d3d_apr_2013

Siemens NX 7.0 P40 Workstations P70HDR LightStudio 4.0 P66PowerInspect 2013 P61

TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRODUCT LIFECYCLE APRIL 2013 | £6 | €7 | $10 | DEVELOP3D.COM

SIMULATION WORKSHOP DIGGING INTO 3DEXPERIENCE? ON THE RUN

Facing up to the challenges of design

SHOWBIZ

DEVELOP3D

LIVE PREVIEW

CONFERENCE &

EXHIBITION

P26

p01_D3D_APRIL13_cover.indd 1 20/3/13 20:44:24

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DEVELOP3D.COM APRIL 2013 3

I don’t mind admitting that this last month has been rather hardcore on the workload front — well, at least fi guratively speaking, it’s not like we’re working in a blast furnace. Alongside the usual interviews, reviews and story writing for this issue of DEVELOP3D, we’ve all also been hard at work preparing for DEVELOP3D Live 2013, which is coming up fast. To hear about the trials and tribulations of event planning and organisation, I’m sure, isn’t exactly why you’re sitting with a cup of tea and reading this magazine. But there’s a couple of things that I did notice, during these frantic few weeks, that are worthy of a bit more consideration.

One of the key working tools for our geographically dispersed team (often, in seperate time zones as well) is DropBox. It’s invaluable. If you’re not familiar with it, DropBox is a cloud-based service that allows you to store and share data in the cloud. By cloud, I mean, on a server somewhere. And everyone else can, if invited, get access to it. All syncrohnised and all there, available to those that need it.

Only today, as the magazine went to press, emails fl ew about the offi ce, asking for speaker details, talk titles and such for the preview on page 26. Cue 12 emails, all sorts of panic. It turns out, most of the details we needed were already there. Just no-one thought to look.

This is supposed to be what the cloud brings in terms of benefi ts. Data, everywhere. I’m sure you’ve heard it from multiple sources and in diff erent fl avours. But the thing that I noticed is that all the cloud-based, auto-synchronisation tools in the world are useful (and we use it in a very unintelligent way), but unless you get people to actually put things IN DropBox or indeed, LOOK in it, then it’s about as useless as a chocolate Thermos fl ask. So, it’s pretty clear that it’s about not only the technology solution, but also the people using it and the habits we’ve already learned and need to, perhaps, unlearn.

All of which leads me rather nicely onto DEVELOP3D Live 2013. The event is shaping up very nicely indeed, we have larger exhibition areas where an assembled mass of companies are itching to show you their wares. We’ve got some of the most interesting speakers we could fi nd, from the world of software and from those that use it, all ready to talk about what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.

Hope to see you there. We’ll all be present so feel free to stop us and have a chin-wag and tell us your story. Unless we’re shouting at each other about DropBox again, then it’s probably best left for a few minutes.

See you next month, as Blondie said, one way or another!

WELCOME EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief Al Dean

[email protected]+44 (0)7525 701 541

Managing EditorGreg Corke

[email protected]+44 (0)20 3355 7312

Consulting EditorMartyn Day

[email protected]+44 (0)7525 701 542

Digital Media EditorStephen Holmes

[email protected]+44 (0)20 3384 5297

Special Projects EditorTanya Weaver

[email protected]+44 (0)20 3384 5296

DESIGN/PRODUCTION

Art Director Rob Biddulph

Design/Production Greg Corke

[email protected]+44 (0)20 3355 7312

ADVERTISING

Advertising ManagerTony Baksh

[email protected]+44 (0)20 3355 7313

Deputy Advertising ManagerSteve King

[email protected]+44 (0)20 3355 7314

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Circulation ManagerAlan Cleveland

[email protected]+44 (0)20 3355 7311

ACCOUNTS

Accounts ManagerCharlotte Taibi

[email protected]

Financial ControllerSamantha Todescato-Rutland

[email protected]

ABOUT

DEVELOP3D is published by

Rooms 108 -1094th Floor,

65 London Wall,London, EC2M 5TU

T. +44 (0)20 3355 7310F. +44 (0)20 3355 7319

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© 2013 X3DMedia Ltd All rights reserved. Reproduction in

whole or part without prior permission from the publisher is prohibited. All

trademarks acknowledged

Opinions expressed in articles are those of the author and not of X3DMedia.

X3DMedia cannot accept responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements

within the magazine

Rooms 108 -109

DEVELOP3D.com facebook.com/DEVELOP3D @DEVELOP3D groups/DEVELOP3D

Join our online community

Al DeanEditor-in-Chief, DEVELOP3D Magazine, @alistardean

p03_D3D_APR13_Editor.indd 3 20/3/13 19:33:25

IDEAS SHOULD RACE FROM DESIGN TO TESTING. NOT FROM ONE MACHINE TO ANOTHER.

Lenovo® recommends Windows® 7 Professional.

for any editorial, photographic or typographic errors. All images are for illustration purposes only. For full Lenovo product, service and warranty specifications visit www.lenovo. com The following are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lenovo: Lenovo, the Lenovo logo, For Those Who Do and ThinkStation. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Core, Core Inside, Xeon and Xeon Inside are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. ©2012 Lenovo.

WWW.LENOVO.COM/THINKSTATION

Meet the all-powerful Lenovo ThinkStation®. Unlike other workstations, these machines are built to handle everything from design to simulation - meaning you can get your concepts up and running on a single machine.

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Lenovo ThinkStation® E31 • Intel® Xeon® processor E3-1200v2 Product Family• Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit• Tower or Small Form Factor chassis• Up to 32GB RAM• Intel or NVIDIA® Quadro® Graphics• 3 year On Site WarrantyPrices from £525 ExclVAT

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020 3178 6467www.bios-it.co.uk

NEWSWacom brings entry-level sketching joy, Altair updates HyperWorks 12, Luxion teams with TurboSquid and the upcoming NAFEMS World Congress 2013 in Salzburg

COMMENT Stephen Holmes believes we’ll be on the moon soon with the help of design technology we use everyday Tanya Weaver looks at what bespoke running shoes are around the corner thanks to advances in 3D printing YOUR DEVELOP3DTell us what you think. This month: your views on Raspberry Pi cases and working from home

FEATURESVisual guide: Donky BikeProduct design showcase: Wind powerDEVELOP3D Live: conference and exhibitor highlightsCOVER STORY Designed in China, made in ChinaDigging into 3DExperience from Dassault SystèmesWhat TechShop offers usersSimulation Workshop: Multi-physicsUsing Tebis CAD/CAM tools to restyle sports carsMoulding specialist benefi ts from VISI Flow

REVIEWSPowerInspect 2013HDR LightStudio 4.0Scan 3XS GW-MT15: Quadro K600AMD FirePro R5000

DEVELOP3D SERVICES

DEVELOP3D JOBS

THE LAST WORDMartyn Day on why you and your colleagues should take a day out to come to DEVELOP3D Live

APRIL 2013 ISSUE NO. 48

6

14

17

19

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72

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The wood used to produce this magazine comes from Forest Stewardship Council

certifi ed well-managed forests, controlled sources and/or recycled material

CONTENTS

LIVEREGISTER FREE DEVELOP3DLIVE.COM

p05_D3D_APRIL13_contents.indd 5 20/3/13 19:34:17

NEWS

6 APRIL 2013 DEVELOP3D.COM

By now you have hopefully realised that DEVELOP3D LIVE 2013 is quickly approaching and that the UK is pretty much playing

host to the product design technology event of the decade (so far at least).

The free one day conference and exhibition is on the 16 April at Warwick Arts Centre, Warwick University. It features over 30 speakers in four tracks over seven and a half hours.

The premise of the event is to showcase the leading technologies for product design, including; simulation and analysis, sustainability, 3D printing and prototyping, visualisation and hardware.

CEOs, CTOs and VPs from most of the leading product development technology vendors will be speaking, including Ping Fu (3D Systems Geomagic), Gian Paolo Bassi (SolidWorks), Carl Bass (Autodesk), Jon Hirschtick (founder of SolidWorks, now Belmont Technology), Chris Randles (SpaceClaim), Paul Brown (Siemens), Jurgen Laudus (Materialise), Rob Jamieson (AMD FirePro) and Efrain Rovira (Dell Workstation).

We also have designers and engineers presenting to tell their stories and discuss their processes, workflows and share tips. These include British inventor, Tom Lawton

(Bubblescope), Joe Graney from Santa Cruz Bicycles and Gustavo Fontana, returning to talk about his adventures in independent design over the last year.

Conference streams on hot topicsThe show has four simultaneous streams, looking at many aspects of the product design process. We have leading consultants, expert customers and software developers to provide inspiration and ideas for your consideration.

An expanded exhibition areaThe exhibition has doubled to 50 firms showcasing hardware, software solutions and services. Lunch and coffee will be served at set breaks, allowing those all important meetings and networking.

Other special treatsWe will be running tours of the Warwick Manufacturing Group's facilities, which will be demonstrating laser scanning, immersive VR and editing of the scanned mesh, together with other technologies.

Siemens will be running two test drive sessions of NX in the morning, with two Solid Edge Test drives in the afternoon. In addition, Ansys will be proving some live simulation training on the day.

Rounding out a special dayThe day will end with a general Q&A session in the main hall with questions from Develop3D readers, delegates and journalists. As the day draws to a close there will also be a number of prizes given away including a Dell workstation-class laptop and some AMD FirePro cards. All delegates will get a special code which offers up to an amazing 32% discount on Dell Workstations for a limited time.Register now at develop3dlive.com

NEWS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DEVELOP3D LIVE provides designers and engineers the opportunity to hear about the future of design technology from leading developers and users. Mark the date in your diary and we'll see you Tuesday April 16 at Warwick Arts Centre

DEVELOP3D LIVE: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH FOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROS

Top: Last year's panel sessions was popular with everyone, so we've made it a core part of every conference session

Above: The exhibition area has grown for this year. More new things to see, evaluate and find out if there's a gap in your workflow

p06_D3D_APR13_news.indd 6 20/3/13 20:34:33

RELY ONSOLIDWORKSTO DEVELOPYOUR IDEAS.RELY ON US TO DEVELOPYOUR SKILLS.

