2009-08-18

Geomtry Kernels in AEC/BIM field

A geometry kernel is the core of any modeling software, it is simply the part of the program that understands geometry and the relationships of the various entities the program allows you to draw (let it be a 2D line, rectangle, polygon, or a 3D cube, 3D polygon, face, mesh or that cool NURBS object you had been creating for 3 days).

The geometry kernel is an indicator of the robustness of the modeling software.

Some of the kernels used by key players in the CAD/AEC/BIM and MCAD field:

  • Autodesk AutoCAD: Autodesk Shape Manager (ACIS based)
  • Autodesk Revit: Proprietary kernel from earlier versions of Revit
  • NNA Vectorworks 2009: Siemen’s Parasolid
  • NNA VectorWorks 2008 (and earlier): IntegrityWare Solids++
  • Graphisoft ArchiCAD: Spatial’s ACIS
  • Bentley Microstation: Siemen’s Parasolid
  • PTC Pro/ENGINEER: Proprietary kernel (with Parasolid for compatability)
  • CATIA: Proprietary kernel (with Parasolid for compatability)
  • Dassault SolidWorks: Siemen’s Parasolid (despite owning the ACIS maker)

Articles About the usage of geometry kernels:

http://architosh.com/2008/09/architosh-talks-to-dr-biplap-sarkar-about-parasolid/

http://www10.aeccafe.com/nbc/articles/view_weekly.php?articleid=594268

http://aec.cadalyst.com/aec/Review%2C+AEC+Software/ArchiCAD-12-Cadalyst-Labs-Review/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/556437?contextCategoryId=6574

http://discussion.autodesk.com/forums/message.jspa?messageID=5236836

http://www.dezignstuff.com/blog/?p=2281

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