Latest CAD / CAM / CAE / FEA Content Feed

ROI calculator shows how much money you save

Leslie_Gordon — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:54:43 -0600

The right hardware boosts the performance of CAD applications. NVIDIA's ROI calculator lets users easily find out how many hours they will save on each project or see how short the payback period is on upgrades. For example, say you are a design engineer making $55,000 a year and you use your Dell workstation about 50% of your time on the job, which is 240 days a year and 8 hours a day. Assume that the workstation will be upgraded in three years and that you mostly design large assemblies.

Why do you need a professional graphics card?

Leslie_Gordon — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:03:07 -0600

A common question is why should I choose a professional graphics card such as NVIDIA Quadro over gaming cards such as GeForce? For one thing, professional users such as CAD designers and engineers have more stringent hardware requirements than those of average users or gamers. The primary concern of workstation professionals is stability and reliability.

Introducing Maximus: A new technology from NVIDIA

Leslie_Gordon — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:10:22 -0600

How would it impact design if it were possible to completely eliminate off-lining rendering to a centralized cluster or an outsourced-company? NVIDIA Maximus lets users design and simulate or render at the same time on the same workstation. The technology features intelligent GPU job allocation; a single unified driver; full independent software vendor (ISV) application certification; and it works with a range of OEM workstations, including Dell.

Android app lets users view CAD drawings and models

Leslie_Gordon — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:50:38 -0600

The TurboViewer app for the Android includes fast native 2D and 3D DWG and DXF viewing, the capability to navigate full-screen preview during file load, and smooth multi-touch navigation while panning, zooming, and orbiting. The app also lets users restore saved AutoCAD views to quickly display the best vision of their designs. It does not require Internet connection for remote field work. IMSI/Design LLC, 25 Leveroni Court, Novato, CA 94949, (415) 483-8000, www.IMSIdesign.com

Software finds parts by shape

Leslie_Gordon — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:01:10 -0600

3DPartFinder is a geometry-based search engine that works inside of SolidWorks. It lets users search by shape and then finds and displays similar parts. Besides SolidWorks, the software works with Workgroup PDM and Enterprise PDM, making it easier to find parts and their related information.
3DSemantix, 249 Saint-Jacques, Suite 300, Montreal, Québec, (514)746-2690, www.3dpartfinder.com

CFD software calculates underwater speed for a small sub

Jared Rader — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:05:03 -0600

Authored by:
Fred C. Jensen, PE, MSME
Director of Engineering
Patriot Engineering Co.
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Edited by Leslie Gordon
leslie.gordon@penton.com, Twitter @LeslieGordon
Resources:
Autodesk Inc.

Flip book for DraftSight

Jared Rader — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:21:12 -0600

DraftSight is free CAD software for DWG files. DraftSight’s newest learning resource, the Master Series online “flip” book, includes an introduction to the software, links to tutorials, videos, and tips and tricks for users. View the book at: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/5cb01be7#/5cb01be7/1

New High Temperature materials for 3D printing

Leslie_Gordon — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:27:21 -0600

New High Temperature Material from Objet is available for use on Objet Connex500 and Eden500V 3D printers. The new material simulates the thermal performance of engineering plastics while maintaining dimensional stability, so it allows for the genuine thermal functional testing of 3D printed parts and prototypes. For instance, the material’s temperature resistance makes it highly beneficial for thermal testing of static parts such as hot air-flow or hot water-flow in taps and faucets.

Professional graphics cards

Leslie_Gordon — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:04:12 -0600

Quadro 2000, 4000, and 5000 graphics cards for workstations or 2000M, 4000M, and 5010M for mobile devices are certified and tested by all major CAD applications, including SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor and found to reliably deliver impressive performance. Unlike consumer gaming cards, Quadro is certified and tested by SolidWorks and NVIDIA to work perfectly from day one for maximum system uptime and is backed by a three year warranty.

3D stereo in e-Drawings

Leslie_Gordon — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:08:13 -0600

NVIDIA's Quadro and 3D Vision Pro solutions, users can view designs in more detailed stereoscopic 3D. Also, in the commonly used SolidWorks add-in, eDrawings — which is for sharing CAD files or marketing reviews — users can see models in life-like 3D to give managers and customers a better representation of the design.