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The UK’s most qualified supportteam, on the phone, or onsite.

For leading 3D CAD design software, and all-round user support – we’re Solid.Find out more on 01926 333777

”

reseller of the year 2004 – 2011www.solidsolutions.co.uk/support

Adam HartlesElite Applications Engineer

“Massive respect to Adam, not only for his knowledge of the software but his patience as well.”

Simon Levett, Managing Director,Sim-Tech.

SPRING CAMPAIGN ADS_v11 Adam_Layout 1 20/08/2012 17:50 Page 1

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NWC13-Full Page 3D Mag Advert v3:NAFEMS 27/02/2013 18:57 Page 1

NEWS


NEWS

Majenta PLM recently launched its CAE division. Headed up by Dr. Peter Ward and based at the company’s Cranfield Technology Park headquarters, the new division is dedicated to meeting the computer-aided engineering and simulation (CAE) needs of companies large and small majentaplm.com

The fine folks at Design Reality have recently invested in 3D printing by purchasing a Connex 260 3D printing machine to support the development of its projects, reduce overall project time and provide the team's customers with better solutions and an outstanding service designreality.co.uk

Users of CD-Adapco's STAR-CCM+ can now take advantage of modeFrontier optimisation and automation capabilities with a new integration with CD-adapco’s Optimate add-on from Esteco. The integration allows input and output parameters to be exposed, and automatically creates a modeFrontier workflowesteco.com

SPEC’s Application Performance Characterisation (SPECapc) project group has released all-new performance evaluation software for systems running Dassault Systèmes' SolidWorks 2013 CAD/CAM application spec.org/gwpg

If you fancy learning more about the professional end of the 3D printing spectrum, then the Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Conference is a good place to start. It's held at the Nottingham Belfry on the 9/10 July 2013am-conference.com

ROUND UP

Nvidia has launched three new professional Quadro GPUs, based on its Kepler architecture, that are focused on users of CAD

software.The Quadro K600 (1GB DDR3) (£149);

Quadro K2000 (2GB GDDR5) (£389); and Quadro K4000 (3GB GDDR5) (£829) target entry-level, mid-range and high-end CAD users respectively.

The cards join the Quadro K5000 (4GB GDDR5) (£1,559) which, in the world of product development, is really reserved for ultra high-end CAD or design visualisation.

Power efficiency is high on the agenda with Nvidia claiming Kepler is three times more energy efficient than its predecessor, leading to more performance at the exact same or

lower power requirements. Multi-display support has also received a

boost. Nvidia’s Fermi-based Quadros were limited to two displays per GPU.

To support more than this two cards were needed, perhaps to run multiple applications on a three screen extended desktop or for digital mockup on a 2 x 2 powerwall.

This put Nvidia at a disadvantage to AMD who pioneered three or more display CAD workflows from a single AMD FirePro card with its AMD Eyefinity technology. This has all changed with Kepler and all but the Quadro K600 now support up to four displays from a single GPU.

Meanwhile, turn to page 70 to read a full review of the Scan 3XS GW-MT15, which features the Quadro K600.nvidia.co.uk/quadro

From left to right the Quadro K600, K2000, K4000 and K5000: from entry-level CAD right up to high-end design viz

The NAFEMS World Congress 2013 is being held in Salzburg, Austria during June. For those not familiar with the organisation, NAFEMS is a

global organisation that brings together simulation and analysis users, provides training, networking and educational materials to anyone and everyone.

It represents over 1,000 member organisations worldwide including prominent software vendors, global manufacturing industry and leading academic institutions.

NAFEMS World Congress brings together these organisations with the wider community for three days of state-of-practice presentations, an exhibition featuring the leading vendors, and opportunities to network. The agenda is being finalised soon, but there will be presentations from Volkswagen, Toshiba, Volvo and Tata Steel, to name but a few.

Costs for the three day event are £771 for NAFEMS members and £989 otherwise. Considering that the difference is about half the cost of a small company membership

plus you get access to all of the organisation's resources (including 1,000s of learning resources in their library and discounts on training), it's worth signing up as a member first.

Also, if you can't make it to Salzburg, the folks at NAFEMS have been helping put together the simulation track for DEVELOP3D LIVE 2013. They'll be there so pop along and say hello.nafems.org/congress

NAFEMS World Congress 2013: Fancy a trip to Salzburg to get some analysis learning?

NviDiA UNvEilS CAD FAMily OF KEPlER QUADRO GPUS

You might be able to climb any mountain, but I bet you can't simulate it. Find out how, and many other things, at NAFEMS World Congress

p06_D3D_APR13_news.indd 11 20/3/13 20:35:46

NEWS

I t’s widely accepted that designers and engineers love a good pen and paper combination. Whether you talk to lead industrial designers at large

audio manufacturers about their love for the multi-colour pen or an engineer that prefers the whiteboard and pen to sketch out an idea, drawing is where it’s at.

That said, some are more advanced in their use of drawing tools. The use of tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDraw and the more recent apps for iPad (such as Autodesk SketchBook series of products) and others, mean that digital sketching is something that many are doing.

And if you’re a pro at it, creating assets for customer presentation, for management review and want to go all out at it, then

there’s very little in this world more exciting than Wacom’s Cintiq products. Combining a high-res digital display with Wacom’s technology mastery of pen-based input (you want 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt recognition, you got it), then they’re things to behold. They’re also REALLY bloody expensive. That said, the last few years have seen those costs lowered, but still, until very recently, the entry-level was around the couple of grand mark for the larger versions.

So, it’s with some excitement that Wacom unveiled its new entry level 13HD device. This brings all the bells and whistles you’d expect. 1920 x 1080 HD screen, adjustable positions, 17.8 million colours and a metric tonne of awesome. All yours for an RRP of £749.99 — so, one hell of a lot cheaper once you knock the VAT off.wacom.com

WACOM CINTIQ 13HD BRINGSENTRY-LEVEL SKETCHING JOY

» Wacom's Cintiqs are a "nice to have", but many are put off by cost. The new entry level 13HD model might change things

Luxology prepping Modo 701 for Spring

It looks like the Luxology team has been busy at work again with the Modo 701 release due at some point in the coming weeks. While it's keeping the specifics of this

release pretty close to its chest, a few details are starting to emerge.

Highlights look to include a procedural particle engine with a pre-set workflow, audio playback and a sound channel modifier (which will be a boon to bringing animations to life), a dedicated dynamics simulation layer, significantly improving performance, simplified complexity of materials and layered shaders. There will also be the usual smattering of performance improvements focussing on large scenes, faster previews. And for those really chunking out the renders, unlimited network rendering.luxology.com

Pi-VR has been adopted by many, not least the automotive photography industry that's seeing rapid adoption of 3D rendering

Maker Faire UK is set for April in Newcastle

While we're sure you'll be making your way to DEVELOP3D Live, those with a passion for tinkering might be

interested to know that the UK's largest Maker Faire is also on in April.

To be held at the Life Science Centre on the 27/28 of April, it brings together thousands with an interest in making things themslves and a DIY ethic. DEVELOP3D is proud to be supporting the event and we'll be there too so say hello if you're passing! makerfaireuk.com

KeyShot developer, Luxion, has gone in partnership with TurboSquid, a leader in stock 3D models for the 3D industry. The aim is to provide a level of guarantee about the quality of models users download (and often, purchase) for

use in KeyShot. TurboSquid will use KeyShot's wide range of import options to

to verify and check the integrity of the 3D models submitted by members. Happening behind the scenes, users will be able to

search for models that have been through TurboSquid's strict 'CheckMate' certification.luxion.com | turbosquid.com

Luxion teams with TurboSquid to build online 3D content validation tools

Altair updates HyperWorks 12 across the board

Altair has announced details of the HyperWorks 12.0 release. New updates focus on product optimisation, finite element modelling,

multi-physics analysis, powertrain durability analysis and lightweight design, to name but a few.

Jonathan Gabrys, technical fellow at Boeing, said, “The new 3D capability creates a fully-immersive environment that improves our ability to support conceptual design and analysis efforts.”altairhyperworks.com

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COMMENT

not an ordinary man with dreams of the stars (or possibly even sane — he’ll thank me for saying that).

A founder of Moon Express and a trustee of the Google Lunar X Prize Foundation, journeying into space through private enterprise for him is coming in a matter of months, not years.

The moon, for such a small object, is regularly peppered with asteroids, with no vast expanses of water to hide them.

The amount of precious metals contained within just one asteroid could prove of huge benefi t to mankind and the rest of the planet (why destroy our own planet to search for them here?), not to mention the ginormous fi nancial reward for being the pioneering company to do so.

The cost of space travel is dependent on weight payloads, usually fuel, equipment and passengers. If you could create most of that equipment at the destination instead of taking it along for the ride, then it would save a fortune.

This is why 3D printing is of so much interest to the space industry — not only can it help build lighter spacecraft to send into space, a printer could be taken into space to manufacture parts, machines and even structures.

Printer material is more compact, and can be positioned easier for optimum weight distribution. From there, parts could be built on demand from the lunar base.

Titanium is suspected to be prevalent within moon rock; would it be too great a stretch of the imagination to believe that structures could be printed from substances mined on the moon?

The basic technology already exists; some of you will have even used laser sintering today.

Despite the eagerness to get us all having a big lunar disco, chances are that very few of us will be venturing there immediately; the dangers are too great.

We’ll need robots to do some of the work, building our moon base for the future. Roboticist Vijay Kumar, with his students at the University of Pennsylvania’s applied

mechanics GRASP lab, are already developing solutions that could benefi t these plans.

Designing and building small, agile, fl ying quadrocopter robots, the project has multiple uses.

