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If you draw it, can you print it?

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by Jean Thilmany, Contributing Editor

3D printing enables you to reduce part weight, raw material used and cut total energy used in production. But to truly take advantage of 3D printing, engineers need updated, intuitive, easy-to-learn CAD tools.

To keep pace with advances in 3D printing, CAD technology must move into the cloud, become easier to use, and be better able to support eccentric, not-yet-dreamed-of designs, say several design experts.

If CAD technology can evolve, in the not-too-distant future, everyday objects like your blender, electric toothbrush or even the engine within your automobile, will take the shape of nothing you’ve ever seen before, said Hod Lipson, a mechanical engineering professor and director of the Creative Machines Lab at Cornell University.

Lipson has written extensively about 3D printing and helped develop Fab@Home, inexpensive 3D printers. He published the paper “Is CAD Keeping Up?” in the December 2014 edition of the journal 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing.

That question—is CAD keeping up with 3D printing—is one he asks himself as additive manufacturing continues to gain popularity. Most 3D printers take their printing instructions from 3D CAD files. Because the 3D printer receives its instructions from CAD files, the printers are limited in the shapes they print that those CAD systems generate, Lipson said.

The 3D printers themselves can print objects with geometries as yet unimagined. Any shape, no matter how twisting, undulating or odd, is fair game, he said. So the future could feasibly resemble a Dr. Seuss-style landscape rather than boxy squares of today’s laptops, ovens and refrigerators.

But CAD software only allows for designers to work with recognized geometries: circles and ovals, squares and rectangles, and so on.

fusion360-keyshot
Products will be designed in a more collaborative way, moving through 3D modeling, then on to simulate, analyze and test, and then on to integrated CAM or 3D printing.

Guided by the design file, a 3D printer lays down layer after layer of a material to print an object in three dimensions. Some of today’s printers and materials can create objects that can immediately be used, doing away with the need for another manufacturing step, Lipson said.

While CAD continues to evolve, changes to that software are mainly seen in the way engineers interact with the software rather than in the shapes and designs they can create with the software.

Take, for example, sketching applications that allow engineers to draw their designs as they would on paper, rather than pulling or piecing together existing geometries. Catchbook, from Siemens PLM, is one example. While these aren’t CAD applications, in some cases, such as with Catchbook, these designs can serve as precursors to CAD designs.

“It’s freehand ink, not just dead ink on a page, so you can edit and manipulate it, can erase and insert images and share content with other people,” said Ken Hosch, director of strategy at Siemens PLM.

Other examples of freehand-drawing-style applications include SketchUp, Sketches and Drawing Pad. Though SketchUp can be used on a desktop, most of these drawing applications are intended for the tablet, with your finger or a stylus acting as the pencil.

But even these freehand design programs come with drawbacks that mean they can’t be used—yet—to print odd and eccentric shapes on a 3D printer.

The industrial drawing engine behind Catchbook, for instance, automatically turns the individual parts of a drawing into recognized geometries. If a Catchbook user sketches a lopsided circle, the engine creates a perfect circle, Hosch said.

What we need to see for the printed shapes of tomorrow to be possible, Lipson said, are programs that allow freehand drawings to be printed in 3D without the need to change drawings into recognizable geometrical shapes. If you can draw it, you can print it, he said.

What’s more, conventional CAD software imposes its own limitations on designers, who may not be able to think outside the “because it’s a computer it must resemble a box” box, Lipson said. So even as CAD changes, designer mentality may be slow to catch up.

Which is a particular lag at a time when 3D printing allows many advantages to large and small manufacturers, including the capability to build one-off and custom parts at remote locations, he added.

Another recent trend in 3D printing has been from printing prototypes to printing end-use parts, according to Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates, a Colorado-based additive manufacturing consulting firm.

Recently, for example, GE Aviation announced plans to include 3D-printed parts in its CFM Leap aircraft engine platform beginning in 2016. The engines, produced jointly by GE and partner Snecma, will include 19 3D-printed fuel nozzles in the combustion system.

Last May, printer manufacturer Stratasys announced that its printers had been used to produce more than 1,000 flight parts for the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, delivered in December 2014. Similarly produced components are also included within in-service jetliners in the A300 and A310 family, according to Airbus.

Autodesk_Fusion360
The recently released Fusion 360, from Autodesk, is a CAD, CAM and CAE tool that exists in the cloud. It can be connected to have 3D printing capabilities.

The parts weigh 30 to 55% less than traditionally manufactured parts, reduce raw material used by 90% and cut total energy used in production by up to 90% compared to traditional methods, according to Peter Sander of Airbus’s Innovation Cell, which investigates and promotes emerging technologies.

But for these trends to continue, engineers need updated, intuitive, easy-to-learn CAD tools, Lipson said. And without them, it will be even harder for mainstream designers and consumers to fully adopt 3D printing, even as desktop printer prices drop, according to John Darlington, a computing professor at Imperial College, London.

“While there is little doubt 3D printing technologies will have a highly transformative effect in the coming decades, consumer adoption of these technologies still remains rather low,” Darlington and his colleagues wrote in an August 2015 paper in the Journal of Engineering and Technology Management.

“Making an object requires more than just a 3D printer and advanced knowledge of 3D modeling software,” the researchers wrote in the paper “Co-creation and User Innovation: The Role of Online 3D Printing Platforms.” Darlington fellow authors are Ludmila Striukova, senior research associate in the University College, London, school of management, and Thierry Rayna, a professor of economics at Novancia Business School of Paris.

One area in which 3D printing and CAD technologies are both moving forward are within the cloud. This tandem momentum will help small manufacturers take advantage of 3D printing, said Amy Bunszel, Autodesk VP of AutoCAD products.

