Materialise 3-matic

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Master Design for Additive Manufacturing: From Complex Mesh Editing to Lightweight Lattice Optimization

Optimize 3D designs with Materialise 3-matic. Create lattice structures, convert mesh to CAD, and automate workflows for additive manufacturing. Request a quote today!

Create the Best Designs for 3D Printing

In order to obtain design modifications on the mesh level, you require a resourceful and complex tool that allows you to take advantage of all the capabilities and advantages of 3D printing. And a great design for Additive Manufacturing usually starts with a CAD design, a topology optimized model, a simulation, or scanned data as input.

With Materialise 3-matic, you can rectify rough data for simulation or convert the mesh back to CAD. Moreover, it allows you to enhance your design for Additive Manufacturing by creating 3D textures, lattice structures and conformal structures. Last but not least, 3-matic also includes scripting automation for an easy way to create ranges of validation samples and improve overall productivity.

materialise lattice module

Available Modules

Want to take full advantage of the design freedom made possible with additive manufacturing processes? With Materialise 3-matic you’re empowered to apply functional textures, lightweight parts, and create complex lattice structures to improve part performance.

  • Create textures
  • Create lattice structures
  • Automate workflows with scripting
  • Import files
  • Convert STL files back to CAD
  • Prepare parts for CAE applications

What is great about Materialise 3-matic?

Unheard-of Freedom of Design

With our design optimization software, you can fully personalize your products and create models that were impossible to produce with traditional manufacturing methods.

Save Time and Costs with Lattice Structures

Create stunning lattice designs with lower material costs and less printing time. These optimized lattices outperform solid blocks of material in so many ways.

3-matic texture part

Master Part Properties

Master the physical properties of your part. Change aerodynamic, acoustic and cushioning properties or characteristics, increase grip or control the density of your part with porous structures.

3-matic materialise textures

Rely on a Complete Platform

Materialise 3-matic is integrated with Materialise Magics and other solutions from our extensive software suite.

magics materialise software

Materialise 3-matic Features

Design Optimization

 

Materialise 3-matic is a 3D modeling software program that enables design optimization and modification on mesh level, using CAD designs, scanned data and topology optimized models as a starting point.

Past-Topology Optimization

 

You can redesign rough surfaces outputted by topology optimization with Matrialise 3-matic thus avoiding complicated freeform modeling work when moving to CAD, as well as more complexity and possible stress concentrations for FEA.

Textures, Patterns and Perforations

 

With the Texturing Module, you can directly apply textures, perforations and patterns to complex 3D shapes within an STL file. Textures provide extra value to your Additive Manufacturing projects by adding functionality or an aesthetic dimension.

 

 

Lattice, Conformal and Porous Structures

The Lattice Module allows you to create directly printable internal and external structures that add extra strength, provide cushioning, increase porosity, or simply reduce the weight of the design.

Convert Mesh to CAD

Easily convert your mesh file to a CAD file format with Materialise 3-matic CAD Link Module. The conversion will recognize the analytical shapes in the part and will generate a fully parametric file without having to design from scratch.

Automate the Workflow

For an automated and faster process, the Scripting module lets you have more control. It comes with Phyton API and affords access to 3-matic objects and features. The module also features a comprehensive console including auto-complete and built-in, easy-to-use script editor.

How to Optimize Your 3D Designs with Materialise 3-matic

1. Prepare and Import Your Data

The process begins by bringing in your existing design data to the 3-matic environment.

  • Import CAD/Mesh Data: Convert native or non-native CAD data—including STEP, IGES, VDA, and Catia files—into STL data for mesh-level editing.
  • Clean Up Scanned Data: Use the software to rectify and clean up rough data from 3D scans or simulation outputs.
  • Point Cloud Meshing: Import and utilize meshing functionality specifically for point cloud data sets.

2. Apply Functional or Aesthetic Textures

Improve the look, feel, and performance of your part using the Texturing Module.

  • Convert 2D to 3D: Start from a 2D bitmap and use the software to convert it into a 3D texture directly on your STL file.
  • Select from Library: Choose from a large internal library of textures, including procedural leather, to create seamless surfaces without stretch marks.
  • Create Perforations: Use single pattern elements to design elaborate 3D patterning or perforations to control part density.
  • Apply to Complex Surfaces: Use slice-based technology to apply textures to hundreds of complex or irregular surfaces simultaneously while keeping file sizes to a minimum

3. Design Lightweight Lattice Structures

Optimize the internal and external structure of your part to balance strength and weight.

  • Select Structure Type: Choose from a variety of structures, including Voronoi, randomized, mesh-based, or conformal structures.
  • Design Custom Unit Structures: Design your own unit structures in CAD and import them to grow your personal 3-matic library.
  • Refine Connections: Create organic connections between lattices to increase overall design flexibility and part performance.

4. Validate and Analyze for Buildability

Ensure your optimized part is ready for both simulation and manufacturing.

  • Analyze Strength: Use Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to test design strength and reinforce the structure density where needed.
  • Test 3D Printability: Perform dedicated analysis to ensure the design is physically 3D printable before sending it to production.
  • Optimize for CAE: Use the Remesh Module to create Tet4 and Tet10 volume meshes for advanced engineering simulations

5. Automate and Export

Finalize your workflow to maximize productivity and return your data to a CAD environment.

  • Codify Repetitive Tasks: Use the Scripting Module and Python API to automate repetitive work, reducing human error and increasing consistency.
  • Scale to Mass Customization: Use scripts to scale your work from a single custom design to hundreds of variations.
  • Return to CAD/CAM: Use the CAD Link Module to convert STL files back to STEP or IGES formats, recognizing analytical shapes and converting organic regions to NURBS for a fully parametric design.
  • Export for Simulation: Export surface and volume meshes to external CAE formats such as Ansys, Abaqus, or Nastran

Learn more

System requirements

 

Minimum System Requirements
Recommended System Requirements
Hardware
Software
Hardware
Software
Third-generation Intel®Core™ i3 or equivalent Windows® 10 version -64bit Third generation Intel® Core™ i5/i7 or equivalent Windows® 10 version 1803 – 64bit
8 GB RAM Internet Explorer® 11 or equivalent 16 GB RAM Internet Explorer® 11 or equivalent
DirectX® 11.0 compliant graphics card with 1GB RAM PDF viewer DirectX® 11.0 compliant AMD Radeon/NVIDIA® GeForce® card with 2GB RAM PDF viewer
15 GB free hard disk space .NET framework 4.6.1 (or higher) 20 GB free hard disk space .NET framework 4.6.1 (or higher)
Resolution of 1280×1024 Resolution of 1920×1080 or higher

Start optimizing your CAD Data and get the most out of your additive manufacturing investment.

Book a demo or request a free trial today. 

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