Designed in SolidWorks and built with 3D printed parts, these work around mathematical equations giving them not only incredibly agile and autonomous movement, but the ability to swarm with other units.

Acting similarly to a troop of ants or fl ock of migrating birds, they can act as a team to complete tasks, such as carrying objects and building structures in inhospitable environments.

The key theme of all this is the shift between public and private sector, or to a greater extreme, secretive laboratories and what you can now do from your own home.

It’s been 54 years since mankind fi rst touched down on the surface of the moon. Since then we now all have more computing power in our mobile phones than any rocket mission and more ‘space age’ materials around our homes.

Nearly everyone has access to 3D CAD, with a small section of us even having 3D printers in our homes; taking part in building our own rockets, and producing code for computer programs.

Throughout all the stages of space exploration, NASA and the Soviet space program had to design, engineer and build everything from scratch.

What we’re seeing now is how privately funded companies and individuals are advancing the platform that was built during the Cold War, with rapid incremental development speed a result of increased funding, goals and availability of technology.

The world is catching up fast with the old dream. Now all it needs to solve is fi nding me a decent cup of tea in the Capital.

Over breakfast, between mouthfuls of toast and what passes as a grim excuse for a mug of tea in London, I’ve been dreaming of space travel.

What seemed an imminent shoe-in during the 1960s, spawning futuristic visions of how my morning meal would come in pill form by 2013, a life in space was blown out of all proportion.

The space programs of the old super powers have long since crumbled away as governments and populations have refused to prop them up, yet now there’s new impetus to give us hope.

After legal wrangling and the blessing of NASA, private sector companies have been springing up for the last decade or so, determined to get us past our atmosphere once more.

The public face of this has been space tourism – celebrities stumping up £200k for scheduled fl ights such as Virgin Galactic.

A polished creation, with some lovely engineering, Virgin’s reusable spacecraft is a fraction of the price of NASA’s space shuttle.

A twin-fuselage mothership is used to piggy-back a smaller craft of paying passengers up to a height where it is released and hybrid motors power it further on into space.

It’s the equivalent of a tour bus ride around the edge of the earth’s atmosphere. I doubt you even get an audio guide.

Yet the system will also be able to launch satellites and other vehicles into space, giving it a commercial purpose beyond initial tourism.

So how long before we’re colonising the moon, or even Mars?

It’s rather simple to answer: a few months. The fi rst private fl ights to the moon are already scheduled for next year with the goal of setting the foundations for an asteroid-mining operation base.

I’ve even met the man that says it will happen, and I believe him, for Naveen Jain is

�It’s the equivalent of a tour bus ride around the edge of the earth’s atmosphere. I doubt you even get an audio guide�

It all sounds very rough around the edges, but Stephen Holmes believes we’ll be on the moon within the next couple of years with the help of private enterprise and design technology we use everyday

Stephen Holmes is digital media editor of DEVELOP3D Magazine. Having attended Naveen Jain’s talk at last month’s Economist Tech Frontiers event he has felt incredibly inspired, yet is still to put that into tenable actions beyond cleaning the limescale from his battered, old kettle. [email protected]

p14_D3D_APRIL13_stephen comment.indd 14 20/3/13 20:41:02

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COMMENT

by Nike, people ran in very thin-soled shoes, had strong feet, and had a much lower incidence of knee injuries.”

One of the more amusing characters you meet in the book is ‘Barefoot Ted’, who ran that last race in the Copper Canyons just in his tootsies. A brave man but his reasoning is that we were born to run barefoot and our feet our engineered to do it. He was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci who considered the foot, with its fantastic weight-suspension system comprising one quarter of all the bones in the human body, a ‘masterpiece of engineering and work of art’.

The barefoot running craze is now massive. I’m sure we’ve all come across a pair of Vibram FiveFingers — essentially rubber gloves for your feet. But, not to miss out, Nike and the like, have jumped on the bandwagon and launched their own minimal, or in Nike’s case ‘Free’, running shoes. I’ve been drawn into this craze too and opted for a pair of Newton minimalist running shoes after thinking that my old trainers looked more like a pair of platforms than trainers with all the cushioning in the heels.

But as our feet are all diff erent and the way we run diff ers too, what we really need are customised running shoes. Sound too good to be true? Well, you should know by now that anything is possible with the technology that’s currently in vogue — 3D printing.

New Balance recently announced the use of a proprietary process to produce spike plates customised to the individual needs and desires of elite track runners. Using selective laser sintering (SLS), it can print semi-rigid parts like spike plates unique to each runner. New Balance is also currently working on softer SLS printed components that mimic the cushioning properties of foam midsoles. This means it could soon bring customisation to more athletes.

Last year a Royal College of Art graduate printed an entire sprint shoe on a 3D printer as part of his fi nal year project called ‘Designed to Win’. Following 3D scans of a runner’s foot, Luc Fusaro designed the shoe digitally according to the athlete’s physical abilities and then printed it on an SLS

machine out of nylon polyamide powder. Too stiff to run a marathon in but for sprinting, Fusaro says it can improve performance by as much as 3.5% or about 0.35 seconds.

Fusaro is currently working on tweaking his design to make it more fl exible before we catch any sight of a fully functional shoe. But he’s hopeful he’ll be able to debut it in 2016.

Interestingly, he was inspired by a research project into the development of high performance sports footwear led by Dr Neil Hopkinson from Loughborough University’s Sports Technology and Additive Manufacturing Research Group. The research team quantifi ed the eff ects of the sports shoe on the foot’s movement, then used a high speed sintering process, which was actually invented at the university, to tune the stiff ness of the soles of a pair of running spikes, to match the needs of each athlete. With the project named ‘Personalised Sports Footwear: From Elite to High Street’, the long-term goal is to bring these customised sports shoes to everyone.

Interestingly, one of the partners in this research project was New Balance. So, putting two and two together...

Anyway, it’s debatable whether we were born to run or whether bespoke shoes will actually get more people taking up the sport. Either way I’ll leave you with a great running related quote I came across recently from a man who probably never ran a day in his life, Albert Einstein: “Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.”

Iread a fantastic book recently called ‘Born to Run’. Published in 2009 and written by Christopher McDougall. It’s a true tale of how and why the author travels to the Copper Canyons in Mexico to run a 50 mile ultra marathon with the elusive Indian tribe, the

Tarahumara, allegedly the fastest in the world. It’s defi nitely not a running guide and in many ways it romanticises the sport of running, particularly ultra running (for a second I even contemplated becoming an ultra runner — it was just for a second).

But you certainly don’t have to be a runner to enjoy this book because, although the story that weaves its way through culminates with the race in Mexico, there are a number of diversions along the way. We take a trip to the Bushmen in the Kalahari, meet some phenomenal runners, get insights from sports scientists, have some lessons in geography and discover why running shoes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

The book essentially champions barefoot running and it’s pretty damning of the modern day running shoe. There is one section early in the book where a team of Tarahumara Indians are doing the famous Leadville 100-mile ultra marathon in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. It’s 1994 and they’ve been sponsored by Rockport and are meant to be running in its recently launched thick soled, trail-running shoe. But by the fi rst aid station, they’re all kicking off these $100 shoes and instead are grabbing for their huaraches, home-made rubber sandals. They then go on to win the race.

There are some intriguing arguments in the book in that despite all the new technology and features in running trainers — Flywire technology, AirBag cushioning, biomechanically effi cient, fl ex grooves, heel counter, to name but a few — all the common injuries that plague runners haven’t decreased. Dr Daniel Lieberman, a professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University, is quoted as saying, “Until 1972, when the modern athletic shoe was invented

Runners are always looking for ways to run faster and more effi ciently with less injuries. Sound too good to be true? Tanya Weaver looks at what bespoke running shoes are around the corner thanks to advances in 3D printing

Tanya Weaver is the special projects editor at Develop3D. Hive update: winter is over, alledgely, and Tanya is armed in her bright orange bee suit ready for the new season [email protected]

�There are some intriguing arguments in the book that despite all the new technology in running shoes, the common injuries haven’t decreased�

p17_D3D_APRIL13_tanya comment.indd 17 20/3/13 20:43:08

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Your DEVELOP3D

SLicE Of Pifebruary 2013My thirteen year old son bought himself a Raspberry Pi back in August last year. Inspired by case designs he had seen on the internet, he asked if I could help him design one of his own using his student copy of Autodesk Inventor 2012.

Between us we carefully modelled the computer and then I showed him how to create an upper and lower case, with cutouts for the various interfaces, a grille for cooling and the Raspberry Pi logo.

After several evenings worth of work and following the advice on the Shapeways website, he created two .stl files.

These were uploaded and we were given a price. It certainly wasn't the cheapest Pi case on the market but the thrill of unboxing it when it was finally delivered two weeks later was priceless [image above].

From buying such a simple, bare bones computer, my son is now able drive a CAD program and has witnessed at first hand the power of 3D printing. Wish I'd been able to do this kind of thing when I was his age!Mark and Elliott Coleman

» your views on raspberry Pi cases, education and designers working from home

NEw NatiONaL curricuLum rEViEwTanya Weaver CommenT marCh 2013I studied D&T in a North London comprehensive from 1977, so the subject has been on the curriculum a little longer than you suggest.

The workshop was pretty well equipped, even having the facilities to do some enamelling. However, the teaching was rather uninspired (I was allowed to rout a silhouette of Ian Botham in to a piece of timber.....) but the opportunity to be let loose on some tools under supervision was invaluable.

This retrograde step is unforgivable. As one who works within 3D printing, it's the young minds (unhaunted by the horrors of the Sir Ian tribute) that need to be exposed to the latest technology in order for them to fully exploit all potential.Jonathan Rowley

DESigNiNg frOm hOmE? hOw DOES it wOrk fOr YOu?blog PosT on develoP3d.Com Working from home has always been a controversial subject. It’s interesting to address this specifically from the perspective of designers and the creative industries as a whole.

