User Interface Design of Alias, Rhino and Unigraphics NX3

Skills software and technology
1

Hi,


I have collected experience with Unigraphics NX 3.0 and Rhino 3.0 in modelling surface. Both software are very intuitive and as user you even do not need any tutorials to use them :sunglasses:

Recently I downloaded Alias PLE version, since I am curios about this “designer” software. To my suprise, it is a very cryptic software. Just one example, it was hard to find out how to check the curvature of a curve. There is a tool called “locator” at the pallete, but it did not pop up anything! :angry:

What makes a good software, is that the experienced user or new user can be so productive without concerning alot about the tool he used.

I do not like the user interface of Alias either. Maybe this is a challange for user interface designer :bulb:

Is there anybody in this forum, who shared the same experience using Alias, Rhino and Unigraphics?

2

I went through the same experience with alias. You see, Alias has been around for donkeys years and used to be instaled on to SGI machines…so i guess a bit of the interface things came from SGI OS …and thus its not very ‘Windows’ interface…hence your frustration perhaps.

My adivce would be to do the tutorials from the very begining…dont skip anything…and then you will be able to apreciate what a slick app it is. Especialy the Marking Menus, which if you can master you will notcie a major speed increase in your modeling.

I used Unigraphics v18 back at my old place…not sure how it compare to NX 3.0 but it really sucked on its interface…compared to Alias/Solidworks.

Now if you wana talk poor interface design try Pro/E, about 15% has been inproved in the wildfire release…but the rest feels like your being a programmer…it drives me up the wall!

3

Since NX, Unigraphics has improve ALOT. This is because of the merger between SDRC (the maker of IDEAS) and Unigraphics Solutions.

I did the tutorials from the beginning and want to check the curvature of the curve, when I want to make the Kettle Tutorial. It seems the locator feature is disabled.

I never like Pro/E. I have used this software during my old academic years.

4

I Fired up Alias Studio to try and help you with your problem.

  1. draw curve, draw CV Curve

  2. select curve, select object

  3. View curvature comb, select curve curvature from locators

  4. adjust comb,

left mouse button (holding down)moving up/down adjusts size of comb.

middle mouse (holding down) button moving left to right adjusts the density/acuracy of the comb

  1. to hide comb, while the ‘curve curvature’ tool is still sected, select the curve again.

if you cnat see it the comb might be very small, ie a very smal rate of change…a flat line…or try zooming in a bit.

Or perhaps your verson doesn’t come with this locator tool.

hope this helps!

5

Before IRIX (SGI) it ran on a Pixar! Ooooold…

6

ahh yes IRIX…couldn’t remember was on the tip of my tongue.

oooh that looks the business just before the curvy ones came in i guess.

7

jeez, I did not know that there was a “PIXAR” computer.

Anyway, thanks I can find my tools all on the pallette. Alias use alot of graphic resource compare with Rhino and Unigraphics NX (even NX 3.0).