MSC at 50: A CAE pioneer reinvents itself
MSC Software founders Robert Schwendler (left) and Richard MacNeal (right), 1963 MSC Software is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It was literally one of the first software companies, and though its been through some changes over the years, it’s still in the business of creating tools for engineers to simulate and analyze complex systems. Last week, I spent a couple of days... Read More
Russian CAD
It’s robust and powerful, and someday, you may be using it. For engineers and designers in the United States, Russia doesn’t often come to mind when thinking about sources of CAD software. Yet, Russia is one of the global centers for the development of advanced CAD software. Russia’s rise to preeminence in CAD software development was spurred by the dissolution of the Soviet... Read More
How real people use CAD: Shane McKenna
In the CAD world, there are all kinds. Some people just use CAD as part of their job—in the same way as they use Word, Excel, or Outlook. Others become power users, investing themselves in becoming experts at using one or more of the mainstream or high-end CAD systems. Then, there are the CAD hackers. People who see computer programs as raw material, to be used and abused... Read More
CAD in the pursuit of art: Shane McKenna
As an engineer, I often think about CAD as a tool for the engineering and design of technological products. But, every once in a while, I’m reminded that CAD can can be used in ways its makers never anticipated. Shane McKenna is an engineer, designer, craftsman, and artist. I recently talked to Shane about how he uses CAD/CAM in his work, and he, as an aside, shared some of... Read More
Cyber-Physical Systems: A call to action
NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has just published a trio of reports on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). “CPS go well beyond today’s ‘embedded systems,’ which are largely task-specific machines that operate under computer control. Anticipated CPS uses such as intelligent vehicles and highways and next-generation air transportation will... Read More
CATIA’s latest design win: The Iranian F-313 stealth fighter
A few days ago, Iran announced a new indigenous stealth fighter: the Qahar 313. Theaviationist.com has covered the plane in quite a bit of depth. The prototype of the F-313 was presented to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, then displayed publicly. The FARS News Agency provided a large number of photos of the jet, showing many of its features. #gallery-3 { margin:... Read More
The roots of CAD, part 2: The design process
Steven Coons, in front of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory TX-2 computer In 1959, Douglas Ross, Steven Coons, and John Ward, along with their colleagues, started the MIT Computer-Aided Design Project, and planted the seeds that grew to define modern CAD. At the 1963 Spring Joint Computer Conference, Steven Coons delivered a seminal paper on CAD: An Outline for the Requirements for a Computer-Aided... Read More
Mathcad for free
Mathcad, from PTC, is one of my favorite computer math systems. It’s one of those “just right” programs for engineers: It’s far better for doing engineering calculations than Excel, but is a lot easier to learn and use than Matlab. Here’s a splashy video that shows what can be done with Mathcad: PTC has just released a version of the software, called... Read More
Geomagic Spark: 3D scanning meets 3D CAD
It’s not easy to convert 3D scans into usable CAD models. Software that can do it is an excellent example of the iron triangle rule: Given the options of fast, good, and cheap, you can only have two. If you’re lucky. Up until now, engineers and designers have been faced with a choice between cheap (or free) software that does an OK (sometimes good enough) job, given... Read More
Autodesk Fusion 360: The future of CAD, Pt. 2
Imagine, for a moment, that you worked at a major CAD developer, with massive technical resources, and more than a billion dollars in the bank. Next, imagine that you were given the task to develop a next-generation 3D mechanical CAD product. No need to generate short-term revenues. No requirement to build on the existing generation of products. Just a big toolbox full of component... Read More