3D printers, along with CAD software that exists “in the cloud” (that is, not on users’ networks but on remote servers into which they can tap), will allow for small-scale, custom manufacturing, Bunszel said. Because they don’t need to maintain expensive software and hardware in house, companies, small designers and hobbyists can quickly and easily design and print parts.

3D printers may not strictly exist within the cloud, but they could be—and often are today—housed at service bureaus, away from the engineer or manufacturer, but can still be used to print their files. Printed pieces can then be sent to the original engineer or manufacturer, or could be sent directly to a customer.

With access to 3D printers and to CAD programs in the cloud, engineers could also design a part and have it printed in small batches of many variations rather than manufacture parts—as is done today—using CAM files in a mass-produced, one-size-fits-all method, Lipson said. “That was not economically viable before,” he added.

Or, as Bunszel put it, “The cloud changes everything; mobile, social, everything.”

Her company, CAD-vendor Autodesk, recently released Fusion 360 a CAD, CAM and CAE tool that exists in the cloud.

“So it could be connected to have 3D printing capabilities. It connects your entire product development process,” Bunszel said. “You have 3D modeling capabilities, then can simulate, analyze and test, and then take into integrated CAM functionality or to 3D printing.”

Products in the future will be designed in a more collaborative way, she predicted. “People are designing things together with access to new techniques, like 3D printing, which are accessible to all of our customers, not just big manufacturers.”

The tools designers have used in the past need a refresh to be useful in the future, she added. The cloud offers an easier way to access and work with CAD technology, she said.

For his part, Lipson wants to see CAD and 3D printing technologies work together for a future in which engineers can create in 3D anything they can envision—and even shapes and objects that can’t be envisioned today. In other words, the computer of the future won’t be square in shape.

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Autodesk
www.Autodesk.com

Siemens PLM
www.plm.automation.siemens.com

Stratasys
www.Stratasys.com

Autodesk Fusion 360 uses the cloud to facilitate collaboration, add upgrades

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by Diane Sofranec, Contributing Editor

Your photos, music and movies are stored on the cloud, so why not your CAD designs, too?

Autodesk’s Fusion 360 is a cloud-based mechanical CAD solution. Officially released at Autodesk University in 2012, Fusion 360 was launched in 2009 through Autodesk Labs as Inventor Fusion.

But it’s not software you install on your computer. A $300 yearly subscription gets you a mechanical, industrial and conceptual design tool, plus frequent updates.

Autodesk-Fusion-360-1
Fusion 360 is a highly collaborative design tool that can take designers from concept to prototype.

Using a cloud-based design tool means every change you make on your design is saved on the cloud and becomes part of a version history. You have the ability to access each version of your design, so every time you open your design, you will see which version you are getting.

Keeping the application on the cloud allows Autodesk to provide quick fixes and add new capabilities. Updates typically occur every eight weeks; some are minor, whereas others are significant. As a result, Fusion 360 has evolved into a highly collaborative design tool that takes you from concept to prototype, providing you have a decent Internet connection.

Since its initial release, Autodesk has added considerable functionality. Several of the latest updates are worth noting.

Collaboration
The ability to access data and share designs no matter where you are, regardless of the device you are using is what Fusion 360 is all about. Because your data is housed on the cloud, you can look at it whether you’re on a Mac, PC, tablet or smartphone and work with your design team from anywhere as long as you’re online.

A Fusion 360 mobile app that works on iOS and Android devices lets you view, mark up and comment on your CAD models. You can easily collaborate by adding others to your project so they can see your progress anytime. The app includes support for more than 100 file formats, and allows you to store and view just as many data formats. To make viewing easier, you can isolate and hide the model’s components and use your touchscreen to zoom, rotate and pan. It also gives you access to design properties and parts lists, and tracks project activities and updates. You can share project information by posting messages, photos and comments. You can also take and share screenshots of any markups made to your design.

If you’re an Apple aficionado, Fusion 360 employs Handoff, which lets you resume what you were doing exactly where you left off as you switch devices. So as long as you’re signed in to the same iCloud account, you can look at your design on your iPhone and then, when you open your MacBook Pro and launch your browser, a simple click will take you to that same design so you can continue working.

Animations
Sometimes you need to show all the components of a product, or how it goes together and comes apart. That’s what makes animations, or exploded views, indispensible. You can add notes, too. This capability works on all iOS devices, so you can share this aspect of your design with clients, manufacturers and the design team.

Autodesk-Fusion-360-exploded-views
Animations, or exploded views, let designer show how products go together and come apart.

Distributed design
Fusion 360’s Distributed Design capabilities allow you to create a couple of different designs and insert one of them into another design. It’s a convenient way for multiple users to work on a design together.

Drawings
The Fusion 360 creators leveraged the AutoCAD Mechanical 2D design tool. In addition, the past few upgrades added mechanical annotations and 2D symbols, making it easier to create patent drawings or communicate with the manufacturing team.

Standard parts libraries
Looking for parts to put in your model? Look no further than the parts library that is built into Fusion 360. Simply find the part you need; one click brings it directly into your design. Autodesk has been working with such companies as McMaster-Carr and Cavenas to create standard parts libraries. The McMaster-Carr parts library is the default and already included; however, you can choose from many others to add.

Application programming interface
Late last year, Autodesk introduced application programming interface (API) support for Fusion 360, and continues to open it up to more and more third party companies. For instance, although CAM capabilities are built in, you can now easily integrate the CAM tools of your choosing.

