Leuven, Belgium, October 17, 2002 – Materialise, industry leading developer of Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Tooling software, presents Magics 8. Materialise has sped up the manipulation, editing and fixing of STL files by developing a variety of advanced, intelligent algorithms. These algorithms are especially designed to boost efficiency and productivity. The result is the addition of a wide range of powerful new tools to the Magics software.

Self-intersections (intersecting triangles or surfaces within one part) can easily be removed with the brand new 'Unify' tool. 'Unify' is very useful for post-processing offset and Z-compensation. Magics' other novel features for repairing functionality include a 'small triangle remover' and an improved 'fill all holes' function. You'll save the time and hassle of fixing files yourself after importing them with Magics' new fixing algorithms. These algorithms correct defective 3D CAD files automatically before they are converted into STL files.

Would you like to smooth only a selection of triangles or perform a triangle reduction on a single surface while the rest of the part remains detailed and unchanged? Local smoothing and local triangle reduction makes it possible from now on.

What if parts are too large for the machine? What if it would be easier to build the part into separate pieces? Magics offers the perfect solution through its cutting functionality, with the increased flexibility of its two new cutting options. Use the 'cylinder cut' when you need to cut a cylinder or circle shaped piece from the part. The 'profile cut' is especially designed to ensure a strong assemblage of the cut parts. The teeth of this 'profile cut' can be defined parametrically, allowing you to adapt them perfectly to your needs.

It can't be denied… Magics 8 proves its worth as a major update as it provides a lot of added value for professional users.

Find out about the other novelties in Magics 8 by consulting the 'What's new in Magics 8' section on the Materialise website: http://www.materialise.com/Magics

About Materialise:

Materialise, with headquarters in Belgium, started in 1990 in the sector of rapid prototyping. Since that time, the company has experienced an exponential growth. Materialise is more than just one of the leading European Rapid Prototyping providers. Materialise also develops innovative applications enabling advanced use of the rapid prototyping techniques. Materialise software is used worldwide by the leading companies of the automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics. The 'Magics' software line provides a variety of solutions for data handling in product communication, rapid prototyping and rapid tooling. Materialise has offices all over the world and the largest software development team in the RP sector with locations in Belgium and Kiev (Ukraine).

Questions or remarks? Please visit the company's website at http://www.materialise.com

For more information, contact:

In the US:
Materialise US, 6111 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor MI48103, phone (734) 662 5057. E-mail: Email Contact

In Europe:
Materialise NV, Technologielaan 15, 3001 Leuven, Belgium, phone +32 (16) 39 66 11. E-mail: Email Contact

In Japan:
Yokohama Portside Building 2F, 8-1 Sakae-cho-Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, phone 81-45-440-4591. E-mail: Email Contact

In the rest of Asia:
Unit D6-03 Phileo Damansara 1, No 9 Jln. 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Malayasia, phone (603) 7765 2966. E-mail: Email Contact