The Leader in Hybrid CAD Software for Windows

The Leader in Hybrid CAD Software for Windows
®
Freedom to choose the right tool for
the design task at hand is critical for
the efficient design of products and
tooling. Hybrid CAD software blends
the various 3D modeling and 2D drafting
methods used by mechanical design
and manufacturing professionals into
a single environment. This approach
is well suited to support all levels
and needs of CAD users or serve
as a companion to any other
CAD/CAM/CAE system.
CADKEY products have evolved over
more than 15 years into the ultimate
full-spectrum hybrid CAD system.
CADKEY DESIGN SUITE offers the
complete set of tools for modeling,
surfacing, rendering, and drafting, a
standard component library, and the
most complete set of translators
available anywhere. The product’s
unique and easy-to-learn interface
offers Windows -standard controls
as well as alternative methods
to optimize productivity.
Projects that utilize both advanced
ergonomics and kinematics
require all of the hybrid design tools.
Hybrid Means More Tools, More Choice,
and More Design Flexibility.
Design Engineers worldwide use CADKEY products for diverse applications in aerospace, automotive, consumer products, medical products,
instrumentation, machine design, electronic packaging, reverse engineering
and more. The reason is simple: flexibility with a blend of CAD tools is
required to complete most design tasks.
Solid modeling is ideal for creating geometric components and assemblies where part interferences must be determined. Wireframe modeling is
the ultimate tool for layout, conceptual sketching, or building a framework
for surfaces. The aesthetic curves of a consumer product are virtually
impossible to define without the help of a surface modeler. Whatever the
design task, CADKEY DESIGN SUITE gives you a choice of intuitive tools at
your fingertips to get the job done.
The Full Spectrum of Design Tools
Freeform Solid Modeling
Solids takes the work out of creating and viewing precision 3D models. Generate intricate product
designs, verify volumes, check interferences, or redefine portions of a model. Modify native or imported
freeform solids with extensive freeform editing functions to scale, blend, twist, offset, taper, transform,
slice, stretch or modify models.
Parametric Solid Modeling
Feature-based modeling tools allow solids to be defined and
edited using advanced geometric constraints and driving dimensions.
This approach makes editing solids even easier by providing full access
to the values, steps and relationships used to construct a model.
Wireframe Modeling
Intuitive wireframe construction tools provide total flexibility at
the conceptual 3D design stage, and build the foundation for solid
and surface models. Visualize wireframe models using hidden line
removal or shading, or convert them to solids for further analysis
and design.
Surface Modeling
Solid modeling offers the advantage of visualization and interference
checking, which aid in the design of complex machinery.
CADKEY DESIGN SUITE offers extensive “high-end” surfacing
technology that provides the power to model virtually any complex shape
and develop “machinable” surface models for downstream CAM applications. Surface editing tools allow you to modify imported surface models.
Interactive healing allows you to turn a surface model into a solid model.
2D Drafting
From simple sketches to full production drawings, you can develop ideas
efficiently with advanced entity masking, selection and layering systems.
Comprehensive mechanical dimension and drafting symbols are based on
ANSI, ISO, DIN and JIS standards. Automated functions help align views,
retrieve company standard borders and complete title block text.
The interior details of this
heat probe can be shown
by quickly slicing colored
solid models.
Standard Parts and Symbol Libraries
Available libraries save time by automatically generating 3D models
and 2D views of rotary elements, structural members, fasteners and
machined holes based on simple input of standard selection criteria.
Over 500 schematic symbols for diagramming fluid power, electrical,
piping, welding and logic systems are also included.
Photorealistic Rendering
Generate stunning proof-of-concept images by applying textures,
light sources, reflections, perspective views and ray tracing.
Features like Photoreal deliver life-like rendering for your clients and
savings in time-to-market for the design of aesthetic consumer products.
2D to 3D Migration
If you’re considering the move from 2D to 3D,
CADKEY DESIGN SUITE offers the best migration solution. CADKEY has the flexibility you need to continue
to work within your current methodology as you move
to 3D. CADKEY DESIGN SUITE customers can continue to
use pure 2D when they want, while applying 3D when it
makes sense. Move forward without giving up your 2D
tools.
CADKEY DESIGN SUITE also allows you to reuse your
legacy 2D data by importing profiles and easily expanding them into 3D models. Quickly generate 2D drawing
layouts from 3D models to reduce time-consuming
drafting tasks. Drawings automatically update when
you make design changes to the model.
Large scale projects like this high-speed catamaran ferry
require real 2D design tools found only in hybrid CAD.
A Proven Solution
First released in 1984, CADKEY is the original PC-based Hybrid CAD
software. For nearly 20 years CADKEY Corporation has stayed true
to its mission of providing affordable, productive and easy-toimplement three-dimensional modeling and mechanical
drafting tools for the PC. The product’s flexibility,
award-winning interface and technical leadership in
modeling capabilities have made it one of the best
known and most popular mechanical design software
products in the world. Over a quarter of a million
copies have been shipped to date and the product
is available in over a dozen languages. The Hybrid
CAD approach pioneered by CADKEY still separates
it from other Windows CAD software programs
that offer only two-dimensional drafting or
parametric solid modeling.
Exploded assembly drawings like this rotary engine
are easily derived from 3D models.
“We have been using CADKEY for about eight years and have
produced around 1,500 shop drawings and hundreds of R&D 3D
models. With CADKEY, we virtually prototype our ideas during the
product development cycle using 3D solid modeling and photorealistic rendering. For design and R&D tasks, we have effectively
reduced the 2D drafting work by over 85%, saving both time and
money. We can also export an SAT or STL file from CADKEY, and
send them directly to a rapid prototyping vendor or a machine tool
to produce parts. Our design tasks would be very difficult if we did
not have the options that CADKEY gives us.”
