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3D CAD World

nTopology 3.0 lets designers preview changes in real time

April 22, 2021 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

nTopology introduces its third update to its software program. One of the new features is an opt-in GPU acceleration, which will deliver a 10x to 100x performance boost that makes it easier to preview design changes in real-time and regenerate parts with complex geometry in seconds.

nTopology 3.0 also consolidates the recent technology improvements introduced to the software. These include functional latticing workflows, topology optimization tools, engineering simulation utilities, and advanced design automation capabilities.

The core of nTopology is the implicit modeling engine. This engine describes every solid body by a single mathematical equation, which enables designers to generate complex part geometry reliably and error-free.

Any CPU can evaluate this implicit equation in milliseconds. Visualization can take a bit longer and can be viewed as a nuisance to design efforts. Through patent-pending technology, nTopology can use both the CPU and GPU of a designer’s system for faster performance. The reduction in the time it takes to develop designs enables latticing, texturing, filleting, shelling, and other field-driven operations to be previewed in real-time. Complex designs are rebuilt in a few seconds.

According to nTopology managers, you can save 10 to 60 seconds every time you change a design parameter. Thus, making 100 such changes a day can save an average of 60 minutes of time per day.

In addition, there are other enhancements to the software.

Lattice generation
Lattices let designers change a structure’s behavior by controlling its geometry at the mesoscale level. Thus, designers can alter material response for specific applications. nTopology’s 3rd generation latticing pipeline offers tools to navigate the mesoscale world.


This generation includes a complete set of ordered, stochastic, and TPMS unit cells to control lattice properties at every point in space using simulation results, test data, engineering formulas, and a field-driven design approach.

New utilities help designers create custom unit cells and build the basic process blocks that feed generative design workflows.

Topology optimization
Topology optimization is a core tool of many generative design workflows due to its effect on lightweighting and structural optimization. nTopology 3.0 uses state-of-the-art algorithms and unique constraints for Additive Manufacturing.

Other features
–nTopology 3.0 expands the capabilities of nTopCL and strengthens the integrations with its Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) software.

–nTopCL enables users to call generative nTop workflows in Python or Matlab scripts. It can run on a desktop, a private server, or the cloud.

–nTopology offers three ways to simulate while using the software. Simulation results can be an input to drive part geometry, or used to perform design analysis, or users can export meshes for verification in external solvers.

–Built-in simulation tools let users run static, modal, and buckling structural analyses, steady-state, transient, and non-linear thermal simulations, and lattice unit cell homogenization.

nTopology is also expanding its simulation pre-processing capabilities. These include new meshing utilities, import and export capabilities for FEA and CFD data in the native format of any solver including ANSYS, Abaqus, or Nastran to streamline the design verification process.

nTopology
nTopology.com

Filed Under: nTopology Tagged With: ntopology

Tacton introduces full CAD automation to eliminate manual tasks in the sales and engineering process

April 22, 2021 By WTWH Editor Leave a Comment

Tacton announced Tacton CPQ with CAD Automation, an enhanced product capability that automates the generation of CAD drawings of custom and configured products. CAD automation allows manufacturers to configure, design, and deliver custom products faster and with precision, eliminating errors and empowering customers, sales teams, and engineering to generate technical CAD drawings automatically.

In manufacturing, customers often require detailed technical drawings to close a sale, but challenges such as manual handovers can lead to long and drawn-out sales processes. In addition, stakeholders often lack a single source of product data, leading to costly technical product design errors — not to mention, unhappy customers. Tacton CPQ with CAD Automation eliminates these pain points by empowering customers and sales reps without CAD skills to automatically generate technical drawings based on configurations. This automation empowers customers and sales while allowing engineers to focus on innovation, new products, and other value-creating tasks.

“In complex sales, engineering needs to be involved in every customer case to provide detailed technical drawings to close sales and build the custom products, but misunderstandings and a lack of technical product knowledge often lead to invalid quote requests,” said Bo Gyldenvang, Chief Executive Officer at Tacton. “When paired with our CPQ, CAD Automation automates these manual processes, which makes sales teams more effective, frees up time for engineers, and, ultimately, delivers a pain-free experience to end customers.”

