Al Dean takes a 2 part look at the latest release of VISI, a system with incredible power that has been driven by one of the most demanding industries for geometry wrangling: mould & die.

Select HERE to download PART 1 of the product review from the October issue of Develop3D magazine.

Conclusion (part 1): VISI is an incredible piece of kit. If you just look at the modelling aspects (we’ll get onto the really meaty cutting metal related portion next month), then it’s incredibly powerful. Today’s CAD users are more discerning that ever before. We’re all used to the ability to work quickly and efficiently with geometry, and while the majority are certainly using one of the mainstream midrange modelling tools, when you’re dealing with import data or working with complex surfaces, you’ll quickly run into the one problem those types of systems have (and let’s be clear, I’m talking about SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Inventor et al). Those systems work best with native data, because they’ve been designed as authoring systems with the end goal being a 3D model or a 2D drawing derived from it. A system like VISI (and there are others in the same class) differs in that the end goal is a production model on the back of which machining or tooling design is going to take place. When you focus on the mould and die market, the processes often rely on your ability to analyse, validate and fix the geometry your client provides, then to ensure that you create the best mould tool you can – because production success is directly attributable back to that underlying geometry. While VISI has all of those surface-based modelling tools you’d need, the system also has a massive range of tools that support the entire process, whether that be mould design or electrode extraction and design, as well as supporting the creation of production drawings in a very automated manner. While it’s not recognised as a standalone modelling tool, but as part of a bigger, more fully encompassing offering, I’m pretty damn sure that VISI could take the Pepsi challenge with any other modelling system on the market today – and win.

Select HERE to download PART 2 of the product review from the November issue of Develop3D magazine.

Conclusion (part 2) : I get to visit all the major vendors every couple of months. Some you leave thinking “Ok, good. But where is the innovation?” Others you leave impressed with their dedication to their users and to advancing the use of their products. Vero Software is always of this latter group. VISI has been an impressive system for many years, but in the last few release cycles the company has really cranked up the development cycle a gear or two. Compared to when I first saw the system, VISI today is supremely impressive. Not only does it have a wealth of knowledge and years of user-led development behind it, but also the work done recently to both refresh the user interface and to introduce new technology. The perfect example of both aspects working in concert are the new automation or intelligence-based tools which capture best practice and standard forms and allow users to create them in a very short space of time (whether that’s cooling channels, mould locks, mould stack design or NC operations). Taken as a whole, VISI is one of the most impressive products out there for those engaged in manufacturing. It’s got all the 3D CAD tools you could ever need, backed up with some highly impressive mould and die design tools which can then be followed through into production with the NC programming tools that have been its core competency for some time. It proves the fact that general purpose tools sometimes simply don’t cut the mustard and if you want to get the job done, you have to use a tool that’s tailored to the job at hand.