Alibre Design 2019 Turn On Tool Menu

Alibre Release History

V23 SP1

June 24, 2021

Dimensions in 2D Section Views sometimes get displaced/disassociated after re-projection
Unable to select some faces as 'To Geometry' limit surface for Extrude feature in Part
Certain description text for Exploded View steps in Assembly results in gibberish step names in published 3D PDF file
Errors in 2D Drawing after adding Drawing Views of different configurations of an Assembly
Higher Bend Radius values frequently causes Flange creation in Sheet Metal to fail when Mitered corner option is selected
Failure seen while running some API programs when user has a floating license key

Older Releases

Changes/Improvements related to handling of Material property in Version 22-SP2

Background

In Alibre Design, there are two places where a part's material can be specified, namely, File Properties->Part Data and File Properties->Material dialog pages. Prior to V22, user could enter a different material value at the above noted locations or alternatively choose to sychronize the material value across these two locations. It should be known that the material property value displayed in 2d-Drawings and BOM comes from the material value specified in File Properties->Part Data. Going into V22 it was felt that, to be meaningful, a part may be assigned only one material, the following changes were made in V22:

User can select a part's material only from the Material Library that is new to V22. The same material will get displayed in both File Properties->Part Data and File Properties->Material dialogs
Unlike earlier versions, user cannot change the material property value inside : File Properties->Part Data. This field was made read-only.
The ability to specify a "Custom Density" (without making an explicit material selection) was removed
A newly created part would automatically be assigned with 'Aluminum – Cast Hammered' by default
Parts saved prior to V22 that had not been explicitly assigned a material would automatically be assigned with 'Aluminum – Cast Hammered'
The ability to specify a material property for Assembly was completely removed

Changes/Improvements in V22-SP2

Some of the changes noted in the previous section turned out to be problematic for some users. To address this, the following changes have been made in version V22-SP2:

The ability to specify a "Custom Density" value without having to explicitly select a material has been restored. See screenshot below.

With the "Custom" checkbox in checked state, user can enter a density value that should be used in Physical Properties calculation. The material will remain unassigned as shown.
The ability to edit material property in File Properties->Part Data has been partially restored -ONLY when user has not selected a material for the part from the material editor. That is, in the Material page, if "Custom" checkbox in checked state (as shown in screenshot above), then, user will be allowed to enter a material name in Part Data page as shown in screenshot below.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
- Part files created prior to V22 but opened in V22-SP2 will retain material property values exactly as was seen in the legacy versions. User will continue have the ability to edit the material property value in File Properties->Part Data dialog
- If user changes the part's material from the Material Editor, then, the same material will also get automatically applied to the material property under File Properties->Part Data. That is, part material gets automatically synchronized in both locations and the material field in File Properties->Part Data will become read-only.
In V22-SP2, a newly created Part file will not be assigned any material by default. Instead, the "Custom" checkbox will be checked by default.
For an Assembly file, though a material cannot be assigned from the material editor, the ability to type in a material property value from File Properties->Part Data dialog has been restored
If a Bill Of Material file has a 'Density' column, then, the density units shown there will be picked from the Material Editor's units for all new BOM files created in V22-SP2.
The ability to set the 'File Properties->Part Data' material property via Alibre Script API has been restored (subject to the conditions noted in bullet point #2 above).
Changes have been made to the M-Files vault implementation consistent with the improvements described above.

Fixes

Property cells in the Material Editor not accepting comma as decimal separator in some European locales.
Density values that are not integers may produce wrong mass value in some European locales.
Weight not computed correctly in some situations for assembly.
Material name of part that is edited within assembly shows up for all other parts in the assembly.
A few issues with Material Editor related to importing custom materials from legacy Part.
Issue with Drawing not updating material name when opened on a system not having this material in its Material Library.
Assembly material set to default 'Aluminum-Cast Hammered' which is affecting Drawings.
Calibrate tool in Tracing Image is now more precise.
Display issues within 2D Sketch and view manipulation tools when AlibreCAM addon is active.
Exception while saving a part containing linear feature pattern with no pattern instances.
Fixed some auto-updater issues.
Get unexpected warning about missing thread definition when opening Hole dialog under certain circumstances.
Flange feature in sheet metal fails for some cases.
Alibre hangs when creating flat pattern for a circle-circle lofted sheet metal flange.

Fixes

2D PDF Publishing / Print behavior now has extended options accessed through System Options > Drawings > PDF. This section controls the behavior of both Printing and PDF publishing. If the built-in option is selected, both Print and PDF Publish will use the features introduced in Alibre Design 2019 - however for some customers especially internationally this results in poor quality. If a 3rd party PDF publishing tool is selected instead, both Print and PDF Publish will use a different pipeline that has very predictable, high quality results. As a result, the 3rd party PDF publishing tool is set as the new default until the built-in option's issues are addressed.
Some non-English text in 2D drawings looked incorrect in exported DXF/DWG
Drawing View creation failed for some complex assemblies
Re-activating design configuration had no effect in some assemblies
Some PDF printer drivers such as FlexiPDF were not available for selection in the PDF options
Units for some imported Solidworks files were not read in correctly
Fixed API to get/set Part Data properties

Enhancements

System-wide settings to enable / disable antialiasing in 3D and 2D workspaces (System Options > Display)

Fixes

The way text antialiasing is achieved has been modified to provide better visual fidelity in 3D workspaces
Sketch dimension/annotation text in design now remain camera-facing during rotation
Text with special characters can now be published to 2D PDF and 3D PDF
Text is now searchable in 2D PDF
Several fixes result in dramatically lower 2D PDF file sizes
Some image formats were not displaying properly in 2D workspaces
Thick lines no longer disappear when zooming in/out in 2D workspaces
A selection issue when faces were very close to each other has been fixed
When hovering over a constraint node, constrained reference geometry in parts now highlight
Unable to change font properties of sketch dimension text in some legacy parts
Part exported to Parasolid opens as assembly when imported in other applications
Reverse checkbox missing in Extrude dialogs in Spanish version
2D Drawings containing a certain type of BMP file would crash the software
Tightly integrated addons can again render GDI graphics
PNG file export from 3D workspace incorrectly creates JPEG file contents
Some STEP files resulted in save errors
Newly created geometry not seen when ground reflection is ON by default
Error when publishing some models to 3D PDF
Fix issue with API that returns facets on a face
Several cases of "transparent faces" have been addressed

2019 Bugfix Releases

Jul, Aug, 2019

A combined list for 2019.0.1, 2019.0.2

Bug Fixes

Fix for Precise Section View failures in Part and Assembly workspaces
Fix for stability issue in Convert To Sheet Metal feature
Fix for occasional disappearance of cross hatch in 2D Section Views
Fix for issue where some parts failed to export to STEP, Parasolid and 3D-PDF
Fix for Hide Small Faces threshold setting of 0px not being honored.
Fix for Crash in Convert to SMP
Fix for STEP export resulting in incorrect part locations on some machines
Fix for 3D PDF export resulting in incorrect part locations on some machines
Fixed broken link in Help file for Customize Performance page

New Features

Beautiful New Graphics

Antialiasing for 3D and 2D
Beautiful text
Ambient Occlusion
Model Shadows
Ground Shadows
Ground Reflections
New Silhouette edge modes
New Illustration View Mode
Graphics pipeline exposed for add-on developers

New Graphics Performance Tools

A suite of new options for view performance for large models

Realtime Section Views

A new type of section view that is fully interactive
Create up to 3 simultaneous section planes
Enormous performance boost over traditional section view for large models

Integrated PDF engine

A new integrated PDF engine for 2D and 3D publishing is available

Realtime line weights in 2D (Beta)

Now all line weights show in the 2D workspace - Print Preview no longer needed

Completely new Import/Export pipeline

Insanely robust

New industry-leading file translators for every file type
Success rates of up to 98% for imported and exported parts
New ODA DWG toolkit for DWG and DXF import implemented, improving interoperability
Fixed STEP import issues from Allegro PCB Tools, DipTrace, Proteus 8, Creo, ProE

Formats

Support for STEP 242, NX, and JT has been added
Support for Solidworks export has been removed (import is still available) - however Parasolid is a superior export option to Solidworks with less translation quirks and is supported

Enhancements

Make Flexible

Significant work has gone into making Make Flexible substantially more robust

Ribbon

A relatively minor reorganization of the ribbon and some tab and tool names

Imported Files

Now the file type and name is shown in the Design Explorer, instead of "Imported File"

