Autodesk Alias2014 WhatsNew

Autodesk Alias 2014
What's New
April 2013
2013 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder. Trademarks The following are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and other countries: 123D, 3ds Max, Algor, Alias, AliasStudio, ATC, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Learning Assistance, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Simulator, AutoCAD SQL Extension, AutoCAD SQL Interface, Autodesk, Autodesk 123D, Autodesk Homestyler, Autodesk Intent, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Streamline, AutoLISP, AutoSketch, AutoSnap, AutoTrack, Backburner, Backdraft, Beast, Beast (design/logo), BIM 360, Built with ObjectARX (design/logo), Burn, Buzzsaw, CADmep, CAiCE, CAMduct, CFdesign, Civil 3D, Cleaner, Cleaner Central, ClearScale, Colour Warper, Combustion, Communication Specification, Constructware, Content Explorer, Creative Bridge, Dancing Baby (image), DesignCenter, Design Doctor, Designer's Toolkit, DesignKids, DesignProf, Design Server, DesignStudio, Design Web Format, Discreet, DWF, DWG, DWG (design/logo), DWG Extreme, DWG TrueConvert, DWG TrueView, DWGX, DXF, Ecotect, ESTmep, Evolver, Exposure, Extending the Design Team, FABmep, Face Robot, FBX, Fempro, Fire, Flame, Flare, Flint, FMDesktop, ForceEffect, Freewheel, GDX Driver, Glue, Green Building Studio, Heads-up Design, Heidi, Homestyler, HumanIK, i-drop, ImageModeler, iMOUT, Incinerator, Inferno, Instructables, Instructables (stylized robot design/logo), Inventor, Inventor LT, Kynapse, Kynogon, LandXplorer, Lustre, Map It, Build It, Use It, MatchMover, Maya, Mechanical Desktop, MIMI, Moldflow, Moldflow Plastics Advisers, Moldflow Plastics Insight, Moondust, MotionBuilder, Movimento, MPA, MPA (design/logo), MPI (design/logo), MPX, MPX (design/logo), Mudbox, Multi-Master Editing, Navisworks, ObjectARX, ObjectDBX, Opticore, Pipeplus, Pixlr, Pixlr-o-matic, PolarSnap, Powered with Autodesk Technology, Productstream, ProMaterials, RasterDWG, RealDWG, Real-time Roto, Recognize, Render Queue, Retimer, Reveal, Revit, Revit LT, RiverCAD, Robot, Scaleform, Scaleform GFx, Showcase, Show Me, ShowMotion, SketchBook, Smoke, Softimage, Socialcam, Sparks, SteeringWheels, Stitcher, Stone, StormNET, TinkerBox, ToolClip, Topobase, Toxik, TrustedDWG, T-Splines, U-Vis, ViewCube, Visual, Visual LISP, Vtour, WaterNetworks, Wire, Wiretap, WiretapCentral, XSI. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Disclaimer THIS PUBLICATION AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS MADE AVAILABLE BY AUTODESK, INC. "AS IS." AUTODESK, INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS.
Contents
Chapter 1 Chapter 2
Whats New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 General improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

General Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Live Update now available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 F1 launches Help for current tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 New file browser with thumbnails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Changes to the user interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Enhancements to Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Enhancements to Object Lister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Improvements to the behavior of attached windows . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Ability to switch stages using hotkeys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Ability to toggle Alt/Shift action in Perspective window with hotkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Pick Component can distinguish between NURBS and Bzier surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Enhancements to Pick Chooser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Autodesk Alias IdeaStation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Chapter 3
Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
New Diagnostic Shade Light Manipulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Ability to layer Diagnostic Shaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 New visualization preference for inactive layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
iii
Chapter 4
Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
New Object to Plane Deviation tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Show absolute min/max radius in Curvature tool . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Chapter 5
Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
New geometry Array tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Path Array tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Barrel and Helix surface tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New NURBS to Bezier tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enhancements to Multi-Surface Fillet tools . . . . . . . . . . Enhancements to Rolled Edge tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Form Factor: new meaning and wider availability . . . . . . Improved fillet extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enhancements to Multi-Surface Blend tools . . . . . . . . . Enhancements to Profile tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enhancements to Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enhancements to 3D trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Improved CV structure for Offset curves and surfaces . . . . Modify Range option for Multi-Surface Draft tool . . . . . . Enhancements to Transform CV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enhancements to Smooth tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ability to change the degree and spans of multiple objects at once . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . 40 . 45 . 50 . 51 . 55 . 56 . 62 . 63 . 64 . 69 . 72 . 74 . 76 . 78 . 79
. . . . . . 81
Chapter 6
Data Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Send Alias data to Showcase or Maya . . . . . . . . Export to Illustrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enhancements to EDF translators . . . . . . . . . . Save Layers plug-in exports layers to other formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 . 86 . 88 . 89
Chapter 7
Fixed Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
General Issues . . . . Modeling Issues . . . Visualization Issues . Data Transfer Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 . 91 . 92 . 92
Chapter 8
Whats Where... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
New tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Renamed tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Obsolete tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
iv | Contents
Whats New
We are pleased to provide you with the latest version of Autodesk Alias software. Alias delivers new functionality and fixes to software limitations.
General improvements
Describes general changes and new features.
General Disclaimer
If you are using existing user preferences from an older version of Alias, you may not notice when the default values of options change. User preferences for Windows 7 and 8 are located in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Alias\UserPrefs2014. User preferences for Mac OS are located in /Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/Alias/UserPrefs2014. If the folder does not exist, it is created the first time Alias 2014 launches. The following dialog appears:
Choose Defaults to accept the new default preferences.
Live Update now available

To receive the latest software updates and maintenance patches, click the Live Update icon on the right-hand side of the menu bar.
A web page opens, telling you whether your product is up to date, or whether updates are available. If an update is available, the web page presents a description as well as links to the Readme and download.
NOTE Disclaimer: Image is for demonstration purposes only, and does not represent the details of an actual service pack.
F1 launches Help for current tool

We added the Current Tool Help command to the Help menu. By default, the F1 key is assigned to this command and opens Help for the current tool.
4 | Chapter 2 General improvements
New file browser with thumbnails

The Windows 7 file browser is now able to display thumbnail images for wire files. This change applies to Windows Explorer, as well as the Windows file browser used in Alias when opening and saving files. The Windows file browser within Alias has a different look, more in line with Windows 7. Some of the original functionality has been modified: The Go lister at the top of the browser is now called Go To and is located in the lower left corner. The options are: Current Home Goes to the folder that is one level up from the current project folder. Current Project Goes to the current project folder. Current Wire Goes to the wire folder in the current project.
The Project > Set Current menu choice is now a button called Set Current centered at the bottom of the browser. It sets the selected (highlighted) folder to be the current project The Project > New Project menu choice is now a button called New Project, which creates a new project folder in the current folder.
Clicking the Show the preview pane icon at the top of the browser (circled in red in the image) opens a pane displaying a thumbnail of the wire file currently selected.
Thumbnail images are generated within all wire files. The Create .ICON files check box in Preferences > General Preferences now appears only when Type
New file browser with thumbnails | 5
of file browser is set to Alias (old Alias browser) or when running Windows XP, which does not support the new browser thumbnail feature. If you have Alias installed, Windows Explorer also displays thumbnails for wire files. On the Mac platform, the file browser has the same appearance as before, but now displays a preview of the wire files when using the Alias browser (opening and saving files). Wire files also display an associated image in the Finder. The Reference Manager and the saveLayers plug-in now use the new file browser.
Changes to the user interface

New screen management features
In Alias 2013, we introduced new interface features to help you make the most of your screen space. We made further improvements in this release. We added the ability to resize the Palette, Shelves, or control windows to fit the contents. To resize the window, click the icon in the title bar.
The Transform CV options have been removed from the Control Panel and moved to their own editor window (which opens up when you double-click the tool). However, you can still attach that window to the Control Panel by holding the Shift key and dragging the window on top of the Control Panel.
Icon labels display by default

Text labels now display on tool icons by default. To hide them, select Preferences > General Preferences and on the Interface tab, click Icon labels.
Visual feedback when rolling over tools and menus

When mousing over a tool icon, the icon now appears surrounded by a gray border. Similarly, mousing over a menu item shows it in a lighter shade of gray and surrounded by a border.
Visual feedback as mouse rolls over Pick CV (left) and Delete Locators (right)
This visual feedback helps to select the proper tool.
No more default for Short Menus in Default workflow

Choosing Preferences > Menus > Short Menus now has no effect in Default workflow mode, unless you have copied your user preferences from a previous release, or have customized your short menus. NOTE The system notifies you that you must customize your menus using Preferences > Interface > Hotkeys/Menu Editor before you can see the short menus. The reason for this change is to prevent new users from inadvertently hiding functionality while exploring the user interface.
Orthographic label added to ViewCube in ortho view

