HOOPS 2023 Toolkits Deliver Improved Simulation, Analysis and Photo-Realism

Industry-leading software development toolkits deliver unprecedented data access and format support, Including Microsoft Visual Studio 2019

January 16, 2023 – BEND, OR – Tech Soft 3D, the leading provider of engineering software development toolkits, today announces the release of the HOOPS 2023 industry-leading 3D software development toolkits (SDKs) that power world-class engineering applications across the globe and multiple industries.

The enhancements to the 2023 toolkits focus on enhanced format support to provide partners and customers unprecedented access to engineering and manufacturing data. Improved support for physical materials helps increase photo-realism in graphic display of 3D objects in both artificial and natural environments. Support for material clearcoat is now supported across all toolkits, enabling the visualization of a protective layer over a solid material or finish to exhibit shininess, reflection, and depth of color.

One of the main new features across all HOOPS toolkits is support for Microsoft Visual Studio 2019, protecting partners' investment in adopting the HOOPS product suite as the supporting technology stacks evolve. This update allows partners to adopt more modern compiler and language features like C++17 in the Windows compiler. With HOOPS SDKs, developers are able to reduce product development costs and bring desktop, web and mobile applications to market faster.

“Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, and our team is laser focused on making sure that our partners have the most sophisticated, robust and high-performing component technologies that will enable them to create the applications they need quickly and easily,” said Eric Vinchon, Vice President of Product Strategy at Tech Soft 3D. “Staying ahead of trends and getting to market faster than competitors is the main priority of our partners, and Tech Soft 3D is the best-in-class engine for 3D graphics, CAD data translation and 3D data publishing that will enable our partners to deliver those applications.”

Enhancements to specific SDKs include:

HOOPS Exchange

• Timely format updates for both native CAD and standard formats so the applications our partners are developing can access the latest versions. Currently, Revit 2023 is supported with SOLIDWORKS 2023, NX 2212, Parasolid 35.0 and Solid Edge 2023 support planned for mid-February 2023.
• Improved Flexible elements support for Creo, several enhancements that improve the model fidelity by supporting more definition cases and positions;
• Support for assemblies suppressed parts and coordinates systems in Autodesk Inventor to help define references intended to be used in downstream manufacturing applications;
• Support of SOLIDWORKS K-Factors for sub-nodes to support more possible cases regarding how the K-factor is defined.
• HOOPS Exchange 2023 Overview

HOOPS Visualize

• Added support for pixel and vertex shaders provides developers with greater control over how geometry is rendered, enabling visualization of complex data sets and physical phenomena.
• Access support to spatial relationship data from IFC files. This is a critical component for many BIM workflows, such as Quantity Take Off.
• Official Support for Apple Metal Graphics driver. With Apple’s depreciation of OpenGL, support for Metal has become critical for applications being developed and deployed on macOS and iOS.
• HOOPS Visualize 2023 Overview

HOOPS Communicator

• HOOPS Communicator 2023 now allows for separating the conversion of geometric and measurement data and enables the viewer to present 3D models sooner after conversion, while still allowing access to the full set of measurements when needed.
• The 2023 version of HOOPS Communicator includes enhanced conversion support for DWG drawing elements, resulting in a cleaner and faster model loading time.
• Support for 3Dconnexion’s SpaceMouse, including the device’s Object Mode and Camera Mode allowing for either object rotation or camera view rotation.
• HOOPS Communicator 2023 Overview

HOOPS Publish

• Enhanced PMI association and cross-highlighting support of RiPointSet as well as improved thumbnail generation resulting in improved performance in file conversion and loading.
• HOOPS Publish 2023 Overview

HOOPS toolkits are also available through the HOOPS Native and HOOPS Web Platforms. HOOPS Platforms combine market-leading 3D technologies for CAD data exchange, visualization and data publishing, along with tight connections to popular modeling kernels. With a single licensing fee, these offerings are the most cost-effective way to leverage the full spectrum of HOOPS functionality for both existing applications and future development projects.

Developers interested in evaluating HOOPS Platform can sign up for a free 60-day evaluation experience. Users can now interact with demos, videos, download a free evaluation, walk through tutorials, read partner success stories and browse the updated documentation, all in just a few clicks.

About Tech Soft 3D
Tech Soft 3D is the leading provider of engineering software development toolkits. Established in 1996 and headquartered in Bend, Oregon, Tech Soft 3D also has offices in California, France, England, Japan and Norway. The company’s toolkit products power more than 500 unique applications running on hundreds of millions of computers worldwide. Tech Soft 3D is backed by investment firm Battery Ventures. For more information, visit www.techsoft3d.com.

HOOPS is a registered trademark of Tech Soft 3D. All other products or company references are the property of their respective holders.