Delcam has released a much easier to use version of its STL filerepair software, Trifix. This is needed mainly by rapidprototyping bureaux to ensure high quality RP models but can alsobe used to repair triangle files for analysis software. The newrelease gives improved verification and repair of these files,and also incorporates a new interface and more automatedoperation.

'Most users are now capable of generatingsatisfactory STL files from models built within a single CADsystem,' commented Delcam's Product Manager, ChrisLawrie.

'However, there are still problems with data thathas been translated between systems, for example when the productdesigner and the rapid prototyping bureau use different software.Typical problems that Trifix can solve in these cases includegaps in the model or overlapping surfaces.' 'CAD modelsgenerated from digitised data can also suffer from these problemsand Trifix can equally ensure that high quality prototypes can beproduced from this type of data.' Trifix also allows a rangeof other common problems with STL files to be rectified.Duplicate triangles and nodes can be removed, so can triangleswith less than a given height, intersecting triangles, andtriangles that have more than one other triangle sharing an edge.Increased 'intelligence' within the software means thattypically 80% of problems within a file can be solvedautomatically.

Unlike most other automated healing systems,Trifix does not apply the same tolerance throughout the model.Instead, it begins working with a low tolerance and solves asmany problems as it can.

It then automatically increases thetolerance in a series of steps and tackles the remaining problemsas the tolerance increases.