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Verisurf Software debuts new 2023 release

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Verisurf Software, Inc. will be demonstrating Verisurf 2023 at Control, Stuttgart, Germany, May 3 -6, Hall 3, Stand 3312. Verisurf 2023 continues to refine metrology workflows with added features designed to reduce time and improve the efficiency of automated quality inspection and reporting, scanning, reverse engineering, and tool building.

Verisurf 2023 continues to refine metrology workflows, including automatic conversion of 3D CAD annotations to MBD feature controls. Built on a CAD platform, Verisurf software can read and edit MBD and associated intelligent GD&T.

Verisurf software is built on a CAD platform and is committed to Model-Based Definition (MBD). Verisurf 2023 takes this a step further with automatic conversion of 3D CAD annotations into MBD and intelligent Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T). This new automatic feature will further reduce the time needed to set up inspection plans, reduce input errors, and increase process control.

“Working closely with our customers we balance the ongoing development of Verisurf software between enhanced productivity and repeatable process control; our focus on automation satisfies both,” said Nick Merrell, executive vice president of Verisurf.

In addition to showing the 2023 release and its many new features at Control, Verisurf will be showing various measurement, inspection, reverse engineering, and tool building applications, including:

–Coord3 programmable CMM with Renishaw, REVO 5-axis measuring system
–Robot-based 3D scanning, inspection, and quality reporting
–Master3DGage portable CMM with an optional laser scanner
–CMM Master, programmable, portable CMM solution

Verisurf Software, Inc.
www.verisurf.com

Collier Aerospace launches structural analysis and design optimization software

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Collier Aerospace Corp. will announce at JEC World 2022, May 3-5 in Paris, France, the global debut of its new analysis and design optimization software for composite structures used in aircraft, space and automotive vehicles, and many other high-end applications. This computer-aided engineering (CAE) solution offers designers and engineers tools for balancing weight reduction with manufacturability, accelerating part development and helping to quickly achieve airframe certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), where applicable.

To showcase the design optimization capabilities of this leading-edge software, Collier Aerospace will feature at its booth (K44 in Hall 6) two landmark projects: a novel composite racing sailboat and a natural fiber wind turbine blade.

“We totally redesigned our software,” said Craig Collier, co-founder, CEO and president, Collier Aerospace. “It runs faster and handles larger models with a new and powerful graphics engine and underlying relational database to hold terabytes of data. Along with streamlined workflows and a redesigned modern interface, engineers can do more in less time.”


The software, which is licensed on a subscription basis, will replace HyperSizer, the company’s previous product. Existing customers will be invited to migrate to the new software. Collier Aerospace will continue to support HyperSizer throughout a customer’s transition period to HyperX.

The technology was used to size a unique, carbon fiber composite racing sailboat that will attempt to break the world sailing speed record in 2023. A 1-meter scale model of the craft will be shown at the company’s booth. The other initiative evaluated the feasibility of replacing fiberglass with flax plant-based natural fiber reinforcement in wind turbine blades to reduce the environmental impact of the application during the design phase. The software was used to size the blade and define materials and ply layups.

Collier Aerospace Corporation
collieraerospace.com

Exchange of large data volumes between 3D, CAD and VR systems

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The current version of the universal converter 3D_Evolution 4.5 supports the latest JT format 10.5. The tool was specially developed for exchanging large amounts of data between the various 3D, CAD and VR systems and enables detailed CAD models to be simplified.

Conversion of Large CAD Models

For data conversion, especially in the automotive, aerospace and plant engineering sectors, it is necessary to convert assemblies of several gigabytes in size into another system format. This is now also possible for the latest JT 10.5 data format. The actual software version 3D_Evolution 4.5 SP1 hereby supports the new STT technology to quickly load a 3D preview of the entire JT model and reload sub-assemblies in the exact XT format. This gives the user an overview for selecting and converting the desired perimeters in the shortest possible time.

Useful Extra Functions

The new version of the conversion software also supports the 3D dimension information (PMI) of JT 10.5, where the 3D dimensions mark the associated reference geometry such as holes and tolerance information on the model and allows the user a better overview.

The 3D_Evolution converter has interfaces to all common systems and formats such as Catia, Creo, Nx, Solidworks, Inventor, and STEP as well as to the visualization formats Fbx, Gltf and Obj. Functions for quality analysis and data correction ensure data quality when exchanging data between the most diverse 3D systems.