Language Settings

Improved default language settings detection for some locations

Home Window

Right clicking on a MRU image now opens the folder and highlights the file

Orient to Plane

Orient to Plane has been added in the Assembly right click menu

Global Parameter sorting

Global Parameter configurations are now sorted in the drop down

Chamfer

Added "flip" button in "Chamfer Edge" and "Corner Chamfer" dialogs to give better control over how unequal length chamfers are applied

Bug Fixes

Undo operation after moving interpolation point of a 3D-Spline distorts the spline
Crash on creating precise drawing view caused by presence of a specific fillet geometry
Scaling issues when inserting a Catalog Feature into a part with different Model Units
Cursor not getting reset after rolling over sketch nodes in Dimension tool
Issue when placing a reference point from an axis and plane into an assembly
Dialogs sometimes going off-screen and hence hidden from user when dual monitors are used
Several transparent face issues
Several issues with the measurement tool acting bizarelly have been addressed
Improved licensing logic to make startup better under certain conditions
Cannot set note size to 10pt prior to typing
Fixed AutoUpdate from incorrectly prompting some international users to update
Fixed an issue causing the software to hang when opening some assemblies
Fixed Obj Ref error seen when opening a 2D drawing saved with inactive config of the part
Activating a section view on some models causes some faces to become transparent
Direct Entry coordinate dialog messed up on 4K monitor
Move Curve Points dialog box messed up on 4K monitor
Index Out of bound error fixed - when designs has multiple configs
Object Ref error seen when trying to use "Change scale" option in this user drawing (ft and inches related)
Editing some features would cause Alibre Design to crash
Trim of Offset Ellipse throws Object Reference error
Alibre crashes when closing some imported files
Alibre silently crashes when launching Alibre Script from Part/Asm workspace
Editing Text figures sometimes throws an exception
Extrude dialog missing Reverse check box in Portuguese version
Fixed several issues related to export and render of models with assembly features
Placing a new bom in a blank drawing workspace no longer throws an exception

Alibre Script Enhancements

Added Part.RemovePoint() and Part.RemovePlane()
Added Part.AddPoint(Name, Point)
Added Sketch.AddPoint(X, Y), deprecated Sketch.AddPoint(X, Y, IsReference)
Added Part.AddAxis() for cylindrical faces
Added Face.GetAdjoiningFaces()
Added Part.AddPlane() for an axis and a point
Added Point.X, Point.Y and Point.Z
Added ThreeD.GetPerpendicularVector()
Added Part.AddAxis using Point objects
Added face mapping to 2D sketches, Sketch.StartFaceMapping() and Sketch.StopFaceMapping()
Added generic mapping to 2D sketches, Sketch.StartMapping() and Sketch.StopMapping()
Added TwoD.RotatePoint()
Added AssembledPart.GetAssemblyVertices()
Added AssembledPart.GetAssemblyBoundingBox()
Added AssembledPart.PartPointtoAssemblyPoint() and AssembledPart.AssemblyPointtoPartPoint()
Added Face.GetEdges(), Face.GetVertices() Face.GetArea()
Added Edge.GetVertices(), Edge.Length and Edge.IsRectangle()
Added Assembly.GetPartOrientation()
Assembly.Selections now returns selection of subassemblies, parts, faces, edges and vertices
Edge.GetPart(), Vertex.GetPart() and Face.GetPart() now returned an AssembledPart instead of Part if the edge/vertex/face was selected via a dialog window
Added built-in functions CurrentPart() and CurrentAssembly() to console
Added built-in functions CurrentParts() and CurrentAssemblies() to console
Added built-in variable AlibreScriptVersion to console
Added built-in class Windows() to console
Removed extraneous blank line after entering a command in the console
Separated save option for user data from UI layout
Now able to select parts in an assembly using dialog windows
Script changed identifier '*' moved to before script name
Added chapter to manual on built-in functionality
Added chapter to manual on sketch mapping
Sketch.PointtoGlobal() and Sketch.GlobaltoPoint() now take into account script units
Fixed bug with Part.AddPoint(Name, List) putting the point at the wrong location
Fixed bug with ThreeD.TransformPointUsingVectors() inverting the X axis
Fixed bug that stopped parts from being reselected when part selection box receives focus
Can now handle corrupt user setting files
Worked around bug in .NET and/or third-party controls that caused height of editor to be incorrectly determined
Fixed issue that caused crash when starting Alibre Script after a new install of Alibre Design, until the PC was rebooted
Fixed bugs that causes error if attempted to get part faces, edges or vertices when part has no body
Fixed bug that caused browse buttons to not be disabled when disabling a dialog input that uses a browse button
Fixed bug that causes error if an attempt was made to enable or disable images or labels in dialog windows
Fixed bug that sometimes caused Face.DistanceTo() to return a value of zero
Fixed bug that stopped line number from being shown in error messages
Fixed bug that caused crash if running a script that was not saved

