Autodesk Alias Studio Software

Autodesk Alias Studio Software

History

Developers :- Autodesk

Stable release :- 2019

Operating system :- Windows, Mac OS X

Type :- CAID software

   Autodesk Alias (formerly known as Alias StudioTools) is a family of Computer-aided industrial design (CAID) software predominantly used in Automotive Design and Industrial Design for generating Class A surfaces using Bézier surface and NURBS modeling method

    The product is sold specifically as CAID rather than CAD, and its tools and abilities are oriented more towards the "styling" aspect of design - that is to say, the product's housing and outer appearance. It does not go into mechanical detail like other CAD programs such as Siemens NX, Inventor, CATIA, Pro/ENGINEER and SolidWorks, but has a much more powerful set of tools for the creation of precisely sculpted curves and surfaces and all 'touch and feel' surfaces of any part that demands aesthetic finish.

Alias Research:

   Alias software was developed by four Computer scientists Stephen Bingham, Nigel McGrath, Susan McKenna and David Springer to create an easy-to-use software realistic 3D package to produce realistic 3D graphic models.

   In 1983, Alias Research was founded at Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Alias unveiled its first product Alias/1 in 1985 at SIGGRAPH '85 in San Francisco.

   Initial versions were to be run only on SGIs super-microcomputer using 64-bit Motorola processors and Irix OS, until late 90's when Windows platform could use 64 bit chips. In 2011 Mac versions were launched.The company soon emerged as a premier software product company that produced high-end 3D graphics software.

Under Silicon Graphics:

   In 1995, Alias Research was purchased by Silicon Graphics and merged Wavefront Technologies, another 3D software graphics company founded in 1984 at Santa Barbara, California, to form Alias/Wavefront which was later renamed as Alias Systems Corporation.

Under Autodesk:

   On October 4, 2005 Alias was acquired by Autodesk, StudioTools changed its name to Autodesk AliasStudio. It became part of Autodesk in 2006.

Features

Products:

  The product suit starts with Alias Design as the entry-level conceptual design system, progressing to Alias Surface, and then to Alias Automotive as the top-of-the-line product with all of the options.

  Tools for sketching, modeling and visualization are combined in one software package. It meets the specialized needs of designers: sketching, freedom to experiment with shape and form, creating organic shapes, visualization for design review, and data exchange with CAD packages.

   As of version 2019, Autodesk Alias was split into separate standalone products:

1. Autodesk Alias AutoStudio (formerly Autodesk Alias Automotive)
2. Autodesk Alias Surface (formerly Autodesk Surface Studio)
3. Autodesk Alias Concept ( formerly Autodesk Design Studio)
4. Autodesk Alias SpeedForm. 

Usage and application:

  Autodesk Alias is often used for design and styling in the automotive, marine, aircraft, sporting equipment, packaging electronic enclosure, children's toy, and fashion accessory markets.

   Alias .wire data reads directly into Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Showcase, Autodesk ImageStudio, Autodesk Maya and Autodesk VRED and It exports into several other 3D engineering packages via IGES or STEP such as Unigraphics, SolidWorks, Pro/ENGINEER, Siemens and CATIA for further downstream detailing and operations.

  The program has two types of modelers within it: NURBS and polygons.

Shortcut Commands by Category:

Assembly

ALT-DRAG MOUSE  :-  MATE CONSTRAINT / Applies a mate constraint.

CTRL-H  :-  REPLACE COMPONENT / Replaces one assembly component with another component.

SHIFT-TAB  :-  PROMOTE / Removes a part from a subassembly and makes it an individual part in the parent assembly.

CTRL-D  :-  OPEN DRAWING / Opens drawing.

ALT-T  :-  TOGGLE TRANSPARENT STATE / Toggles transparency.

ALT-V  :-  VISIBILITY / Changes the visibility of an assembly component in the graphics window.

Drawing Manager

CTRL-SHIFT-N  :-  NEW SHEET / Inserts a new drawing sheet.

CTRL-SHIFT-T  :-  LEADER TEXT / Adds notes with leader lines to a drawing.

ALT-C  :-  CREATE DRAWING VIEW / Creates a new drawing view.

General

CTRL-A  :-  SELECT ALL / Selects everything on the screen.

CTRL-C  :-  COPY / Copies selected items.

CTRL-F  :-  FIND / Presents the Find Part Sketches dialog box in part files; opens the Find Assembly Components dialog box in assembly files.

CTRL-N  :-  NEW / Displays the New File dialog box.

CTRL-O  :-  OPEN / Displays the Open dialog box, to open an existing file.

CTRL-P  :-  PRINT / Displays the Print dialog box.

CTRL-S  :-  SAVE / Displays the Save As dialog box.