The software’s optional Simplifier module automatically creates an outer shell of complex models and effectively reduces the data volumes of large assemblies and complex models. This enables fast, problem-free further processing in 3D systems. By generating the envelope geometry, the know-how is protected at the same time.

The new 3D_Evolution software version is available now.

CoreTechnologie
www.coretechnologie.com/products/3d-evolution

 

HOOPS 2022 Toolkits enhance manufacturing and BIM workflows

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Tech Soft 3D, a leading provider of engineering software development toolkits (SDKs), announced the release of the HOOPS 2022 SDKs. The enhancements to the 2022 toolkits focus on providing remarkable animation, data access and exchange, simulation and rendering capabilities to enable Tech Soft 3D partners to remain competitive in their industries by developing cutting-edge applications with proven 3D technologies.

With HOOPS SDKs, developers can reduce product development costs and bring desktop, web, mobile, and AR/VR applications to market faster.

Key feature enhancements include:

–Support for Apple Silicon: Apple’s recent shift from Intel-based chips to its new ARM-based architecture requires partners to port applications to provide the best experience for their users. We are now providing an official build of our HOOPS toolkits to enable this process.

–Animation Manager: New animation capabilities, including a new animation manager, are designed to meet various engineering animation needs, ranging from BIM 5D simulations, through Digital Factory animations, and Work Instruction authoring.

–Physically Based Rendering (PBR): PBR has been added to HOOPS Communicator to provide higher quality rendering for web applications and is now also available in HOOPS Visualize for mobile platforms.

–Spatial Relationships: Support for “Spatial Relationships” that are part of the Industry Foundation Class (IFC) model definition enables the ability to navigate in the model, query the model in the context of Quantity Takeoff (QTO) and more.

Enhancements to SDKs include:

–HOOPS Exchange
–Native CAD and standard format support for Inventor 2022, ACIS 2021 1.0 and –Parasolid 34.0
–Accessing mates for CATIA V5 files to help optimize workflows for applications in manufacturing simulation, robotic, kinematics analysis and more.

HOOPS Visualize
–New culling mechanism where front faces can be culled, allowing the user to see inside objects easier, and more easily show the results of analysis.
–Android AR Sandbox application refresh, which includes updating the ARCore SDK, using ARCore to match the 3D lighting to the environmental lighting (as seen by the camera), and adding a broader range of models.

HOOPS Communicator
–Supports assembly level features across different shattered workflows, allows users to view all the parts or a building or mechanical assembly at once and easily switch versions/revisions of individual parts or sub-assemblies without having to reconvert or process the entire set of 3D objects.
–Supports generating multiple output SC files for each body which is affected by an assembly level feature resulting in correct assembly conversion.
–New rendering modes (sketched mode and conceptual mode) based on standard AEC application interactions, enables users to replicate the environment they are used to in AEC workflows.

HOOPS Publish
–Improvements to HTML export regarding quality and fidelity with 3D PDFs.

HOOPS toolkits are also available through the HOOPS Native and HOOPS Web Platforms. HOOPS Platforms combine 3D technologies for CAD data exchange, visualization and data publishing, along with tight connections to popular modeling kernels.

Tech Soft 3D
www.techsoft3d.com

Automatically determine fill levels and internal volumes

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The software 3D_Evolution Simplifier, known for data reduction and know-how protection, helps users automatically determine fill levels in tank systems or room volumes in air conditioning systems and vehicle interiors.

The German-French software manufacturer CoreTechnologie has added new functions to its 3D_Evolution Simplifier software. In addition to the generation of 3D envelope geometries for data reduction and know-how protection, the tool performs the otherwise time-consuming calculation of the interior volume for determining fill levels in tank systems or other spatial volumes in complex assemblies such as vehicle interiors.

From a user-defined starting point within the assembly, a virtual balloon is inflated to represent the volume of air or liquid in the interior. If necessary, auxiliary geometries are generated in the software to limit the interior volume or to define specific filling heights. The calculation and representation of the interior volume is done by a voxel model with freely definable edge length, influencing the calculation accuracy. The inner volume is represented by a triangulated solid, which can be converted into formats such as jt, stl or cgr for further processing in other systems. The virtual balloon can also be used in data simplification for automatic selection of interior or exterior components.

