University Replaces Development Software with Open CASCADE

The University has replaced its existing development software with Open CASCADE for reasons of economy, performance and a wealth of 3D modeling functionality. The software is available free of charge and provides numerous time-saving features such as smart pointers, collector classes, efficient means of subdividing complex surfaces, and a highly effective WOK module. The University workers can concentrate their efforts on developing their own algorithms rather than wasting time on implementing standard CAD/CAM capabilities.

U.C. Berkeley plans to contribute to the enrichment of Open CASCADE software by publishing components that will allow an optimization of surface triangulation and a new user interface using virtual reality tools. Dr. Débarbouillé continues to serve as a consultant to the CyberCut and CyberBuild projects of the University's Integrated Manufacturing Laboratory and the University plans to collaborate with Open CASCADE in providing development manpower and services to an industrial company for the development of an application that will slash machining preparation time and optimize the machining sequence. Future applications will center on automatic mold design and machining.