We added a label to ViewCube to indicate when it is set to an orthographic view.
Changes to the user interface | 7
Save button replaced by Apply button in option boxes

The Save button has been removed from all option boxes. In its place you now find an Apply button which, when clicked, remembers the new values of the options, but does not close the window. If there are no changes to apply, the button is disabled (grayed out).
Turn off warning when running multiple Alias sessions

We have added a "don't show again" check box to the warning dialog box that appears when running several Alias sessions simultaneously. Check this box to avoid seeing this warning again.
User Colors - changes to File menu

The Preferences > Interface > User Colors window has undergone some changes to its File menu. We have removed the Store as Default option, since the retention of settings now happens automatically when exiting Alias (see Persistent user options (page 13)).
Store and Retrieve have been renamed Export and Import respectively, but their functionality remains the same.
When you import or export a color file, the browser opens in the .../UserPrefs2014/Colors folder where user color files are kept. There is now a Default sub-folder where the default color files are stored separately from the user files.
Additional scrolling features on Layer Bar

Scrolling arrows now appear at both ends of the Layer Bar when the layer buttons cannot all fit within the bar. As well, a thin scroll bar (in the creation layer color) is visible below the Layer Bar when you move the cursor over it. NOTE If you cannot see the Layer Bar (located below the prompt line) choose Layers > Toggle Layer Bar.
True cross sections renamed Radial

For consistency, references to True cross sections have been changed to Radial. This change includes the True (Radial) tool within the New menu of Windows > Editors > Cross Section Editor. It also includes the icon of the corresponding cross section tool when placed on a shelf.
Interior flow control label

The toggle label for the Interior Flow Control in Freeform Blend only appears when there is an interior boundary to align to (Figure 1). Otherwise, only the Start and End labels appear (Figure 2).
Changes to the user interface | 9
Figure 1
Figure 2
Enhancements to Preferences
Save and retrieve window configurations
We added the ability to save a configuration of windows as a Workspace. Workspaces remember the sizes, positions, and relationships between shelves, palettes, and control windows (but not view windows). You can save as many configurations as you want and easily switch between them. To save your current configuration, select Workspaces > Save Workspace to the right of the prompt line.
Type a name for the file in the File name field and click Save. By default, the current workspace is saved on exit. If you do not want it saved, deselect the Save workspace on exit option in the Interface section of the Preferences > General Preferences window. The bottom section of the menu lists the workspaces saved in the default location (System(C:)/Users/<user>/AppData/Roaming/Autodesk/Alias/UserPrefs2014/workspaces) as well as in the Common Preference Location (page 13). To retrieve a stored configuration, simply select it from the Workspaces drop-down menu, or choose Workspaces > Retrieve Workspace, locate the configuration file, select it and click Open. The name of the current workspace appears on the Workspaces menu button. To delete a saved workspace, scroll down to the small delete icon next to the name until it turns red, then release the mouse button . You can also define hotkeys for both Save Workspace and Retrieve Workspace through the Special > Workspace Functions section in the Hotkey Editor (Preferences > Interface > Hotkeys/Menu Editor). An additional hotkey can be set for Retrieve Next Workspace, which retrieves the next workspace in the drop-down menu.
Enhancements to Preferences | 11
Shelf option menu lets you switch between shelf sets

The tool shelves (Windows > Shelves) and the marking menu shelves (Preferences > Interface > Marking Menus) now display saved shelf sets in the bottom section of the option menu. This menu is available by right-clicking the shelves title bar or by left-clicking this icon .
This feature allows you to switch quickly between different shelf sets. To delete a shelf set, scroll down to the small delete icon next to the name until it turns red, then release the mouse button . The menu lists the shelf sets saved both in the default location (System(C:)/Users/<user>/AppData/Roaming/Autodesk/Alias/UserPrefs2014/shelves) and the Common Preference Location (page 13).
Specify a common location to store and read shelf sets and workspaces
A new option called Common Preference Location is found in the System section of the Preferences > General Preferences window. This field lets you specify a common folder to store shelf sets and workspaces (as an alternative to the default location under UserPrefs2014). Files within this folder will appear in the drop-down menu for shelves and workspaces, as long as the folder hierarchy mimics that of the UserPrefs2014 folder. At a minimum it must have a workspaces and a shelves sub-folder. The shelves sub-folder must have appropriate sub-folders such as Default_Shelves. This enables multiple users to access the same shelf sets and workspaces from a shared location.
Save shelves and user options

Shelves and user_options are no longer saved automatically. To save them, choose Preferences > User Preferences > Save. If you make changes to shelves and options and do not save, you are prompted to save them when you exit Alias. The Preferences > User Options > Save Options and Preferences > User Options > Retrieve Options tools are no longer available.
New Tool Resets window

A new Tool Resets window under Utilities > Tool Resets lets you control your preferences from a single location. From this window, you can reset your shelves, and other user options and preferences.
Enhancements to Preferences | 13
Reset Click this icon (available for shelves and marking menus only) then click Apply Resets to reset the options of shelf tools to the values they had when Alias started (beginning of current session). Factory Reset Click this icon, then click Apply Resets, to reset all options to the original Alias default values. General Preferences Settings from the Preferences > General Preferences window. Palette and Menus All settings in option boxes and control windows from Palette and Menu tools (but not Shelves). Don't show again dialogs Settings for all Don't show again dialog boxes. Shelves All shelf tool options. Marking Menus All marking menu options.
Enhancements to Object Lister

We added substantial functionality to the Object Lister in this release, including new ways to display and sort objects. We also added icons to provide additional information, and ability to toggle between states, for each layer. Previously, much of this functionality and information was only available through the Modeling Layers Editor (Windows > Information > Layer Stats)..
New icons
The space to the right of the layer name can now contain up to five icons. You control which ones are displayed through the choices at the bottom of the new Filter menu. (Most of these choices are disabled when Show is set to By Object.) Roll over the icons to see a tool tip description.
The icons are, from left to right: Layer Number Icon Box that contains the layer number (for information purpose only). Layer Pick State Icon Box that contains the letter P (Picked), R (Reference), or I (Inactive). The color of the box also corresponds to that pick state. Clicking the icon cycles between the three states of the layer. Layer Symmetry Icon Box that shows both the color and symmetry state of the layer. A vertical dashed line means that Symmetry is on. You can turn symmetry on or off by clicking the icon. NOTE This icon is the only one that appears when using Show > By Object mode.
Enhancements to Object Lister | 15
Layer Bar Icon Box that displays either Y (Yes) or N (No) depending on whether the layer appears in the Layer Bar. Clicking this icon toggles between the two. NOTE If Show > By Layer (Layer Bar) is selected, the layer disappears from the Object Lister when you set this icon to N. Select Show > By Layer (All) to make it reappear. Layer Playback Icon Box that displays either Y (Yes) or N (No) depending on whether animation on this layer plays when you hit Play on the Animation Time Slider Bar. Clicking this icon toggles between the two.
Addition to Show menu

The Show menu contains a new choice: By Layer (All) which lists all layers, including those layers not displayed in the Layer Bar. The previous By Layer mode has been renamed By Layer (Layer Bar) since it only lists the layers shown in the Layer Bar.
New Filter Menu

This menu controls what is displayed in the Object Lister. A check mark indicates that those items are shown. Choose a type of object (Surfaces, Curves, and so on) in the top section, to show or hide those objects in the Object Lister.

