Over the last several decades there have been quantum leaps in terms of advancements in software. Today there’s literally an “app” for everything, and I mean that in the most literal sense. In the past few years, however, it’s been breakthroughs in hardware that have dominated the headlines with lots of media momentum around tech […]
New Hydrogen-Powered Car Was Designed in the Cloud
Although gas prices are at a four-year low, the reality is that eventually we will all be driving cars that are powered by something other than fossil fuel. Globally every year we currently consume the equivalent of over 11 billion tons of oil in fossil fuels. Crude oil reserves are vanishing at a rate of […]
Harley-Davidson Uses High-Tech Tools to Create First Electric Bike
When you think of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, often referred to as “hogs,” its iconic, rumbling sound is often the first thing that comes to mind. The company at one point famously sought to trademark its bikes’ distinctive sound. It sounds this way because of its unique two-cylinder, v-twin engine design. The engine has a single pin […]
CorelCAD 2015 Delivers on Promise of Affordable 2D/3D CAD
Though there is little question that CAD tools have become more powerful and feature-rich, they are still quite expensive. A typical mid-range CAD system will set you back about $5,000 per seat. To overcome any cost barriers to entry for smaller companies, startups and those that might just need CAD from “time to time,” many […]
MSC Releases SimManager 2014 for CAE
MSC Software Corp. announces that the release of SimManager, which delivers both simulation process and data management enhancements. This new release focuses on user interface improvements that make the software easier to use and provides direct integration with CAE application, such as MSC Software’s Adams, Patran and Marc, as well as ANSA from Beta CAE […]
TraceParts Announces Debut of New 3D Community, Redesigned Web Site
TraceParts Inc., a leading provider of 3D engineering content, announced yesterday that it has launched a new 3D community that will aim to connect CAD users and suppliers. The community, which will be called 3D Exchange (3DX), will also be a platform on which community members can display their work and solicit feedback. The company […]
Design Must “Get Smart” in the IoT World
Once upon a time, products consisted of mechanical components. Much thought and brainstorming went into the best ways to design these components to make them function better than competing products. Life for product designers and engineers became more complicated when products began including electrical parts, as mechanical design and electrical design are often done on […]
Previewing COMSOL Multiphysics 5.0 and the Application Builder
Today, COMSOL gave its users a sneak peek at the pre-release of its flagship product, COMSOL Multiphysics 5.0, as well as an Application Builder product at its annual user event, COMSOL Conference 2014 in Boston, MA. COMSOL users can now design specialized applications to provide researchers, designers and manufacturers with access to multiphysics simulation. Version […]
Dassault delivers with SolidWorks 2015
Over 2.3 million CAD users have patiently awaited the release of SolidWorks 2015. Their wait is now over and their patience has been rewarded with a bounty of new features and enhancements that even the most cynical of users will appreciate. With much fanfare, Dassault Systems rolled out the newest version of its very popular…
Siemens Releases NX 10 Software
The latest version of Siemens’ NX software has been released, touting among many things increased design flexibility and up to 3X higher productivity for users. New tools, such as the 2D concept development solution, make it easier and faster to create designs, while enhancements to NX Realize Shape software, a fully integrated sub-division modelling environment, […]
Delcam Releases SolidWorks-Integrated CAM Version
CAD-integrated CAM software greatly facilitates the communication between design and manufacturing by removing the error-prone process of having to translate data between two systems. It also helps decrease the traditional disconnect that exists between the two groups of users, enabling both teams to do the work concurrently. Delcam recently launched Delcam for SolidWorks integrated CAD […]
DEM Solutions Releases Add-In for ANSYS Workbench
Manufacturers of equipment designed to handle bulk materials, such as bucket loaders, transfer chutes and truck bodies, must take into consideration the behavior of materials such as coal, ores or soil, a task that is difficult using traditional methods. In addition, estimating the effect of material loads on equipment can significantly impact the success of […]
MSC Software Changes the Simulation Game with Apex Platform
Computer-based simulation software has been around a long time. It’s value in enabling companies to validate designs without costly physically testing has been well documented. Despite the advantages, the technology has had its challenges in terms of widespread adoption. It’s been criticized as being too expensive and too difficult to use. A recent CIMdata report […]
