Okay I'm game. Let's hear what your most favorite NEW feature of Punchcad is!!!

I guess this would be the list of top new features to choose from:

These new features are designed to improve your productivity while continuously providing a user interface conducive for our users to innovate new designs.

Usability

•The Gripper An intuitive interface to move, rotate, and scale objects in 3D.
•Custom Palette User defined tool palettes for your favorite combination of tools.
•Inspector Easily access and set pen, text, and dimension attributes.
3D Modeling

•Edge Treatments New features for creating ribs and lips.
•Blending Option to create G2 surface and solid blends.
•Surfacing Surface extend and offset edge along face.
2D Drafting

•PrecisionPoint Versatile interface to specify points in a variety of reference systems.
•Splines Dynamic creation for Bezier, control point and interpolate splines.
•Extend Extend curve by length, to point, or to another curve.
•Dimension New centerline dimension tools
•Draw Views New 2D views for break-away and offset sections.
Interoperability

•New Formats CATIA V5, Inventor 2010, VDA-FS
•Updated AutoCAD 2010, SketchUp V7, Pro/E
•Batch File Translate multiple files in one session
•Photorealistic Rendering
•HDRI Support for High Dynamic Range Images
•Lights New interfaces for line, area, and dome lights
•Special Effects Lens flare lighting effects
•Sketch 17 new sketch rendering options

Mike...

Of what's new, the following appears to be most useful to me thus far.

1. GRIPPER! (although some may call it the GRIPEr) - it's a tool that I don't know how I did without all this time.

2. Curve extend tool - INvaluable. Takes the guess work out of it all.

3. Rib / Lip - Saves a bunch of unnecessary steps.

4. New lighting options for rendering (e.g. surface, etc - the previous selection was rather weak)

5. Centerline dimension tool (why wasn't there one before?)


COMPLAINTS: I'd like better interface of the rendering function. Sometimes my settings don't get saved. Also why can't I "see" what material is attributed to a particular object after I've set it?

I want MORE 3D drawing tools like the Rib/Lip please. And DEFINITELY sheet metal (unfold/unbend) type of functions.

NOTE: I'm still waiting for a way to "sub-divide" faces and manually move vertexes, edges and faces without wonky effects. Because sometimes the Deep select doesn't work the way I think it should. It needs to become much more powerful. I've been asking for a while for a mode to select Vertex, Edge or Face. It can't be THAT hard to develop. This is prehistoric technology in many other 3D modeling programs.

I also agree with PRP who posted before me, about more tutorials for all of these tools through the gamut - basic up to advanced. I can experiment all I want, but sometimes a nice vid tutorial is a lot easier.

uservoice need to be a sticky so we can find it again! :)

Mike...

I love the Gripper and am also happy to see the Render Library.