Phil Metcalf, Chief Mechanical Designer,
The Montalvo Corporation (Portland, ME)
Mechanical assemblies such as this snow mobile clutch
are perfect projects for hybrid modeling.
Additional Flexibility
The flexibility of CADKEY DESIGN SUITE extends beyond choice of design
tools. Every job and every designer is different so the product’s interface can
be easily customized to allow easy reach to the functions used most. CADKEY
DESIGN SUITE also provides extensive default keyboard shortcuts linked to popup icon menus and offers unique Function Key driven menus for extreme speed
without looking down. Additionally, CADKEY DESIGN SUITE makes creating
time-saving macros as simple as pressing the record button.
Many CADKEY DESIGN SUITE users believe that the product’s largest benefit
is how easy it is to create well-integrated custom programs. From the Basic-like
programming language to the incredibly powerful C/C++ programming toolkit,
CADKEY DESIGN SUITE provides some of the most powerful controls of any CAD
programming interface. Numerous enhancement products that make use of
these tools are available for CADKEY DESIGN SUITE users to cover vertical
market applications such as mold design, flow analysis, die design, manufacturing, reverse engineering, and much more.
Unrivaled Interoperability
With outsourced design and manufacturing at an all-time high, a CAD
system’s capacity to share data is critical to moving ideas quickly and efficiently
to production. CADKEY DESIGN SUITE incorporates four major ingredients to
empower its unrivaled interoperability:
• world class data translators
• core technology based on pure geometry
• hybrid modeling versatility
• interoperability tools
Manufacturers, die designers, and moldmakers rely on this powerful
technology combination to import CAD data—3D wireframe, surfaces, solids
and 2D drawings— and manipulate this data as if it were created natively.
CADKEY DESIGN SUITE allows this because of its foundation in pure geometry,
not features. If you’re a manufacturer, you simply can’t afford to purchase
every CAD system your customers use. With CADKEY DESIGN SUITE you can
work with whatever CAD file shows up on your doorstep. CADKEY DESIGN
SUITE’s world class data translators offer support for more CAD file formats
than anyone else.
CADKEY DESIGN SUITE’s hybrid modeling environment allows you to model,
edit, refine and validate geometry for product designs AND for manufacturing
projects. Powerful interoperability tools like solid body healing and tolerant
edge capabilities help repair less precise “imported” model geometry. With this
power, CADKEY DESIGN SUITE is the perfect solution for manufacturing, rapid
prototyping and the design of injection molds, tool & die, fixtures, as well as
sheet metal applications.
The design of fixtures and tools, such as
molds and dies, relies on CADKEY’s ability
to extract geometry from the original design
data, no matter what CAD system it was
created in.
The feature tree is the standard
mechanism used to edit the features
of a parametric solid.
CADKEY DESIGN SUITE is the most affordably priced professional
CAD software with all the tools you need to “Model Anything™.”
How to Order
There are three easy ways to buy CADKEY products and services:
1. Contact a CADKEY Reseller (VAR) near you. For a list of VARs go to
www.cadkey.com/contact. For VAR referral, email us at sales@cadkey.com,
or call us:
USA/CANADA (800) 372-3872
Outside the USA/CANADA (508) 229-2020
2. Order on-line* via the CADKEY WEBSTORE at www.cadkey.com.
3. FAX your Purchase Order to us at 508-229-3146*.
* Applies to USA/CANADA customers only.
We are grateful to the following CADKEY customers whose designs are featured in this brochure: Universal
autoloader contact lens CNC lathe (cover) courtesy of DAC International (Carpinteria, CA). Ergonomic wheelchair
(cover) courtesy of CK Design Co., ltd. (Musashino, Tokyo, Japan). Fish deboning machine (p. 2 top) courtesy of
TBRS Technology (Sequim, WA). Probe (p. 2 bottom right) courtesy of Gecko Electronics (Quebec City, Quebec,
Canada), designed by I-DESIGN (St. Augustin, Quebec, Canada - www.idesign.com). Humidifier (p. 2 left) model
and rendering by Hague Automation (Clinton, CT), design by Design Network for Holmes Corporation. Wavepiercing catamaran ferry drawing (p. 3) courtesy of INCAT Australia (Tasmania, Australia - www.incat.com.au).
Exploded view of rotary engine (p. 3) courtesy of ATLP (Massy Cedex, France). Snow mobile clutch
(p. 3 bottom) courtesy of Joseph Alviso, Jr. (Camarillo, CA). Low pressure mold (p. 4 top) courtesy
of Grenville Castings Ltd. (Smith’s Falls, Ontario, Canada).
Prices subject to change without notice. All pricing in US Dollars. Prices reflect US domestic, manufacturer's suggested retail;
prices outside the United States will vary significantly due to currencies, exchange rates, import tariffs, value added taxes and
shipping and handling costs. Please contact your local distributor. Resellers are free to establish their own selling prices.
CADKEY, FastSURF, DRAFT-PAK, CADKEY DESIGN SUITE, CADKEY PARAMETRICS and CADKEY WIREFRAME are
trademarks or registered trademarks of CADKEY Corporation. “Model Anything” is a trademark of CADKEY Corporation.
Microsoft, Windows, Excel and Access are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. ACIS is a registered
trademark of Spatial Technology Inc. All other brand and product names and trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners. Rev. 061201
33 Boston Post Road West
Marlborough, MA 01752 USA
(508) 229-2020 / FAX: (508) 229-2121
Email: sales@cadkey.com