Tacton’s 15-plus years of experience and extensive knowledge of manufacturing vertical requirements contribute to making Tacton CPQ with CAD Automation easy to use because it is:
• Easy to implement: Fast and easy CAD mappings via point-and-click with no coding required can be validated immediately and directly connected to the CPQ platform to exchange data in the background.
• Easy to use: A simple and context-sensitive UI speeds up navigation, matching the UI of the host CAD system to ease orientation while integrated help texts speed up the onboarding of new users.
• Easy to maintain: Clear separation between configuration models and CAD mappings along with intuitive recognition of already mapped elements allows users to simply test individual values or a complete configuration. In addition, one set of constraints means administrators don’t need to worry about synchronizing systems.

Generating and providing CAD files early in the sales process eliminates misunderstandings and costly errors, ensuring reliability to the customer and promoting trust. Tacton CPQ with CAD Automation allows manufacturers to offer customized designs at a much lower cost, creating a valuable competitive advantage and boosting customer satisfaction.

Tacton
www.tacton.com

Filed Under: Company News, News Tagged With: Tacton

Rand Simulation launches program to help customers achieve faster ROI and adoption of Ansys products

April 22, 2021 By WTWH Editor Leave a Comment

Rand Simulation, a division of Rand Worldwide, announces that it has launched the Ansys Development and Ongoing Proficiency Training (ADOPT) program. As an Ansys Certified Elite Channel Partner, Rand Simulation developed this program to provide customers using the Ansys simulation toolset along with on-going help ranging from onboarding to navigating complex projects. With guidance from a dedicated Rand Simulation expert in fluids, structures or electronics, the ADOPT program drives both individual and team productivity and innovation in product development through collaboration with a dedicated subject-matter-expert.

“Ansys has a phenomenal resource in their Ansys Learning Hub (ALH), which includes over a thousand learning assets such as self-paced videos and tutorials, but with so much material and diversity in user backgrounds and use-cases, the fastest way to proficiency is to identify what’s most relevant,” says Jason Pfeiffer, vice president, Rand Simulation. “Our team developed a program that integrates a seasoned engineer who understands the customer’s use cases as well as the Ansys technology — a strategic guide who can collaboratively map out a route for tremendous proficiency gains and business success. They streamline and reinforce each individual user’s learning path, while conducting open knowledge-sharing sessions that help keep the customer’s design, engineering and analysis teams running at peak performance.”

In the first 90 days, a Rand Simulation expert paves the foundation for success through a discovery session, creates a customized learning path and facilitates reinforcement sessions designed to ensure the entire team is onboard and headed in the right direction with the necessary resources to achieve their proficiency objectives. This happens within a secure customer portal embedded within the ALH so all the meeting notes, Q&As, hand-selected tutorials, certificates of training completion and recorded coaching sessions are accessible to every team member.

“Rand Simulation is an Ansys Elite Partner because they continually find ways to shorten the time it takes for customers to receive tangible ROI from the Ansys toolset,” says Rodger Zhao, senior manager of professional services, Ansys. “Their ADOPT program is an example of harnessing the power of the Ansys Learning Hub to support customers throughout their journey and the benefits that can occur when education, consulting and mentorship are rolled up into one tightly integrated and customized package.”

Rand Simulation
www.randsim.com/adopt

Filed Under: Ansys

IronCAD unveils product update for IRONCAD 2021

April 20, 2021 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

IronCAD announced the release of the first update for IronCAD’s newest 2021 edition. The IRONCAD 2021 Product Update #1 (PU1) features enhancements and capabilities that enable IronCAD users to accelerate productivity in the design process in both 3D and 2D.

Created with a focus on design productivity and usability, IronCAD 2021 PU1 has improvements in many key functional items. CAD software users will benefit in areas including Sheet Metal, Point Cloud Modelling, IronCAD Detail Drawing, and General 3D Modeling with IronCAD’s drag & drop push-pull capabilities and patented TriBall positioning and creation tool.

Among the many new enhancements, key functional items addressed for IronCAD 2021 Product Update #1 are:

Sheet Metal Enhancements: These enhancements support more capabilities in sheet metal design and even design in Corrugate Packaging by supporting single line Cut and Cross-Break Design with the Sketch Bend tool. Users can create complex combinations of bends, line cuts and cross-breaks in a single tool simplifying the process and steps required to create their products.