Choose which icons you want to display from the bottom section. (See New Icons (page 15).) Choose All to turn on all the filters, or None to turn off all the filters.
NOTE If Show is By Object, all icon choices are grayed out except Layer Symmetry Icon.
New Sort menu

The Sort menu offers several sorting modes for the layers. When showing By Object, only the first three are available.
Sort by Hierarchy (SBD) Lists the objects in the same order as they appear in the SBD window (Utilities > SBD > SBD Window). Sort Alphabetical (by level) Lists the objects in alphabetical order. When showing By Layer (Layer Bar) or By Layer (All), the layers are also listed alphabetically.
Enhancements to Object Lister | 17
Sort by Object Type Lists the objects in the following order: canvasses, construction entities, cameras, DAG nodes (groups of objects), curves, surfaces, meshes, and text objects. When showing By Layer (Layer Bar) or By Layer (All), five additional sorting modes are available, based on different layer attributes: Sort by Layer Visibility Lists the visible layers first, followed by the invisible layers. Sort by Layer Symmetry Lists the layers that have symmetry turned on first, followed by the layers that have symmetry turned off. Sort by Layer Number Lists the layers in ascending layer number. Sort by Layer Pick State Lists the Pickable layers, followed by the Reference layers, and then the Inactive layers. Sort by Layer Playback Lists the layers with Layer Playback turned off first, followed by layers with Layer Playback turned on.
Additional functionality in context-sensitive menu
When right-mouse clicking on an object (or group of objects), you can now select Copy, Paste, Delete or Delete Null Node. The function applies to the object and all its descendants. Paste pastes onto the layer that contains the object. When right-mouse clicking on a layer, new choice Paste to Layer lets you paste whatever is on the clipboard, onto that layer.
Other functionality
We have also added the following capabilities: Select an object with construction history from within the Object Lister when using the Query Edit tool.
Drag and drop an object (a simple DAG node or a group) on top of another group with the middle-mouse button to place the object into that group.
Improvements to the behavior of attached windows

We have made a few changes to the way attached windows behave. These enhancements make collapsing and expanding families of attached windows more intuitive. In addition, you now only need to click the title bar of a window once to expand or collapse it. NOTE To attach a window to another, Shift-drag the title bar until the edge snaps to the edge of the other window. Only windows that can remain open regardless of the current action can be attached. Option boxes and tool control windows cannot be attached. In the list of enhancements below, parent refers to the window with the dark gray title bar, that other windows have been attached to. Children refer to all the windows attached to the parent, and which move along when the parent is moved. The auto-hide state of the parent window now applies to all its children.

The collapse direction of the parent window (left/right/up/down arrow) automatically applies to all its children. When a family of windows collapses to the left or right, clicking the title bar of any window in the family collapses or expands all of them.
Improvements to the behavior of attached windows | 19
One click expands all the windows in the family.
Ability to switch stages using hotkeys

We have added two new functions under Special > Display Functions in the Hotkey Editor (Preferences > Interface > Hotkeys/Menu Editor). These functions allow you to define hotkeys to toggle between your stages.
Toggle Stage lets you cycle through all your stages, making each stage the working stage in turn. Toggle Stage Exclusive makes each stage the working stage in turn, and sets the Window Source and Background Source to match that stage. It also makes all other stages invisible. The visual effect is equivalent to having a single stage present.
Ability to toggle Alt/Shift action in Perspective window with hotkey

We have added a new function called Toggle Alt/Shift Action under Special > Generally Useful Functions in the Hotkey Editor (Preferences > Interface > Hotkeys/Menu Editor). This function lets you define a hotkey to toggle between the Azimuth/Twist and Tumble/Zoom viewing modes quickly in Perspective view.
Ability to toggle Alt/Shift action in Perspective window with hotkey | 21
Previously, this switch could only be achieved by setting the Alt/Shift Action option in the Viewing section of the Preferences > General Preferences window, or by accessing the NavBar on the ViewCube.
Hotkey toggles between those two modes on the NavBar
Pick Component can distinguish between NURBS and Bzier surfaces

Pick > Component now shows additional options when Surfaces is checked. You can choose one of: Multi Span, Single Span or All, to select only multi span NURBS surfaces, Bzier surfaces, or both types of surfaces, respectively. The default is All.
See also: New NURBS to Bzier tool (page 50)
Enhancements to Pick Chooser

Improved Pick Chooser behavior
The choices that appear in the Pick Chooser lister are now consistent with the behavior of the mouse button you are using. (Use Preferences > Selection Options to assign different selection modes to the mouse buttons.) When the selection mode for a mouse button is set to Add, the Pick Chooser does not show already selected items.
Pick Component can distinguish between NURBS and Bzier surfaces | 23
When the selection mode is set to Unpick, the Pick Chooser only shows already selected items.
Pick Chooser available for Pick Hull

When using Pick > Point Types > Hull, clicking on overlapping hulls now brings up the pick chooser.
Autodesk Alias IdeaStation

The Autodesk Alias IdeaStation is a forum dedicated to improving Autodesk Alias software by sharing your ideas for improving the product directly with the developers. Do you have a great idea for a new feature or enhancement you'd like to see in Autodesk Alias? Share your wish list directly with the Autodesk Alias Development Team, and let us turn your ideas into reality. Post your ideas, see what your peers are thinking, and give kudos to the ideas you like the best. The more kudos your idea receives, the better the chance of it making it into the product. At the IdeaStation, you can even track the status of ideas as they grow from initial concept to ultimate release! For useful tips on posting an idea, review the IdeaStation Guidelines.
Visualization
This version of Alias presents improvements to rendering.
New Diagnostic Shade Light Manipulator

In this release, we added a manipulator to move the Diagnostic Shade light. This manipulator lets you move the light in a more intuitive fashion. The following diagnostic shaders let you unlink the light from the camera position: Multi-Color, Random Color, Horizontal/Vertical, and User Defined Texture. When you choose one of these shading modes in the Diagnostic Shading window, and check off the Link Light to Camera option, a white sphere manipulator now appears in the perspective window (bottom left corner by default). Clicking and dragging this manipulator moves the light interactively around your model. The Azimuth and Elevation sliders introduced in Alias 2013 still exist in the Diagnostic Shading window and update in synch with the manipulator. Use them to enter exact values, or for fine tuning.
25
1: Light manipulator. 2: Light icon
Using the manipulator

Click on the manipulator and drag. Dragging horizontally changes the azimuth of the light.
Dragging vertically changes the elevation of the light.
A point light icon represents the light in your model. Depending on the position of the camera with respect to the light, the light icon is not always visible. The light icon is toggled off by default. Click one of the three icons surrounding the manipulator to do the following:
A Curvy arrow: Reset the light to the camera position. Clicking this icon also sets the "home" view, as well as a new pivot location for the light to rotate around. The pivot location is the pivot point, if one exists, or tumble point otherwise.
26 | Chapter 3 Visualization
B Left pointing arrow: Reset the perspective view to the "home" orientation. C Light bulb: Toggle the light icon on and off. It is off by default.
Diagnostic Light Control Options

Choose ObjectDisplay > Diagnostic Light Control to toggle the manipulator on and off. Open the option box to specify in which corner of the window to position the manipulator. The default is Bottom Left.
NOTE The location that corresponds to the position of the ViewCube is not available, to avoid overlap.
Ability to layer Diagnostic Shaders

You can now layer a Horizontal/Vertical (zebra stripes) or Curvature shader on top of any other diagnostic shader. 1 Choose ObjectDisplay > Diagnostic Shading if the Diagnostic Shading window is not already open. (By default it is attached to the Control Panel). 2 Select the objects you want to shade. (If nothing is selected all objects are shaded.) 3 Select a diagnostic shader. The objects display the shader. 4 Select a second shader from the Layer pull-down. The parameters of the layered shader appear below the parameters of the original shader in the control window. The objects display both shaders.
Ability to layer Diagnostic Shaders | 27
A Horiz/Vert (zebra) shader applied over a Random Color shader
5 Choose None from the Layer pull-down to remove the layered shader. NOTE You cannot layer a Curvature shader over another Curvature shader.
New visualization preference for inactive layers

Preferences > General Preferences now offers the Shade Inactive Layers option in the Visualization section.
28 | Chapter 3 Visualization
When this option is checked on, objects on inactive layers are shaded when using ObjectDisplay > Diagnostic Shading or WindowDisplay > Hardware Shade.
New visualization preference for inactive layers | 29
Evaluation
Describes changes to Evaluation tools
New Object to Plane Deviation tool

Under Locators > Deviation is a new tool called Object to Plane. As its name indicates, this tool measures the deviation between a construction plane and a curve, surface, or mesh. 1 Choose Locators > Deviation > Object to Plane. 2 Select either the construction plane or the object first. 3 Select the object or the construction plane (depending on what you selected in step 2). The minimum, maximum, and mean deviations are shown, as well as a deviation comb.
31
Options
Pick Choose the type of objects that can be selected from the pull-down menu: All, Curves, Surfaces, or Meshes. All is the default. Show Min / Show Max / Show Mean / Show Comb Check/uncheck the boxes to turn the different labels and comb on or off.
Show absolute min/max radius in Curvature tool

The Curvature tool in the control panel has a new option called Show Absolute. Check it on to see only the absolute minimum and maximum radii over all the curvature plots in U and/or V.
To see the absolute minimum and maximum radius: A curve or surface must be selected.
Curvature U and/or Curvature V must be checked on in the Display section of the control panel.
32 | Chapter 4 Evaluation
Radius Min and/or Max must be checked on in the Curvature section of the control panel.
Left: Show Absolute = ON; Right: Show Absolute = OFF
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Modeling
5
.
Describes changes and improvements to modeling tools to help speed your workflow.
New geometry Array tool