CAM
Speaking of CAM, 2.5- and 3-axis capabilities make it possible for you to turn your designs into parts. HSMWorks, a company Autodesk acquired three years ago, is fully integrated into Fusion 360 (as well as its Inventor software). This CAM functionality makes it possible for designers to take their products to market, whether they are seasoned professionals working for major corporations or hobbyists launching their dream inventions.

Autodesk-Fusion-360-2
Fusion 360 includes 2.5- and 3-axis CAM capabilities for turning designs into parts.

3D Printing
3D printing capabilities are integrated through Spark, an open software platform just for that. Spark can generate supports for designs that need them. Plus, it lets you control the printer you’re using as well as the outcome. A layer-by-layer preview shows exactly what you can expect.

Autodesk-Fusion-360-3d-printing-capabilities
The 3D printing capabilities in Fusion 360 let designers generate supports when needed.

Training
For a product that’s updated every eight weeks, training is definitely necessary. Autodesk constantly updates its help section with new tutorials to ensure ease of use. Built-in tutorial videos and links are designed to help you get up to speed quickly.

For those who need to learn the basics, there’s Fusion 101, detailed instructions on nine different capabilities. You can learn how to sketch, sculpt, model, manage and collaborate, render, and get the basics on assemblies, drawings, CAM and animations. Each training module takes an hour to two to explore and includes videos for those who learn by watching and printable documents for those who prefer written instructions.

In addition, if you were a SolidWorks user, you can check out videos with more advanced content designed to help make the switch to Fusion 360 go smoothly. Because you already understand 3D design concepts, these videos simply show how the tools and workflows differ in an effort to make the transition easier.

Education
Autodesk worked with the Apple Education team to offer the Autodesk Design Academy iTunes U course. Students and others new to CAD can check out iTunes U for a course in Fusion 360. Autodesk is one of the few businesses with educational content in this space. But because it’s a cloud-based design tool natively written for the Mac, a partnership with Apple seems natural.

Longtime professional CAD users, inexperienced hobbyists and students just launching their careers can easily learn how to use Fusion 360 to create and collaborate.

The road ahead
Collaboration isn’t limited to the members of your design team. To learn what’s next for Fusion 360, its developers include a roadmap in the Autodesk Community section of the application’s website that details the upgrades you can expect to see soon. Such transparency also provides an opportunity to weigh in on what you would like to see in future versions. Sometimes, proposed features include links with more detailed information. Simulation is coming soon, for instance, and Fusion 360 developers have shared what it will encompass and why. They also put out a call for feedback. It’s not everyday you can collaborate with the developers of your CAD application just as you would with the members of your design team.

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Autodesk
www.autodesk.com

What’s New in Inventor 2016

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Autodesk introduced the newest version of its desktop 3D CAD product, Autodesk Inventor 2016, which provides a trio of modeling tools: parametric, direct editing and freeform design tools. Inventor 2016 also enables users to associatively connect their Inventor data to non-native CAD formats so their electrical and mechanical data can be integrated into one single design environment.

Work More Efficiently in Multi-CAD Environments

New to Inventor 2016 are features that facilitate working with files and models created in other CAD systems. An associative import of CAD data from CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, Pro-E/Creo, and Alias files allows users to maintain a link to the selected file. The imported geometry in Inventor updates as the model changes.

In addition, a selective import support allows users to only read in the geometry that is vital, speeding the import process. The new Select tab provides you the option to specify which objects to import when importing a CATIA, SolidWorks, Pro-E/Creo, NX, Alias, STEP, IGES, or Rhino file.

Multi-thread support has been enabled, which allows Inventor to more efficiently use available hardware, resulting in improved performance when working on files from other CAD systems. The options for importing CATIA, SolidWorks, Pro-E/Creo, NX, Alias, STEP, IGES, Rhino, SAT, Parasolid Binary files have also been simplified and provide clear choices for import.

With this new version, users can quickly insert an AutoCAD DWG file in an Inventor part file as a DWG underlay using the Import command in the 3D Model tab, Create panel. Users can also now add assembly relationships to underlay geometry.

The Project DWG Geometry command can be used to project DWG geometry, polylines, open or closed loops, and DWG blocks, then the projected sketch elements can be used to create modeling features. 3D Inventor models based on the DWG geometry will update when the 2D geometry changes in AutoCAD.

Autodesk Inventor 2016 now offers an associative import of CAD data from CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, Pro-E/Creo, and Alias files that allows you to maintain a link to the selected file. The imported geometry in Inventor updates as the model changes.
Autodesk Inventor 2016 now offers an associative import of CAD data from CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, Pro-E/Creo, and Alias files that allows you to maintain a link to the selected file. The imported geometry in Inventor updates as the model changes.

Mechanical and Electrical Interoperability

The new Electromechanical link between Inventor and AutoCAD Electrical provides a smooth data exchange between 2D and 3D electrical designs. When users create a link between an AutoCAD Electrical and an Inventor assembly, the project files become associative, meaning that design data changes made in one product are updated in the other via Sync.

The Location View command on the new Electromechanical tab on the Assembly ribbon in Inventor displays the devices and wiring contained in both the AutoCAD Electrical Drawings and Inventor Assemblies.

Creating Shapes

Powerful new commands and workflows are now available in Inventor’s Freeform modeling environment. Users can now work with open surfaces or closed shapes; convert existing model faces to freeform geometry for shape refinement; delete faces; unweld edges to split and move a freeform body segment; and use the Freeform Thicken command to create solids, offset surfaces, or shell walls.

3D Printing

A new environment is added that lets users position and orient their design within the print space of the selected 3D printer. Users can also update the part in the print environment that does not impact the source document. When finished, users can send the results to Print Studio or other printing software to begin printing the part.