The tool processes over 40 different 3D formats, including Catia, Creo, Nx, Solidworks as well as JT and STEP without access to a CAD license and can therefore be used flexibly in any environment.

Improving coordination between electrical and mechanical design of electronic products

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Electronic products are more than just printed circuit boards (PCBs). PCB designers create the boards (components, copper traces, silkscreens) in the context of a specific device. They have to closely collaborate with the mechanical engineers who define the shape of boards and their enclosures, including mounting holes and the placement of critical components, to have the confidence that everything will fit exactly as planned when it goes to manufacturing.

When PCB designers and mechanical engineers work together to design electronic products, they often struggle to keep their work coordinated because they use completely different Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools. Altium’s CoDesigner allows mechanical engineers to design alongside PCB designers and supports multiple MCAD software platforms (including PTC Creo, Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS, Autodesk Inventor, and Autodesk Fusion 360).

“The benefit of Altium’s CoDesigner capability is the ease of quickly sharing the updated design to check potential mechanical conflicts in SOLIDWORKS. With this, our industrial designers can indicate what changes are desired from their point of view and make it easier to discuss the design,” says Gregory Knauff, Lead Hardware Engineer at SODAQ, a Dutch IoT development house.

Typically, when PCB designers and mechanical engineers have to work together on the same design, both are continually importing, exporting, and converting files, adding hours of manual labor, data loss, and rework to the design process. The CoDesigner capability eliminates that clunky and often tedious process.

Nyckle Sijtsma, Lead Industrial Designer at SODAQ, concurs. “I love how quickly design changes from the hardware team can be ‘pulled’ and tested with the latest 3D models using the CoDesigner capability. Also, being able to make changes in real-time helps in discussions between hardware and industrial design to test different ideas and shapes together quickly.”

This streamlined process ensures MCAD and ECAD are always in sync, yielding greater productivity, faster prototyping and shorter time-to-market, helping Altium Designer users change how they collaborate with their MCAD colleagues without the need to change the way they work.

Altium in collaboration with Quantel Laser, a division of Lumibird and a global leader in laser technology created a behind-the-scenes video exclusive to showcase the CoDesigner capability in action.

Jeremie Waller, Sr. Electrical Engineer and Laine McNeil, Sr. Mechanical Engineer, guide you through a hands-on demonstration of how they use Altium’s MCAD CoDesigner capability to optimize and streamline the way their design teams work together. Jeremie is using Altium Designer while Laine works with SOLIDWORKS for MCAD while collaborating with CoDesigner in Altium 365.

Altium
go.altium.com

Finding data more easily

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Selecting appropriate product data in engineering is often time consuming. However, the new EPLAN Data Portal, with a new user interface and improved search algorithms, makes it easier and faster than ever before. Expanded search parameters mean that users can quickly find exactly the components they are looking for. Individualized solutions based on configurators can be intuitively generated – as demonstrated by the Lenze product configurator.

More than one-third of all the data in the EPLAN Data Portal – for instance, those from Rittal – already conforms to the new, high quality Data Standard.

The new EPLAN Platform is on the verge of being released and will also mark the moment when the EPLAN Data Portal will exclusively be available for use in the EPLAN ePulse cloud environment. The platform’s updated user interface offers numerous enhancements for searching for and finding device data. Improved search algorithms and parameters make it much easier for users to quickly find the appropriate components to download. Increased system performance also ensures greater speed when selecting components. Another new feature is the integration of the Lenze product configurator.

Configurators streamline product selection
Lenze Director of Team Processes and Data Bernd Spiegel explains: “The direct integration of our product configurator into the new EPLAN Platform lets customers very quickly find the product they need. There’s no need to search for devices in extensive lists and customers get the devices that match their requirements. Aside from which, this cooperation also provides benefits for Lenze as a manufacturer of many products and variants. Maintaining the data for the configurator in EPLAN Electric P8 is much easier for us than doing that for all the distinct variants of a product series.”

A real life example: A user needs a frequency inverter. Using the Lenze Easy Product Finder, said user needs just a few steps to find a suitable device from the company’s i550 series of devices. The defining characteristics such as rated power, supply network type, and the type of fieldbus network are included as selection criteria. Once users have decided on a particular device based on these parameters, the associated EPLAN data can be generated in the detail view and then imported into the CAE solution’s device management.

Portal users need only a few steps to be able to find a suitable i550 series device using configurators such as the Lenze Easy Product Finder.