Transform > Array is a new tool that lets you create arrays of objects, either linearly or radially, from duplicates of an original set of objects. A rich set of options allows you to create various patterns. This tool is useful when modeling objects such as grills, speakers, wheels, and so on. Create an array of similar objects from an original 1 Choose Transform > Array
2 Select (or box-select) the objects to duplicate. 3 Click the Build button in the view window. The array is built. NOTE If Number is 1 along both axes, you only see the original objects. 4 Adjust the options in the control window. If Auto Update is on, the array updates automatically. Otherwise click the Update button.
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Options
Plane Choose whether to create the array in the XY, XZ or YZ plane. Mode Linear The array consists of rows and columns arranged in a rectangular pattern. The original object is located in the lower left corner.
Radial The array consist of "spikes" arranged radially around the original object. There is an option (Grow Radially) to increase the number of duplicates as the distance to the object increases, to create the appearance of concentric circles.
36 | Chapter 5 Modeling
Left: Grow Radially = off; Right: Grow Radially = on
Axis 1/Axis 2 or Radial/Angular

These sections control the two directions of the array. For a linear array, both these sections have identical options. Axis 1 is horizontal and Axis 2 is vertical. For a radial array, Radial is in the direction of the radius, and Angular is in the direction of the circumference. Number This value specifies the number of duplicates in each direction (horizontal/vertical for a linear array; radial/angular for a radial array). Spacing/Angle Spacing specifies the distance between the rows and columns, in the current units. For a radial array, Angle specifies the angle between the columns, or "spikes". Offset Offsets each row (column) in the array by this distance from the previous row (column). Scale This is a relative scale factor applied to the original object to produce the last duplicate in each row or column. The sizes of intermediate duplicates are interpolated. Stagger Check on to set the Offset to half the Spacing value for alternating rows (or columns), creating a "stagger" effect, or "brick pattern". The following options only appear in the Angular section when creating a radial array. Fit to Circle Check on to adjust the Angle so that the specified number of columns (spikes) fill a 360 degree circumference evenly. For example, if Number is 6, Angle is set to 60.
New geometry Array tool | 37
Rotate Duplicates Check on to rotate duplicates around their local pivot by a relative value of Angle with respect to their orientation in the previous column (spike).
Radial array with 9 spikes and Angle = 40. Left: Rotate Duplicates is OFF; Right: Rotate Duplicates is ON.
Control Options
Auto Update When checked, duplicates update automatically when values in the control window are changed. Create History When checked, the duplicates have construction history so that modifying the original objects causes the duplicates to update accordingly. Scale Position Check on to scale the distance between duplicates along with their size when Scale is different from 1.0. For a scale greater than 1.0, this option reduces overlapping. Grow Radially This option is only available in Radial mode. When checked, the number of duplicates increases as the radius of its "row" increases. This technique helps create the appearance of concentric circles, rather than spikes.
Example
Below, the Array tool is used to create a grill array from a single hexagonal curve. The array of curves is then projected onto a surface. The surface is trimmed, and draft surfaces are built around the holes.
Option settings to create the grill array.
New geometry Array tool | 39
Finished grill after projection, trimming, and draft.
New Path Array tool

Transform > Path Array is a new tool that lets you lay down "stitch patterns". In other words, it duplicates one or more objects and places the copies at equal distances along one or more curves.
A: Stitch object. B: Target curve. 1: Spacing manipulator. 2. Range (Start/End) manipulators.
Through the option window and manipulators, you control the spacing, range, position, and orientation of the duplicates. Create and place duplicates (stitch pattern) 1 Choose Transform > Path Array 2 Select the stitch objects. They can be curves, surfaces, or meshes. 3 Click the Build button in the lower right corner of the view window. 4 Select the target curves. They can be free curves, curves-on-surface, surface edges, trim edges, or isoparms (including precision lines). Duplicates of the stitch objects appear along the length of the curves. The pivot points of the duplicates are placed along the curves and used to calculate spacing.

Range arrow manipulators appear at the start and end of the last target curve. A Spacing/Number manipulator also appears, with a Specify label that you can click to toggle between Spacing and Number adjustments. Clicking the numerical value below the label lets you enter an exact value. The Spacing manipulator is a small square on
New Path Array tool | 41
the second duplicate. The Number manipulator is a set of two arrowheads used to decrement/increment the value. 5 Modify the spacing, range, and orientation of the duplicates through the control options. You can also use the manipulators to modify the spacing and range directly on the model. The duplicate objects have history and update as the options are modified. NOTE Only duplicates along the last selected target curve are affected. 6 Select additional target curves if desired.
Options
Specify Choose Spacing or Number from the pull-down menu. This option also appears as a toggling label on the model.
Spacing / Number Depending on the value of the Specify option. Spacing The distance between the duplicates, in current units. Number The number of duplicates. These values can also be set by using the corresponding manipulator on the model. Start/End Specifies where the duplicates start and end along the curve. Start and End values of 0.0 and 1.0 respectively define the original extent. These values can also be set by using the range manipulators on the path curve. Scale This is a relative scale factor applied to the first duplicate to produce the last duplicate. The sizes of intermediate duplicates are linearly interpolated. Position Offset in the X, Y, and Z directions along the duplicates local axes (in current units). Rotation X/Y/Z Rotation around the local X, Y, and Z axes of the duplicates (in current units). Incremental Rotation X/Y/Z Rotation around the local X, Y, and Z axes of the duplicates by a relative angle with respect to the previous duplicate. For example, if the X value is 10.0 (degrees), each duplicate is rotated ten degrees more around X than the previous one, producing a twisting effect along the path.
Control Options
Auto Update When checked, duplicates update automatically when values in the control window are changed. Chain Select When checked, selecting a curve also selects all other curves that are tangent continuous with it. Create History When checked, the duplicates have construction history. Modifying the stitch objects or target curves causes the duplicates to update accordingly. Range Fit Check this box to ensure that the duplicates fit the entire length of the curves specified by the Start and End positions. This action sometimes causes the Spacing to change (not reflected in the option window). Orient Normals Check this box to align the local X axis of each duplicate with the tangent of the target curve at the position of the duplicate. If the target curve is a curve-on-surface, each duplicate is oriented so that its local Z axis matches the normal direction of the surface where the curve-on-surface
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lies. If the target curve is a free curve, the Z axis of each duplicate is oriented along the direction of the curvature vector of the curve (like plot combs).
NOTE If the curvature of the curve changes direction, the duplicates orientation does not flip at inflection points. If this box is not checked, all the duplicates have the same orientation as the original stitch object.
Example
In the following image, a spoke (two surfaces, shown to the right of the bicycle wheel) is duplicated and placed along a circular path curve (inner rim). The operation is repeated twice to create two sets of spokes: one rotated by 45 degrees around Y (in pink), and the other rotated by 315 degrees around Y (in green).
New Barrel and Helix surface tools

The Surfaces > Revolve tool now offers two new surface types: Barrel and Helix. Both are surfaces of revolution, but their inputs are different. They are useful for the creation of vehicle side windows. In the Revolve Control window, set Surface type to Barrel or Helix. Freeform produces the standard surface of revolution and is the default.
New Barrel and Helix surface tools | 45
Barrel Surface
To create a Barrel surface, you first select three points to define an arc of revolution. You then select two more points which, along with a third point located on the first arc, define a second arc, the barrel curve. The barrel curve is revolved along the arc of revolution, using the specified axis. The Curve degree option lets you control the degree of the surface in the U direction.
1: arc of revolution; 2: barrel curve; 3: axis of revolution
Build a Barrel surface 1 Set Surface type to Barrel. 2 Select three points to define an arc of revolution. The points must be planar but can be located either on geometry or in space. If you click geometry, the point automatically snaps to it. The arc is drawn as a green line with arrow manipulators on both ends. If you do not see the arc, change the axis of revolution in the control window. The axis cannot be in the same plane as the arc of revolution. 3 Select two more points to specify the ends of the barrel curve. Along with a third point located on the arc of revolution, these inputs define a second arc which gets revolved along the arc of revolution. The Barrel surface is built. The axis of revolution is drawn in blue. 4 Do one of the following: Adjust the parameters in the control window. You can specify the Curve degree (U degree of the barrel surface), Degree (V degree of the barrel surface), number of spans, and segments (in V direction).
Use the arrow manipulators on the first arc (or the Start/End angle sliders) to modify the angle of revolution.
NOTE Be careful to grab the arrows and not the end points.
Use the arrow manipulators on the second arc (or the Curve start/Curve end angle sliders) to modify the extent of the barrel curve. NOTE Be careful to grab the arrows and not the end points.
Move any of the five input points to modify the surface. Move the end points of the axis of revolution, or the whole axis. NOTE Moving the axis removes the three input points on the arc of revolution. Since these points originally determined the position of the axis, they can no longer be modified.
Like other revolve surfaces, Barrel surfaces have history and update when options and constructors are modified.
New options
Curve degree Specifies the degree of the second arc (barrel curve), which becomes the degree of the barrel surface in the U direction. Start angle/End angle Specify the angle between the start/end points of the arc of revolution and the barrel curve. These values are also controlled by arrow manipulators on the model. Curve start angle/Curve end angle Specify the angle between the start/end points of the barrel curve and the arc of revolution. These values modify the extent of the curve. They are also controlled by arrow manipulators on the model.
Helix Surface
To create a Helix surface, you select one or more curves, to be revolved around the specified axis. You then select two points which, along with a point on the (first) curve, define an arc of revolution. A new option, Pitch, moves the curves up or down as they revolve, to create a spiral effect.
1: input curve; 2: arc of revolution. Axis of revolution is off screen, on the upper right.
Build a Helix surface 1 Set Surface type to Helix. 2 Select one or more curves. The curves can be free curves, curves-on-surface, surface edges, or trim edges. They can be disjoint. The curves are highlighted in green. 3 Click the Accept button in the view window. 4 Select two points to specify the ends of the arc of revolution. A third point located on the first curve is used to define the arc. The arc is drawn as a green line with arrow manipulators on both ends. If you do not see the arc, change the axis of revolution in the control window. The axis cannot be in the same plane as the arc of revolution.

