Briefings: March 2005

By DE Editors

SolidWorks to Print Directly, Seamlessly, to Solids

Rapid prototyping system manufacturer 3D Systems Corp. and SolidWorksCorp. have developed seamless integration from SolidWorks MCADapplication to 3D Systems’ InVision 3D Printer. Equipped with real-timeintelligence, the InVision 3D Printer can now detect the presence ofSolidWorks on a host computer and automatically add a “Send toInVision” option to the SolidWorks’ File pull-down menu. This, in turn,lets users submit a file directly to the InVision 3D Printer withouthaving to open another program to translate the file.“Using 3D Systems’ technology, our users can now quickly and easilyprint a 3D model of their current SolidWorks’ design or assembly withonly one click of the mouse,” said Brian Houle, SolidWorks’ partnerprogram manager.“To further enhance 3D printing functionality and to make it as easy as2D printing,” said Abe Reichental, 3D Systems’ president and chiefexecutive officer, “we developed an open-architecture intelligentsystem that allows CAD developers to integrate their CAD package withthe InVision 3D Printer smoothly and efficiently.“The system is aimed at reducing design time and costs by facilitatingdirect and indirect manufacturing by creating actual parts directlyfrom digital input. For more information on the InVision 3D Printer,visit the 3D Systems’ website.

3D Systems Corp.
3dsystems.com

SolidWorks Corp.
solidworks.com

Actify Viz Technology Integrated into Engineering.com Service

ENGINEERING.com has selected and implemented Actify Inc.‘s SpinFireProfessional 2004v2 as its visualization component for its new hostedcollaboration service. The ENGINEERING.com Collaboration Suite is ahosted solution designed for manufacturers to help them manage newproduct introductions across distributed design and manufacturingteams. The suite includes file viewing, web conferencing, projectmanagement, and document management tools.
SpinFire Professional 2004v2 is designed to enable easy and secureaccess, communication, and distribution of multiple 2D/3D MCAD fileformats, and related design documents, throughout global enterprisesand worldwide supply chains, without requiring access to native MCADsystems. This allows for paperless distribution of complex design dataso companies can realize cost savings and productivity gains in productdesign, procurement, quoting and estimation, manufacturing, sales,marketing, and support.

Actify
actify.com

Engineering.com
engineering.com

Agile Acquires Cimmetry

Agile Software, a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM)solutions, has acquired Cimmetry Systems, the collaborativevisualization solutions provider, for an estimated $41.5 million incash.
According to industry analyst CIMdata, the deal “is a good strategicmove and should be good for customers of both groups.” Cimmetry’svisualization program is seen as a valuable PLM infrastructurecomponent that should provide Agile with the ability to make productdecisions,  “based not just on textual information, but also on 2Dand 3D visualizations,” says CIMdata President Ed Miller.
Cimmetry’s solutions support more than 450 native formats includingAutoCAD, CATIA, Inventor, Microsoft Office, MicroStation, Mentor,Pro/Engineer, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, UG NX, and Zuken. Cimmetry’ssolutions make highly specialized design information available toboth technical and nonengineering users including customers,purchasing, planning, suppliers, marketing, sales, and service withoutrequiring these users to have highly specialized MCAD tools.

Agile Software Corp.
agile.com

Cimmetry Systems
cimmetry.com

CAE Services Launches Newly Revised Corporate Website

CAE Services Corporation says its updated website at caeservices.comoffers a breadth of information, including informative descriptions ofthe firm’s products and services, as well as customer success articles,and contact information. CAE Services has provided consulting servicesfor 24 years using Moldflow Flow/Pack/Fill/Warp software and is also aMoldflow software reseller.“This revamped website is easy to navigate,” says Mark Solberg, CAEServices VP of sales and marketing. “We wanted to provide auser-friendly environment that allows site visitors to learn about ourorganization and how we can help them solve tough engineering problems.”

CAE Services Corp.
caeservices.com

Right Hemisphere Powers Acrobat 3D Capability

As pointed out last month by David Cohn in"Essential Software,” his review of Adobe Acrobat 7.0 (DE, Feb. 2005),one of the new version’s biggest developments for MCAD users is theability to incorporate interactive 3D images in a PDF document. Once a3D model has been translated to the mesh-based U3D format, it can beembedded in a PDF and sent to anyone who has downloaded the new versionof the free Adobe Reader. It can then be manipulated in any number ofways.
The solution came from Right Hemisphere of Fremont, California,developer of software specifically designed for 3D publishing, whichlicensed its viewing technology to Adobe.
Right Hemisphere’s Deep View technology is included in the AcrobatReader, but in order to create the PDF that includes a 3D CAD file,users will need to purchase Right Hemisphere’s Deep Explorationsoftware separately ($149 to start) to translate the MCAD file from itsnative format into a U3D file.
“This is the first step in our collaboration with Adobe to make 3D moreaccessible,” says Right Hemisphere CEO Michael Lynch. “Enterprises cannow extract much more value from their 3D CAD assets.”
With a half billion users of Adobe’s free Acrobat Reader out therealready, it’s easy to imagine that viewing 3D data will shortly becomecommonplace. The technology means that vast amounts of 3D contentcurrently used only by those versed in MCAD will be used for all sortsof nonengineering purposes. The new lightweight status means a singlesource of 3D content can be tapped for multiple uses such asinteractive training and simulation, electronic technical manuals,marketing communications, and other product support applications. The3D content can also be published to print, Web, and CD-ROM.
Using Right Hemisphere’s Deep Exploration client software or itsflagship enterprise-level offering, Deep Server, users can convert andimport files into Acrobat and Microsoft Office applications. Supportincludes access to native MCAD formats such as Pro/Engineer, CATIA,AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and Unigraphics, as well as a range of otherformats. With Right Hemisphere’s software development kit, customerscan write support for virtually any file format they need.
“Until now, you couldn’t send someone a 3D file and take forgranted that they could read it,” says Lynch. “Adobe Acrobat with 3Dsupport changes that. You can now send that file anywhere andreasonably expect it to be easily viewed.” While the technology will beused for business-to-business purposes in the near term, eventually itmight help military personnel learn how to retrofit their vehicles withnew filters or show a father how to assemble a child’s bike. “It’spretty exciting when you think about the possibilities,” adds Lynch.

Adobe Systems, Inc.
adobe.com

Right Hemisphere
righthemisphere.com

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