Critical(!) Updates

Windows 10 Fall Update Critical Bug Fix

Microsoft's Fall Update for Windows 10 introduces a bug to Application.VisualStyleState that causes the ribbon to become unusable when a File > Open, File > Insert, or File > Save dialog is shown. Alibre presented the bug to Microsoft, and Microsoft acknowledged the bug and plans to fix it. However, no release date is currently available for this fix from Microsoft.
Alibre has implemented a stopgap patch that circumvents Microsoft's bug. This results in a slight modification of the appearance of the Alibre Design window by forcing the Windows Vista Glass appearance off.
If you install the major Windows 10 Fall Update without getting Alibre Design 2018.2, you will be unable to use the software.

Alibre Atom3D

New Features

Helical BossandHelical Cut have been added to Alibre Atom3D

Import/Export

The 2018 versions of DWG and DXF are now available for import/export.

Keyshot 8.x for Alibre Design

Keyshot 8 is now available.

Performance

For large assemblies, we've made several changes that should improve SaveAs/SaveAllAs dialog interaction performance significantly. Other changes should help improve assembly loading (open) performance.
Drawings of complex assemblies can now be opened faster. Optimizations for assemblies with many constraints and configurations now improve drawing file load times.

Bug Fixes

A bug was fixed that occasionally prevented the editing of External Threads.
A bug that caused the dimension style in-place editing menu in 2D drawings to have overlapping input boxes when the Fit option was selected has been addressed.
A bug causing an exception during first-run of the Script overlay if the ribbon is disabled has been fixed.
A bug that caused 2D drawing export to DXF to fail in some cases due to a centerline issue has been fixed.
A bug causing some add-ons to have issues if the ribbon is disabled has been fixed.
A bug when overriding the dimension value on the in-place editing menu in 2D drawings that caused the style to also be overridden has been fixed.
A bug causing a Disposed Cursor Error exception after switching color schemes has been fixed.
A bug causing issues with new View insertion in 2D drawings when the default units are in Feet and Inches has been fixed.
Several Alibre Script bugs were addressed.

Misc

The last-used export type is now remembered between sessions. For example, if you tend to export STL files a lot, you no longer have to select STL as the export format after reopening Alibre Design / Atom3D.
New APIs to hide reference geometry such as reference planes, axes, and points.
The Computer Name of the licensed machine will be passed to the Alibre licensing server. This makes it easier for you and for support to figure out which machine needs to be decommissioned if you have a licensing issue. This will replace the "DeviceID" that is currently used, which is a random string of characters.
A Partner Code license type has been introduced. This does not affect customers.
A string update in context menus in 2D drawings for consistency
A German language dialog has been modified.
Modified some PDF publishing strings to be more clear
Restoring a package file now auto-scrolls the Windows Explorer dialog to show the default folder being used during target folder selection