The Helix surface is built. The axis of revolution is drawn in blue.
5 Do one of the following: Adjust the parameters in the control window to specify the Degree, Spans, and Segments of the surface in the V direction.

Adjust the Pitch to create a spiral-shaped surface. Use the arrow manipulators on the arc of revolution (or the Start/End angle sliders) to modify the angle of revolution. You can move the arrows, or use the angle sliders to create a revolution
of more than 360 degrees. This technique, along with the Pitch, is useful for creating screw-shaped surfaces. NOTE Be careful to grab the arrows and not the end points.

Move the two input points to modify the surface. Move the end points of the axis of revolution, or the whole axis. NOTE Moving the axis removes the two input points on the arc of revolution. Since these points originally determined the position of the axis, they can no longer be modified.
Like other revolve surfaces, Helix surfaces have history and update when options and constructors are modified.
New options
Pitch Specifies the displacement of the curves (along the axis) over one complete revolution.
Pitch of 200.0
Start angle/End angle Specify the angle between the start/end points of the arc of revolution and the input curve. These values are also controlled by arrow manipulators on the model.
New NURBS to Bezier tool

This new surface editing tool splits multi-span NURBS surfaces into single span Bzier patches. It is found in the Palette under Surface Edit > NURBS to Bezier. The tool operates on both regular and trimmed surfaces. You can also set an option to affect all surfaces or only selected surfaces.
Split multi-span surfaces
1 Choose Surface Edit > NURBS to Bezier 2 Select one or more multi-span surfaces.
3 Click the Split button in the lower right corner of the view window. The selected surfaces are split into several single-span (Bzier) surfaces. The resulting surfaces are not grouped. The total number of Bzier surfaces created is posted in the prompt line. The Bzier surfaces have the same U and V degrees as the original surface.
Degree 5 NURBS surface of 4 x 2 spans split into eight Bzier surfaces.
4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 to continue splitting surfaces if desired.
NURBS to Bzier options
Surfaces Selected The conversion affects only selected surfaces. It is the default. Global The conversion affects all surfaces. Keep Originals Keep the original NURBS surfaces after creating the Bzier patches. See also: Pick Component can distinguish between NURBS and Bzier surfaces (page 23)
Enhancements to Multi-Surface Fillet tools

In this release, we have expanded the role of the Form Factor to affect the CV distribution in the V-direction of the fillet in a specific way. We have also made its use more widespread within the Surface Fillet tool, and added it to the Symmetric Fillet tool. We have also improved the fillet extensions for both these tools. In addition, we have streamlined the selection workflow in Surface Fillet to make the tool faster and more efficient. The tool also has a few new options.
New streamlined workflow for Surface Fillet

Both sets of input surfaces can now be selected in one step, without the use of Accept buttons. This workflow lets you add or remove input surfaces after using Query Edit. 1 Choose Surfaces > Multi-Surface Fillet > Surface Fillet 2 Select both sets of surfaces, by picking them individually or using a selection box.
Enhancements to Multi-Surface Fillet tools | 51
When Alias detects a tangent break between surfaces, it automatically puts them in separate sets. The direction arrows appear as soon as each set contains at least one surface.
3 Click the Build button. The fillet is built. 4 Modify the parameters in the control window and click Update (or turn on Auto Update).
When you re-enter the tool by using Query Edit, you can now click surfaces to add them or remove them from the sets.
New options for Surface Fillet G0 (Chamfer)

You can now set Section Type to G0 Chamfer to create a chamfer edge between the two sets of surfaces.
Specify
For fillets of constant radius (Construction Type = Radius) we have added a third Specify option called Both.
Enhancements to Multi-Surface Fillet tools | 53
This option lets you specify both the Tangent Offset and Center Radius of the fillet, but not the Form Factor. The form factor is calculated automatically from these two values and varies along the fillet. If Specify is set to Center radius or Tangent offset, and you also set the form factor, the third parameter (either Tangent offset or Center radius) varies along the fillet. Alias 2013 behaved differently: the form factor stayed constant and was linked to the other two values by the formula Form Factor = Center Radius / Tangent Offset. This relationship no longer holds true. These options now apply to Section Type = G1 Circular as well.
Uniform Spans
The Uniform Spans option is located in the Explicit Control Options section which is visible when Explicit Control is on.
When Uniform Spans is checked on, a Spans field appears that lets you specify the exact number of spans of equal length for each fillet surface. If Bezier Surfaces is also on, then a corresponding number of Bzier patches of equal lengths is created. NOTE The Max Spans option is unavailable when Uniform Spans is turned on.
Improved fillet extensions

This applies to both Surface Fillet and Symmetric Fillet and is described here: Improved fillet extensions (page 62).
New Form Factor interpretation

This applies to both Surface Fillet and Symmetric Fillet and is described here: Form Factor: new meaning and wider availability (page 56).
Enhancements to Rolled Edge tools

This applies to both Fillet Flange and Panel Gap and is described here: Improved fillet extensions (page 62).
New Form Factor interpretation

This applies to Fillet Flange, Tube Flange and Panel Gap, and is described here: Form Factor: new meaning and wider availability (page 56).
Ability to specify both Center Radius and Tangent Offset

We have added a third Specify option called Both.
This option lets you specify both the Tangent Offset and Center Radius of the fillet, but not the Form Factor. The form factor is calculated automatically from these two values and varies along the fillet. If Specify is set to Center radius or Tangent offset, and you also set the form factor, the third parameter (either Tangent offset or Center radius) varies along the fillet. Alias 2013 behaved differently: the form factor stayed constant and was linked to the other two values by the formula Form Factor = Center Radius / Tangent Offset. This relationship no longer holds true. These options now apply to G1 Tangent fillets as well as G2 Curvature fillets.
Ability to select free curves in Tubular offset

The Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tubular Offset tool now lets you select free curves as input when the Surface option is set to Tube. If the curves are tangent continuous (G1), you can select them all at once. The output is a tube surface surrounding the curves. Hold the Shift key and click on the input curves to add radius manipulators that let you vary the radius of the tube along its length.
Enhancements to Rolled Edge tools | 55
NOTE Since this behavior reproduces the functionality from Surfaces > Tube Surface, that tool has been removed from the interface.
Tube Flange has V degree

We added a (Section) V Degree slider to the option window of Tube Flange to make it consistent with the other fillet tools. To see this option, Explicit Control must be checked on.
Form Factor: new meaning and wider availability

The Form Factor, a fillet shape control parameter introduced over the past couple of releases, has been revamped and given a new interpretation in this release. It now also applies to more workflows. The form factor can currently be found in the following tools: Surface > Multi-Surface Fillet > Surface Fillet

Surface > Multi-Surface Fillet > Symmetric Fillet Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Fillet Flange Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Tube Flange Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Panel Gap
See also Form Factor more widely available (page 61).
Form factor and its relationship to CV distribution

