3D modeling power and finesse without constraints.™

Xenon 3D modeling provides the perfect combination of powerful, precise and easy-to-use tools available equally on both Mac and Windows. Xenon’s grace and power are evident in our unique Organic Workflow™ non-linear design process, smoothing everything from concept through completion. Xenon includes associative solid and surface modeling, wire-frame design, precision engineering drawings, and photo-realistic rendering tools.

  • Unique Working Environment featuring Organic Workflow™
  • Unified Associative, Drawing & Modeling Tools
  • Holistically Integrated Tool Palette for Wireframe, Surfaces & Solids
  • Vellum Drafting Assistant™ for Intelligent Snaps and Alignments in X,Y & Z
  • Unique Hybrid Mac/Windows, Office/Home Licensing
  • Complete Set of Precision Import/Export Translators Including ACIS SAT, Parasolid, IGES, STEP, DXF, DWG, EPS, AI, and more
  • 2D/3D PDF Export and 2D Import
  • Full Support 3D Printing
  • Class-A, NURBS Surface Modeling
  • True Solid Modeling
  • Surface Analysis
  • Full Photo-realistic Rendering & Camera-based Animation
  • Design Explorer™ History Tree
  • Associative 2D View Generation with Auxiliary, Section, and Detail Views
  • True Associative Dimensioning
  • Bill of Materials
  • License optionally includes Graphite™ v10 in Plus price
  • Object & Assembly Properties (CG, Volume, Weight, etc.)

3D Modeling for Engineers and Artists

Luc Heiligenstein designed this sports watch using both Ashlar-Vellum drafting and 3D modeling software.

Ashlar-Vellum products bridge the gap between the artistic aspect and the engineering requirements with everything needed in between.

Read more about Luc’s success with Ashlar-Vellum’s CAD and 3D modeling software.

General Features

  • Direct, Associative 3D Modeling
  • ACIS Modeling Kernel from Spatial
  • 16 Place Floating Point Accuracy
  • Hybrid Mac/Windows, Office/Home License
  • 65,000 Hierarchical Layers
  • Unlimited Colors
  • Unlimited Number of Objects and Drawing Size
  • Single File Holds Drawings, Models, Assemblies, etc.
  • Direct Multi-sheet 2D PDF Creation and Import
  • 3D PDF Export

Associative Parametrics

  • Parametric Sketch-driven:
    • Direct Input
    • Dimensional
    • Geometric
  • Modify:
    • Wireframe Creation
    • Surface Creation
    • Solids Creation
    • Mesh Creation
    • Surface Edits
    • Solid Edits
    • Mesh Edits
    • Solid Features

Interactive 3D Modeling

Product designer Kevin Quigley used the associative solid and surface modeling found in Xenon and Cobalt to create several variations of the bath for the client, Victoria & Albert, to choose.

I like to work interactively with my customers. One of the ways we can do this is by using the powerful associativity in Xenon and Cobalt.

Learn how Kevin uses Ashlar-Vellum 3D modeling software.

User Interface

  • Updated Intuitive Vellum® Interface
  • Drafting Assistant™ for Automatic Snaps and Alignments
  • Smart Cursor Changes Shape Indicating Active Tool and Operations
  • Strokes and Short Cuts Provide Instant Access to Commands
  • Tear-off and Auto-hide Palettes
  • Dockable Tools and Palettes
  • Palettes can be Flipped Vertically or Horizontally
  • Resizable Dialog Boxes
  • Status Line to Specify Object Parameters
  • Message Line Provides Tool Instructions and Options
  • World and User-defined Coordinate Systems
  • All Data Entry Fields can Perform Numeric Calculations
  • TrackBall for View Selection and Dynamic or Step Rotation
  • Show/Hide Palette
  • Selection Mask for Easier Selection of Specific Entity Types, Layers, Colors
  • Grid (User Definable)
  • Object Editor
  • Design Explorer™ Layer Tree
  • Design Explorer™ History Tree
  • History Manager
  • Support for SpaceMouse Device on Mac and Windows
  • Easy Update Installer

Object Management Tools

  • Design Explorer™:
    • Layer Tree
    • History Tree
  • Object Properties Dialog
  • Show/Hide Palette

