Autodesk Announces 2012 Manufacturing Software

By DE Editors

Autodesk, Inc. has introduced its new 3D design and engineering software portfolio for manufacturers, including the new Autodesk Product Design Suite. The complete Autodesk digital prototyping software portfolio is intended to help manufacturers design and build better, more sustainable products, reduce development costs and get to market faster.

The Autodesk Product Design Suite contains Autodesk’s design, visualization and simulation software for manufacturers. According to the company, it provides cost savings and is easier to deploy, maintain and manage than stand-alone products.

Autodesk offers three editions of the Product Design Suite:

• Product Design Suite Standard includes AutoCAD Mechanical with Inventor Fusion, Autodesk Showcase, Autodesk SketchBook Designer, Autodesk Vault and Autodesk Mudbox software.
• Product Design Suite Premium includes the Standard edition tools along with Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk 3ds Max Design software.
• Product Design Suite Ultimate includes the same tools as the Premium edition along with Autodesk Inventor Professional and Autodesk Alias Design software.
 

As a result of a partnership announced in October 2010,  Autodesk and Granta Design Ltd. have built new design methods into Autodesk Inventor 2012 software that help designers estimate a product’s environmental impact and make more sustainable design decisions. The new Eco Materials Adviser in Inventor 2012 addresses sustainable design requirements early in the design process, enabling manufacturers to choose materials that minimize environmental impact. Powered by Granta’s materials database and sustainable design methodology, Eco Materials Adviser helps guide material selection and generates eco-impact reports.

Autodesk Inventor Fusion makes its commercial debut following its technology preview on Autodesk Labs. It is now included at no extra cost as a companion application to Autodesk Alias Design and Alias Automotive, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Moldflow, Autodesk Simulation and AutoCAD products. Inventor Fusion provides 3D modeling ease-of-use and direct modeling for rapid design changes. It also unites direct and parametric workflows within a single digital model created in Autodesk Inventor.

Along with the Autodesk Product Design Suite, each product in the Autodesk Manufacturing portfolio offers new capabilities.

• AutoCAD Electrical 2012 software expands its support for international standards and now allows electrical controls designers to view, edit and share their DWG files on web browsers or mobile devices through AutoCAD WS.
• AutoCAD Mechanical 2012 software enables editing 3D models from any source with Inventor Fusion and intelligent drawing view creation with a new model documentation feature. Also new is mobile and web viewing and editing through AutoCAD WS.
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2012 visualization software enables users to demonstrate the operation of designs in real-world settings, providing aggregation of CAD data and transforming digital prototypes into renders.
• Autodesk Alias 2012 products ― Alias Design, Alias Surface and Alias Automotive software ― are designed to make it easier to create 3D models with Class-A surfaces. It feature improvements to the technical surfacing process with modeling tools that are designed to be easier to use.
• Autodesk Inventor 2012 software provides new ways to interact with 3D mechanical design data; opportunities for sharing, accepting and updating CAD data regardless of source and complexity; and performance and productivity improvements.
• Autodesk Inventor Publisher 2012 software can be used to create visual and interactive assembly instructions, operating procedures and technical documentation from 2D and 3D CAD data. Users can publish interactive, 3D instructions in multiple formats directly to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch mobile devices.
• Autodesk Moldflow 2012 software introduces real-time injection-molding simulation functionality, enabling dynamic evaluation of a range of plastic part design alternatives.
• Autodesk Showcase 2012 visualization software transforms CAD data into imagery, movies, and interactive presentations.
• Autodesk Simulation 2012 software, previously known as Autodesk Algor Simulation, offers a new user interface as well as Autodesk Vault integration, introducing new revision management capabilities.
• Autodesk SketchBook Designer 2012 provides digital sketching and illustration. Design professionals can export vector artwork from SketchBook Designer and bring it into Alias as curve data.
• Autodesk Vault 2012 product data management software gives workgroups across multiple locations more control over engineering data and documents from design through manufacturing, expanding its integration to additional Autodesk applications, including Navisworks, Inventor Publisher and Autodesk Simulation.
 

For more information, visit Autodesk.

Sources:  Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.