The Form Factor now defines the ratio of the length of the innermost CV arms to the length of the outer (tangent) arms of the hull in the V direction of the fillet. This definition gives you greater control over the shape of the fillet.
The old relationship Form Factor = Center Radius / Tangent Offset no longer applies.
T = Tangent arms; I = Inner arm, on a degree 3 fillet
The form factor is now a number between 0.1 and 2.0 (instead of 0.1 to 1.0 as previously). Form factors are classified as "sharp" (if less than 1.0), "neutral" (if equal to 1.0), or "dull" (if greater than 1.0). This classification refers to the behavior of the curvature plot. We explain and illustrate this concept in the next sections, for fillets of V-degree 3 to 7. As before, G1 circular fillets can have a V-degree from 3 to 6. G2 Curvature fillets can have a V-degree from 5 to 7. G3 Curvature fillets can only have a V-degree of 7.
Degree 3 form factor for G1 fillets

A fillet with V-degree = 3 has three polygonal arms - tangent, inner, tangent - in the circular direction. The form factor f, 0.1 <= f <= 2.0, defines the ratio of the length of the inner arm to the length of either of the two tangent arms. For example, if f = 0.5, the three polygonal arms are in the ratio 1 : 0.5 : 1. Degree 3 applies only to G1 fillets.
Form Factor: new meaning and wider availability | 57
From left to right: form factor = 0.1, 1.0, and 2.0
Degree 4 form factor for G1 fillets

A fillet with V-degree = 4 has four polygonal arms - tangent, inner, inner, tangent - in the circular direction. The form factor f, 0.1 <= f <= 2.0, defines the ratio of the length of either inner arm to the length of either tangent arm. For example, if f = 0.5, the arms are in the ratio 1 : 0.5 : 0.5 : 1.
Degree 5 form factor for G1 and G2 fillets

A fillet with V-degree = 5 has five polygonal arms - tangent, middle, inner, middle, tangent - in the circular direction. The form factor f, 0.1 <= f <= 2.0, defines the ratio of the length of the inner arm to the length of either tangent arm. For example, if f = 0.4, then the arms are in the ratio 1 : 0.7 : 0.4 : 0.7 : 1 (each middle arm has the average length of the inner and tangent arms).
NOTE The polygonal arms of G2 fillets behave differently than those of G1 fillets, since they must maintain G2 continuity. The following degree 5 G2 fillets have form factors of 0.1, 1.0, and 2.0 respectively.

A fillet with V-degree = 6 has six polygonal arms - tangent, middle, inner, inner, middle, tangent - in the circular direction. The form factor f, 0.1 <= f <= 2.0, defines the ratio of the length of either inner arm to the length of either tangent arm. For example, if f = 0.4, then the arms are in the ratio 1 : 0.7 : 0.4 : 0.4 : 0.7 : 1 (again, the middle arms have the average length of the inner and tangent arm lengths).

A fillet with V-degree = 7 has seven polygonal arms - tangent, middle, middle, inner, middle, middle, tangent - in the circular direction. The form factor f, 0.1 <= f <= 2.0, defines the ratio of the length of the inner arm to the length of either tangent arm. For example, if f = 0.4, then the arms are in the ratio 1 : 0.8 : 0.6 : 0.4 : 0.6 : 0.8 : 1 (the middle arms interpolate the inner and tangent arm lengths).
Form Factor more widely available

In Surface Fillet, the Form Factor can now be set for chordal fillets, and any type of variable fillet, and for Section Type = G1 Circular (in addition to G2 and G3 Curvature as before). NOTE If Construction Type is Radius, Section Type is G1 Circular, and Form Factor is 1.0, the fillet cross section is an exact circular arc. In Symmetric Fillet, the form factor now works for G1, in addition to G2 and G3 section types. In Fillet Flange, Tube Flange and Panel Gap, you can now use the form factor for G1, in addition to G2. As in Surface Fillet, these tools also have the new setting Specify = Both that lets you specify both the Tangent
Offset and Center Radius of the fillet, but not the Form Factor. The form factor is calculated automatically from these two values and varies along the fillet.

We have improved the calculation of surface fillet extensions when Flow Control is set to Extend (at the start or end of the fillet). The new extensions follow the shape of the fillet in a more natural manner. In previous releases, extensions were linear (straight).
Comparison of a surface fillet extension in Alias 2014 versus 2013.
This enhancement has been implemented in the following tools: Surfaces > Multi-Surface Fillet > Surface Fillet

Surfaces > Multi-Surface Fillet > Symmetric Fillet Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Fillet Flange Surfaces > Rolled Edge > Panel Gap
Enhancements to Multi-Surface Blend tools

Ability to select free curves in Freeform Blend and Profile Blend
The Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Freeform Blend and Surfaces > Multi-Surface Blend > Profile Blend tools now let you select free curves as input. If the curves are tangent continuous (G1), you can select several of them for each side. If a rail is made up entirely of free curves, that side reverts to G0 Position continuity. As well, Edge align is not possible on that side. If a rail is made up of both free curves and surface curves, then up to G1 Tangent continuity is allowed on that side. Edge align can be attempted only for the surface curve sections.
New Crown option for Freeform Blend

When building freeform blends with continuity set to G0 Position on both sides, the crown option lets you add small amounts of crown to the flat blends. Turning on Proportional Crown gives you access to the Crown Value slider. The slider ranges from -0.25 to 0.25, but larger values can be entered into the field. The crown value controls the height of the crown, and corresponds to a percentage of the distance between the two rails.
Position continuous freeform blend without a crown
Enhancements to Multi-Surface Blend tools | 63
Position continuous freeform blend with a crown value of -0.2
Enhancements to Profile tool

Multiple profiles
You can now select multiple profiles (sets of planar curves) as input to the Surfaces > Swept Surfaces > Profile tool. The profile curves can have different shapes but must have a similar structure (segmentation between sharp bends or number of spans). Each profile can have an individual position and orientation relative to the rail curve. If the curves within a profile set are disconnected (not G0), it is best to create a separate profile surface for each element of the set. Build a profile surface from multiple profiles 1 Select all the curves for the first profile, then click the Accept button. (If Chain select is on, all curves that are tangent continuous with the first curve are also picked). 2 Select the curves for the second profile, click Accept, and so on. 3 After the last profile has been selected, click the Done button. 4 Select the rail curves and click the Build button. The profile surfaces are built.
Profile surface built from three profiles (each made up of three planar curves).
5 Set new option Transition type to specify the type of blend between the multiple profiles. This option affects the shape of the surface isoparms that run in the direction of the rail curve (U direction).
Profile manipulators
If you use only one profile, you can click the rail curve to position any number of profile manipulators. These manipulators look like copies of the original profile. You can rotate and scale the manipulators to create a profile surface with a variable section that interpolates the manipulators but not the original profile. Any modification to the shape of the original profile curve also updates the shape of the manipulators. Build a profile surface with varying section 1 Select all the curves for the profile, then click the Accept button. (If Chain select is on, all curves that are tangent continuous with the first curve are also picked). 2 Click Done. 3 Select the rail curves and click the Build button. The profile surfaces are built. 4 Click on the rail curve to add one or more manipulators. Green manipulators in the shape of the profile curve appear.
Enhancements to Profile tool | 65
5 Use the handles to scale, rotate, or move the manipulator along the rail (see next section). Hold the Shift key and click the dot handle at the base of a manipulator to delete it. 6 Click Update (or turn on Auto Update in the option window). The surfaces update to interpolate the manipulators.
7 Set new option (page 67)Transition type to specify the type of blend between the manipulator profiles. This option affects the shape of the surface isoparms that run in the direction of the rail curve (U direction).
Anatomy of a Profile manipulator

Here is a description of the handles on the manipulator:
1 Dot: moves the manipulator along the rail. Also acts as the pivot for rotation and scaling. Clicking anywhere on the rectangular frame and dragging has the same effect. Holding Shift and clicking the dot deletes the manipulator. 2 Blue arc: rotates the manipulator around the rail (click the center circle or end arrows). 3 Red square: scales the manipulator along the direction of the curvature vector of the rail curve. 4 Green square: scales the manipulator along a direction perpendicular to both the tangent and curvature vector of the rail curve. 5 Blue squares: scale the manipulator proportionally in both directions.
New option
Transition type This option specifies the type of blend between multiple profiles (either from input curves, or manipulators). It determines the shape of the surface isoparms that run in the direction of the rail curve. Linear Joins the profiles with straight lines.
Enhancements to Profile tool | 67
Local Provides smooth transitions around the locations of the profiles.
Global Provides a smoother overall shape, but sometimes leads to excessive undulations.
Limited Attempts to control the shape of the surface so that it stays within the range of the profile scales. This setting avoids the over and under shooting that sometimes occur with Global or Local transition type.
Enhancements to Align
Implementation of G3 continuity
G3 continuity has now been fully implemented within the Align tool (Object Edit > Align > Align). When you set the Continuity option to G3 Curvature during a surface Align operation, manipulators appear on the fourth row of CVs of the input surface.
Also, the following sliders appear in the Tangent and Curvature CV Adjustment section of the control window:
Enhancements to Align | 69
AutoScale G3 Adjusts the G3 Curvature automatically while you scale the G1 Tangent or G2 Curvature. It attempts to maintain the same relative arm-lengths, that is, tangent-row to G2 curvature-row versus G2 curvature-row to G3 curvature-row, as in the unaligned surface. Starting G3 Scale / Ending G3 Scale These slider let you adjust the true G3 curvature lengths along both edges of the Input surface. If aligning curves with G3 continuity, an extra manipulator appears on the fourth CV, and you see the following options instead: AutoScale G3 Adjusts the G3 Curvature automatically while you scale the G1 Tangent or G2 Curvature. G3 Scale This slider lets you adjust the true G3 curvature length. AutoScale Curvature has been renamed AutoScale G2. If Continuity is set to G3 Curvature, this option now adjusts both the G2 and G3 curvature
automatically while you scale the G1 tangent. It attempts to maintain the same relative arm-lengths as in the unaligned surface. NOTE AutoScale G2 and AutoScale G3 are mutually exclusive.
Ability to use face selection

