Cadalyst - August 2008 - (Page 29)

cadalystlabsreview Figure 2. Maple 12 lets you access context-sensitive menus that make sense for what you are doing. You can use Maple 12 to create any formulas you want and then link them right into your modeler with the CAD linker assistant. You can assign the formulas to any particular dimension or constraint, and then you can make changes in Maple 12 that update in your model. always have the commands and functions available to you that make sense for what you are doing. Whole palettes full of canned expressions are available to use in your documents. That way you don’t have to waste time typing them or worrying about typos (which happens to the best of us). And what if you can’t remember the entire command you want to use? Maple 12 will allow you to type in the first few letters and get all the commands that start with them (figure 3). It’s like a live lexicon of mathematical commands. You also can add graphics to your documents. Sure, you can import them much the same way you might in any other program, but what if you need something for which there isn’t a graphic? Maple 12 has it covered. You can add a drawing canvas (graph paper) to your document, and then you can draw right on it. Maple 12 also has a handwriting-recognition symbols pad. I love this feature. Sometimes you know what you want to put in your equation, but you might not remember where to find it in the menus. No problem! Just draw it in the handwriting pad, and Maple 12 will present you with all the choices that match or even come close. Figure 3. Remembering what everything is called can be a major challenge. Fortunately, Maple 12 lets you type a few letters in the command box and gives you choices from which to pick. Visualize and Communicate Now that you have your equations set up the way you want them, what do you do with them? The sky’s the limit! You can display and explore a surface by plotting it on your document (figure 4). Maple 12 has a wide range of plotting styles in both 2D and 3D. You can plot your explorations in 3D and change your variables along your specified range, and the graphic will update accordingly. That’s what’s so cool about the embedded controls. Just crank the dial and the graphic changes to show you the effect of your change. You can even color your backgrounds and formatting to jazz up your math (and most math cries out for some jazzing). You can also link documents from other programs, such as Microsoft Word and Excel, into Maple 12. Figure 4. Maple 12 has more ways of plotting your data than you can shake a stick at. This 3D plot illustrates how complex they can get. a dial (figure 1) or slide a slider to change your variables’ values. You can zero in on the numbers you need. You also have a meter control. The meter can either change or just show your values. A context-sensitive menu can be accessed at any time (figure 2). That way, you August 2008 cadalyst www.cadalyst.com Expand on It After you have your document the way you want it, what do you do with it? You are essentially asking the age-old question, “Is this all there is?” The answer: “Not by a long 29 http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - August 2008

Cadalyst - August 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Tech Trends: Rotor Bug Strikes Again Cadalyst Labs Reviews: Digital Dreams — Visualization Software: Make Your Design Visions a Reality Maple 12 — Math Software AutoLINE 2009 — Linetype Management Add-On Deep Access — Digital-Media Asset Management Software View Point: Examining the Autodesk–Bentley Agreement CAD Manager: Managing Multioffice Mayhem MCAD Modeling: Do You Need Modeling Standards? AEC Insight: Modeling Technology for Building Engineers CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: Better Living with Objects and Smart Entities

Cadalyst - August 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.