Users can now position and orient their design within the print space of the selected 3D printer and update the part in the print environment that does not impact the source document. When finished, send the results to Print Studio or other printing software to begin printing the part.
Users can now position and orient their design within the print space of the selected 3D printer and update the part in the print environment that does not impact the source document. When finished, send the results to Print Studio or other printing software to begin printing the part.

Drawing Enhancements

Drawing view creation has been simplified, and uses in-canvas tools. Text formatting is expanded with new options: Bullets and numbering, strike-through text, enhanced formatting (all caps, title case, lower case). Surface texture and feature control frame symbols are updated to the latest standards.

Many new graphical symbols are available, and can be inserted in various types of drawing annotations. Balloon styles can use custom balloon shapes. A new Single Segment Leader option allows users to create drawing annotations with a single leader segment and align drawing annotations vertically, horizontally, or to an edge. Users can create a view sketch on a model with included work features and select those work features with the Project Geometry command.

With a new external Sketch Symbols Library, users can quickly access and share their collection of sketch symbols. The Library is an Inventor drawing file that, by default, is located in a subfolder of the Design Data location of your project. This new feature offers the following new functions:

* A search and filter feature in the Sketch Symbols Library dialog box.
* Preview the sketch in a preview pane within the dialog box before placing the sketch.
* Browser expansion state remains throughout session when placing sketch symbols.
* A Sketch Symbol Library can be created in IDW and DWG formats, allowing insertion of symbols contained within the library file from either format.
* Save your sketch symbols to a customized library.

Visualization

All lighting styles in Inventor Studio are now associated with an Image-Based Lighting (IBL). A lighting style can have zero local lights but must have one IBL. IBL-based styles provides better lighting sources in Inventor Studio with enriched IBL collection.

When users enter the Studio Environment, all legacy local lights are now disabled by default. It is recommended that users utilize IBL for better rendering results. All newly created lighting styles are associated with the default IBL automatically. Change the associated IBL to another IBL as desired.

The enhanced visual effect for shaded visual style makes it more consistent with the realistic visual style. The rendering engine in Inventor Studio was changed to RapidRT with advanced configurations for better quality rendering.

The Studio Render Illustration settings have been moved to the View tab. The new and enhanced Technical Illustration command creates a realistic illustration effect in the graphics window.

Workflow Enhancements

Among the many enhancements, are:

General

* Use Escape (Esc) key to cancel an operation in select processes.
* Multiple productivity enhancements made to dialog boxes.
* Add all window tile styles to the task bar.
* Dock an Inventor browser on any application’s window edge.
* Hide all sketch dimensions now available in the Object Visibility menu.
* Import/Export external rules configuration for iLogic (not available in Inventor LT).

Sheet metal parts

* Multi-body support is added to sheet metal.Support for zero bend radius is added to many commands.
* Material thickness is detected when you convert a part to a sheet metal part.
* Punch tool shows a count of the center selections.

Tube and Pipe setting enhancements

You can now customize file names for fittings and populate part numbers into your parts list within the drawing environment. Previously, you could only change the name of your conduit items, but now you can update fittings as well.

Parts

* Face draft contains powerful new options that let you Fix or Move the parting line.
* Ruled Surface is added to the surfacing commands.
* The Mirror and Pattern commands support multiple solid body selection.
* Previously, nonlinear patterns of a solid body in a multi body part file have not been possible. You can now create nonlinear patterns for solid bodies.
* Drag a sketch above the parent feature in the browser to share it.
* The Measure command now allows you to measure an angle to the midpoint of any segment. This option is achieved by hovering your mouse over the midpoint of a segment until a yellow dot appears.

Sketch

* Identify which workplane or face a sketch was created on.
* The selected Show All or Hide All Constraints display setting remains active as you sketch and throughout your editing session.
* Create tangent dimensions between circular or arc geometry within a 2D sketch.
* The Initial View Scale property of the first drawing review placed on the sheet is added in the Sheet Properties group within the Format Text dialog box.
* The Sketch Dimensions option is added to the Object Visibility list. Select this option to display 2D or 3D sketches and hide all related sketch dimensions.
* Sharing a sketch is made visible by dragging above the feature in browser.
* New snap points added to the context menu: Endpoint, Apparent Intersection, Quadrant, and Mid of 2 points.
* Modify Start Sketch and select a view or sheet before sketching.

Assembly

* New safety factor calculation warning displays in Stress Analysis.
* The Midplane option has been added to the assembly Pattern command. Select the Midplane option to create a pattern distributed on both sides of the original component.
* Replace All feature available for highlighted components within an assembly.
* Select multiple sick constraints within Design Doctor to delete.

Drawings

* Start a drawing from any open model, and automatically apply the current model camera and representations in the base view.
* In-canvas tools in the Base View command simplify creation of a base view and projected views. For example, you can use the ViewCube to orient the model, set the view scale by dragging a view corner, or adjust projected views while creating the base view.

For more detailed information on all the new bells and whistles in Autodesk Inventor 2016, check out its Help Page.

Barb Schmitz

Autodesk Simplifies Scan-to-3D Model Workflows with Memento

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3D scanners are getting more and more advanced and more portable and as a result, nearly everything on the planet can now be digitized. Creating useful and meaningful 3D models from reality, however, has traditionally been a challenging and tedious process that is slow and requires expertise and use of multiple and expensive solutions.

A new solution from Autodesk that was just sprang from the lab and is now in public beta is Memento, which aims to simplify the process of working with scanned data from any type of reality capture device and making the process scalable and accessible to a variety of users. It does this by streamlining workflows to create high-definition 3D models from Reality Capture sensors (photos or scans) that involve multiple complex and expensive tools that require expertise and training.