If you have turned on Face selection in Preferences > Selection Options, the Align tool now lets you select surfaces instead of only surface edges. If an edge is needed, the tool automatically determines the closest edge to the mouse position.
Proxy Display option

Align now offers an Enable Proxy Display option. When checked on, it shows you the hull of the original input surface (surface being aligned) as a green proxy. This proxy helps you visualize how much the surface has changed during the Align operation.
Enhancements to Align | 71
If you click Accept to "store" the current state of the Align operation, the modified input surface becomes the new original surface. The proxy display updates to reflect this fact. NOTE If the CVs and hull of the input surface are hidden, turning on Enable Proxy Display makes them visible.
Enhancements to 3D trimming
The Trim Surface and Trim Convert tools now support the ability to trim using cross sections when 3D Trimming is checked on. The workflow is the same as for normal 3D trimming, except that you select cross sections instead of curves-on-surface as the trimming curves. We also improved the 3D trimming workflow in Intersect mode.
Trim a surface using cross sections

1 Choose Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Surface .
2 In the control window, check on 3D Trimming. If you are trimming a surface with its own cross-sections, choose Normal under Vector Options. 3 Select the surface to trim (hold down the Shift key to add more surfaces to the selection). 4 Select the cross sections to use as trimming curves. 5 Click on the regions to keep or discard. 6 Click the Keep, Discard, or Divide button.
Trimming both a regular surface and a trimmed surface with their Y-sections.
Trim Convert a surface using cross sections

1 Choose Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Convert .
2 In the control window, check on 3D Trimming. If you are trimming a surface with its own cross-sections, choose Normal under Vector Options. 3 Select the surface you want to trim convert. 4 Select the cross sections to use as trimming curves. 5 Click on the regions to keep. Make sure that those regions define a four-sided surface. 6 Click the Convert button.
Better workflow for 3D trimming

This enhancement applies to Surface Edit > Trim > Trim Surface when using 3D Trimming with the Intersect method. If you box-select several surfaces, and some of them are already selected for trimming, Alias now picks the unselected surfaces and intersects them with
Enhancements to 3D trimming | 73
the selected surfaces. (Previously, this action would place crosshairs on the selected surfaces and ignore the unselected surfaces.)
Improved CV structure for Offset curves and surfaces

The Object Edit > Offset tool offers a new option to produce an offset curve or surface with better CV structure (distribution).
If Normal Mode is set to NUV, the CVs move only in the normal direction, like the NUV mode in Transform CV. If Normal Mode is set to Off, the
tool behaves as before, trying to produce the most accurate offset, regardless of CV structure. NOTE The NUV method does not apply to periodic curves, or to non-planar curves when Curve Offset Plane is set to Geometry average. In the example below, the top surface is offset by 10.0 units from the bottom surface, using the Off mode (first image), then the NUV mode (second image).
Normal Mode = Off: optimal accuracy but CVs form a bow tie.
Improved CV structure for Offset curves and surfaces | 75
Normal Mode = NUV: better CV distribution but slightly less accurate offset.
Modify Range option for Multi-Surface Draft tool

We have added a Modify Range option to Surfaces > Multi-Surface Draft.
Selecting this option causes blue arrow manipulators to appear on the draft surfaces. Drag these arrows to modify the extent of the draft surfaces. (The arrows become yellow when selected.) You can drag the arrows all the way to the ends of the input curves.
Range of draft surface (in orange) extends from 0.25 (Start) to 0.75 (End).
You can also use the Start and End sliders instead of dragging the arrows. Setting the sliders to 0.0 and 1.0 resets the original extent. NOTE When this option is not selected (default), the draft surfaces extend to the ends of the input curves.
Modify Range option for Multi-Surface Draft tool | 77
Enhancements to Transform CV
Geometry updates with falloff in Proportional Modification tool
You can now adjust the Falloff in the Prop Mod tool after moving the CVs, and see the geometry update to the new falloff. NOTE This "history" only applies to the last Prop Mod transformation.
Predefined mouse sensitivity buttons

We have added four preset buttons below the Mouse Sensitivity slider. Click one of these buttons to set the sensitivity value quickly to 1, 5, 10 or 50. You can modify those preset values by using the slider after selecting them.
Hotspot interface contains all options

We have moved the remaining options into the hotspot interface. (This interface appears at the cursor position when you press the spacebar while inside the tool.) You can now use the Control Panel > Transform CV tool with the hotspot interface without ever needing to open the control window.
The check box options appear on the sides, while the sliders and buttons are at the bottom. Roll over an icon to see what it does.
Enhancements to Smooth tool

The Object Edit > Smooth tool has two new options: Smooth U/V and Edge influence.
Enhancements to Smooth tool | 79
Smooth U/V provides check boxes for smoothing surfaces in the U and V directions independently. Edge Influence adds additional control to the Fixed Edges option. An edge influence of 0.0 results in the edges remaining unchanged and the interior surface being smoothed. An edge influence of 1.0 gives results based only on the edges, producing a surface identical to using the square tool on the four edges of the original surface. Values in between produce a blend of these two results.
Ability to change the degree and spans of multiple objects at once

You can now use the Control Panel to modify the degree or number of spans of several curves or surfaces simultaneously. 1 Select several curves or several surfaces. The Control Panel indicates "# picked curves" or "# picked surfaces". If the objects have a different degree or number of spans in U or V, the corresponding field is blank. 2 Type the desired value in the Degree or Spans field, or use the arrows to select the value from the menu. 3 Click the Accept button in the view window to confirm the change. The geometry is updated.
Two surfaces with different numbers of spans are given 2 spans in U and 4 in V.
NOTE If you select both curves and surfaces, the Control Panel indicates "# picked objects" but does not let you enter values for Degree or Spans.
Ability to change the degree and spans of multiple objects at once | 81
Data Transfer
6
.
Describes changes and new features in data transfer.
Send Alias data to Showcase or Maya

Send Alias data to Showcase
If you have Showcase 2014 installed, you now see a Send to Showcase tool in the File menu. This tool provides a simple and efficient way to export your data to Showcase, including bookmarks, shaders, environments, and ambient occlusion. 1 If you only want part of your model sent to Showcase, select that geometry. 2 Choose File > Send to Showcase
3 Set the appropriate options in the option box and click Go. Showcase launches (if not already running) and the data is automatically imported and displayed.
Options
The following options can be set in the option box:
83
84 | Chapter 6 Data Transfer
Conversion Setting Specifies the tessellation tolerance level used in the conversion. All-Purpose Uses a medium tessellation tolerance, appropriate for most models (default). Large Parts Uses a coarser tessellation tolerance, appropriate for large model parts. Small Details Uses a finer tessellation tolerance, appropriate for small detail parts. LOD-Low One LOD with a smaller number of polygons. Provides good performance for large models, with reduced quality in close-ups. LOD-Medium One LOD with a moderate number of polygons. Good for medium-sized models. LOD-High One LOD with a large number of polygons. Good for small models, but has a bigger impact on performance. Geometry Output Send either All Geometry or only Selected Geometry to Showcase. NOTE When Selected Geometry is selected, bookmarks and ambient occlusion will not be imported into Showcase. Show Alias Ambient Occlusion If ambient occlusion was computed in Alias, checking on this option switches the display of ambient shadows in Showcase to "Baked" so that it displays the Alias ambient occlusion. If this option is not checked, the ambient occlusion is recalculated in Showcase. Replace Materials If this option is checked, we replace assigned materials from the Alias Shader Library with equivalent materials in Showcase (using the default material replacement map in Showcase). If this option is not checked, only the color, transparency, and diffuse values are transferred to Showcase for each shader. Replacement Map If Replace Materials is checked on, this field specifies the material replacement map to use for custom mapping the shaders between Alias and Showcase. If valid, this map takes precedence over the default. (See Showcase documentation for a description of how to create the Replacement Map text file.) Visual Style Specifies the visual style to use in Showcase. Choose from various realistic and abstract styles, such as Realistic AO Shadows, and Abstract Toon Color. Convert Bookmarks to Shots If this option is checked, we convert Alias bookmarks to Showcase still shots.
Send Alias data to Showcase or Maya | 85
Match Environment if Available If this option is checked, we attempt to use a Showcase library environment that matches the Alias library environment (based on a fixed table). If none is found, we use the environment from Showcase Environment (see next option). Showcase Environment If Convert Environment if Available is not checked, or no matching environment is found, this option specifies the environment to use in Showcase . Choose between Stuttgart (Car Size), Generic (Car Size), Grass Field (Building Size), or Old Warehouse (Car Size). Ground Plane Specifies the position of the Showcase environment ground plane level. Use Alias Environment Uses the Height value specified for the Ground Plane in the Alias Environment control window. Bottom of Model Places the ground plane at the bottom of the model's bounding box. Center Environment If this option is checked, we position the environment so its center in the XY plane coincides with the XY center of the model's bounding box.
Send Alias data to Maya