In previous roles as a designer I personally preferred to work from an office/studio environment. I felt as though being around other designers in the same location helped to unlock my potential and be more creative. It facilitated an opportunity to bounce ideas and concepts off other people. Thus, for me personally, an office environment and creative hub was preferable.

On the other side of the coin, I know designers who like to live in varying

surroundings from urban through to rural who draw inspiration from the hustle and bustle or tranquility of their surroundings.

I think that every designer is different which begs the quest of should design houses recognise the personalities of their designers and manage their surroundings or work locations accordingly to maximise their potential and productivity?Nick Cook

I work from home regularly. It wouldn't work as a full time solution but one or two days a week is fine. It's just important to make sure you make the most of the days in the office and focus 'head-down' activities for work-at-home days.

The technology is there to make most activities possible from a remote location but for some things you just need to be face-to-face. It's all about the right balance. Phil Jenkins

To read other opinions on this topic, join the debate at develoP3d's linkedIn group

ON twittEr#d3dlIve@DEVELOP3DLive Would love to go! Now if only I can get someone to pony up for a ticket to get me across the Atlantic...@stressnstrain

Finally got around to registering for @DEVELOP3DLive — I will make it this year! I will!@hrvaughan

My plan to restrict spending on revamping office is going to pot with Modo701 and KeyshotVR. Scared of going to @DEVELOP3DLive now. @quigdes

FEEDBACK

Got an opinion on anything that has (or has not) appeared in the magazine or online? Let us know what you think

Greg Corke [email protected]

Facebook /develop3d

Twitter @develop3d

Web develop3d.com

Linked In DEVELOP3D group

Letters may be edited

Why did you become a designer? I began my working life as a cabinetmaker but after seven years, I realised I liked the design part a lot more than the making. So I got a degree in industrial design, and I've never looked back. Which designer or company do you most admire and why? I really admire entrepreneurial designers in general. People like Sir James Dyson have an incredible ability to focus on a vision and bring it to fruition.

What product couldn’t you live without? I could probably live without my iPhone, but I'm not sure I'd like to try.

What design would you have loved to have designed and why? There's so many. I admire anything that takes a complex function and makes it simple and elegant. The

Nest thermostat is a great example of that.

Play-Doh, Meccano or Lego? I remember finding Meccano very tedious with all those fasteners. It's probably what led me to having an aversion to mechanical fasteners in designs unless absolutely necessary. The modularity of Lego is hard to beat. It's such a clever system with so much scope for creativity.

What are your weapons of choice?Increasingly SolidWorks, though it's not always the right choice for everything I do. For 2D drafting on the Mac I really like Vectorworks. I still use Illustrator a lot for concepts and for anything involving graphics. Oh yeah, pencil and paper too.

What is missing from your toolset? Lack of solid french language skills have been an issue for me, as I work in a very bilingual area.

Is there anything that would make your design and development process run smoother? A universal file format that doesn't require jumping through hoops to bring data from one program to another. Admittedly, it's much better than it used to be, but I still run up against roadblocks on occasion. What would you say is the biggest challenge facing designers at the moment? In many ways, it's probably the whole issue of managing change and keeping up with developments across all the technologies that we specify and use.

Can you predict any future trends? Additive manufacturing is going to give designers more freedom with form, especially at the low-volume end. Rising living standards in places like China, combined with increasing

transportation costs are going to incrementally drive manufacturing closer to the points of consumption.

If you were hosting a dinner party who would you invite and why? I'm really interested in what different design disciplines can learn from each other, so it would be incredible to put together giants of the past from different disciplines and see what would happen. I'm thinking people like Frank Lloyd Wright, Raymond Loewy, Coco Chanel and Frederick Law Olmsted.

A graduate of the Industrial Design degree program at Carleton University, Ottawa (1991), Stewart Bailey is the founder of Intu Design (1997). Intu specialises in context-sensitive design for public spaces. As Intu's reputation has grown, Bailey has been involved in projects for some of Canada's most important public sites.

If you want to take part please contact [email protected]

60 sECOND INTERVIEWsTEWaRT BaILEy

p19_D3D_APRIL13_letters.indd 19 20/3/13 20:41:30


Inspired by the lack of suitable utility bicycles on London’s city streets, in 2006 industrial designer Ben Wilson set about designing a versatile load-carrying urban bike. The result is the Donky

VISUAL DESIGN GUIDE DONKY BICYCLE

ANTI-THEFTFor peace of mind, Donky Bike is fitted with an integral key lock through the rear wheel

ALL ONBOARDDonky Bike can carry heavy loads, front and rear. Versatile racks are also available for all types of payload

cRANk IT upThe bike features a single piece crank for zero maintenance and a handy kickstand for convenience

BIkE FOR LIFE, NOT LANDFILLA strong frame and durable, low-maintenance components that can be repaired or replaced anywhere in the world

IN GEARThe Shimano three-speed hub to easily handle hills and loads

p20_21_D3D_APRIL13_viz design guide.indd 20 20/3/13 20:41:57

BACK tO BASICS:ShArING DAtA wIth EVErYONEWait. You’re not talking about putting my design work on the internet are you?

Pretty much. I’m not talking about company proprietary information. I’m talking about small projects you might do yourself that it would be nice to share. Everyone’s doing it apparently.

I get what you mean. Sell it to me.

Think of how many times you’ve looked for a specific part on the web. Chances are you’ve found something usable from either a manufacturer’s website, one of the stock part catalogues that are out there (like TraceParts for instance) or something less formal like GrabCAD or Thingiverse. Maybe it’s good to give something back?

Yeah, I can see that. Good karma never goes amiss does it?

No, absolutely not. There’s a growing industry around the idea of crowd sourcing. While it’s not yet caught on massively in design and engineering circles, it’s there and worth exploring. Companies like Local Motors are building a curious business model by outsourcing their design and engineering innovation, offering incentives to the general public to contribute ideas.

Is this going to come back and bite me in a couple of years time?

Depends, doesn’t it? But chances are not. Local Motors has had issues withemployees using their employer’s software to enter competitions and a few have been warned this won’t be tolerated. I’d suspect your own boss wouldn’t be too happy if you’re doing it on the company dime.

But how good are these models and who owns the rights to them?

Those are the two big questions. The first one is a case of “how long is a bit of string”. A lot of them are accurate but most of them aren’t. If in doubt, check. As for ownership, GrabCAD is chock full of 3D models, many of them of proprietary and current products, with owners and everything. It’s not too much of an issue at the moment, but at some point it will be.

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p20_21_D3D_APRIL13_viz design guide.indd 21 20/3/13 20:41:57

» This month Stephen Holmes is exploring products and devices that use just the wind to operate

King of the seas

The America’s Cup is the oldest active trophy in any international sport, a title so prized that the design and

technology involved are some of the most cutting edge. 2013 is set to be one of the most exciting yet, as a new class of boat, the AC72, a wing-sailed catamaran, takes to the seas of San Francisco Bay for the final races.

Current holders of the cup, Oracle Team USA, are still favourites in many people’s opinion to retain the trophy despite some high-profile setbacks. Capsizing the 40 metre tall catamaran in October in the middle of San Francisco Bay caused such damage that it resulted in a four-month development setback.

However, this delay has been overcome by some expert design and simulation, which

can put other industries to shame through the incredible speed and manoeuvrability these vessels can achieve under solely wind power.

The giant wing sail is similar to the wing of an aeroplane, with its hard surface generating more power and less drag than a soft sail equivalent, allowing it to reach top speeds in excess of twice the wind speed - nearly 40 knots at its maximum.

“After the AC72’s capsize, we’ve seen how crucial it is that every member of our team be involved in reviewing and adjusting the AC72’s design, sharing their expertise and direct experience to help the catamaran perform better,” says the team’s structural design senior FEA analyst Christoph Erbelding.

The team worked using a wide range of

Dassault Systèmes 3D design tools to help virtually test every aspect of the AC72’s design before committing real-world resources to building it. 3D models and simulation help the boat’s crew quickly and easily review designs in a realistic virtual environment. Using digital manikins to simulate how team members would interact while they manned the boat also saves time.

“We need a strong, reliable solution that allows the entire team – including sailors and designers – to show the full model in meetings, zoom in to highlight certain parts, simulate how they would work, give feedback and make changes in real-time. As a result, we cut our drafting time by almost 50 per cent,” says Erbelding.oracle-team-usa.americascup.com

The AC72, a 40-metre tall wing-sailed catamaran, was relaunched earlier this year following a capsize at the end of last year. British Olympian Ben Ainslie is one of the crew members

PRoDUCt Design shoWCaseWinD PoWeR

p22_23_24_25_D3D_APRIL_PDG wind power.indd 22 20/3/13 20:42:32


PROFILE

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PRoDUCt Design shoWCaseWinD PoWeR


For those of us wanting to do more to advance our ecological credentials, wind power is a great year-round green

solution.As wind farms increasingly divide opinion

on their suitability, perhaps the answer is to take wind power into a domestic level.

Although the small, innovative turbines designed by Enbreeze are not enough to solely power the army of power-hungry appliances found in the average home, they can reduce reliance on mainline power.

Small and designed with delicacy and silence in mind they fit into their environment with little fuss.

This next generation of small wind turbines has been developed to provide clean energy even at low wind speeds, predominantly due to its super efficient design.

Everything in the design has been designed to operate at the maximum efficiency while being as small as possible – all done through

the calculations of forces on components.From this data the engineering can then be

reduced in size as much as allowed to create a truly domestic turbine that needs much less maintenance.

Developed in conjunction with fellow German design company Aero Works, the blades are the result of fine-tuning original designs.

Specialists in developing models using advanced proprietary CFD software, Aero Works helped tune the design to achieve an improved simulated efficiency by 53 per cent, while the design remained robust enough to meet the demands placed on a small wind turbine.

From the engineered models the cosmetics were then adjusted to make the turbines as aesthetically attractive as possible – reducing the ‘footprint’ of the design and lessening shadows cast from it.

From this prototype models were produced,

making the Enbreeze models ready for testing and a future of producing clean energy on a local scale.enbreeze.com

ResiDential RotoR

The next generation of small wind turbines from enbreeze

feature innovative technology that enables them to provide

clean energy at low prices even in low wind speeds



Devon-based Tradewind Turbines is developing a

family of innovative small wind turbines that use vertically

mounted sails to generate power, in much the same way as

sailing a boat in a circle

sailing aWayWith PoWeR

As the Americas Cup shows, sail power has by no means been weakened by the ages,

so an enterprising British design firm has harnessed it to generate electricity..

Tradewind Turbines concept is a blend of sail technologies and traditional windmills.

The three sails of the rotor head, which rotate around a vertical axis, are synchronised to present maximum cross-sectional areas on the downwind sector, and aerofoil-like or minimal sections on the upwind leg. Each sail acts downwind, like a sailboat’s spinnaker, but turns to run upwind like a ‘close hauled’ sail.

The large drag areas mean power can be generated in very light winds, but as the wind strengthens, the sails can be furled away, like on a boat, to minimise exposure and protect the structure.

The drive generators can produce electricity or alternatively the high torque generated can directly drive mechanical devices such as pumps for fluids or gases.

Setting off with markers, a whiteboard and camera, the team brainstormed and refined specific components and assemblies on the board, producing section and isometric views for first concepts.

The concept was drafted across into SolidWorks to check initial geometries, fit and function before a first off prototype was built.

The turbine was carefully modularised during the initial design specification phase. As such the team have a broad top level framework into which the detail designs need to be developed.

Working with University of Exeter they attracted a recent PhD graduate with very high calibre CFD skills, Dr Ash Majithia, who used the University’s Ansys software to simulate the interactions of the sails as they are powered by the wind. These valuable simulations should help the team leapfrog ahead with further design developments in due course.

A pre-production prototype now in testing and approval stage, proving that adjustable sail power is a modern source of clean energy.tradewindturbines.com



EVENT PREVIEW

BRONZE SPONSORSSILVER SPONSORSGOLD SPONSORSPRINCIPAL SPONSORS

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER DEVELOP3DLIVE.COMFREE

FREE CAD TRAINING

Tuesday April 16 2013

8:00am registration & exhibition opens FREE coffee.

9:30am conference starts

On the day we will be offering tours of the Warwick Manufacturing Group’s (WMG) cutting edge facilities, which include:

3D visualisation systemLow cost desktop VR

X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT)Twin column Nikon / metrology CMM

Optical CMMA driving simulator

An amazing light simulator

WMG provides free consultancy to engineering fi rms in the Midlands area and has extensive knowledge to solve

complex manufacturing problems or work on innovative joint development projects,

as it does with BAE and Jaguar Land Rover.tinyurl.com/D3DLWMG

MANUFACTURINGSiemens PLM Software will be running

FREE hands-on test drives throughout the day for NX and Solid Edge

NX-integrated styling with product engineering

11:00am - 11:50am 12:00pm - 12:50pm

Solid Edge – Industrial Machinery Design

1.30pm – 2.30pm 2.45pm - 3.45pm

Space is limited so reserve your place now

tinyurl.com/D3DTESTDRIVE

HANDS ON SESSIONS

DEVELOP3D LIVE, our FREE one day conference and exhibition, is only weeks away. This year we have a fantastic line up of industry

speakers, designers, engineers, and software developer CEOs and CTOs to look at what is cutting edge now and what is coming in the not too distant future.

We have doubled both the number of talks and the number of exhibitors on the day.

This year, to help you plan your day, we have grouped sessions into specifi c themes.

Due to the simultaneous nature of the conference we strongly recommend you bring a number of colleagues to ensure that your fi rm gets the maximum benefi t.

Best line up of industry speakers • anywhere, ever, including: Carl Bass, Autodesk CEO; Gian Paolo Bassi, SolidWorks head of R&D; Ping Fu, Chief

Strategy Offi cer and VP, 3D Systems Geomagic and Jon Hirschtick, Belmont Technology (founder of SolidWorks).

Leading designers talk about innovative • approaches to product design and engineering: including Joe Graney, Santa Cruz Bicycles; Gustavo Fontana; and Tom Lawton, Bubblescope.

Dedicated sessions for: Product design • and Engineering, 3D printing and Prototyping; Simulation; Workstation Technology; Design Visualisation; and Sustainable Design.

Expanded exhibition with over 50 • exhibitors (see page 31 for more info)

FREE buff et lunch and coff ee.•

Interactive Q&As for each session.•

Tuesday April 16 2013 8:00am registration & exhibition

opens. FREE tea / coffee.

9:30am conference starts.

Pre-registered attendees receive:goody bag, FREE coffee and lunch.

Exclusive discounts: up to 32% off Dell Precision mobile workstations with AMD

FirePro graphics

A chance to win a Dell Precision M4700 mobile workstation

Latest info at DEVELOP3DLIVE.com

ON THE DAY

DELL PRECISION WITH AMD FIREPRO GRAPHICS

Win a Dell Precision mobile workstation•

Preview next gen Dell Precision • workstation tech in the whisper suite

Up to 32% off desktop and mobile Dell • Precision workstations with AMD FirePro graphicsFirePro graphics

WIN MOBILE

WORKSTATION

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8:00am Registration, Coffee and Exhibition

Room 1 (Butterworth Hall)

Room 2 (Cinema)

Room 3 (Upper Theatre)

Room 4 (Conference Suite)

9:30amConference

starts

Keynote session 1

Welcome

Digital Reality. Life in two worlds: physical and digital

Ping Fu, 3D Systems Geomagic

Digital trial and V3P promotionIan Keen, Nissan Technical Centre

Europe

10:35am Coffee and Exhibition (10:35am - 11:15am)

11:15am

Keynote session 2

Product design and engineering

Simulation

(in association with NAFEMS)

3D printing and prototyping

Cloud, mobile and true CAD: Unlimited possibilities

Carl Bass, Autodesk

Making ideas happenTom Lawton, Bubblepix

Maximizing simulation via the cloud

Derrek Cooper, Autodesk

Practical advice on entry-level 3D printing

Al Dean, DEVELOP3D

Four forces shaping the future of CAD

Jon Hirschtick, Belmont Technology

Competitive advantage through “same… but different” design

Glen Smith, DriveWorks

An insight into the Ansys Fluent Adjoint Solver

Giovanni Petrone, Ansys

The alternatives to 3D printing — and why they should matter to you

John Tumelty, Proto Labs

History is far from the futureChris Randles, SpaceClaim

Where are the blue oceans? Competing as a solo designer

Gustavo Fontana

Topology optimisation and additive manufacturing

Tony Norton, solidThinking

Jam to-morrow — The realities of 3D Printing today

Dr Phil Reeves, Econolyst

Future hardware strategiesEfrain H. Rovira, Dell

Panel Q & AFluid structural interaction – reality or impossible dream?

Laurence Marks, SSA

New design tools for 3D printing Lisa Harouni,

CEO of Digital Forming

1:10pmLunch (1:00pm - 2:00pm)

Panel Q & A Panel Q & A

1:15pm

Lunch (1:15pm - 2:15pm)

2.00pm

Keynote session 3

Design visualisation

Workstation technology

Sustainable design

Current and future SolidWorks design tools

Gian Paolo Bassi, SolidWorks

Utilisation of Keyshot at VaxJames Grant, VAX

Getting the most from your rendersJames Elderton & Joseph Thomas,

WondervisionPushing the boundaries of what 3D printing is capable of

Jurgen Laudus, Materialise NV

What is the cloud? The different technologies for CAD

Rob Jamieson, AMD FirePro

Roadmap for sustainable design

Chris Sherwin, seymourpowell

Automotive visualisationPascal Staud, Staud Studios

Remote workstations: protecting your intellectual property Richard (Rik) Thwaites, Dell

Creating responsible designersDr Vicky Lofthouse

Making smarter development decisions to boost your innovationPaul Brown, Siemens PLM Software Happy cccidents: Turning shit into

success Brad Peebler, The Foundry

Best practices to make your workstation fl y

Rob Jamieson, AMD FirePro

The Great RecoverySophie Thomas

Creating passion and drive in students

Joe Graney, Santa Cruz Bicycles Panel Q & APanel Q & A

CAD/CAM/CAE workstation technology clinic

Panel Q & A

3:40pm Coffee and Exhibition (3:40pm - 4:20pm)

4:20pm

Main Stage Panel Q & A

Competition prize draw

5:20pm Conference ends

CONFERENCE AGENDA



KEYNOTE SESSIONS ROOM 1 - 9:30AM - 3:30PM

KEYNOTE SESSIONSPRODUCT DESIGN AND ENGINEERING ROOM 2 - 11:15AM - 1.00PM

KEYNOTE SESSIONSDESIGN VISUALISATION ROOM 2 - 2.00PM - 3.40PM

Life in two worlds: physical and digitalPing Fu Chief Strategy Offi cer and vice president, 3D Systems Geomagic

This decade our two parallel worlds will connect and collide. The boundaries will increasingly blur until often there will be no recognisable difference

Digital trial and V3P PromotionIan Keen Nissan Technical Centre Europe

Ian Keens will speak about Nissan Europe’s automotive design process, specifi c to what Nissan use, from the concept stage to fi nished product using NX

Cloud, mobile and true CAD: Unlimited power yields unlimited possibilitiesCarl Bass President and CEO of Autodesk

If you had unlimited computing power, what would you do with it? If you could access any tool at any time, how much more effective could you be?

Four forces shaping the future of CADJon Hirschtick Founder and Chairman of the Board Belmont Technology

We’ll take a quick look at the 50 year history of CAD and the four forces that are shaping CAD’s future. Provocative questions welcome!

History is far from the futureChris Randles President and CEO, SpaceClaim

Direct modelling is much more than a feature to be added to CAD systems. We’ll look at how it can liberate engineers from the limitations of traditional CAD

Future hardware strategiesEfrain H. Rovira Executive Director, Precision Workstations, Dell

To get maximum CAD performance workstations need to be optimised. Riviera will examine the key issues in devising future hardware strategy

Current and future SolidWorks design toolsGian Paolo Bassi Vice President, Research and Development, SolidWorks

Bassi has ambitious plans for the future development of current and future SolidWorks design tools. This will be essential viewing for SolidWorks customers

Pushing the boundaries of what 3D printing is capable ofJurgen Laudus Director, AMS, Materialise NV

Jurgen will explain how Materialise’s diverse projects have all been made possible, and where tomorrow’s exciting new projects are coming from

Making smarter development decisions to boost your innovationPaul Brown Marketing Director, Digital Product Development, Siemens

Looking at the technologies that give everyone involved in developing a product a clearer view of the information they need to make optimal decisions

Creating passion and drive in studentsJoe Graney Director of Engineering & Quality, Santa Cruz Bicycles

Making the leap from academics to a career can be a harrowing experience for students. A personal story of how an everyday object, the bicycle, can help

Making ideas happenTom LawtonInventor and founder of Bubblepix

A front line account of the inspiration, struggle, triumph, approach and mind setTom has had to foster in order to make his product ideas come to life

Competitive advantage through “same… but different” design principlesGlen SmithCEO DriveWorks

Hear how a growing number of companies are dominating their individual sectors by leveraging Design Automation and new routes to market

Where are the blue oceans?Gustavo Fontana Industrial Design Studio Lead

Shifting from designing for others as consulting service/employment to compete as a solo designer, making your own venture and becoming a products company

Utilisation of Keyshot at VaxJames GrantVAX

Who uses Keyshot, why we use it, how we use it, benefi ts and future plans

Getting the most from your rendersJames Elderton and Joseph ThomasDirector and creative director, Wonder Vision

James and Joseph will be taking you through some of their beautiful projects and advising you on how to get the most from your renders

Automotive visualisationPascal Staud, Staud Studios

Pascal will be giving you an insight on how Staud Studios achieve such jaw dropping imagery by melding traditional photography with 3D software

Happy accidents: Turning shit into successBrad Peebler, President of the Americas at The Foundry

Modern tools provide a new canvas on which to throw your paint. A look at how top designers are using digital tools to recreate organic moments of inspiration

CONFERENCE SESSIONS



SIMULATION (IN ASSOCIATION WITH NAFEMS) ROOM 3 - 11:15AM - 1.15PM

KEYNOTE SESSIONSWORKSTATION TECHNOLOGY ROOM 3 - 2:15PM - 3:40PM

KEYNOTE SESSIONS3D PRINTING AND PROTOTYPING ROOM 4 - 11:15AM - 1.15PM

KEYNOTE SESSIONSSUSTAINABLE DESIGN ROOM 4 - 2:15PM - 3:40PM

Maximising simulation via the cloudDerrek Cooper Sr. Product Line Manager, Simulation Products, Autodesk

Learn how the cloud is breaking down barriers to simulation’s high computing requirements, complex and expensive licensing models and disconnected workfl ow

An insight into the Ansys Fluent Adjoint SolverGiovanni PetroneAnsys

Explains how this new solver can help drive your design towards an optimal solution and provide far greater information about the design space possibilities

The convergence of topology optimisation and additive manufacturingTony NortonVP Marketing, solidThinking

What is topology optimisation? Why does it makes sense for additive manufacturing? Who has been applying it? Why should it be on a designer’s desktop?

Fluid structural interaction – analysis reality or impossible dream?Laurence MarksMD, Strategic Simulation and Analysis

How realistic is the combination of fl uid and structural models in an industrial and design setting?

What is the cloud? The different technologies for CAD/CAM/CAERob JamiesonEMEA ISV Alliances Manager, AMD FirePro

A look at how different CAD/CAM/CAE software developer cloud strategies will impact future workstation technology

Remote workstations: protecting your intellectual property Richard (Rik) ThwaitesEMEA Business Development at Dell

As no CAD data ever leaves the data centre, remote workstations are perfect for keeping product development information confi dential

Practical advice on entry-level 3D printingAl DeanEditor-in-chief, DEVELOP3D

After 12 months of tinkering, Al has a good handle on entry level 3D printing. He’ll be sharing some thoughts and wondering if the 3Dphotocopier is possible

The alternatives to 3D printing — and why they should matter to youJohn TumeltyManaging Director, Proto Labs

3D printing get lots of headlines, but the end product still comes with a lot of compromises. Affordable prototyping doesn’t have to be created layer by layer

Jam to-morrow — The realities of 3D printingDr Phil ReevesManaging director and principle consultant, Econolyst Ltd

In this thought provoking presentation, Dr Phil Reeves will apply some realism to the 3D printing hype. Drawing on a series of recent real-life case studies

New design tools for 3D printingLisa HarouniCo-founder and CEO of Digital Forming

Lisa will look at the design tools needed to run the new generation of 3D printing processes, and what this means for consumer goods

Roadmap for sustainable designChris SherwinHead of Sustainability, seymourpowell

There are lots of ways designers can embrace sustainability in their work, but which one works best and what suits a particular project or client?

Creating responsible designersDr Vicky LofthouseSenior lecturer, Loughborough Design School

This talk will discuss an emerging need for responsible designers and how university education is rising to that challenge

The Great RecoverySophie ThomasCo-director of design, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce

Gone are the days of ‘sustainable or eco’ design. New innovations around a ‘closed loop’ model calls for investigation into materials at molecular scales

Best practices to make your workstation fl yRob JamiesonISV Manager, AMD FirePro

Rob Jamieson shares a whole host of tips and tricks to make sure you are getting the most out of your workstation hardware

CAD/CAM/CAE workstation technology clinic

Interactive Q & A offering practical advice on buying workstation technology

for CAD, CAM, CAE and design visualisation, upgrading workstations, tuning workstations, and benchmarking


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3D SyStemS GeomaGicStandS 14 + 15 3D Systems Geomagic develops 3D software for creating digital models of physical objects. Professionals involved in the design, reverse engineering and inspection of parts and products use Geomagic Studio, Geomagic Qualify, Geomagic Qualify Probe and Geomagic Wrap.

Some of the leading companies around the globe using Geomagic software include Ford, Harley Davidson, Richard Childress Racing, Timberland, Fisher Price, Pratt & Whitney, and NASA.www.geomagic.com

3DconnexionStand 31 3Dconnexion is a leading provider of 3D mice for design and visualisation professionals. The ‘Space’ range of controllers are supported by a range of 3D CAD/CAM applications. With a 3D mouse users can pan, zoom and rotate as if they’re holding the model in their hand or fly like a helicopter through three-dimensional worlds. Benefits include shortened product design cycles, a reduction in work-related fatigue and improvements in design quality, says 3Dconnexion.www.3dconnexion.co.uk

altran xypeStand 20 Altran Xype is a leading provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), software engineering and technical communication products and services to the aerospace, defence, automotive and energy sectors.It is a reseller of the technical communication software 3DVIA Composer. Customers include EADS, Airbus, Bombardier, GE, BAe Systems and MBDA.www.altran-xype.com

amDStand 26 DEVELOP3D LIVE principal sponsor AMD will be showcasing its full range of workstation graphics solutions and technology in cooperation with Dell. This includes the AMD FirePro W-Series graphics cards featuring AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology.

AMD FirePro professional graphics cards are optimised and certified for all major CAD applications – a rigorous and exacting certification process, conducted by software vendors that puts AMD

FirePro workstation graphics up against a series of simulations and real-world scenarios, ensuring compatibility and stability required by professionals.www.fireprographics.com

animazooStand 45 Synertial, an Animazoo company is a manufacturer of camera free inertial motion capture systems which help customers like VW group, Ubisoft, Cranfield university, NASA and Hyundai in a wide variety of VR, design approval, ergonomic analysis and simulation use cases.

At DEVELOP3D LIVE the company will be unveiling what it describes as a groundbreaking motion capture solution.www.animazoo.com

anSySStand 47

Ansys software is designed to bring clarity and insight to customers’ most complex design challenges through fast, accurate and reliable engineering simulation.

The company focuses on simulating the complete product to help customers accurately model and confidently predict real-world performance. www.ansys.com/en_uk

autoDeSkStandS 28 + 30 Autodesk is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries — including the last 17 Academy Award winners for best visual effects — use Autodesk software to design, visualise and simulate their ideas.www.autodesk.co.uk

cauStic profeSSionalStand 44 Caustic Professional, part of Imagination Technologies, is looking to change how interactive cinema-quality 3D graphics are produced, used, and enjoyed.

The company’s solutions, based on Imagination’s PowerVR OpenRL and PowerVR Brazil API ray tracing technologies, use a patented approach that is said to fundamentally change the performance and cost metrics for production quality ray-traced images and animated content without cutting

corners for quality or functionality. www.caustic.com

central ScanninGStand 21 Central Scanning, established in 2006, offers a variety of 3D scanning and reverse engineering services as well as being UK reseller for all Artec 3D and Steinbichler Optotechnik products.

From teeth sized objects to complete cars and more, Central Scanning can provide a full service to digitise, reverse engineer or inspect.It will be exhibiting the Artec Eva 3D scanner and blue LED system from the Steinbichler Comet L3D range of scanners.www.central-scanning.co.uk

cGtecHStand 12 CGTech will feature the latest versions of its Vericut software products for both machine tool simulation and Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) programming and simulation. It will showcase Vericut Composite Applications: Vericut composite Programming (VCP) and Vericut Composite Simulation (VCS).