Display and Visualization

  • Scene Display Modes:
    • Flat Shaded
    • Gouraud
    • Gouraud w/Edges
    • Phong
    • Phong w/Edges
    • Hidden Line Dimmed
    • Hidden Line Removed
    • Photo-realistic
  • Scene Display Options:
    • Anti-alias
    • ZBuffer Curves
    • Clip at Eye Point
    • Transparency
    • Reflected Environment
  • Real-time Object Display Options:
    • Display Iso Lines
    • Silhouettes
    • Transparency
    • Direction
    • Curvature Comb
    • Surface Analysis Display (Gaussian, Mean, Min/Max, Zebra, Normals, Curvature, Draft)
    • Object Display Resolution (Coarse, Medium, Fine, Very Fine, Super Fine)
    • User Definable Object Colors
  • Adjustable Perspective
  • Infinite Pan and Zoom
  • Section Profiles and Cutaway View in the Edit Window
  • Real-time 3D Display:
    • Curves
    • Surfaces
    • Solids
    • Meshes
    • Text
    • Bitmaps
    • Dimensions

Design, Collaborate, Communicate

Celso Santos and Christian Albanese, award winning designers at Rio 21 Design.

Besides being technically perfect, this is a tool that allows us to communicate with clients, suppliers and consumers.

Read more about their success designing with Ashlar-Vellum 3D modeling tools.

General Transform Tools

  • Move
  • Copy Along Path
  • Rectangular Array Duplicate
  • Feature Array
  • Rotate
  • Polar Array Duplicate
  • Scale (Uniform or Differential)
  • Mirror
  • Align

Object and Group Properties

  • Material
  • Center of Gravity
  • Volume
  • Weight
  • Density
  • Moments of Inertia
  • Principal
  • Axis

Wireframe Creation Tools

  • Point
  • Points on Curve
  • Points on Surface
  • Line
  • Mid-point Line
  • Connected Line
  • Arc
  • Circle
  • Ellipse
  • Conic
  • Rectangle
  • Polygon
  • Arbitrary Polygon
  • Star Polygon
  • Sketch Spline
  • Through-point Spline
  • Vector Spline
  • Bezier Spline
  • Helix
  • Spiral

Image Handling Options for 2D Raster Images

  • Transparency
  • Independent Corner Adjustment
  • Used as Infinite Plane
  • Fit to Profile
  • Link to Profile

Xenon’s 3D Modeling Advantage

John Bicht loved Graphite’s fluidity for design but found his clients had difficulty visualizing the final product in 2D. So for marketing purposes he rather reluctantly moved to Xenon. Now he’ll never go back.

While initially harder to learn than Graphite, Xenon’s rich 3D capabilities, once learned, provided several huge advantages over simply working in 2D wireframe.

Read more about John’s 3D modeling success with Xenon.

Wireframe Editing Tools

  • Fillet
  • Chamfer
  • Trim
  • Relimit/Extend
  • Break
  • Offset
  • Join
  • Extrude
  • Revolve
  • Project to Plane
  • Extract Edge of Surface or Solid
  • Increase Order
  • Fair Spline
  • Add/Remove Spline Points
  • Modify Spline Slope
  • Curve by Intersection of Plane and a Curve, Surface, or Solid
  • Project Curve onto Surface/Solid
  • Intersect Two Curves
  • Create Points by Intersecting Surfaces or Solids

Surface Creation Tools

  • Surface Primitives:
    • Sphere
    • Block
    • Cylinder
    • Pyramid
  • Infinite Plane
  • Lathe
  • Extruded Surface
  • Sweep:
    • In Place
    • Perpendicular
    • Ridged
  • Sweep Along One Rail:
    • Full Rail
    • To Entity
    • Between Rail Points
  • Sweep Along Two Rails:
    • With Maintain Height
  • Skin, Skin w/ Guide Curves
  • Tangent Loft
  • Cover Surface, Tangent Cover
  • Net Surface
  • Revolved Surface
  • Tube Surface
  • Offset Surface
  • Drafted/Extended Surface
  • Fillet Surface
  • Surface from Two Contours
  • Conic Surface from Sections & Guides