Point Cloud Enhancements: Improvements in the Point Cloud capabilities have been added to allow users to work more effectively with scanned data. Import multiple scanned data sets into a single working environment. Position imported data sets to the correct locations. Reduce data sets on import to control the amount of data required. Use new tools to deleted points and to hide/show point clouds to enhance the workflow when working and creating geometry from the point cloud data.

IronCAD Drawing Enhancements: Many usability improvements have been added in the detail drawing environment including the Double-Click to Quickly Edit Properties for More Annotations which speeds up the annotation process. Another key improvement is the Bill of Material improvement for Top-Level Assemblies to Expand on View Based Selections allowing for more control to create specific tables and callouts for products.

Further improvements within Product Update #1 also address enhancements to general items including, Pin Favorite Stocks in the Pop-up Stock Table on Drop from the Catalog, Project Edges from Import 2D Reference Curves in 3D Into Other Sketches, Improve/Support Larger Preview Images in Windows Explorer for IronCAD Files, Add New Option in the Right-Click Menu of the TriBall to Turn off the TriBall for quick access, as well as improvements to IronCAD’s KeyShot Integration and support for Rhino 5.0.

IronCAD
www.ironcad.com

Filed Under: ironcad Tagged With: IronCAD

NVIDIA launches Omniverse design collaboration and simulation platform

April 12, 2021 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

NVIDIA announced the coming general availability of NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise, a technology platform that enables global 3D design teams working across multiple software suites to collaborate in real time in a shared virtual space.

NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise makes it possible for 3D production teams, which are often geographically dispersed, to work seamlessly together on complex projects. Rather than requiring in-person meetings or exchanging and iterating on massive files, designers, artists and reviewers can work simultaneously in a virtual world from anywhere, on any device.

NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise has been in early evaluations with design teams at companies like BMW Group, Foster + Partners, and WPP. It follows the launch three months ago of an open beta for individuals.

Said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, “Building on NVIDIA’s entire body of work, Omniverse lets us create and simulate shared virtual 3D worlds that obey the laws of physics. The immediate applications of Omniverse include connecting design teams for remote collaboration to simulating digital twins of factories and robots.”

Omniverse Enterprise includes the NVIDIA Omniverse Nucleus server, which manages the database shared among clients, and NVIDIA Omniverse Connectors, which are plug-ins to industry-leading design applications.

It also includes two end-user applications: NVIDIA Omniverse Create , which accelerates scene composition and allows users in real time to interactively assemble, light, simulate, and render scenes, and NVIDIA Omniverse View, which powers seamless collaborative design and visualization of architectural and engineering projects with photorealistic rendering. NVIDIA RTX Virtual Workstation (vWS) software, also part of the platform, gives collaborators the freedom to run their graphics- intensive 3D applications from anywhere.

Omniverse Enterprise is tested and optimized for professionals to run on NVIDIA RTX laptops and desktops, and NVIDIA-Certified Systems on the NVIDIA EGX platform. This makes it possible to deploy the tool across organizations of any scale, from small workgroups using local desktops and laptops, to globally distributed teams accessing the data center using various devices.

NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise software is available on a subscription basis and includes NVIDIA’s Enterprise support services. NVIDIA’s partner network of leading computer makers — including ASUS, BOXX Technologies, Cisco, Dell Technologies, HP, Lenovo and Supermicro — are supporting NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise.

NVIDIA
www.nvidia.com

Filed Under: News, Simulation Software Tagged With: NVIDIA

EPLAN eManage: Easily upload, share and manage projects in the cloud

April 8, 2021 By WTWH Editor Leave a Comment

The digital transformation of engineering continues to advance. As part of its cloud services, EPLAN is presenting a new service for cross-project collaboration – EPLAN eManage – which lets users upload EPLAN Platform projects into the cloud environment to share and work on them there. The free version was launched mid-March – and an expanded, paid version will follow in August 2021.

Users of EPLAN Electric P8 and EPLAN Pro Panel can easily upload their projects into the cloud and transfer them back to the EPLAN Platform for further processing.