Alibre Script Updates

Added find/replace.
Enabled SQLite3 support.
Added support for show/hide of design planes, axes and points.
Fixed bug that caused an error when closing dialog windows.
Added support for activating configurations of parts and subassemblies inside assemblies.
Fixed selection bug.
Fixed missing Python libraries bug.
Added Sketch.ToXml(), Sketch.FromXml(), Sketch.SavetoXml() and Sketch.LoadXml().
Added Sketch3D.ToXml(), Sketch3D.FromXml(), Sketch3D.SavetoXml() and Sketch3D.LoadXml().
Script-based dialog windows now have a selection system that more closely matches the built in dialogs in Alibre Design.
Script-based dialog windows now always highlight the focussed input.
Added button to preferences dialog to delete saved user data for Alibre Script.
2D Sketch functions that add a Bspline now return a Bspline object.
Added GetPoint() to 2D Bspline object, allowing evaluation of a Bspline at any point.
Added Length and SubDivide() to 2D Bspline object.
Added Length, Subdivide() and SubdivideGetNormals() to BSpline3D.
Added GetPointAt() to 2D Bspline object.
Added GetPointAt() and GetNormalAt() to 3D Bspline object.
Hovering over script tab now shows path and filename of script.
Added Polyline3D, CircularArc3D, Line3D, PolylinePoint3D.
Added Sketch3D.Figures to query the parts of a 3D sketch.
Added constructor for Polyline.
Added support for passing parameters to scripts from the console.
Added support for running a specific script from the console.
Added Sketch.GetSurface to obtain the plane or face that the sketch was created on.
Script-based dialog windows now allow multi-selection of faces, edges, vertices, points, planes, axes and sketches.
Added context menu to script tabs.
AlibreScriptVersion global variable changed from major.minor as real to build number as integer.
Added auto indentation in editor.
Added tab/space options.
Console now shows Alibre Script build number.
Added Part.ExportRotatedSTL().
Added input changed callback to options dialogs.
Added ability to enable and display dialog inputs.
Added callback to options and utility dialogs to set up the user interface after dialog creation, e.g. enable/disable items based on current settings.
Added STL Exporter example script to allow export of rotated STLs for 3D printing.
Added Part.GetUserData() and Part.SetUserData() to store user data in part files.
Added Assembly.GetUserData() and Assembly.SetUserData() to store user data in assembly files.
Code completion now shows enum values.
Added some missing classes to code completion feature.
Fixed bug that caused script-based dialogs to not always be on top of the Alibre Design window.
Fixed bug that caused cross-contamination of python environment between part/assembly sessions when using the Windows class.
Added Part.SaveSnapshot() and Assembly.SaveSnapshot() to save images of parts and assemblies.
Now requests Windows perform a thumbnail refresh before saving a thumbnail of a part or assembly.
Added Part.GetFeature()
Added Feature.SetColor(r, g, b)
Added Part.Select() to select edges and faces
Added IGES and SAT exports of parts.
Added export options for assemblies.
Added part exporter example script.
Added file copier example script.
Added Part.Selections and Assembly.Selections to get current selections.
Added option to allow user to disable saving of layout and scripts to part and assembly files.
Added option to set and reset the default layout.
Added BIP export for parts and assemblies.

New Products

Alibre Atom3D

Alibre Atom3D is a new product focused on consumer and enthusiast customers. It is similar to the legacy Alibre Design Personal Edition but does contain a different feature set.

Alibre Script

Available in Alibre Design Professional and Expert, Alibre Script is a fully integrated, Python-based scripting language capable of driving nearly everything available in Alibre Design's API without the overhead associated with making a standalone add-on. It's particularly useful for automating repetitive tasks or creating 50 parts that vary slightly, for example. Try out some sample scripts.

Removed items

In this release we had to remove 2 pieces of functionality that rely on the same 3rd party technology library that we felt was not a good long-term solution and that is no longer under active development by the technology partner. These items are:

3D Print Analysis
The 3D print analysis feature has been removed. Alibre currently has no plans to replace this feature.

Mesh Support
The ability to import, view, or use mesh files (OBJ/STL/etc) has been removed from the software. Alibre does currently have plans to replace this feature, pending an evaluation of available technology partners. We do not currently have a timeline, and an analysis of technology partners is occurring with the following criteria:

Substantially more robust import and conversion tools
Customer conversations to ensure we not only replace the previous features but enable more robust workflows
Other available mesh modeling technologies that might be of interest to our customers

User Interface

Open button on Home Window

The open button has been moved to the left per customer request

Quick Access toolbar

The Roll View Left and Roll View Right commands have been added to the Quick Access toolbar (near the gem) at the top left of the window.

Reset View

The Reset View (formerly Orient to Sketch) tool has been made more prominent near the Select tool in Sketch Mode.

Renamed tools

Several tools have been renamed for simplicity. For example, the "Measurement Tool" has been renamed "Measure".

Insert Axis and Insert Point dialogs now DPI aware

The Insert Axis and Insert Point dialogs in Sketch Mode now properly display on high resolution monitors.

