Frequently Asked Questions

What is Geomagic Blade, and what does it do?

Geomagic Blade is an extension of Geomagic Qualify that has been specifically developed for the turbomachinery industry needs.

What are the benefits of Geomagic Blade?

Geomagic Blade is specifically developed for the turbomachinery industry needs. Geomagic Blade offers a collection of specific functionalities for users that perform inspection and analysis of blades, impellers, rotors, stators and other similar parts. These functionalities include the capability to automatically dimension an airfoil, calculating chord length, Leading and Trailing Edge radius, twist analysis and many others.

For the benefits of Geomagic Qualify, see Geomagic Qualify: Benefits.

Do I have to change my workflow to use Geomagic Blade?

No. Geomagic Blade and Geomagic Qualify, along with an inspection device, is a complement to existing inspection processes such as CMM, providing, however, a faster and more comprehensive analysis of the part.

Will Geomagic Blade support my scanner?

Geomagic Qualify with Geomagic Blade extension is compatible with any 3D scanner or digitizer. The majority of 3D scanner file formats can be read natively, and some scanners have direct hardware support for data acquisition via Geomagic Plugins.

How much data can Geomagic Blade handle?

Geomagic Qualify with Geomagic Blade extension uses intelligent memory mapping and disk caching with available hard drive swap space to handle very large data sets. Multiple scans totaling over 100 million points can be registered and merged on a machine with 2 GB of RAM. After creating the merged model, polygon decimation is used to reduce the triangle count while retaining accuracy.

How accurate is Geomagic Blade?

Geomagic Blade uses double-precision floating point numbers to retain all of the accuracy of the original input data. This is sufficient for ~15 digits of numerical precision. However the total accuracy of the inspection process is driven by the accuracy of the inspection device used (hardware component).

Do I need to have a scanner to use Geomagic Blade?

Geomagic Blade can be used for analyzing data coming from a variety of data sources other than scanners, including CMMs and Laser Trackers.

Can Geomagic Blade process CMM data?

Yes, Geomagic Blade can work with any type of point cloud, including sparse datasets from conventional CMMs or denser data gathered from CMMs equipped with scanning heads.

What services and support are available to ensure my success?

The Geomagic Services group provides support for custom software development, consulting, implementation services, and training.

In addition, Geomagic’s global offices offer technical support via email 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.

How do I purchase Geomagic Blade?

Geomagic Qualify with Geomagic Blade extension, is available from resellers throughout the world. Visit our website to find a reseller closest to you.

What are the system requirements for Geomagic Blade?

Geomagic Blade requires Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP, a processor speed of at least 1 GHz, and 1 GB of RAM is the minimum requirement.

It is strongly recommended a dual processor and 2GB of RAM.

For detailed information, see Geomagic Qualify: Technical Requirements.

How does Geomagic Blade complement CMM?

Geomagic Blade is used during the inspection process to collect data from different inspection sources: from spare datasets coming from CMMs to large cloud of points coming from structured light scanners. Independently by the data source, user can perform the analysis and the reporting process using Qualify functionalities.

What CAD data formats are supported?

Catia v.4 and v.5, Pro/E .prt, IGES, STEP 203/214, Neutral, VDA, SAT, Parasolid .x_t and .x_b

Do I need programming experience to create automated reports?

Absolutely not. Automation is built into Geomagic Blade, such that any step executed by the user is automatically “recorded and stored”, without the need for any user manual intervention.

After the entire analysis and inspection process is completed, the user can use the automation process to analyze a newly scanned part and generate a new report with a single click.

Can Geomagic Blade be used for inline inspection and offline inspection?

Yes, Geomagic Blade can be used for both inline inspection and offline inspection. The capability to control Geomagic Qualify and Geomagic Blade using an external program such as Visual Basic, through a COM server, allows the connection of automatic inspection devices (such as robots) with Geomagic Qualify and Geomagic Blade analysis and reporting.

Can Geomagic Blade be used to inspect tooling as well as products?

Yes, Geomagic Blade can be used in the same way to inspect parts, assemblies and tools. The following steps outline the typical analysis and reporting process:

i) Import a CAD model (part, assembly or tool)

ii) Import a set of scan data

iii) Align the two sets

iv) Compare the two sets (3D and 2D deviations)

v) Perform specific analysis (GD&T, 3D dimensioning, twist analysis, blade dimensioning, wall thickness, sectioning and others)

vi) Generate a report