Around three million data sets available on the portal
The configurators of additional manufacturers, including Endress+Hauser, Bosch Rexroth and Rittal, all work in a similar way. This makes each manufacturer portfolio easily accessible to design engineers. Selecting devices and acquiring high quality data is easy and intuitive. The data is up to date and can be transferred directly into projects. Similarly to configuring features for a new car, users are guided through the various product families of the assorted manufacturers. Integrating configurators doesn’t just expand the data available in the portal (more than 1 million data sets) by approximately two million configurable variants, it also makes it easier for users to compile high quality device data.
In addition, there are selectors from Aventics, IPF and Schneider Electric that ensure fast product selection. There’s no question that the data is correct thanks to the targeted narrowing of selections via search parameters. This portfolio will soon be expanded with the offerings from two additional well known global players – meaning users have even more to look forward to.

EPLAN Data Standard becoming entrenched
More than one-third of the data on the portal already conforms to the new, high quality Data Standard, and solutions provider EPLAN has set further ambitious goals: half of all the device data should meet the Data Standard by the end of 2022, if possible. This calls for further commitments from device manufacturers, many of whom are recognizing the benefits of having 100 percent digital data. Big players that have been pioneers in this in the international arena include Chint (China), IFM, Pilz, Rittal and SMC (Europe), Numatics (USA) and Omron (Japan).

Pilz Vice President Customer Support International Arndt Christ says: “We’re pleased that we can now offer our customers high quality engineering data. In 2020, we decided to create our Pilz product macros to conform with the EPLAN Data Standard. The data standardization that is currently possible, which makes using the macros easier, benefits our in-house engineering departments in our affiliated companies and, externally, our customers around the globe. While macros previously had to be inserted into designs using value sets, today it can be accomplished using a functional template. The benefits include improved networking of data – for instance between 2D and 3D – fewer errors because the wiring connections are precisely defined, and time savings above all because the macros are standardized. The new Data Standard, particularly the functional template, is a mark of quality for our macros and meets our expectations for high quality data. We have a dependable partner for the future in EPLAN, someone we can work with to continue advancing this approach.”

EPLAN Software & Service
www.eplan.de

Students can jump-start their careers with offers available from Dassault Systèmes

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Dassault Systèmes announced the official availability1 of three student editions on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform tailored to help students prepare for their future careers.  In a global economy where existing jobs are transforming and new job skills are emerging, students can experience the digital technologies used by industry, develop in-demand skills, and achieve industry-recognized certifications that distinguish their technical expertise.

Through an easy online click and buy experience, students can purchase an affordable, one-year license to any of the following 3DEXPERIENCE Edu solutions for individual students:

Each 3DEXPERIENCE student edition provides a set of dedicated learning paths toward certification including SOLIDWORKS and CATIA Associate certifications.  Students also gain access to live webinars and opportunities for real-time communication with a global online community of peers and Dassault Systèmes experts.

The early adoption of the latest digital technologies can potentially play a role in students’ job prospects.  In fields like mechanical engineering, for example, students who have skills in advanced technologies such as virtual simulations, could be in high demand by companies seeking to reduce product development cycles.2

Dassault Systèmes
edu.3ds.com/en/software/stu

A look at hyperMILL 2021.2 CAD/CAM software suite

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OPEN MIND Technologies AG, a leading developer of CAD/CAM software solutions worldwide, has introduced its latest hyperMILL 2021.2 CAD/CAM software suite which offers users innovative and enhanced features for efficient, user friendly machining in applications ranging from 2.5D to 5-axis. “With our continued focus on providing a rich, simplified user experience, the latest version of hyperMILL offers enhanced machining strategies, increased options for data feedback, as well as more convenience,” said Mr. Alan Levine, Managing Director of OPEN MIND Technologies USA, Inc.

hyperMILL VIRTUAL Machining Optimizer detects violations of the axis limitations and optimizes movement sequences accordingly.

Resulting in simplified programming and increased process reliability, hyperMILL VIRTUAL Machining NC code-based machine simulation has also been enhanced. Within the VIRTUAL Machining Optimizer module which links individual part programs with smooth and safe connections, the cutter is able to remain close to the workpiece, violations of the axis limitations are now detected and movement sequences are optimized accordingly. There is also a new option in VIRTUAL Machining to apply a special approach and retract strategy to machines where the cutting tool can be retracted into a tunnel

A forerunner in CAM Additive Manufacturing, OPEN MIND has introduced more capabilities in hyperMILL 2021.2 ADDITIVE Manufacturing including a Weave Mode. This new mode generates a toolpath in a wave-shaped or zigzag movement, to apply material to contours or to fill areas, allowing the application area to be widened and the thickness to be increased for the individual movement. This continuous application also improves the metallurgical properties of the applied material.

