ThinkDesign extends Full Hybrid Modeling capabilities by introducing Hybrid Solids.

B-rep solid entities (solids with boundary representation) are traditionally made up of faces as parameterized surfaces: this possibility in ThinkDesign 3D environment is offered by the Hybrid Modeling approach, which allows to alternate and integrate solid modeling and surface modeling functionalities.
Full Hybrid Modeling extends the modeling approach for greater flexibility by introducing Hybrid Solid entities, which are solids made by meshes (B-rep solids whose faces are triangular meshes).

Hybrid solids provide users the possibility to import a mesh, transform it into a solid with the standard Make Solid command and then apply solid modeling features, such as solid Boolean operations.
Scanned meshes from 3D scans and output meshes from FEA simulation tools can be integrated in the usual modeling process, they can be edited with mesh commands and also modified with solid features or combined with solid and skin entities by means of Boolean operations. For example, an output mesh model obtained from a shape optimization tool can be modified locally with solid feature commands applied in certain regions, while the original shape of the mesh itself is preserved globally, and the result of these operations can therefore be directly printed in 3D or exported in .STL format.

ThinkDesign’s unique environment allows hybrid solids and all other entity types to coexist within assembly models documents. Like all other entities, hybrid solids can be organized within components and sub-assemblies and can be part of animations and analysis checks, making the use of mesh transversal throughout the entire design flow.

In the following videos are described two examples of possible workflows with hybrid solids in ThinkDesign.

In the next article, we’ll evolve the discussion about hybrid solids by digging into other possible workflows which require the use of more advanced solid modeling features and associativity.