Innovative cloud services and the systems of the EPLAN Platform are now become increasingly integrated. As a first step, the new software solution EPLAN eManage Free was launched in mid-March. This free, cloud-based software enables the easy uploading of projects from the EPLAN Platform and web browsers into the secure ePulse cloud environment. A paid version of the software will be released in August and will offer expanded functionality.

Cross-project collaboration
EPLAN eManage makes it easy to upload, manage and share projects in the cloud. Since today’s ecosystem of industrial automation is characterized by many media discontinuities when processing and transferring documentation, the advantages of this system are clear: the EPLAN Platform systems in connection with this new cloud service will network control cabinet manufacturers and panel builders, OEMs and system integrators as well as machine and plant system operators. They all work together in a central project that can be synchronized on the EPLAN Platform via eManage in roundtrip engineering. Clear access rights and role assignments ensure data security and provide flexibility for project access. Users of EPLAN Electric P8 and EPLAN Pro Panel are already benefitting from these integrated processes whereby they can easily upload their projects into the cloud and transfer them back to the EPLAN Platform for further processing.

Direct data transfer to EPLAN eView
Users only need one click to publish their project data directly in EPLAN eView. This allows defined stakeholders the opportunity to look and comment on entire projects. It further enables cross-company review processes to be digitally implemented. And thanks to this clear, central availability in the cloud, eManage supports project participants in quickly searching for specific content.

Synchronised and current data
EPLAN eManage means that the EPLAN Project is synchronized for all project participants and stakeholders. Changes in the project are visible to all participants and the project documentation is always current – across the entire project life cycle and even into operations and service scenarios.

EPLAN
www.EPLAN-software.com/emanage

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Eplan

Spatial computing supports large spaces

March 29, 2021 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

PTC announced the newest addition to its Vuforia augmented reality (AR) enterprise platform, the Vuforia Engine Area Targets offering. This program supports the creation of immersive augmented reality (AR) experiences for spaces up to 300,000 square feet. Through the use of Area Targets, industrial organizations can create AR interfaces within their facilities to enable employees to better engage with machinery and understand how the environment is being used.

PTC’s Vuforia Engine Area Targets leverages spatial computing capabilities to support large spaces equivalent to six American football fields

With support from Matterport and Leica 3D scanners, along with NavVis’s indoor mobile mapping systems, Area Targets users can generate photorealistic, survey-grade digital twins, empowering them to create digital canvases of spaces, such as factories, malls, or offices for spatial computing applications.

As one of the leading emerging technologies, spatial computing powers digital twin renderings to support the activities of machines and people, as well as the environments in which they operate. When deployed across the industrial enterprise, spatial computing enables seamless interactions between employees through AR, enabling companies to close the loop on performance management, improve machine learning capabilities with spatial analytics, and optimize design and factory floor operations.

PTC
www.ptc.com

Filed Under: PTC News Tagged With: PTC

Maple Flow provides a flexible mathematics tool for engineering projects

March 19, 2021 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

Maplesoft announced Maple Flow, a mathematics tool that allows engineers to more easily brainstorm, develop, and document their mathematics and analyses. Maple Flow provides a virtual, whiteboard-style environment that automatically keeps calculations live as users refine, reposition, and develop their calculations. Maplesoft also announced a new release of the math software Maple.

Maple Flow provides an interface and workflow specifically tailored to design engineers doing calculations and quick scratchpad math, while Maple is a more general-purpose tool that supports the advanced mathematical analysis and algorithm development work done by research engineers.

By providing a flexible, whiteboard-style environment, Maple Flow allows design engineers to easily sketch out and formalize technical ideas, revising and reordering content with simple drag-and-drop behavior. Users can add math, text, and images to a live, interactive document, and Maple Flow keeps all of the mathematics automatically updated. The Maple Flow environment handles the design calculations of virtually all engineering projects, such as circuit analysis, beam loading, highway pavement design, and combustion.

The new version of Maple offers a range of enhancements across the entire product, from small productivity changes to new areas of mathematics. Improvements include a stronger math engine that can tackle even more problems, a streamlined workflow, and expanded tools for signal processing, working with thermophysical data, and physics.

