ZEdit Pro Software Makes Files 3D Printing-Ready

By DE Editors

Z Corporation (Burlington,MA) announced the release of ZEdit Pro, a new software that automatically prepares 3D data files for full-color 3D printing.

ZEdit Pro lets users of 3D mechanical CAD software verify that geometric data is 3D printable. It allows users to apply texture maps, colors, and labels to models and print very large prototypes in component pieces. The software also transforms files not originally intended for 3D printing, such as those produced by the 3D digital content creation software used in animation and architecture. ZEdit Pro makes these files 3D printer ready, often with a single click.

With these capabilities, ZEdit Pro enables a new class of creative professionals, including conceptual designers,  game designers, and architects to experience the benefits of 3D printing enjoyed by mechanical engineers.

“The intuitive four-button interface requires no training,” said product engineer Nick Gaetanos. “The software is absolutely within the reach of the casual, once-a-month user. Whether adding geometry, color, labels, or printing a huge model, what you see on the screen is what you get out of the 3D printer.”

Optimized for Z Corporation’s 3D printers, ZEdit Pro focuses on three functional areas:

geometry optimization, which makes 3D data automatically ready for 3D printing; painting and texture mapping, for coloring and applying images to models; and print preparation, for cutting or hollowing parts before printing.

Although 3D CAD software typically produces 3D printer-ready data, many digital content creation tools and medical scans do not. ZEdit Pro print enables this data by incorporating printable geometric data, adding depth by shading, repairing meshes, and closing gaps. ZEdit Pro’s capabilities are especially useful for service bureaus, which handle myriad file types in varying levels of refinement.

For mechanical engineers, ZEdit Pro provides an easy way to add graphical elements, including color, texture,  annotations, and engineering labels, to designs for 3D printing. Users can also leverage applications such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to create the graphical elements to be applied within the ZEdit Pro interface.

With ZEdit Pro, users can print CAD models that are too big for the printing envelope. The software automatically segments oversized models, creating pins and holes for reassembly of the sections after printing. ZEdit Pro hollows out solids that would otherwise waste resources, and helps users create bases and pedestals for models.

“A lot of people work in 3D but are slowed or even prevented from creating 3D physical models of their work for design reviews, marketing, sales, entertainment, collecting, clinical diagnosis,  or visualization,” said John M. Kawola, Z Corporation CEO. “ZEdit Pro enables them to fully engage in 3D printing without having to toil over files or invest in sophisticated file-fixing software.”

Z Corporation products include fast, high-definition 3D printers — machines that produce physical 3D models from digital data in full color — and portable 3D scanners — handheld machines that digitize 3D surfaces in real time. Z Corp. technology enables a wide range of applications used in geographic information systems (GIS), reverse engineering, civil engineering, architecture, entertainment, manufacturing, and medicine. For details, contact Z Corporation at www.zcorp.com.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.