Surface Editing Tools

  • Freeform Deformation (Push/Pull Surface Points)
  • Deform to a Point, Factor, or Curves
  • Add/Subtract/Intersect Planar Surfaces
  • Join Surfaces
  • Trim/Untrim Surfaces
  • Match G1 and G2 Tangency
  • Insert Control Points
  • Elevate Degree
  • Rebuild Surfaces
  • Add, Remove, & Replace
  • Curves of Associative Surfaces
  • Imprint Profile Sketches for Surface Subdivisions

Solid Creation Tools

  • Solid Primitives:
    • Sphere
    • Slab
    • Block
    • Cylinder
    • Cone
    • Torus
    • Prism
    • Pyramid
    • Ellipsoid
  • Lathe Profile:
    • With Draft
  • Extrude Profile:
    • Distance
    • Vector
    • To Entity
    • Mid Plane
    • Thin Wall
    • With Draft
  • Skin, Skin w/ Guide Curves
  • Tangent Loft
  • Sweep Profile Along One Rail:
    • In Place
    • Perpendicular
    • Ridged
    • Full Rail
    • To Entity
    • Between Rail Points
    • With Draft
  • Sweep Profile Along Two Rails:
    • With Maintain Height
  • Pipe Solid
  • Thicken Surface into Solid
  • Stitch Surfaces into Solid

Solid Editing Tools

  • Boolean Add/Subtract/ Intersect Solids
  • Constant Blends:
    • Radial
    • Elliptical
    • Vertex
  • Variable Blends:
    • Linear
    • By Position
    • To Curve
    • To Fixed Width
    • To a Hold Line
  • Constant Chamfers:
    • By Length
    • Two Lengths
    • Length and Angle
    • Vertex
  • Variable Chamfers:
    • By Lengths
    • Four Lengths
    • Lengths and Angles
    • By Position
    • To Fixed Width
  • Holes:
    • With Bore
    • With Sink
    • To Depth
    • Through
    • First Blind
    • To Face
    • With Draft
  • Bosses:
    • With Specified Fillet
    • With Draft
  • Profile Cutout:
    • With Draft
  • Profile Protrude:
    • By Vector
    • To Face
    • With Draft
  • Split:
    • With Surfaces or Solids
  • Trim:
    • With Curves, Surfaces or Solids
  • Shell:
    • With Independent Face Offsets
    • With Core/Cavity Options
  • Parting Line:
    • With Draft
  • Local Operations:
    • Taper/Draft Face
    • Move Face/Edge
    • Offset Face
    • Remove Face
    • Replace Face
    • Match Face
    • Deform Face (By Factor, To Point, To Curves)
  • Bend Solids

Independent 2D/3D Drawing Creation

  • Predefined and Customizable Layouts
  • Complete Professional Drafting Available
  • Create 2D/3D Drawings w/o Building Models
  • Stored in Same File as Model

2D/3D Drawing Creation from Models

  • Associative 2D or 3D Views from 3D Wireframe, Surfaces, and Solids
  • Photo-renderings Accommodated in Views:
    • As Underlay
    • As Interleave
  • Associative Detail Views
  • Associative Section Views:
    • With Auto Hatching
  • Automatic Hidden Line
  • Predefined and Customizable Layouts
  • Automatic Labels:
    • View Name
    • Scale

PDF Integration

  • 3D Export
    • U3D-style 3D PDFs
  • 2D Export
    • Direct (Generates Non-tessellated Arcs)
    • Multi-sheet
    • Imbedded Exports Optional
    • PDF Large Size Export up to 200in × 200in (508cm × 508cm, including margins)
    • Page Size Independent of Print Size
  • 2D Import
    • Vector
    • Raster
    • Text

Camera-based Animation

  • Fly-by
  • Walk-through
  • Sunlight Timeline
  • QuickTime Object VR
  • QuickTime Panoramic VR
  • Direct Event Journal Recording and Playback
  • QuickTime Event Recording and Playback

Easy to Use and Navigate

Designer Jonty Sherwill of Sherwill Design conceptualizes new product, packaging and interiors in Xenon 3D modeling software.

Navigating around a 3D workspace can be confusing in some programs, but with the subtle prompts built into Xenon you always know where you are, and what to do next.

Read more about Jonty’s work with Xenon 3D modeling software.