Bug Fixes

Cannot create external cosmetic thread if the cylindrical face has any feature on it
Some users experienced an error: "Attempt to access index __; valid range is 0..__" when editing or creating Notes after a Windows update. This has been addressed.
Sketches created via the API could become deformed in some circumstances
Glitch in displaying complex sketch in canvas when outside sketch mode
Sheetmetal error with converted conical sheet metal parts
Flatpattern fails for certain classes of converted sheet metal parts
Workspace orientation is not respected when project as flat pattern is applied
Object Ref Error seen when regenerating some legacy sheet metal parts
An "Unable to create bend law when adjacent flanges are coplanar" error has been fixed

Licensing & Viewer Mode

Passive Licensing

For customers in extremely secure environments who cannot have data leave their computers during the licensing process, a new licensing mechanism now exists. A license can now be generated by sending Alibre the computer's Site Key, a short code that looks similar to LSURFTBZQX.

Network Licensing

Allows customers to install a Licensing Daemon on the internal network via a Linux virtual machine.
All licensing is done on-network
Great for large, secure deployments

Viewer Mode

A new Viewer Mode has been added. When a license is not detected during startup, you have the option of inputting a license or selecting theViewer option. The Viewer option starts the product in Viewer Mode, which allows you to open and interrogate the model (e.g. take measurements).

Component Upgrades

The following core technology components have been upgraded to the latest versions, giving you access to several years of updates and bug fixes from these component providers:

ACIS – the core modeling kernel
2D-DCM – the 2D constraint manager / solver
3D-DCM – the 3D constraint manager / solver
HLM – the hidden line manager
ST-Developer – STEP import/export
Datakit – Import/Export of 3rd party proprietary CAD formats
Adobe PDFLibs – PDF publishing
ODA Toolkit– 2D import/export
The build environment for Alibre Design (Visual Studio) was upgraded

New Import Formats

Solidworks 2018 import is now supported
Inventor 2018 import is now supported
Parasolid 30 import is now supported

High Resolution Support

A lot of effort has gone into making Alibre Design more pleasurable to use on high resolution displays (e.g. 4k):

Design/Drawing/Assembly Explorer icons now support higher resolutions
In-Place Editing icons now support higher resolutions
The Ribbon icons now support higher resolutions
Grabbing the Design Explorer divider to resize it is easier
Larger 2D Constraint Symbol option(System Options > Parts/Assemblies > Sketching > Sketch Constraints Size)
Larger Sketch Node option (System Options > Parts/Assemblies > Sketching > Sketch Node Size)
DPI-aware selection snap makes selecting things much easier on high resolution displays
DPI-aware dialogs have been created for many that were not DPI aware – this fixes the jumbled look of dialogs on high resolution displays

General Display Fixes

Several scenarios where the canvas would be replaced by the "Red X", for example after waking from Sleep Mode, have been addressed.

New Features

Miter Flange

Miter flanges (video) can now be created via the Miter option on the new Corners tab of the Flange dialog, dramatically simplifying the creation of many classes of sheet metal parts.

New Home Window

The Home Window has been completely redesigned.

Graphical Most Recently Used

On the new Home Window you can see icon previews of your most recently used files, making selecting recent documents easy and fast.

STEP export units

Previously all STEP files were exported in cm. Now, you can choose which units to use via System Options > Interoperability > STEP

Configurable Mouse Buttons

The Zoom, Pan, and Rotate commands can now be customized. If you use several programs, you can now make them all operate the same way.

Pick PDF Engine

The PDF publishing engine is now an option and can be selected from System Options > Drawings > PDF. If you install a new PDF writer (e.g. PDFill), it should show up here to be selected for use.

