Check it Out: Lattice Technology’s XVL Studio 10.0

By DE Editors

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

Collaboration in today’s digital engineering enterprise is key. You have to communicate accurate representations of your new product designs as well as your manufacturing/service BOMs and so on to analysis, design review, procurement, manufacturing, supply chain partners, and a host of others. The enterprise needs to use your data in their way—digital mockup, technical illustration for documentation, and process design, for example—so that together you get the right product to market faster than your competitors.

But collaboration in the digital enterprise can be a hassle if your process remains firmly rooted in late-20th Century communication processes. Multiple CAD and other 3D formats, a zillion ERP, MES, office documentation formats, and, most especially, ever fatter 3D data files impede efficiency and choke communications. Technology that enables stakeholders in your extended enterprise to work productively with your 3D data is the subject of today’s Check It Out.

Earlier this month, Lattice Technology introduced version 10.0 of its XVL Studio, its core tool for transforming 3D design data into 3D manufacturing data. The intent of XVL Studio is to both modernize and rationalize your digital manufacturing, design-to-manufacture, and digital prototyping workflows. It works with diverse 3D tools and PLM systems, and it doesn’t require more CAD seats or additional resources. XVL Studio comes in basic, standard, and professional versions. We’ll focus on the basic version here, since it is the heart of the rest.

A full-function 3D viewer, XVL Studio Basic offers fundamental editing and authoring capabilities like measurement, annotation, and cross-sectioning. It expands for jobs like technical illustration, direct import of CATIA V4 and Parasolid files, and point cloud evaluation. It has data editing functions such as material/texture editing. Its key, and why you should check out XVL Studio, is XVL itself.

XVL is a lightweight, neutral 3D format. It enables 3D data from multiple sources and platforms—Lattice Technology favors no one file format—to be combined and reused, simulated, reviewed, and animated. Lightweight is your takeaway: Lattice says that XVL can compress data to an average 0.5% of its original size with high accuracy. What that means to you is that XVL resolves the seminal hurdle to collaboration efficiency across an enterprise as well as design reuse: humongous 3D data files. The rest of XVL Studio’s many, many functionalities build off this foundation. And that means that you can create the collaboration and communications infrastructure that matches the ideal for your company.

It was probably 10 years ago that I received my first demo of XVL technology. It was impressive then, and it has evolved impressively—as has its client list. Today’s Check It Out is a PDF of the key new features in XVL Studio 10.0, such as enhancements for digital mockup process planning, work instruction authoring, and technical documentation. Check it out, no registration required. XVL Studio is an interesting product with intriguing technology. It may be what your process needs.

Thanks, pal.—Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood
Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering