Kubotek Releases KeyMarkUp with Optional Mold and Die Module

Kubotek‘s viewing and markup program, KeyView, has been selling in Europe for some time. This week, the company decided the time has come to roll it out in the U.S. So it is releasing the product under a new name, KeyMarkUp. (The name change is understandable, as some trademarked products already exist under the name KeyView in the U.S.)

As a viewing and markup program, KeyMarkUp fulfills what you’d expect from it. It offers the ability to open and inspect neutral 3D files (in Basic version) and native CAD files (in Premium version). It comes with tools for taking measurements, adding dimensions, checking clashes, and creating cross-sectional views. With KeyMarkUp, you can display the model with ground reflections, curvature contours, transparency, and project shadows. You also have the option to assign different colors to subassemblies. The use of Kubotek’s iconic DynaHandle lets you easily rotate, drag, and reposition components in your model.

Beyond these basics, KeyMarkUp also lets you create and publish 3D PDF tech documents (for instance, assembly instructions) by dragging and repositioning assembly components. You can include text strings and call outs in your output. The comparison tool lets you overlay models and drawings on top of each other and, through the use of transparency, identify the differences in them. With the optional Mold and Die module, you can check thickness, spot static interferences, verify draft angles, calculate projected surface areas, and predict shrinkage.

KeyMarkUp is entering a crowded market served by a mix of free and low-cost CAD viewers, some from CAD software developers, others from third-party collaboration tool providers. Free viewers from CAD software makers—such as SolidWorks eDrawings, PTC Creo View Express, and Siemens PLM Software’s Solid Edge Viewer—tend to offer a rich set of functions for the developers’ own native formats, along with limited support for neutral 3D formats. Viewers from third-party collaboration tool providers, such as CadFaster’s MyCadbox, offer more interactivity with native CAD files. Also in the mix are browser-based viewers, such as GrabCAD Workbench and Sunglass, and specialized 3D tech document publishers, such as Autodesk Inventor Publisher, Dassault Systemes’ 3DVIA Composer, and Lattice Technology‘s XVL Studio. A larger number of free and low-cost (usually less than $10) mobile CAD viewers have also emerged to serve iPad, iPhone and Android device users.

Facing this crowded market, Kubotek’s KeyMarkUp must rely on its advanced functions—such as the comparison tool, the optional Mold and Die module, and interference and clash detection—to distinguish itself from the rest and justify the price tag. The company is currently offering KeyMarkUp at introductory prices: $595 for Basic, $1,295 for Premium. At the end of the introductory period, licenses are expected to sell for $850 for Basic, $1,850 for Premium. The Mold and Die module costs $200. A 15-day free trial version is available for download at Kubotek’s site.

For more, watch Kubotek’s video clip below: