Mark Twain once famously said, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” If engineering drawings collectively had a voice, they might say the same thing. With product developers increasingly transitioning to 3D CAD systems, many have predicted that engineering drawings would go the way of landlines, printed maps and VCRs. Engineers–once better known […]
Leveraging the Value of 3D Design Data
Software vendors spend a lot of time and money touting the value of 3D CAD software though most of the attention is paid to the actual design process. After all, this is where engineers and designers focus most of their efforts and where the innovative designs are conceived and realized through the use of 3D […]
TransMagic Facilitates 3D CAD Comparison with MagicCheck R2
Dealing with the challenges of multi-CAD design environments has become a reality for nearly all product engineers and designers today. It’s nearly impossible to find a company that uses only one CAD system. Even those that do standardize on one system, chances are that they work with suppliers and partners who use a different system, […]
PartMaker Releases 3D CAD for CAM Software
Problems and errors often arise when 3D CAD models are moved into the manufacturing environment. For years the various software systems used in design and manufacturing spoke different languages so 3D CAD models often needed to be translated or dumbed down before being used as input by CAM software, which often resulted in errors on […]
The failed promise of parametric CAD, final chapter: A viable solution
What is the failed promise of parametric CAD? In short, model reuse. It’s a lot more difficult than it ought to be, for a variety of reasons. Several months back, I wrote a series of articles discussing those reasons, as well as some of the solutions that have come up over the years. What was missing […]
Should you buy your CAD software—or rent?
CAD software isn’t cheap. A mainstream 3D CAD program will set you back thousands of dollars upfront, and a bunch more in annual maintenance charges. The cost can be daunting. But what if there was a way to spread it out, and pay as you go? Rental: An idea that’s been tried. A dozen years […]
SpaceClaim: Sheet metal design for pirates?
Let this be a warning to all CAD vendors: Don’t encourage your application engineers to “be creative and have fun.” You might end up with product videos such as this one: All seriousness aside, SpaceClaim does have compelling sheet metal tools for people other than pretend pirates. And, unlike some older CAD programs, SpaceClaim is […]
High-tech tools for a cool ride
When Marcus Hays first heard about an electric bike, he was less than enthusiastic. Why load a bike with battery weight, turning the human motor into passenger in the process? That was 1995 and Hays was working with Lee Iococca to develop electric cars and bikes. Electric bikes use less than 1,000 watts of total […]
Guitar maker speeds design process
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is a leading manufacturer of stringed instruments, including electric, acoustic, and bass guitars as well as guitar amplifiers. While the company handcrafted guitars and used 2D AutoCAD design tools for many years, the 2002 acquisition of the JACKSON guitar brand brought more complex geometry challenges that required 3D design technology to […]
Athletic gear gets muscle
Concept2, the world leader in rowing exercise equipment, uses KeyCreator software to design and develop its complete line of indoor rowers and oars, including the recently introduced Model E and the popular Concept2 ‘Model D’ rowing machine – voted “Most Innovative Fitness Product” by Health Magazine. Concept2 rowing exercise equipment is used by 99% of […]
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