2D/3D Drafting & Detailing

  • Available for Independent and Model-driven Drawings
  • Smart Dimension Tool Automatically Creates the Appropriate Dimensions
  • Dimensions:
    • Linear
    • Angular
    • Diametric
    • Radial
    • Spline Length
  • Standard and User-definable Tolerances and Settings:
    • ANSI
    • DIN
    • ISO
    • JIS
    • Dual
    • Architecture
    • Stacked Fraction
  • Balloon and Callout Dimensions
  • Predefined and User Created Hatch Patterns with Area and Perimeter
  • Predefined Fill Patterns
  • Associative Bill of Materials
  • All Dimensions can be Associative, Dynamic, or Static

Photo-realistic Rendering

  • Drag and Drop Materials
  • Realistic Texture Maps and Procedural Textures:
    • Wood
    • Marble
    • Granite
    • Leather
    • Plastic
    • Glass
    • Metal
    • Brushed Metal
    • Automotive Paint
    • and more
  • Advanced Material Editor:
    • Color
    • Reflectance
    • Specular
    • Diffuse
    • Ambient
    • Roughness
    • Bump
    • Transparency
    • Refraction
    • Texture Orientation
    • and more
  • Interactive Materials Display
  • Environment Maps
  • Customizable Scene Presets
  • Editable Light Sources:
    • Spot
    • Bulb
    • Distant
  • Photo-realistic Sunlight (Location/Date/Time)
  • Photo-realistic Tube and Area Lights
  • Adjustable Hard and Soft Shadows
  • Visible Volumetric Light Effects
  • Sketch Effects
  • Fog Effects
  • Backgrounds
  • Raytracing with Anti-aliasing
  • Production Quality Resolution & Output (bmp, tga, tif, lwi, eps)
  • Multiprocessor Photo-realistic Rendering
  • Optionally Interleave Wireframe Geometry in Photo-realistically Rendered Stills and Animations

Available Accessories

  • Graphite v10 (optionally included with Plus)
  • Kinetics™ for Motion Simulation
  • Cobalt Share™ for Viewing, Printing and Exporting at Client or Manufacturing Site (Free)
  • Vellum:environments™
  • Vellum:tracks™
  • Vellum:materials™
  • Vellum:decals™
  • Tutorials (Free)

Text Tools

  • Normal
  • Along a Path
  • Keep Screen Horizontal
  • At an Angle
  • Set:
    • Font
    • Size
    • Style
    • Color
  • Thicken
  • Extrude
  • Revolve
  • Sweep

Import/Export

  • ACIS SAT
  • PDF
    • 2D/3D Export
    • 3D Import
  • DWG/DXF
  • IGES
  • STEP
  • Pro/E (via SAT)
  • Parasolid X_T (Windows Only)
  • SolidWorks (via SAT)
  • Catia v4
  • 3D Studio (Import Only)
  • Rhino 3DM (Import Only)
  • Facet
  • STL
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • EPS (Export Only)
  • CGM
  • VRML
  • ShockWave 3D (Export Only)
  • Bitmap:
    • BMP (with Alpha Channel)
    • JPEG
    • PNG (with Alpha Channel)
    • PPM
    • XPM
    • XBM
    • GIF
  • PICT (Mac Only)
  • Spline (Import Only)
  • RAW Triangle (Export Only)
  • ASCII Text
  • Grid Surface (Import Only)
  • SIM (Kinetics Export)
  • Other Ashlar-Vellum Products

Localized User Interface

  • English US
  • English UK
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Portuguese
  • Russian (Windows only)
  • Swedish

System Requirements

  • Windows / macOS
  • Windows x64 10 / 11 (Intel and AMD)
  • macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) / 10.14 (Mojave) / 10.15 (Catalina) / 11 (Big Sur)* / 12 (Monterey)* / 13 (Ventura)* / 14 (Sonoma)*
  • OpenGL 3.3 compatible Video Card Required / Medium- to High-performance Graphics Subsystem Recommend
  • 2 GB RAM Required / 8 GB Recommended
  • 2 GB free hard drive space Required / 4+ GB SSD Recommended
  • High Speed Internet Connection

*Apple silicon is supported via Rosetta2 which is included free by Apple in macOS 11, 12, 13, and 14 for Apple silicon based Macs

Precision and Elegance

Designer Scot Oshry of Zorbit Resources created these handsome cosmetics bottles for Oakley

See more of Scot’s designs in the Packaging section of our Gallery.