MCAD Tech News #202
28 Feb, 2007 By: Jeffrey RoweAutodesk shows off the latest release of its products and further digital prototyping I attended Autodesk's first World Press Day event a couple of weeks ago in San Francisco. In general terms, president and CEO Carl Bass talked about the company's products and markets and then let the vice-presidents and directors talk specifics about the various vertical markets, such as mechanical design and manufacturing. However, Bass stated bluntly that Autodesk was not pretending to be a PLM (product lifecycle management) company or positioning itself as such. It would, however, continue to position itself as a mechanical design and PDM (product data management) vendor because that's what makes the most sense for both Autodesk and its customers. He described design as a way of solving problems and said the company would continue the push for the ability to experience things before they become real, as the primary reason behind developing digital tools for design. Buzz Kross, vice-president of Autodesk's Manufacturing Solutions Division, reinforced this notion with what he referred to several times as digital prototyping. Though it is not exactly a new concept, Kross and Autodesk have put a little different spin on it. Kross said the realization of digital prototyping, and a component of it known as functional design, are ongoing efforts by Autodesk that won't come to full fruition in a year, but will become more comprehensive over time. All of this combined promotes a "test before build" process. In other words, creating a digital prototype before committing to a physical design (and physical prototypes) that starts with functional requirements and specifications -- from abstractions come physical realities.Read more>> Time to market is critical. Today's modern firms move heaven and earth to be the first, and it's not easy. The pressure is enormous. Design takes time. Tooling is a challenge. Marketing wants everything now. And the CEO is watching you. Read more>> Mark Your Calendar: MCAD Events 2007 Better Injection Molding Seminar Application-Oriented CFD for the Aerospace and Defense Industry Plastic Parts Innovations Conference and New Product Design Competition Developing a Design/Simulation Framework 23rd Annual CMSC (Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference) For Cadalyst's full calendar of events, click here. what's new at cadalyst.com PLM Strategies -- This Pond Isn't Big Enough for All of Us: PLM providers take aim at small and mid-sized businesses. On the Edge (Tutorial) -- Sheet-Metal Productivity: Solid Edge v19 includes new sheet-metal tools. Online Archives:Click here to view an online version of this newsletter and past issues of MCAD Tech News. New Way to Navigate Cadalyst.com Training Day Cadalyst Daily Update
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