by EXModel makes this process easier and more accessible for everyone. It is designed to integrate with EinScan HX, allowing EinScan HX users to directly access this function from the software.”

To celebrate the release of EXModel, SHINING 3D is providing a new 30-day free trial for new users, which provides an excellent opportunity to evaluate its functionality and effectiveness for yourself. In addition, EXModel Pro is available with a 15-day free trial, allowing users to experience the additional features and benefits of the professional version.

EXModel is currently integrated with EXScan HX, FreeScan and EXStar software, allowing users of EinScan HX, FreeScan Combo Series, FreeScan UE Pro and Einstar to directly access this feature from the software. We also plan to integrate it with more SHINING 3D scanners.

Next, we give the floor to Dai Zhechen for more detailed information:

Greetings to all! I'm incredibly excited to talk with you again. We receive a lot of feedback from our users. Customers want CAD functionality in scanning software. Whether it's XScan, IonScan or FreeScan, we have some exciting news today. We are launching a new software called X-ScanModel and as you can see there will be two versions of it: X-ScanModel and X-Model Pro.

This will be a powerful tool that will simplify the creation of CAD models from 3D scans to production. With X-Model Pro, you can import 3D scan data into the program, perform mesh editing, remove defects, and apply all CAD modeling features.

You can do parametric modeling or, as shown in this image, organic shape modeling. X-Model Pro provides a very powerful tool for free modeling. You can perform hybrid modeling by combining parametric and free modeling to create a CAD model, as shown on the right side of the image.

Differences between X-Model and X-Model Pro versions

X-Model offers a set of tools for processing 3D mesh scan data. It is capable of extracting all the necessary mesh elements for use in CAD programs, although it has limited capabilities for working with 3D scan data. X-Model also comes with a powerful tool for reverse engineering organic shapes.

However, with X-Model Pro you get all the features available in X-Model, plus advanced reverse engineering capabilities. X-Model Pro can convert a mesh into a professional CAD model in just a few simple steps.

X-Model advantages

X-Model easily converts 3D scans from X-Scan to CAD with a user-friendly and intuitive interface, offering a professional and affordable reverse engineering solution. X-Model provides simple yet powerful tools to transform your network model into a ready-to-use CAD model.

With X-Model you can automatically process organic parts or manually perform arbitrary organic modeling. X-Model performs parametric modeling of a quality CAD model from network information with real-time variations to guide you through the modeling process.

After creating a model in CAD, you can export it to standard CAD formats such as IGES or STEP and transfer it to other CAD or CAM packages, as well as use it for 3D printing or CNC machining. In this way, X-Model makes it much easier to get started, making 3D scanning useful for design and increasing the overall value of industrial scanning equipment and software.

Core Value

I can highlight three points:

The first is to bridge the gap between 3D scanning and CAD. As I already mentioned, X-Model is capable of extracting all the elements and primitives from the mesh for applying them in the CAD design. It can directly create a high-quality CAD model using both free modeling and parametric modeling with intuitive instructions.

The second part involves increasing the use of 3D scanning and improving the customer experience. It is capable of correcting meshes and exporting aligned and merged data for 3D printing. You can also edit and modify CAD data for damaged tools and molds, or use existing references to reverse engineer new parts or convert existing products into CAD models for new custom designs or create assembly components.

The third aspect is the low total cost of this solution. It will prove to be the most cost-effective option for mesh processing and all-in-one reverse engineering on the market.

Eliminating gaps in the model

Divided into six different steps:

The first step is to edit the mesh. You need to do some trimming work, including mesh editing, hole filling, smoothing certain areas, and then you can align the data to coordinates, or do some additional operations first, and then use this primitive to align to coordinates.

The next part will be the main one, I call it hybrid modeling because X-Model can do free-form modeling as well as parametric modeling. Here you can combine free modeling and parametric modeling surfaces to create your solid CAD model.

Once the simulation is complete, you will have all the intersections with each component, then you can combine them into a single cohesive CAD model and save this CAD in a standard format, such as an IGES or STEP file.

List of functions for each step:

To modify the mesh, you can import independent mesh data and edit the mesh. Operations such as reducing the number of polygons, re-polygonizing, scaling in different directions, changing the direction of normals, and cropping meshes using primitive shapes are also possible.

For alignment, you can bring the data to a standard coordinate system by selecting some reference functions, or align it interactively if you already have primitives or another method.

If you have two meshes, or one mesh and one CAD model, you can match them by endpoints. If this fails, you can run a fine alignment or a global fine alignment to correct.