When objects are scanned, the result is often extremely large, heavy meshes that pose a significant challenge for software to process. Memento’s toolkit generates 3D meshes from photos and scans and helps clean up the meshes, detect and fix mesh errors, and prepare and optimize the generated 3D models for Web publishing, for VR/AR, for further digital use, or for 3D printing.

Memento provides users with an easier way to optimize and prepare high-definition 3D meshes for various downstream workflows, and offers an integrated toolset for high-definition 3D printing. The creation process is distributed, the visualization is out-of-core, and the algorithmic tool stack relies on multicore principles, which allows for interactive speed and for viewing the full resolution models.

What really sets Memento apart is its ease of use. Memento’s focused toolset and clean, modern UI can be learned in 20 minutes. This is designed to be accessible to a variety of users who seek high-quality results but might not have technological expertise. Memento eliminates technological complexity and the need for prior knowledge of 3D modeling or CAD, and makes meaningful 3D assets from captured reality.

Autodesk Memento is an end-to-end solution for converting any captured reality input (photos or scans) into high-definition 3D meshes that can be cleaned up, fixed, and optimized for the Web, mobile or 3D printing/fabbing.
Autodesk Memento is an end-to-end solution for converting any captured reality input (photos or scans) into high-definition 3D meshes that can be cleaned up, fixed, and optimized for the Web, mobile or 3D printing/fabbing.

How will Memento be used?

Use cases for Memento are varied. In the medical industry, designers could use Memento for designing personalized medical equipment and accessories. The product could also be used to inspect the accuracy of 3D printed objects versus designed objects when 3D printed replacement parts and could allow scientists to compare the difference between two captures over time.

In mechanical design, users of Fusion 360 or Alias could use the new Memento workflow to digitize physical prototypes for further exploration and visualization options, further design, for personalized designs/repairs, to check the fit of designed parts to be added to real objects, as the start of new designs, and for decorative add on’s to CAD models.

For 3D printing, Memento can be used to manage any captured or modeled data without forced downsizing. Easy preparation of any generated-from-reality or imported model for 3D printing (from any other captured reality input or 3D modeling applications). Soon, Memento will be able to import 3D meshes generated in ReCap 360 Photo to clean, fix and prepare them for consumption as meshes in various products, as point clouds in ReCap Pro or for publishing on the web.

Autodesk’s Memento is now available for public beta. Check it out here.

Mobile Apps for Designers and Engineers on the Go

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Mobile apps for consumers have proliferated over the past several years, becoming somewhat of an ubiquitous part of our everyday lives. We think nothing of checking weather updates, movie schedules, and bank balances while we’re on the move, so why has it taken so long for mobile apps to hit big when it comes to engineering and manufacturing?

Certainly there’s an opportunity for vendors to offer apps for engineers that improve their mobility and offer access to at least some of the same tools they would have in the office. I wrote a blog post, Is CAD Becoming More Portable? in late 2013. Since then, however, it doesn’t seem like a lot of progress has been made on the CAD mobility front.

While this might be true, there are still many handy mobile tools and apps that engineers can use on a daily basis to capture ideas and concepts, view drawings and models, and collaborate with other stakeholders.

In a blog on the topic of mobile apps for engineers, written by David Chadwick of Siemens, he discusses how maintenance engineers would find it useful to have spare parts catalogs available on mobile devices. They could find the correct spare part, check if it was in their stores, and if not order the part immediately, all while working in a remote part of the factory.

Fortunately such technology now exists. CADENAS’ PARTsolutions software offers direct mobile access to more than 600 certified standard parts catalogs from international manufacturers on both iOS and Android mobile devices.

Chadwick believes that the increasing availability of mobile apps for designers and engineers will have a big impact on their productivity and effectiveness. For manufacturing organizations, this could include the product designer being able to rapidly retrieve 3D models and drawings of products when on the shop floor to help solve a problem that has been encountered in the manufacturing process.

For field engineers being able to quickly access specifications and drawings for a machine that they are installing at a remote site. When traveling designers can have access to their design information and can answer questions and progress their projects when they are waiting at an airport or riding on a train. When meeting with suppliers and customers, the immediate availability of design data can help them to resolve issues immediately instead of having to first return to the office to find the information they need.

Mobile apps for engineers

While this is not a comprehensive list, here are a few mobile apps that are worth checking out for engineers on the go.

* Sketchbook Mobile. This affordable professional drawing and painting tool is a good starting point when ideas arise while you’re in the field. Available on Android and iOS.

* Autodesk AutoCAD 360. This DWG file viewer allows users to view, edit, and share their 3D models with others using the iPhone or iPad. This app is probably the most downloaded of the CAD viewer apps with more than 5 million installs on the Android platform alone. It’s available on Android and iOS.

* ForceEffect. Also from Autodesk, this app allows users to simulate design concepts on the spot. It does all the heavy lifting (simulation and calculations) on the mobile device. This makes it easy to simulate design options during the concept phase for easy validation.

Autodesk's ForceEffect allows you to create a design, give it a set of supports, introduce forces upon it, see how other forces come into play and how changing that design changes those forces.
Autodesk’s ForceEffect allows you to create a design, give it a set of supports, introduce forces upon it, see how other forces come into play and how changing that design changes those forces.

* GrabCAD. For anybody using GrabCAD Workbench, this mobile app provides access to both the GrabCAD public library and your private projects stored on the GrabCAD Workbench. View models, comment, create projects, and get update notifications–all from your Android or iPhone/iPad.

* Engineering Unit Converter is popular, with more than 100,000 installs and many happy customer reviews. The best part? The app uses less than 1 MB of space on your system. The downside? It’s only available for Android.

* Solid Edge Mobile Viewer. Download this new Windows 8.1 app for free from the Windows Store to view 3D part and assembly models, and 2D drawings that were created using Solid Edge. Available for iOS and Android as well.

* eDrawings Pro. This app works with SolidWorks, DWG and DWF (DraftSight) files. Users can view different model configurations, drawings and exploded views for different representations. Images can be rotated, zoomed, and minimized to measure distances in relation to the model. Users can make connotations, markups, and cross-section views while taking photos and snapshots, which can then be emailed for others to view.

The newest version of eDrawings Pro lets users see their 3D models in a real-world setting through augmented reality. The app takes the 3D model and places it in position anywhere the user wants simply by turning on a mobile device camera.
The newest version of eDrawings Pro lets users see their 3D models in a real-world setting through augmented reality. The app takes the 3D model and places it in position anywhere the user wants simply by turning on a mobile device camera.

* Engineering Cookbook. Provides access to frequently needed information, including HVAC load estimates, design formulas, conversion factors, and sound and system design guidelines. Available on Android and iOS.

* Engineering Handbook Lite. Similar to the Engineering Cookbook but also offers materials classifications and engineering components, which allow users to calculate maximum/minimum values from things such as a hole to a shaft and back again. A mechanics feature allows users to view the formulas for gear drives and their dimensions, which is especially convenient when using a 3D printer to fabricate parts.

Are there any mobile apps for engineers that I didn’t list that you are using and loving? If so, please share them in the comment section below.

Barb Schmitz

Autodesk Releases HSMWorks 2015 CAM Software for SolidWorks Users

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Autodesk today announced the release of HSMWorks 2015, a fully integrated CAM solution for users of SolidWorks software. Yes, that’s right. It’s for SolidWorks users. The company was bought two years ago by Autodesk with a promise to its dedicated flock of users that it would continue to both support and sell the product to users of its competitor, SolidWorks, and the company has stood by its promise.

In fact, this release of HSMWorks 2015 marks the third major release of the HSMWorks product line since Autodesk acquired HSMWorks. In that time, the company has also released twelve updates with hundreds of new features and enhancements, which enable users to turn their models and assemblies into machined parts, all within a fully integrated design to manufacturing workflow.

“This new release is a great example of our ongoing commitment to our customers, regardless of which CAD system they use,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president at Autodesk. “The feedback from users tells us HSMWorks is valued for its integration, ease-of-use and performance. This release takes the software even further with innovative new updates and features.”

Autodesk releases HSMWorks 2015 CAM software for SolidWorks users.
Autodesk releases HSMWorks 2015 CAM software for SolidWorks users.

What’s New

HSMWorks 2015, with support for SolidWorks 2015, includes many new enhancements, including a significant update to Adaptive Clearing, the product’s high-efficiency roughing technology. It reduces valuable cycle time from machining jobs by taking advantage of highly efficient toolpath motion that maintains constant cutter engagement during material removal.

The updated Adaptive Roughing feature also now includes taper support for helical ramps, enhanced stay-down linking and optimized z-level transitioning, which directly contributes to reduced cycle times and more efficient operation on the machine.

Stock simulation has been updated with improved performance in 3D mode, important for customers in the mold/die industry and those who frequently work with large models with 3D and sculpted surfaces.

Free version also updated

HSMXpress 2015, a free version of HSMWorks offering professional CAM capabilities exclusively for 2-1/2 axis milling machining projects, has also been released as part of this update. HSMXpress includes all the same 2D Milling and Drilling capabilities as HSMWorks, along with solid part simulation and post processing system.

HSMWorks 2015 also supports the latest Intel Xeon Processors and high-end workstations, like the HP Z840 Workstation, configurable up to 36 total processor cores in one system. This allows HSMWorks 2015 to take advantage of the latest in computing power to speed toolpath calculation and post-processing times; making it easier to accommodate last minute engineering changes and get CNC programs to the shop floor faster.

HSMWorks 2015 is available today in English, German and Japanese languages. For more information on HSMWorks 2015 or to download a free trial please visit the Autodesk web site.

Barb Schmitz

Autodesk Announces Fusion 360 Will Be Available on Mac App Store

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Autodesk today announces that its Fusion 360 product will be available for download and purchase worldwide on the Mac App Store. Fusion 360 is touted to be the first professional-level 3D CAD and CAM tool currently available on the Mac App Store. For those who aren’t familiar with Fusion 360, it is a cloud-based tool for 3D industrial and mechanical design, collaboration and machining–all in one package.

According to Kevin Schneider, director of Fusion Product Management at Autodesk, the product was developed in response to the need for better collaboration tools and a unified collaboration environment that can accessed by multiple devices and from anywhere. The cloud-based platform enables designers and engineers to access Fusion 360 anytime, anywhere, whether in the office, or on the go. When used with the free Autodesk A360 app, Fusion 360 designs and data can be accessed on mobile phones and tablets, so users can keep up with their projects when they’re away from their desktops.

Fusion 360 will be available for download and purchase from the Mac App Store beginning today.
Fusion 360 will be available for download and purchase from the Mac App Store beginning today.

Fusion 360 also provides a single space for entire teams to collaborate on projects. Built-in and automated data management and sharing ensure all models, designs and information are automatically archived, versioned, managed and can be securely shared with stakeholders.

On the modeling side, Fusion 360 got a big boost in February when Autodesk announced that it now includes fully associative, parametric modeling features in addition to direct modeling, enabling users to choose which modeling approach they need and switch back and forth between modeling modes.

“The fundamental methods of design and manufacturing are experiencing radical disruption,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president at Autodesk. “We started from scratch and co-created Fusion 360 with the product design community to reimagine 3D CAD and CAM. Our global community loves the Mac, and now they have a faster path to getting started with Fusion 360 on the Mac.”

In the market for just over a year, Fusion 360 has been updated 10 times, an advantage to cloud deployment. According to Schneider, 98% of subscribers are using the most updated version of Fusion 360, which was just recently updated. To see what’s new in that latest update, read this post, entitled Autodesk Gives Sneak Peek of Updates to Fusion 360.

Fusion 360 for Mac is now available in English and can be found on the Mac App Store for $299.99 per year or $39.99 per month. You can download a free trial version here.

Autodesk Gives Sneak Peek of Updates to Fusion 360

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Autodesk’s Fusion 360 is a cloud-based industrial and mechanical design tool that users can subscribe to on a monthly basis. Due to its cloud-based infrastructure, Fusion 360 enables design information to be accessed almost anytime and from anywhere on nearly any device, making it ideal for geographically dispersed design teams.

Another benefit of the cloud-based platform is that users don’t have to wait months for an update. Autodesk can continually update Fusion 360 and add new functionality and enhancements per user requests, as it is doing this month.

The Fusion 360 site also offers some light project management and collaboration capabilities. On the site, users can post announcements, manage design information, share calendars, wikis, surveys, and blogs. They can also invite design team collaborators to comment and edit, update versions, and work together on project tasks.

What’s New

Autodesk recently gave the software a tune-up adding more tutorials to make it easier to use, improvements to the collaboration features, ways to automate customer tasks, and improvements to the software’s rendering, modeling and machining workspaces.

Let’s dig deeper and take a look at each of these enhancements:

Easier learning. 12 new in-product tutorials that will guide you through various form, function, fabricate and manage workflows. These tutorials can be accessed from the help menu dropdown, and will be displayed in a dialog box to the bottom right side of the design environment. Go through the tutorial by replicating what each page is doing, and click next to adance to the next page.

When you get to the end of a tutorial, you’ll have the option to move on to another one, or choose a different one from the launchpad. Each tutorial is independent of each other, which means you don’t have to follow a certain path to complete them.

The September update to Fusion 360 will include 12 brand new in-product tutorials that will guide you through various form, function, fabricate and manage workflows.
The September update to Fusion 360 will include 12 brand new in-product tutorials that will guide you through various form, function, fabricate and manage workflows.

Better collaboration.This next update will also give you ability to share designs to anyone you’d like, even if they don’t have an Autodesk account. Right-clicking on a design in the your data panel will give you an option to get a public share link for that specific design. This share link will allow the recipient(s) to view the design in their web browsers with our free 3D viewer. Before you share the link out, you can allow the design to be downloaded, or set a password if you choose to have some security over the design.

Automate custom tasks. Create custom scripts using Javascript within Fusion 360. This new API functionality will enable you to automate custom tasks and have Fusion 360 do what you want it to do. Along with this feature, we’ve also included a few sample scripts such as a bolt generator, spur gear generator, simple build-of-materials (BOM) extractor, etc.

User-requested enhancements. Improved T-Spline creasing performance enables users to crease and uncrease edges without running into wonky intersections and throwing your model into box mode. Uncreasing hard edges will give you nice smooth surfaces to work on, and you will also be able to maintain various creases when you are invoking an extrusion.

Graphics, rendering performance and the quality of visual materials have also been vastly improved. Users on older hardware will able to better leverage Fusion 360’s local rendering capabilities. We’ve also added a number of new materials like gemstones, jade, and translucent.

A position bar in CAM visually display areas where there are toolpath issues such as tool/part collisions, and allow you to jump to that instance and make fixes to the toolpath before you send it off to the CNC machine.
A position bar in CAM visually display areas where there are toolpath issues such as tool/part collisions, and allow you to jump to that instance and make fixes to the toolpath before you send it off to the CNC machine.

Better CAM. A new position bar at the bottom lets users jump to a specific position within a simulated tool path. This position bar will also visually display areas where there are toolpath issues such as tool/part collisions, and allow users to jump to that instance and make fixes to the toolpath before you send it off to the CNC machine. Other features, such as saving operations as templates for reuse and enabling surfaces as model input in the tool path setup, are also included.

User interface. Usability of the software will also be improved in this update with several UI/user experience improvements such as highlighting active manipulators and a manual offline mode toggle.

Fusion 360 starts at $25/month. You can download a trial for free here and give it a whirl yourself. I’ll be getting a tech update and demo of all this new functionality by Kevin Schneider, director of Fusion Product Management for Autodesk so I’ll keep you posted if I learn more. Stay tuned.

Barb Schmitz

Autodesk Aims to Tackle Collaboration Challenges with A360

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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 of tools (DropBox, FTP sites, email, etc.), most of which have their own shortcomings.

The cloud seems to offer an ideal platform for design collaboration. People can access it anywhere, at anytime, and from nearly any device, both desk-bound and mobile. Cloud-based platforms also offer infinite storage capabilities so even the biggest of design files can be stored, saved and shared.

A Gartner study on collaboration among manufacturers found cloud-based tools to be the fastest growing category of collaboration tools—both for internal collaboration as well as working with external partners. Another recent study found that 50% of makers “make things with others,” while 41% indicated that “others use what they make.”

These studies underscore two things: 1) how commonplace collaboration has become when it comes to making things; and 2) how the tools that aid collaboration have evolved beyond the project management and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems of yesteryear, and migrated to the cloud.

The A360 dashboard gives users a view of recent activity streams for all active projects.
The A360 dashboard gives users a view of recent activity streams for all active projects.

Autodesk rolls out new release of A360

Autodesk last week released updates to its A360 project-based collaboration tool and rolled out A360 Team in North America. Ideal for hardware starts-ups, small and medium-sized business professionals who need a way to work together more efficiently, A360 is a tool that brings together people, design and project data, ensuring everyone is informed and involved. Unlike other collaboration or communication tools, A360 is the only design and engineering collaboration solution that puts the project at the center, enabling teams to work together effortlessly.

New features in A360 include the ability for users to view more than 100 2D and 3D design file formats within their browser without downloads or plug-ins, and an advanced search that goes far beyond text search and lets users easily locate components embedded within models, assemblies and designs.

With the A360 mobile app, you can view large 3D and 2D models, easily track what’s happening on your project and collaborate with other members of your team anytime, anywhere from any device. A360 mobile supports both online and offline workflows, allowing teams to stay on track with recent changes and updates.

In addition, Autodesk is introducing A360 Team in North America for $10/month/user (free for students), as well as a basic free version of A360 for individuals.

Opening up Design Collaboration to Non-Engineers

Autodesk has targeted mostly designers and engineers, but there are all kinds of other people who contribute to making the whole project successful. A360 provides the tools to enable all stakeholders to be involved in a project – content creators, collaborators and consumers.

“A360 has been a really accessible tool for us,” said Calvin Domenico III, president of DGF Technologies. “Team members that were not previously involved in design are now coming on board and beginning to not only contribute to existing projects, but to take on new initiatives and expand our entire team’s skill set.”

Some of the main pain points that A360 addresses for project teams include:

* Project coordination: A typical employee is involved in five different projects at a time; larger projects can have upwards of 50 people from the same company involved in a project
* Change tracking and design rework: Designers and engineers need to be able to perform quick iterations, keep track of changes, and maintain version control – ~60% of designers and engineers recreate models due to incompatible software or miscommunication
* Scattered communications: Communication is largely informal and disconnected – A typical employee uses an average of 2-3 communication tools (does not include f2f meetings, instant messaging, and phone)
* Sharing project information and viewing design data: Not all contributors to a project are designers or engineers. Non-engineers use different tools that create different outputs and types of data.
* Sharing large files: According to a recent customer survey, 77% of designers and engineers rely on PDFs for red marking and commenting on designs
* Finding data in complex design assemblies and archives: Not all data is available through basic search and important details are often inaccessible or extremely hard to find. Results of that same survey showed that designers spend 43% of their time on finding and aggregating information

Do you struggle from some of these same challenges? Sign up for a free trial of A360 Team by signing up here.

Barb Schmitz

Autodesk Ships Nastran 2015, Nastran In-CAD 2015

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There’s been a big push by simulation software vendors to get engineers and designers to start incorporating analysis tools into their product development processes. High-end simulation tools have traditionally been used by specialists or analysts who’s jobs are to run design geometry–created by engineers–through their paces using analysis tools to validate that designs will be structurally sound and will operate as intended once built.

The motive is obvious. There are many more design engineers than there are analysts so making their products more engineering-centric opens up much bigger potential markets for simulation vendors. There are also, however, many compelling reasons for engineers to use analysis tools early in the design process. Doing so speeds up development, cuts time to market, and helps them identify potential design flaws long before costly physical prototypes are built.

Autodesk Nastran is an industry-recognized FEA solver for analyzing linear and nonlinear stress, dynamics and heat transfer characteristics of structures and mechanical components.
Autodesk Nastran is an industry-recognized FEA solver for analyzing linear and nonlinear stress, dynamics and heat transfer characteristics of structures and mechanical components.

New versions of Nastran solver released

One of these high-end tools is Nastran, finite-element analysis (FEA) software now sold by Autodesk after its acquisition of NEi Software back in May. The goal of the acquisition was to expand the company’s structural analysis capabilities, and it follows similar strategic technology acquisitions in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD), plastics and composites solutions spaces.

Autodesk Nastran offers an industry-recognized FEA solver for analyzing linear and nonlinear stress, dynamics and heat transfer characteristics of structures and mechanical components. Nastran provides real-time results and changes in solution parameters while solving, which helps engineers and analysts gain accurate results to complex simulations.

Autodesk Nastran In-CAD 2015 is a CAD-embedded, general-purpose FEA tool powered by the Autodesk Nastran solver. The new Nastran In-CAD offers a wide range of simulation spanning across multiple analysis types, delivering another high-end simulation in a CAD-embedded workflow. The software works within both Autodesk Inventor and SolidWorks 3D CAD software systems.

Taking FEA to the Cloud

Autodesk Nastran Solver is available to customers using the Autodesk Simulation Mechanical and Autodesk Simulation Flex product offerings. Autodesk Simulation Flex, formerly Autodesk Sim 360 Pro with Local Solve, consists of:

* Autodesk Simulation Mechanical with cloud-enabled FEA tools for static stress, linear dynamic analysis and mechanical event simulations;
* Autodesk Simulation CFD Motion including Design Study environment and 3D CAD connectors with cloud-enabled CFD tools for fluid flow and thermal simulations; and
* Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis with cloud-enabled simulation for detailed analysis and code checking on a range of structures, including buildings and frame structures.

“We’ve been working with Autodesk tools since the acquisition of Algor and CFDesign and have seen first-hand how incredibly powerful the combination of strong numerical solvers and Autodesk’s advanced visualization, cloud and user interface tools can be,” said Dmitriy Tseliakhovich, Co-founder, CEO and CTO at Escape Dynamics. “Nastran is a great solver with very powerful non-linear and dynamic simulation capabilities so its integration with Autodesk’s front end and elastic cloud computing platform is extremely exciting.”

Autodesk Nastran and Autodesk Nastran In-CAD are now available. For more details about both products and licensing and pricing options, click here.

Barb Schmitz