LEDAS Improves Google SketchUp 8 with Driving Dimensions 1.4

LEDAS updates Driving Dimensions plug-in after SketchUp 8 released; achieves full compatibility on Mac and Windows platforms

LEDAS Ltd today announced the updated version 1.4 of its Driving Dimensions plug-in for Google SketchUp software, the easy-to-use toolset for parametric modification of history-free 3D models. The LEDAS development team modified the code of the Driving Dimensions plug-in to capitalize on several important changes made to Google SketchUp V8. One of the primary changes in SketchUp 8 is its migration to a new Ruby interpreter, version 1.8.6. (Due to the changes in the syntax of the programming language, SketchUp no longer interprets some Ruby programs created with previous versions.) The LEDAS development team carefully revised the source code of Driving Dimensions, migrating the Ruby code to the new version. Driving Dimensions v1.4 is now fully compatible with the new releases of Google SketchUp – both the free 8 and the Pro 8 – running on Windows XP/Vista/7 and Mac OS X 10.6

The behavior of SketchUp’s Push/Pull tool changed in version 8, which affected the inferred dimensions mechanism of Driving Dimensions. (The inferred dimensions mechanism automatically captures design intent, including when the Push/Pull tool is used, and then converts it into a set of driving dimensions that are placed on the new geometric entities.) Now the mechanism works correctly in both the new and previous versions of SketchUp.

“People seem very much interested in adding parametrics to their SketchUp V8 licenses,” reported Nicola Caraccia, co-founder and CEO of SIMIT, exclusive distributors of Google SketchUp and official reseller of LEDAS Driving Dimensions plug-ins in Italy. “I'm very excited by the great opening created by the new v8 launch, and I'm confident that Driving Dimensions for SketchUp has an excellent opportunity to become a best seller.”

Driving Dimensions plug-in v1.4 is compatible with Google SketchUp 8. It has been thoroughly tested on the 32-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista, and 7, and on Mac OS X 10.6.

Availability and Price

Commercial licenses of Driving Dimensions v1.4 for Google SketchUp may be purchased for US$145 (EUR 145 in Europe) from the Share-it! online store at www.DrivingDimensions.com/store/SketchUp. All customers who bought the licenses during last year can upgrade to v1.4 free of charge.

Free test drives of the Driving Dimension plug-in can be downloaded from www.DrivingDimensions.com/SketchUp, where visitors will also find detailed on-line help, written and video tutorials, a set of sample drawings, and testimonials from our customers. The free version is not intended for commercial use and limits users to 10 driving dimensions per model.

About Driving Dimensions and LGS 3D

Parametric design has never been so easy – even for beginners. Driving Dimensions for SketchUp is a plug-in that performs parametric modifications of 3D geometric models in a simple and intuitive way. With Driving Dimensions, users can modify any dimension (lengths, distances, radii, and angles) in any SketchUp model with just a single click. All driving dimensions applied to one model are satisfied simultaneously.

The simplicity of the user interface of Driving Dimensions plug-in hides a strong set of mathematical algorithms in the field of geometric constraint solving. Our Driving Dimensions portfolio of end-user applications is available at www.DrivingDimensions.com.

Driving Dimensions v1.4 is based on LGS 3D, a geometric constraint solver integrated into a dozen commercial CAD packages. LEDAS has developed the technology since 2001. It is available for licensing to all CAD developers. More information about LGS 3D can be found at www.ledas.com/products/lgs3d.

About LEDAS

LEDAS Ltd. is an independent software development company founded in 1999. It is based in Novosibirsk Scientific Centre in Akademgorodok, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science. A leader in constraint-based technologies, LEDAS is a well-known provider of computational software components for PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) solutions: geometric constraint solvers for CAD/CAM/CAE, optimization engines for project management, work scheduling and meeting planning as well as interval technologies for knowledge-based engineering and collaborative design. The company also provides services for PLM markets: software development, consulting, reselling as well as education and training.

More information about LEDAS is available at www.ledas.com.

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Driving Dimensions and LGS are trademarks of LEDAS Ltd. Any other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.