Geometric modeling kernel

A geometric modeling kernel is a 3D solid modeling software component used in computer-aided design packages^[1] .^[2] Available modelling kernels include:

• Convergence Geometric Modeler^[3] by Dassault Systemes
• Romulus was released in 1982 and licensed by Siemens and HP
• Parasolid by ShapeData, now owned by Siemens
• ACIS by Spatial Corporation, part of Dassault Systemes, is used in many CAD applications.
• ShapeManager,^[4] is a fork of ACIS developed by Autodesk since 2001.
• Granite^[5] by Parametric Technology Corporation
• Open CASCADE is a freely available modelling kernel
• C3D kernel by C3D Labs, part of the ASCON Group.^[6][7]

Kernel market

The kernel market is currently dominated by Parasolid and ACIS, which were introduced in late 1980s. The latest kernels to enter the market are C3D and Convergence Geometric Modeler, which were developed in 1995 and 1998 respectively; they were introduced as standalone products in 2013 and 2011 respectively. ShapeManager has no presence in this market and in 2001 Autodesk clearly stated they were not going into this business.

The world's newest geometric modeling kernel is Russian Geometric Kernel owned by the Russian government, and it is not clear if it is going to be commercially available. However, it has superior features over the other kernels on the market.

Kernel developers

In the table below you can see a representative list of developers that belong to companies developing their own kernel or licensing the kernel from third-party.

^[10]

References