Default color scheme

Small changes to the default color scheme for rollover and preview color

API Enhancements

The following API improvements have been made:

New framework for creating .NET based AD Add-Ons
AlibreCAM: Trimmed surface API has been updated so AlibreCAM by MecSoft can be upgraded
Assigning Color to a Feature in Part
Selection Events
Access configurations of Global Parameter Files
Dimensioning Between Points
Anchor/Hide/Suppress sub-assemblies
Capture images of the canvas
Set a part configuration within an assembly

Enhancements

Fixed some SolidWorks parts importing as assemblies
Fixed CATIA import issues

Enhancements

Changed around 20 default options to make the initial experience better
Fixed color and part names missing when importing some Parasolid files
Fixed feature colors missing on some imported parts
Fixed cursor not changing to represent what was being hovered over
Fixed BOM callouts changing to all be ? marks.
Fixed Spanish resources in some dialogs
Fixed Keyshot's dialog that used to say "Return to Geomagic Design"

Licensing

Dark Site licensing – Ability to activate and deactivate license offline
Show 'Computer ID' in product UI for licensing support
Licensing logic to bypass Trial if user has license code
Fix issue with pre-dated license maintenance expiry date
Improved license error reporting
Support for specifying Proxy Server credential to license server
Fix Installer looping when Start Menu Shortcut is de-selected
Non-English Unicode characters in Windows username causes license initialization failure

Product Features

Rectangle by Center tool in 2D Sketch
Extrude Boss/Cutout/Thin: Bi-directional unequal lengths option
Revolve Boss/Cutout/Thin: Bi-directional unequal angle option
Ability to zoom/pan View Creation Preview in 2D Drawings
Additional Hide Part option in 2D Drawings allows you to hide parts in all views.
Add a Select by Layer tool in 2D Drawings, allowing the user to select all items by layer. This can be used for several things, such as the ability to get rid of sick dimensions all at once or performing layer changes on many entities at once without manual selection.
Home Window > Help > Forum link goes to new forum
Re-enabled auto-updater in product (only accessible in the next release, not 2017.1)

Component / Addon Upgrades

Migrate to latest conversion library from Datakit for import/export of 3rd party CAD application data
Fixed Alibre Parameters Addin for Microsoft Excel v2010 and later
Keyshot 7 now works with Alibre Design 2017.1

Bug Fixes

Fix issues with cursor icon artifacts and distortion
Cannot enter angle values into Japanese Alibre input boxes because the automatically added degree symbol (°) is a multibyte character in Japanese which makes the entry invalid
Exception when placing Note in 2D drawing on some computers
Customer Assembly file exported as STEP from Inventor 2017 has some parts incorrectly scaled
Application crashes if Shift is held while placing a sketch entity with an inferred horizontal or vertical constraint
Fixed bad Import of SolidWorks SLDPRT file
Fixed import functionality of CATIA V5 (V26) files

Languages

Added Danish
Updated French, German, Czech, Swedish, Japanese, Polish, Chinese CHS, Chinese ZHH resources

Forum, Gallery, and Customer Suggestions

We've made a huge upgrade to the user forums. Your old username and password will still work. Come say hi!

Licensing

A new licensing mechanism has been installed in the software.

If you are migrating from Geomagic Design, your license key for Alibre Design will be the same key you use for Geomagic Design today. If you cannot locate your license key, please contact your reseller or support@alibre.comand we will assist you.

Various license types are available today, and more are on the way. For more information, please visit our Licensing Page.

Branding

Alibre, LLC, Alibre Design, and related names have replaced their 3D Systems Corporation equivalents throughout the product.

Removed from the product

The following items have been removed from Alibre Design in this version:

3D Systems TeamPlatform integration (deprecated)
3D Systems Cubify Cloud Print integration (deprecated)
3D Systems Sense integration
- Mesh files from any source can still be imported via the Mesh Import feature

Fixes in this release

The following dialogs had broken context-sensitive help that has been corrected:

Home Window > Help > About > License Status
Create Custom Symbol
Insert Custom Symbol
Print (3D Workspaces)
Replace Assembly Component
Reproject Views
3D PDF Publishing wizard – various pages

Add-on Changes

Keyshot for Alibre Design
This release will require a new version of Keyshot to be installed to function properly. If you have a paid version of Keyshot purchased directly from Luxion, you do not need to install this version. Download Keyshot for Alibre Design 2017 from the Downloads page.

Dynamics and Simulate
Previous versions of Dynamics and Simulate from Design Simulation Technologies (DST) will be unable to run on Alibre Design 2017. A new compatible version of Dynamics and Simulate is available and requires a separate license key from DST to run.

AlibreCAM
A new version of AlibreCAM is coming from MecSoft Corporation within a few weeks of the launch of Alibre Design 2017. For more information, please contact MecSoft at www.mecsoft.com for sales, upgrades, and support.

Releases prior to 2017.0 not shown.