CD-adapco’s STAR-CCM+ to be Used to Design Ben Ainslie America’s Cup Racing Boat
To design and build the world’s fastest racing yacht requires significant time and effort, the highest level of design expertise and best-in-class design tools. Certainly it also requires skilled sailors, but the key to winning this long-standing race has incresingly become design excellence. The focus of the 35th edition of the America’s Cup is sustainability. […]
ANSYS Partners with Modelon to Enable Virtual Systems Prototyping
Virtual prototyping of products on the component level is something many manufacturers do to validate designs without the costly and time-consuming burden of physical testing via real prototypes. Building prototypes requires a lot of time and significant resources so typically it’s a one-and-done scenario that takes place at the end of the design cycle. If […]
Stratasys Acquires GrabCAD
Nothing like breaking industry news to get your Tuesday started off with a bang. First thing this morning, news broke that GrabCAD is being acquired by Stratasys Ltd., a global provider of 3D printing and addictive manufacturing systems. Initially perplexed by the acquisition, just one of many in the CAD industry this year, but as […]
Autodesk Aims to Tackle Collaboration Challenges with A360
Despite advances in nearly every area of product development technology, effective collaboration still seems to be a struggle for manufacturers. The tools that enable safe and efficient collaboration–both internally and externally–between design teams and their partners, suppliers and internal design participants have been sorely lacking. As a result, engineers and designers have used a hodgepodge […]
Looking Under the Hood of SolidWorks 2015
A large group of editors, bloggers, users and analysts from across the country converged in Boston last week to hear all the details of the highly anticipated release of SolidWorks 2015. With SolidWorks 2015, the company focused on providing its users with a wider range of choices for improving everyday productivity, optimizing work processes, reducing […]
MIT Spinoff Speeds Simulation of Large Structures
In product development, simulation technology, such as finite element analysis (FEA), is commonly used to test how products will behave and perform under a range of real-world conditions (stress, heat, vibration, etc.) while those product still remain in digital form. The challenge of modeling and simulating large-scale structures, such as mining equipment, buildings, and oil […]
MSC Rolls Out New Releases of Marc 2014 and Adams 2014
The developers at MSC Software have been busy this summer. The Newport Beach, CA-based developer of multidiscipline simulation software has made two major product announcements this month, releasing new versions of Marc nonlinear FEA software and Adams multi-body dynamics simulation software. Let’s start with Marc 2014, which is used by product engineers for nonlinear and […]
Are Engineering Drawings Dead?
Mark Twain once famously said, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” If engineering drawings collectively had a voice, they might say the same thing. With product developers increasingly transitioning to 3D CAD systems, many have predicted that engineering drawings would go the way of landlines, printed maps and VCRs. Engineers–once better known […]
3D PDFs Provide Easy Way to Share CAD Data
Earlier this week in this blog, I discussed how users can maximize their investments in 3D CAD systems by sharing their CAD data with downstream data consumers, such as documentation, assembly, manufacturing, quality, sales and marketing personnel. Sharing technical data with these people can speed up all of the supporting activities that accompany product development […]
3D PDFs Provide Easy Way to Share CAD Data
Earlier this week in this blog, I discussed how users can maximize their investments in 3D CAD systems by sharing their CAD data with downstream data consumers, such as documentation, assembly, manufacturing, quality, sales and marketing personnel. Sharing technical data with these people can speed up all of the supporting activities that accompany product development […]
SolidThinking Introduces Inspire 2014
Engineers and designers are under constant pressure to design innovative products. They are also under the gun to get these new products to market faster than ever. In order to empower them to accomplish these goals, design and simulation software tools are being increasingly used to optimize products early in the conceptual phase of development, […]
The Pros and Cons of Intelligent Part Numbering
Companies–both large and small–must manage increasingly large amounts of data. Keeping track of this data is difficult without some type of file management system in place, however, statistics show that the majority of companies continue to manage their data–often inefficiently–without any type of system in place. Reasons behind why companies don’t implement document management systems, […]