Maplesoft
www.maplesoft.com/products/MapleFlow

Filed Under: maplesoft Tagged With: Maplesoft

EPD suites powered by AutoCAD OEM

March 18, 2021 By WTWH Editor Leave a Comment

CAD Design Software (CDS), a leader in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software solutions, announced four new Electronics Packaging Designer (EPD) suites, EPD for Windows Suites, powered by AutoCAD OEM. The EPD Suites give designers the option to have a complete printed circuit board (PCB) design solution, or just focus on specific tasks such as bond wire exporting or translation of Gerber or GDS files. CAD Design Software will also release a final ‘plug-in version’ of EPD for AutoCAD to support Autodesk AutoCAD software versions 2018-2021.

The EPD Professional Suite for Windows incorporates many tools for ease of processing thick film ceramic designs, such as an enhanced dynamic masks generator, panel generation, ODB++ output, and bondwire data export to support bondwire machines. These tools, in addition to nibbler data for removing cavity material in bulk or in steps, control of the Gerber, hole, and punch data for correct output to manufacturing, are beneficial for low and high temperature co-fired ceramic designs.

The EPD Standard Suite for Windows helps designers create prototypes by letting them skip the schematic process and build their prototype directly as a board design. Designers can create a layout, test it and if it works, hand it off to a team to generate a schematic.

The EPD Basic Suite for Windows is for PCB, RF, and Flex with bi-directional Gerber translator, GDS translator, and includes schematic capture as well as 3D, advanced routing, automatic documentation, and the module of commands that allow designers to clean up the file in order to achieve the desired final result.

EPD Starter Suite for Windows is for simple PCB designs that require only light design rule checking (DRC) with Gerber output. Schematic capture is included for electrical checking. Also included is a module of commands that allow designers to clean up the file to achieve the desired final result.

For designers who want to create graphic representations of a chip design only, CAD Design Software is also launching a standalone Bond Wire Exporter solution that allows designers to start with a simple DWG file that has lines, arcs, polylines, etc., representing bond wires from a chip to a substrate. The Bond Wire Exporter would then “intelligize” the DWG and the file is then output to a bond wiring machine.

CAD Design Software
www.cad-design.com

Filed Under: News Tagged With: caddesignsoftware

CATIA V5: How to control video file size

March 15, 2021 By WTWH Editor Leave a Comment

By Iouri Apanovitch, Senior Technical Training Engineer, Rand 3D

The built-in CATIA video recorder is an essential tool when working with animations in kinematics, fitting simulator, human modeling, etc. When the default video settings are used, however, the resulting video files are quite large, making them difficult to share through a company.

Here’s how to control the video file size in CATIA V5.

Before starting the recording, select (Setup) icon to open the Video Properties dialog box, at the top of which you will see the Format pull-down list.

 

The default VFW Codec option records the video in an uncompressed AVI file. It provides the best video quality, at the cost of a very large file size. A one-minute-long video can be as large as 2Gb or more.

The DirectShow option lets you create smaller, MPEG-compressed files. Select the Movie tab and click Compressor Setup button to open the compression options.

 

 

If you don’t see the two compression options shown above (DV Video Encoder and MJPEG Compressor), it means that you need to install the codecs. To do that, run the file 3DSMJPEGVFWSetup.exe located in the \code\bin sub-folder of the CATIA install directory.

Using either of the two codecs creates smaller files, of course at the cost of quality. The MJPEG Compressor results in the smallest files.

You can also use the Rate in Frames per Second (FPS) setting to further reduce the file size. However, be aware the very low FPS rate may result in your video appearing ‘jerky.’

Lastly, you can use either Area or Fixed Area options to limit the captured area and to reduce the file size even further.

The final recommendation – test the settings by yourself on a sample recording, to make sure you hit the right balance between the video quality and the file size.

About the Author

Iouri’s primary area of expertise is product analysis and simulation with FEA tools such as SIMULIA/Abaqus, Autodesk Simulation, Mechanica, including linear and non-linear simulations, dynamics, fatigue, and analysis of laminated composites.

 

Filed Under: General Blogs Tagged With: rand3d

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