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SolidWorks World 2010, Part 2: New Products for SolidWorks Users
25 Feb, 2010 By: Nancy Spurling JohnsonEvent report: A tour of the Partner Pavilion finds endless new tools for structural steel design, CAM, prototyping, and much more.
No report on SolidWorks World 2010 would be complete without a rundown of all the action in the Partner Pavilion. Held early this month in Anaheim, California, the event brought about quite a bit of activity among the exhibitors, as you'll see. Information provided here was gathered from a tour around the Partner Pavilion, meetings during the week, and press releases. If I missed an update, send it to editors@cadalyst.com.
Part 1 of this report, SolidWorks World 2010: Clouds, Macs, Movie Making, and More, shares my overview of SolidWorks announcements and action at the event.
Concepts for Design Visualization
“Mixing the real with the virtual” is the foundation of mixed reality (MR) technologies. The concept of MR has been around for quite some time, but at SolidWorks World this year, you could get your hands on it, and the latest development by Japan-based Canon IT was attracting a constant stream of curious conference goers. In this application, which is still in development, the user wears a head-mounted device over his or her eyes that holds two compact cameras, one for each eye. That device is connected to a PC, which delivers virtual objects -- in this case, CAD data -- that appear to the user to be in real space. In layman’s terms, what you experience is the life-size model sitting right there in the room, allowing you to gauge the scale and features of the object within real-world surroundings. (See this article for a couple of photographs.)
Down the aisle in the SolidWorks exhibit, Infinite Z was showcasing its zSpace concept. Based on a “virtual-holographic computing platform,” this technology lets users directly interact with a CAD model. I donned a special pair of glasses and used a stylus to click on parts of a model, lift them, turn them over and around, and put them back.
AMV was on hand to demonstrate AMV Steelworks 2010, which brings advanced functionalities for steel carpentry to the SolidWorks environment. The software is designed to facilitate communication between structural and mechanical design departments, allowing each team member to work on the same model, understanding in real time how everything fits together. The downstream process can manage multidisciplinary sets of drawings, as well as make and coordinate design changes.
SolidAce, which made its debut at SolidWorks World 2009, was exhibiting a similar solution: its newly launched BuiltWorks 2010 for plant and mechanical designers who need more structural steel–modeling tools inside SolidWorks. New features include an enhanced user interface, a new custom model rebuild function, and a new sample library of prototype connections with dedicated directory. New training tutorials are available free through the company's web site. After the conference, the company reported, SolidAce met representatives from SolidWorks to discuss the various aspects of BuiltWorks integration with SolidWorks simulation for stress analysis.
Smap3D is now available from CAD Partner to aid in planning complex 3D piping systems for mechanical engineering, tool production, and plant design. The software implements pipe classes with 3D pipe system construction. In the pipe classes, the affiliation of components (such as fittings and flanges) is defined in line with particular company or project specifications for pipe system characteristics to avoid user error, save time, and optimize process security.
Trace Software International announced a new release of elecworks, its flagship electrical CAD add-on for SolidWorks. The product is designed to facilitate collaboration between electrical and mechanical teams in better designing automation and electrical installation projects. It helps designers, engineers, and managers integrate electrical schematics in an existing SolidWorks platform. New features include improved automatic generation for PLCs, automatic routing and wiring within SolidWorks, and better SolidWorks–AutoCAD compatibility.
Trace Software launches a new release of its elecworks add-on for SolidWorks.
Zuken had just announced the availability in Canada of its E3.WireWorks software for wiring, harness, cable assembly, and panel design that integrates with SolidWorks Premium Routing and PDM Enterprise Solutions. Contact reseller Javelin Technologies for information.
Template Wizard is a product from Knowledge Services Tools that aids SolidWorks users in creating customized part and assembly templates. A new feature, the Update Wizard, will traverse assemblies and folders to find drawings that meet the user's specified criteria and update them as required.
At the AMC Bridge booth, I spoke with Sales and Marketing Manager Nick Finamore. AMC Bridge has a booth in the Partner Pavilion to be near its customers and potential customers — the other vendors, he said. The company provides SolidWorks customization for in-house use and works with other SolidWorks partners to integrate products with SolidWorks, such as the SolidACE tool for structural steel design that was on display elsewhere on the show floor.
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About the Author: Nancy Spurling Johnson
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