In the integrated hyperCAD-S CAD module, additional file formats for import and export have been added including SAT as standard ACIS text, and OBJ and 3MF for importing mesh data. Also, electrode creation has been improved via the optimized selection of the raw material. To support EDM machining, the hyperCAD-S Electrode Converter can now be used to create import files for several EDM machines such as Exeron, Zimmer & Kreim and OPS-INGERSOLL.

3D Z-Level Finishing enables machining with free tool geometry.

For increased quality and ease of use, enhancements to some CAM cycles are offered in hyperMILL 2021.2 such as 3D and 5-axis Equidistant Finishing capabilities that define the milling area by selecting bounding curves so that individual areas on a surface model can be targeted. With 3D ISO Machining, multiple bounding curves can now be used to allow different areas to be machined in one job. In addition, 3D Z-level Shape Finishing includes several innovative features to improve machining quality, including optimized sorting of toolpath, smooth overlap at boundary, free tool geometry and trim toolpath to stock

For improved clarity, hyperMILL 2021.2 also has new functions that provide better feedback during CAM programming. Automatic Stock Display displays stock automatically for any machining job. Also, there is a new Preview of Selected Entities feature that highlights entities such as curves, faces or points when a job is selected. And for component alignment at a touch of a button, a new BEST FIT feature aligns the NC program automatically to the component position, eliminating manual alignment and optimizing the options offered by VIRTUAL Machining.

OPEN MIND Technologies AG
www.openmind-tech.com/en

Varjo unveils reality cloud platform for capturing and sharing our reality for a true-to-life metaverse

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Varjo, the leader in industrial-grade VR/XR hardware and software, today announced a pioneering new reality with Varjo Reality Cloud. The new platform will enable virtual teleportation for the first time by allowing anybody to 3D scan their surroundings using a Varjo XR-3 headset and transport another person to that same exact physical reality, completely bridging the real and the virtual in true-to-life visual fidelity. This real-time reality sharing will usher in a new era in universal collaboration and pave the way for a metaverse of the future, transforming the way people work, interact, and play.

“We believe that Varjo’s vision for the metaverse will elevate humanity during the next decade more than any other technology in the world,” said Timo Toikkanen, CEO of Varjo. “What we’re building with our vision for the Varjo Reality Cloud will release our physical reality from the laws of physics. The programmable world that once existed only behind our screens can now merge with our surrounding reality – forever changing the choreography of everyday life.”

For the past five years, Varjo has been building and perfecting the foundational technologies needed to bring its Varjo Reality Cloud platform to market such as human-eye resolution, low-latency video pass-through, integrated eye tracking and the LiDAR ability of the company’s mixed reality headset. As the only company having already delivered these building block technologies in market-ready products, Varjo is uniquely positioned to combine them with Varjo Reality Cloud to empower users to enjoy the scale and flexibility of virtual computing in the cloud without compromising performance or quality.

Using Varjo’s proprietary foveated transport algorithm, users will be able to stream the real-time human-eye resolution, wide-field-of-view 3D video feed in single megabytes per second to any device. This ability to share, collaborate in and edit one’s environment with other people makes human connection more real and efficient than ever before, eliminating the restrictions of time and place completely.

To further accelerate bringing the vision for Varjo Reality Cloud to life, Varjo today also announced the acquisition of Dimension10, a Norwegian software company that pioneers industrial 3D collaboration. Their virtual meeting suite is designed for architecture, engineering and construction teams and will become a critical component to making virtual collaboration possible within Varjo Reality Cloud.

Additionally, Varjo welcomed Lincoln Wallen to the company’s board of directors. Wallen currently serves as the CTO at Improbable, is a recognized scholar in computing and AI, and brings to Varjo his extensive knowledge of large scale cloud computing, and moving digital content production into the cloud. Previously, Wallen has worked as CTO of Dreamworks where he transitioned global movie production to the cloud, including the development of a cloud-native toolset for asset management, rendering, lighting, and animation.

Varjo
varjo.com