MCAD Tech News #179
14 Jun, 2006 By: Jeffrey RoweDigital Factory Within Reach: Modular options mean even SMBs can take advantage of production and manufacturing visualization tools
In last
week's edition of MCAD Tech News, I discussed
the benefits of using digital analysis in the manufacturing
process. This week, I'll compare manufacturing simulation
and manufacturing visualization and discuss their benefits
and how they are being used.
3D visualization, virtual reality and collaborative PLM-related tools are beginning
to provide benefits for manufacturing processes. Like their counterparts on the
product design side, production visualization tools are accelerating build cycles,
reducing production costs, increasing plant efficiencies and adding to the overall
bottom line. These process-oriented tools are used to simulate everything from
factory floor layouts to machining processes to human-machine interaction, and
new applications are constantly being explored and brought to the factory floor.
Up to now, digital manufacturing simulation tools have been largely relegated
to industries and enterprises that could afford them -- primarily OEMs in the
automotive and aerospace industries. This situation is changing, albeit slowly,
to include more SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses). Digital manufacturing
visualization, also known as digital manufacturing, is a subset of a comprehensive
PLM system, primarily related to what is known as MPM (manufacturing process
management). Read
more>>
by Ron LaFon
After many years of reviewing software applications, I've become familiar with their steady evolution. Sometimes I get to see a familiar product break through boundaries and make a leap in functionality that offers tremendous potential for its future. Such is the case with Caligari's recently introduced trueSpace7.
Perhaps the most significant new feature is trueSpace7's interactive, customizable 3D collaborative authoring environment that supports multiple-level projects. If you have a workgroup whose members are scattered around the globe, you can all work on a given model concurrently, or one group can work on a specific component while another group works on a different part.Read more >>
Mark Your Calendar: MCAD Events
For Cadalyst's full calendar of events, click here >>
Webinars: Large-Format Scanning and Document Management
Tuesdays and Thursdays in June
IDEAL is offering Web presentations to discuss topics, introduce
technology and provide suggestions to help with large-format scanning
and document management problems. Read
more
ARC Advisory Group Sessions at the ARC 14th Annual Forum
June 26-28, 2006
Dedham, Massachusetts
ARC Advisory Group will hold several special sessions during its
14th Annual Forum, “Driving Enterprise Performance through Next
Generation Manufacturing Concepts.”
Read more
Agile 2006 Conference
July 23-28, 2006
Minneapolis, Minnesota
For those interested in learning how to successfully implement and
scale Agile methodologies. Read
more
COFES 2007
April 12-15, 2007
Scottsdale, Arizona
COFES 2007 brings together executives from technology, engineering,
design, development and architectural companies to explore new engineering
technology and discuss its effects on the future of business. Read
more

Online Archives:Click here to view an online version of this newsletter and past issues of MCAD Tech News.
CAD Manager (Column) – Hire the Good Avoid the Bad:Tips for hiring the right CAD staffers.
Cadalyst Daily Update: For all the latest news and new products, subscribe to Cadalyst Daily e-newsletter. Plus, every issue includes a feature you won’t find anywhere else -- hardware and CAD software reviews, success stories, AutoCAD tips and much more! Here’s a sample of what you missed in the past week:
- UGS
Introduces Solid Edge v19, New CAM Tool: NX CAM Express is latest addition
to Velocity Series for midsize companies
- Event Report: 2006 PTC/User Conference, Pt. 1: Acquisitions are key to PTC's billion-dollar strategy