Also on show will be version 7.2 of Vericut CNC machine simulation and optimisation software and Vericut Composite Paths for Engineers (VCPe), aimed at design and production engineers who wish to test the manufacturability of composite paths at an early stage in the design process.www.cgtech.com/uk

concurrent DeSiGn GroupStand 40 CDG specialises in 3D printing and 3D scanning products and bureau services. For 3D printing it offers five technologies including 3DSystems ProJet, ZPrinter and CubeX printers, catering for small parts, fine detail and large parts in a variety of materials. For 3D scanning it employs the high-end Breuckmann StereoScan and SmartScan systems for what it describes as the highest resolution and accuracy. The company also provides Geomagic and Rapidform software solutions.www.cdg.uk.com/3d

concurrent enGineerinGStand 9 Concurrent Engineering is a Platinum-level PTC Partner for Creo, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Product Data

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Management (PDM).The company is trained and certified in PTC

solutions and can provide a complete solution comprising products, services, training and support.www.concurrent-engineering.co.uk

concurrent SyStemS incStand 10 CSI’s team of technical and business professionals provide design and PLM software solutions to enterprise and small business customers.

At the event the company will showcase a range of Product Data and Product Lifecycle Management solutions and will aim to demonstrate how PDM/PLM can help reduce engineering cost, reduce waste, increase design productivity and take products to market faster.www.csi-europe.com

DelcamStand 19 Delcam will feature the 2013 R2 version of its PowerShape CAD software family with new tools and enhancements for solid modelling and for manipulating point clouds. These latest developments are designed to speed the production of designs ready for manufacturing, whether starting from imported CAD data or from scanned data.

PowerShape combines solid, surface, wireframe and direct modelling to provide what the company describes as the most comprehensive range of modelling techniques available in a single CAD program.www.delcam.com

DellStand 27 DEVELOP3D LIVE principal sponsor Dell will be showing its Dell Precision range of tower, rack and mobile workstations. According to Dell, the tower systems offer voracious productivity, software (ISV) certification, rock-solid dependability, and harmonious manageability to deliver productivity and reliability. The company also offers ‘industry-leading’ solutions in virtualisation in the workstation space.www.dell.co.uk/workstation

DriveWorkSStand 34 DriveWorks software is used in the design and configure-to-order market. The software is designed to enable engineers, non-technical staff, distributors and customers to configure and view new 3D designs of products on multiple devices including iPad, smart phone, and laptop . It can also be used to generate the manufacturing drawings and BOMs and is scalable from entry-level design automation all the way to an online-3D-configurator.www.driveworks.co.uk

Dutton SimulationStand 43 Dutton Simulation is a UK reseller and specialist support agent for forming simulation, FEA stress analysis, computational fluid dynamics and collaborative visualisation software.

VCollab visual collaboration software is designed to reduce large CAE file sizes for easy collaboration. NEi Nastran is described as a cost effective alternative NASTRAN solver. XFlow CFD code from Next Limit Technologies is designed to reduce the time and cost of CFD. FTI FormingSuite offers upfront feasibility analysis, cost estimation and optimisation for sheet metal parts. DYNAFORM from ETA is used to analyse a wide variety of metal forming processes.www.duttonsimulation.com

emco eDucation ltDStand 50 Emco is a supplier of CNC machine tools and support software for education. It is also a major distributor for 3D Systems’ 3D printer and scanning products .www.emco.co.uk

eS tecHnoloGyStand 49 ES Technology is a distributor for Concept Lasers’ LaserCUSING systems, which provide a manufacturing method for both prototypes and production level components. According to the company, the capability of the process to produce intricate geometries and profiles, in a variety of materials, has seen the technology adopted by the aerospace, automotive, medical device and mould tool industries.www.estechnology.co.uK

faroStand 6 FARO develops and markets computer-aided coordinate measurement devices and software. Portable equipment permits high-precision 3D measurements and comparisons of parts and compound structures within production and quality assurance processes, says Faro. The devices are used for inspecting components and assemblies, production planning, and inventory documentation.

At DEVELOP3D LIVE FARO will exhibit its latest portable FARO Arm Edge with LLP and its FARO Focus3D Laser Scanner for 3D measurement and 3D image documentation.www.faro.com

inneoStand 32 PTC Platinum Partner INNEO Solutions delivers software solutions and services for product design, PDM and PLM to more than 3,500 customers in the UK, Germany and Switzerland.

The company offers a complete solution comprising software and consultancy services together with PTC certified training and a dedicated hotline for support.

At DEVELOP3D LIVE its team will be presenting: PTC Creo 2.0, PTC Windchill PDMLink, and Keyshot.www.inneo.co.uk

itec 3DStand 52 ITEC 3D is the primary UK reseller for the Mcor Technologies range of 3D printers. The company will be showcasing the Mcor Iris full colour 3D printer, which is claimed to produce high quality objects at a fraction of the price of some other colour technologies. The machines use standard A4 paper as a print medium.www.itec-3d.com

iti tranScenDataStand 7 ITI TranscenData is a central source for CAD Data Exchange and PLM Integration Solutions. Its solutions include CADfix for 3D data exchange and CAE integration, Proficiency for re-mastering parametric CAD data from one CAD system into another, and CADIQ, which identifies potential shape and fit problems and differences in CAD models that may affect downstream applications, such as analysis and manufacturing.www.transcendata.com

laSer lineSStand 1 Laser Lines has been selling Stratasys FDM systems to the UK market since 1993. The merger between Stratasys and Objet will enable it to increase its portfolio of 3D printers and 3D production systems and the company can now support functional models

Exhibition highlights

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LightmapStand 38 If your renders look flat and the materials just aren’t coming to life… it’s time to take control of your lighting, says Lightmap, the developer of HDR Light Studio.

According to the company, HDR Light Studio lighting software is easy to use, real-time, and precise – providing a toolbox of professional features for the creation and control of HDR lighting. www.hdrlightstudio.com

LightworksStand 33 Lightworks is one of the world’s leading suppliers of rendering solutions for developers of advanced 3D computer graphics software.

Lightworks Artisan is the company’s next generation product, which is claimed to offer a completely new approach for the creation of high-quality images of a virtual product or building whilst it is still being designed. www.lightworkdesign.com

LuxionStand 29

Luxion is a developer of the KeyShot suite of advanced 3D rendering, animation and lighting technology.

KeyShot rendering is a ‘real-time’ ray tracing and global illumination program that uses a physically correct rendering engine. KeyShot Animation is a 3D animation system that is said to allow designers to create animations quickly and easily. KeyShotVR offers interactive 3D-enabled viewing via desktop, laptop or mobile device to produce portfolios, presentations and collateral for design reviews. www.keyshot.com

LuxoLogyStand 25 Luxology is an independent technology company developing 3D modelling and visualisation software for designers and engineers. modo is its so-called designer-friendly 3D software for the PC and Mac that combines modelling, sculpting, painting, animation and rendering in a ‘natural freeform’ workflow.www.luxology.com

maLcoLm nichoLLs Limited (mnL)Stand 51 Malcolm Nicholls Limited (MNL) is a UK-based 3D printing/prototyping firm. It is the only company in the UK that can supply laser sintered parts built using the INNOV’PA 1550 XS material, which is claimed to give a superior surface finish over any other SLS material on the market today.

Other in-house services supplied by MNL include: Stereolithography, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), vacuum forming, vacuum casting, traditional model making, wax patterns - quickcast, castform waxes from silicone tooling, metal casting, chrome effect finishes, and lots more. www.mnl.co.uk

nt cadcamStand 17 NT CADCAM introduced SolidWorks to the UK in 1996 and is now a leading supplier of both CAD and CAM solutions to the industrial marketplace. The company prides itself on providing integrated CAD/CAM systems that help its customers design and develop quality, economic and innovative products that reach their target market faster, whilst remaining sustainable and environmentally aware. Whether it is design or simulation software, something to create technical communications or just managing your data, SolidWorks has a solution, says NT CADCAM.www.ntcadcam.co.uk

objet printer soLutions (ops)Stand 13 Demonstrations of the latest Objet30 Pro desktop 3D inkjet printer capable of combining up to seven different materials into a single model, will take place on SYS Systems’ (SYS) stand.

SYS Systems (SYS), a recent name change from OPS Ltd, also offers Stratasys ‘additive manufacturing’ FDM machines for functional prototypes and production parts, PolyJet for prototyping parts with high feature detailing and fine surface finishing and Solidscape Drop-on-Demand (DOD) wax jetting.www.ops-uk.com

or3dStand 5 OR3D specialises in providing on and off site laser scanning for part inspection and reverse engineering.

With a range of laser scanning equipment that includes sub millimetre accurate scanners for high precision manufacturing and engineering projects, OR3D says it provides a complete solution from scan data acquisition to processing the data to generate CAD models.

The company also offers Rapidform’s XOR, a reverse engineering tool that combines CAD

with 3D scan data processing, so users can create feature-based, editable solid models.www.or3d.co.uk

physicaL digitaLStand 11 Physical Digital is an independent digital measurement bureau that uses the GOM system, including the ATOS and TRITOP optical measurement systems.

Because its systems and teams are mobile, smaller components can be sent in for off-site measurement, or Physical Digital can go on-site at customers’ premises.

The company measures anything from tiny components to large and complex machinery for reverse engineering, quality control, computer aided engineering (CFD, FEA) and digital archives.www.physicaldigital.com

poLygonicaStand 42 Polygonica is a software toolkit for carrying out a wide range of geometric operations on STL models such as automatic solid healing, fixing self-intersections and other Boolean operations.

The software has a wide range of applications, including additive manufacturing and 3D printing, CAD/CAM/CAE, and reverse engineering.www.polygonica.com

proto LabsStand 35 Proto Labs produces functional custom parts for prototyping, testing, or short run production. Working directly from 3D CAD files, real parts can be manufactured in engineering grade materials, and shipped to customers in as little as one business day. The company uses conventional CNC machining (Firstcut) and injection moulding (Protomold) to make real parts that can be fully tested and incorporated into products.www.protolabs.co.uk

QuiLL VogueStand 53 Quill Vogue with demonstrate how its high performance Wash Station Mobile uses a jet of water to rapidly remove a range of support material from printed 3D objects all within a self contained, compact, fully mobile unit.