Extracting Functions and Parameters

You can extract planes, cylinders, cones, and spheres, as well as create arbitrary surfaces when you select an area. You can take sections or group sections to obtain a section view and 2D drawings of those sections.
In addition to using existing features, you have the ability to design CAD yourself. You can create 3D sketches to draw free-form curves on free surfaces. You can create a plane, a cylinder, a cone, a sphere, a midplane, and a plane along a path perpendicular to that path, which can be any curve.

You also have the ability to create a plane from a 2D sketch, generate a reference line or a point. All of the functions listed can be used for alignment. X-Model Pro offers another powerful tool – the symmetrical plane. The software can automatically calculate the symmetrical plane, which will provide you with all the necessary capabilities to align some organic parts of a symmetrical shape.

Modeling

Once you have a 2D drawing, you can, given the section projection, set constraints and perform offsets and patterns on that 2D sketch. This 2D pattern can also be used to extrude or rotate surfaces.

Best of all, you can also do manual modeling or create free surfaces based on a 3D drawing.

The software also has an automatic surface creation feature. You can automatically create function-aligned surfaces to fit the mesh more accurately.

You can extrude, smooth, fill, and merge surfaces. This supports hybrid modeling. Once free modeling is completed and parametric modeling surfaces are created, the software provides tools to analyze deflections, slopes, and straightness, allowing you to make your design more accurate. If you import two models, one CAD and one mesh, or two meshes, you can align and compare them, which creates a variance map.

CAD training

Now I would like to point out some key features of XModel and XModel Pro:

First, XModel is integrated with XScan. Once scanning is complete, mesh data can be transferred to XModel with one click, greatly simplifying the process from scanning to design. The software is capable of quickly reconstructing planes, cylinders, cones and spheres.

In addition, it is possible to create reference geometries, such as lines and points, to align mesh data using a standard coordinate system or other scans. You can fit free surfaces by simply selecting an area of ​​interest and letting the program calculate the free shape based on that selection.

The generated surfaces can be expanded to make them suitable for trimming, and you can also get a real-time mesh deviation map that instantly shows the quality of the surfaces. Once you have a section view, the software can interactively create a section plan and align it to world or CAD plans.

Additionally, you can align a curve to create a reference point for a 2D sketch, and then make drawings and export that 2D sketch in IGS format.

The most powerful tool offered by XModel and XModel Pro is free modeling. You can draw the squares by hand. These square surface features enable users to recapture the free surfaces of organic parts. Snap to grid technology allows even non-professionals to easily create shapes.

This is a unique feature that is not found in other solutions. An optimized real-time variance analyzer gives users the ability to monitor the process and get the most accurate results possible. It will guide you during scanning without any effort.

XModel provides the ability to create CAD models using a combination of free and parametric tools. With this software, users can re-edit and modify free surfaces while still being able to easily recover data and results. XModel Pro includes a simplification feature that allows you to take surfaces and convert them into a 2D sketch. This 2D sketch can be exported in DXF or IGS formats for further use in any other 2D software.

Highlights of X-Model and X-Model Pro

The first is one-click transfer of mesh data for design after 3D scanning. The program quickly aligns data based on the extracted primitives. The software maintains restrictions between these primitives. We also have real-time variance guidance in 2D and 2D sketch modes, as well as free modeling capabilities. The real deviation map functions at all stages of the workflow.

The software provides grid-snap technology for free modeling, making it more accurate. The software also allows you to modify the auto-surfacing, which means you can auto-surface first, and then if you're not happy with some areas, you can double-click on those surfaces and manually adjust control points to achieve the desired result. XModel and XModel Pro can create CAD models through a mixture of free and parametric functions.

Feature comparison between XModelPro, XModel and the previous GeometricEssentials solution

As you can see, compared to GeometricEssentials, XModelPro and XModel can fit free surfaces.

Feature Comparison:

XModel and XModel Pro also provide free hand modeling capabilities, and XModel Pro does even more. You have all the CAD features at your disposal, such as extrusion, surface rotation, 2D sketch constraints, 2D sketch offsets and patterns. Free modeling from a 3D sketch, free modeling and all the tools for deviation analysis, simplification and automatic surface alignment are also available. XModel Pro software also supports hybrid modeling. The most important feature of XModel Pro is the ability to transfer the design and function tree to other packages such as SOLIDWORKS or Inventor, which is truly impressive.

In conclusion, the launch of EXModel and EXModel Pro from SHINING 3D represents a new milestone in the field of CAD modeling software. These tools are designed to simplify the process of converting 3D scans into professional CAD models, speeding up the entire workflow from scanning to production. Now is the perfect time to explore the power of EXModel and EXModel Pro with a free trial