If you have Maya 2014 installed, you now see a Send Selected to Maya tool in the File menu. This tool provides a simple and efficient way to import your data into Maya, including modeling layers and shaders. 1 Select all the geometry you want to export. 2 Choose File > Send Selected to Maya. Maya launches (if not already running) and the data is automatically imported and displayed. NOTE Because Alias has the Z axis (not the Y axis like Maya) pointing up by default, the model appears rotated on its side in Maya.
Export to Illustrator
You can now quickly export some or all of the curves in your model to Adobe Illustrator with the new File > Export > Illustrator tool.
Free curves, isoparms, surface edges, trim edges, and curves-on-surface are exported as degree 3 Bzier curves. An Adobe Illustrator version 8 file with the .ai extension is written. NOTE Invisible objects are not exported. 1 Select the curves or objects you want to export. If you want to export everything, you do not need to make a selection. 2 Click in the view that you want to export. 3 Choose File > Export > Illustrator .
4 In the option box, choose to export Active or All geometry. For a perspective view, specify a horizontal and vertical size (in points) for the exported image. The selected window in Alias maps to those dimensions in Illustrator.
For an orthographic view, specify a scale for the geometry by entering two values. Scale is the number of units in Alias, and To is the corresponding number of units in Illustrator. For example, 1 to 1 does not scale the geometry, while 2 to 1 reduces the size of the geometry by half.
Export to Illustrator | 87
Curve Fit distance is the tolerance used when fitting the Alias curves to the Illustrator Bzier curves. Increase this value for faster performance and lighter Bzier curves.
5 Click Go. The browser appears. 6 Enter a filename and choose a location then click Save. The Illustrator file is saved and has extension .ai.
Enhancements to EDF translators

EDF Import Options and EDF Export Options now include the following options when Logfile Output is on: Logfile with .txt Extension: turn on this option to create a logfile with a .txt extension, allowing it to be easily opened in any text editor on Windows.
Redirect Logfile Path: turn on this option and specify a folder in the Redirect Path field to write the logfile to that folder. If this option is off, the logfile is saved in the same location as the EDF file.
Save Layers plug-in exports layers to other formats

Using the Layers > +Save Layers plug-in, you can now save individual layers to file formats other than wire. The following functionality has been added: A new File Format option that lets you save individual layers as IGES, Catia V5, EDF, JT, DXF, C4, JAMAIS, or VDAIS files (in addition to Wire).
Save Layers plug-in exports layers to other formats | 89
A new Windows file browser.
Fixed Limitations
Lists important customer issues that have been addressed in this release.
General Issues
Resolved issues related to generic tools and user interface.
Pick Visible respects selection options

The selection behavior of the mouse buttons in Pick > Pick Visible now respects the choices from Preferences > Selection Options. Those choices are displayed on the prompt line after you enter the Pick Visible tool. For example: Use mouse to pick / unpick: [Left Toggle] [Middle Add] [Right Unpick]
Invisible objects are not printed

If some parts of your model are made invisible, they are not printed when using File > Print.
Modeling Issues
Resolved issues related to modeling tools.
Round radius does not get reset for each edge

As you click shared edges within the Surfaces > Round tool, the radius value of each new manipulator corresponds to the last value you entered, instead of defaulting to 100.0.
91
Performance improvement in Multi-Surface Draft

Selecting many input curves in Surfaces > Multi-Surface Draft used to slow down the tool considerably. This problem has been fixed.
Shells display a symmetric half on layers with symmetry

If Symmetry is turned on for a modeling layer, shell objects now display a symmetric half like other types of geometry.
Visualization Issues
Resolved issues related to visualization tools.
Ability to select wireframe through shaded objects in X-Ray mode

This functionality from Alias 2012 is back. If WindowDisplay > Xray is turned on (with the Model option checked), you can once again pick wireframe objects through shaded geometry.
Data Transfer Issues

Resolved issues related to data transfer.
Export Baked Orientation plugin working properly

Problems with this plugin not saving the wire file have been resolved.
92 | Chapter 7 Fixed Limitations
Whats Where...
Lists new tools added to this release; also tools that have moved, been renamed, or been deleted.
New tools
The tools listed in this section are new in this release ofAlias. Transform > Array

Transform > Path Array Surface Edit > NURBS to Bezier Locators > Deviation > Object to Plane File > Export > Illustrator File > Send Selected to Maya File > Send to Showcase ObjectDisplay > Diagnostic Light Control Preferences > User Preferences > Save Utilities > Tool Resets Help > Current Tool Help Help > Alias IdeaStation
Renamed tools
The following tools have been renamed: Preferences > User Preferences > Load Preference Set has been renamed Preferences > User Preferences > Import Preference Set
93
Preferences > User Preferences > Save Preference Set has been renamed Preferences > User Preferences > Export Preference Set
Obsolete tools
The following tools have been removed, either because they were redundant, or no longer served any useful purpose. Surfaces > Tube Surface

File > Send Selected to Fusion Preferences > User Options > Save Options Preferences > User Options > Retrieve Options
94 | Chapter 8 Whats Where...

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Whats New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 General improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Describes general changes and new features.

Choose Defaults to accept the new default preferences.

Live Update now available

F1 launches Help for current tool

4 | Chapter 2 General improvements

New file browser with thumbnails

New file browser with thumbnails | 5

Changes to the user interface

Icon labels display by default

Visual feedback when rolling over tools and menus

6 | Chapter 2 General improvements

This visual feedback helps to select the proper tool.

No more default for Short Menus in Default workflow

Orthographic label added to ViewCube in ortho view

Changes to the user interface | 7

Save button replaced by Apply button in option boxes

Turn off warning when running multiple Alias sessions

User Colors - changes to File menu

8 | Chapter 2 General improvements

Additional scrolling features on Layer Bar

True cross sections renamed Radial

Interior flow control label

Changes to the user interface | 9

10 | Chapter 2 General improvements

Shelf option menu lets you switch between shelf sets

12 | Chapter 2 General improvements

Save shelves and user options

New Tool Resets window

14 | Chapter 2 General improvements

Enhancements to Object Lister

Enhancements to Object Lister | 15

Addition to Show menu

New Filter Menu

16 | Chapter 2 General improvements

New Sort menu

Enhancements to Object Lister | 17

Additional functionality in context-sensitive menu

18 | Chapter 2 General improvements

Improvements to the behavior of attached windows

Improvements to the behavior of attached windows | 19

One click expands all the windows in the family.

Ability to switch stages using hotkeys

20 | Chapter 2 General improvements

Ability to toggle Alt/Shift action in Perspective window with hotkey

Ability to toggle Alt/Shift action in Perspective window with hotkey | 21

Hotkey toggles between those two modes on the NavBar

22 | Chapter 2 General improvements

Pick Component can distinguish between NURBS and Bzier surfaces

See also: New NURBS to Bzier tool (page 50)

Enhancements to Pick Chooser

Pick Component can distinguish between NURBS and Bzier surfaces | 23

Pick Chooser available for Pick Hull

Autodesk Alias IdeaStation

24 | Chapter 2 General improvements

This version of Alias presents improvements to rendering.

New Diagnostic Shade Light Manipulator

1: Light manipulator. 2: Light icon

Using the manipulator

Dragging vertically changes the elevation of the light.

Diagnostic Light Control Options

Ability to layer Diagnostic Shaders