CTRL-V  :-  PASTE / Pastes a cut or copied item from one location to another.

CTRL-X  :-  CUT / Cuts selected items.

CTRL-Y  :-  REDO / Redoes previously undone commands.

CTRL-Z  :-  UNDO / Undoes the effects of commands.

DELETE  :-  DELETE / Removes the selected item from the model or drawing.

F2  :-  RENAME / Rename browser node. Browser node must be selected, then use F2 to enter rename mode.

QUIT  :-  EXIT / Quits the application; prompts to save documents.

SHIFT-RIGHT MOUSE CLICK  :-  SELECT / Activates the select command menu.

Part

CTRL-SHIFT-K  :-  CHAMFER / Activates the Chamfer tool.

CTRL-SHIFT-L  :-  LOFT / Activates the Loft tool.

CTRL-SHIFT-M  :-  MIRROR / Activates the Mirror tool.

Placed Features

CTRL-SHIFT-O  :-  CIRCULAR PATTERN / Opens the Circular Pattern dialog box.

CTRL-SHIFT-R  :-  RECTANGULAR PATTERN / Opens the Rectangular Pattern dialog box.

CTRL-SHIFT-S  :-  SWEEP / Activates the Sweep tool.

Sketch

=      :-  EQUAL / Constrains curves to equal radius or length.

F7  :-  SLICE GRAPHICS / Slices away temporarily the portion of the model that obscures the plane.

F8  :-  SHOW ALL CONSTRAINTS / Displays all constraints.

F9  :-  HIDE ALL CONSTRAINTS / Hides all constraints.

CTRL-R  :-  ORTHO MODE / Toggles Ortho Mode (3D Sketch only).

CTRL-D  :-  DYNAMIC DIMENSION / Toggles Dynamic Dimension (3D Sketch only).

CTRL-SHIFT-P  :-  SNAP OBJECT / Toggles object snap on and off (3D Sketch only).

CTRL-I  :-  INFER CONSTRAINTS / Toggles apply constraints on and off.

Tools

ALT-F8  :-  MACROS / Opens the Macros dialog box.

ALT-F11  :-  VISUAL BASIC EDITOR / Launches the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor.

ALT-A  :-  Switch browser pane forward.

ALT-S  :-  Switch browser pane backward.

ESC  :-  CANCEL / Closes the active tool.

F1  :-  HELP / Opens the Inventor help files.

View

ALT-.  :-  USER WORK POINTS VISIBILITY / Makes work points visible.

ALT-]  :-  USER WORK PLANE VISIBILITY / Makes work planes visible.

ALT-/  :-  USER WORK AXES VISIBILITY / Makes work axes visible.

CTRL-.  :-  ORIGIN POINTS VISIBILITY / Makes the default origin points visible.

CTRL-]  :-  ORIGIN PLANE VISIBILITY / Makes the default origin planes visible.

CTRL-/  :-  ORIGIN AXES VISIBILITY / Makes the default origin axes visible.

CTRL-0  :-  TOGGLE SCREEN / Toggles screen.

CTRL-SHIFT-E  :-  DEGREES OF FREEDOM / Displays degrees of freedom.

CTRL-SHIFT-Q  :-  IMATE GLYPH / Activates the iMate Glyph tool.

CTRL-W  :-  STEERING WHEELS / Displays the Steering Wheel view tool.

END  :-  ZOOM SELECTED / Zooms in on a specifically selected item.

F2  :-  PAN / Views areas of the graphics window. (You must hold the [F2] key down.)

F3  :-  ZOOM SELECTED / Realtime zoom in and out of the graphics window. (You must hold the [F3] key down.)

F4  :-  ROTATE / Rotates objects in the graphics window.

F5  :-  PREVIOUS VIEW / Returns to the last display.

F6  :-  HOME VIEW / Rotates objects in the graphics window into an isometric orientation.

F10  :-  SKETCH VISIBILITY / Makes sketches visible.

HOME  :-  ZOOM ALL / Zooms to the extents of all objects in the graphics window.

PAGE UP  :-  LOOK AT / Looks at a selected entity.

SHIFT-F3  :-  ZOOM WINDOW / Zooms to the area you define with a window.

SHIFT-F5  :-  NEXT VIEW / Advances to the next view.

SHIFT-MIDDLE MOUSE CLICK  :-  ROTATE / Rotates a model.

Work Features

;      :-  GROUNDED WORK POINT / Creates a grounded work point and activates the 3D Move/Rotate tool.

/      :-  WORK AXIS / Creates a new work axis.

]      :-  WORK PLANE / Creates a new work plane.

.      :-  WORK POINT / Creates a new work point.