It includes a choice of two flexible spray heads (one for stubborn and one for delicate operations) to help ensure all support material is removed from printed 3D objects including from deep complex recessed areas, without damaging interfaces between different model materials.www.quillvogue.com

roLand dgStand 3 Roland will be demonstrating the new mini CNC milling machine, the iModela, and the


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larger MDX-40A, with the aim of showing delegates why CNC milling is the most versatile and cost effective prototyping option.www.rolanddg.co.uk

samsung ssdStand 22 Samsung recently launched the 840 Series line-up of high-performance Solid State Drives (SSDs) designed for use in personal computers, workstations and servers.

The premium class 840 Pro is claimed to provide best in class performance, a 5 year warranty and many features ideal for the creative design industry.www.samsung.com/uk/ssd

siemens pLm softwareStand 24

Siemens PLM Software is a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software, from planning and development through manufacturing and support.

Siemens will be showcasing NX, the integrated industrial design, engineering and manufacturing solution, which features advanced solutions for conceptual design; 3D modelling and documentation; multi-discipline simulation for structural, motion, thermal, flow and multi-physics applications; and complete part manufacturing solutions for tooling, machining and quality inspection.www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_gb/products/

nx/8-5/index.shtml

soLidthinkingStand 8 solidThinking Inspire is designed to allow engineers, product designers and architects to generate and investigate structurally efficient concepts quickly and easily. The technology seeks to generate the ideal design geometry for a given package space, material properties and loading requirements.

solidThinking Evolve is for industrial designers to help explore styling alternatives and visualise products with real time rendering. www.solidthinking.com

soLutionixStand 41 Solutionix is a developer and manufacturer of high-performance, structured-light 3D

scanning systems for reverse engineering and quality inspection applications in the industrial, design and manufacturing market sectors.

The company’s Rexcan scanning systems can capture objects that are less than 1cm across up to larger items such as complete vehicles.www.solutionix.com

spacecLaimStand 2 SpaceClaim develops SpaceClaim Engineer, the 3D direct modeller that is designed to give engineers, not just expert CAD users, the ability to work with precise 3D models. The software stands out for its ability to manipulate and edit data from any CAD system, regardless of origin. SpaceClaim is used in a number of applications including concept modelling, bid modelling, manufacturing, and model prep for analysis.www.spaceclaim.com

steinbichLerStand 23 3D scanning specialist, Steinbichler UK, can offer a complete demo, system sale, training and support package for a whole range of digitising requirements. At DEVELOP3D Live it will be demonstrating a range of scanners including the Comet L3D 8M 3D scanner, as well as the Abis Optimizer. www.steinbichler.co.uk

strategic simuLation & anaLysisStand 4 SSA provides software, training and consulting services in Computer Aided Engineering and carries out product simulation using Finite Element Analysis and multiphysics.

The company is a reseller for the Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA product range, which includes Abaqus simulation products. It also offers associated training and implementation. Abaqus offers a solution for many analysis types using implicit and explicit solver technologies, including linear, non-linear, buckling, thermal and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). www.ssanalysis.co.uk

symetriStand 16 Symetri is an Autodesk Platinum partner, operating in the oil, gas, nuclear, transportation and manufacturing sectors, supplying 2D and 3D CAD design software, as well as specific third-party software applications and engineering data management solutions.

Symetri Consulting Services was launched early 2012 in recognition of the evolving nature of digital product design, digital prototyping, data and product lifecycle management (PLM) and its customers’ need for broader expertise and guidance.www.symetri.co.uk

tata technoLogiesStand 18 Tata Technologies is a global provider of Engineering Services Outsourcing (ESO), Product Development IT services and PLM solutions. It is a global reseller for the major vendor PLM engineering software products: including those from Dassault Systèmes, Autodesk, Siemens and PTC.

The company also offers its own portfolio of software , including iGET IT, the multi-CAD online learning management solutionswww.tatatechnologies.com

tebisStand 46 Tebis develops CAD/CAM solutions for the automobile and aircraft industry as well as subcontractors from the styling, model making, tool and mould manufacturing sectors. Customers include automobile manufacturers such as Audi, Daimler, BMW, VW, Opel, Ford, Seat, Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover, Honda, Toyota and Hyundai.www.tebis.com

tri-tech 3dStand 36 & 37 Tri-Tech3D is a leading provider of Stratasys 3D printing systems offering both Objet ‘PolyJet’ and Stratasys ‘FDM’ 3D printing technologies. Its services include initial consultation, specification and supply of 3D printing hardware and software, to onsite 3D printer installation, training and full product support.

The company will showcase the Objet30 Pro desktop 3D printer, offering seven model materials including clear transparent.www.tritech3d.co.uk

VoxeLjetStand 48 The voxeljet Systems division focuses on the development, production and distribution of 3D print systems with a product range that reaches from smaller entry models to large-format machines.

The voxeljet Services division service centre creates sand moulds and plastic models based on CAD data using a 3D printing process that is claimed to be both fast and efficient. www.voxeljet.de/en


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PROFILE

to be part of UK Trade and Investment’s ‘China Design Workforce’, a selected group of design agencies equipped to gain a foothold in this rapidly developing market.

“As well as the trade mission I also did my own trip down to the South of China. I drove from Shenzhen, which is just across the border in Hong Kong, and for two to three hours I just passed factory upon factory. There is just so much industry and manufacturing,” comments Knowles.

“It really made me realise how the nature of design in the UK has changed. Whereas in the past where all design and engineering happened in the UK, increasingly in some sectors, more of the design as well as the detailed engineering is done in China by the OEM companies that make products for the big manufacturers. It made us think that there is a lot of design that will need to be done in China and that will only increase. So we made the jump.”

Lost in transLationHowever, working for Chinese clients does present an array of challenges with the language barrier being the obvious initial stumbling block. Although the larger companies do have English speaking staff or use translators, IDC felt it

nowadays it’s not uncommon to hear of a Western product design consultancy setting up an office in China. Often the purpose of this subsidiary is to be on the ground, liaising with the Chinese suppliers who will be

manufacturing the products for the consultancy’s Western clients. However, Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) is different. Although this Berkshire-based consultancy has a subsidiary in Shanghai its purpose is to actually provide a design and product development service.

“As a country, China’s reputation has been as a manufacturer. But we recognised a growing opportunity for input from Western product designers like IDC, to create designs specifically for the Chinese market,” explains Stephen Knowles, IDC’s managing director.

“We all know that China is the number one exporting country but the fascinating dynamic now is that it’s the fastest growing consumer market. All these middle-class Chinese are looking to buy products and consume.”

Although IDC China was only set up two years ago, the consultancy has been working for Chinese clients for over five years. The catalyst was in 2007 when IDC was selected

MaDE in CHina» Tanya Weaver heads over to Industrial Design Consultancy’s HQ in Datchet, near London, where she talks to the managing director about the UK design and prototyping business as well as setting up shop in Shanghai, China

p38_39_40_41_42_D3D_APRIL13_cover story IDC.indd 38 20/3/13 21:27:45


expensive than the Chinese ones, which there are a few of, Chinese clients feel they have more to gain in that Western design consultancies have a reputation for quality design and also have an awareness of the marketplace, which is important as many Chinese companies want to launch their products globally.

nEw ways of workingHowever, IDC soon discovered that working with Chinese clients meant a different way of presenting concepts. “The Chinese consultancies specialise very much in doing highly rendered concept stuff, which actually looks like the glossy rendering we’d present at the end of the process,” describes Marc Tanner, IDC’s head of industrial design.

“Once the client has seen the rendered concept first, it reassures them that you’ve done some thinking about the product. So rather than the usual chronological or linear pattern of discussing the initial research, user studies and background thinking of the design first, you sort of have to do it backwards.”

One of the first Chinese clients IDC worked with was Shenzhen Xunfengtong (XFT), which was keen to develop

was important to have somebody who had local knowledge and so employed a Chinese agent who was instrumental in helping them set up.

Knowles also felt as he was going to be doing business in China he’d learn the language and so he went to Mandarin lessons. “Of course we do still need a proper translator but it’s useful to break down the social barriers through informal conversation,” he says.

As IDC had built a reputation for medical device design in the UK, that is the product area it would initially focus on for Chinese clients. “China is such a big country that with a relatively small office you can get distracted chasing around in a lot of different areas. We have a strength in medical products and so we thought that would be the most sensible thing to focus on.”

This decision was reinforced by statistics which confirm that China is the second largest healthcare market in the world and trade in medicines and healthcare products are estimated to grow by 24% per year.

It didn’t prove too challenging to find clients as there is a strong demand for high end design in China. Although employing Western design consultancies is often far more

MaDE in CHinaIDC China, ShanghaiIDC UK, London



a family of products that could compete on a global stage in functionality, quality and design, as well as branding. The first product was the CPR Assistant, a device that a patient rests their neck and head onto. Through a combination of visual and spoken life-saving instructions, it aids the person administering CPR. Additionally, a metronome helps with the timing of the compressions. The CPR Assistant has been very successful for the client and even went on to win the prestigious China Red Star award.

As Knowles explains, reputation is very important in China. Once trust has been established, repeat work will often follow and introductions to friends and colleagues can bring new opportunities. IDC has not been short of work and over the past five years it has designed and developed a number of medical devices including a Suture dispenser, anaesthetic pumps, lancing devices for glucose blood measurement as well as a number of medical disposable projects.

In that time IDC has also done four products for XFT with the most recent being the Foot Drop System. This system includes a small Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) device, which is strapped onto the patient’s leg below the knee, and sends electrical signals to the peroneal nerve (the nerve that controls the movement of the ankle and foot) to counteract the effect of foot drop in patients with neurological problems. The FES works in combination

with a foot sensor, which detects the walking rhythm and helps regulate a normal walk.

For this project IDC handled product development from concept right through to production support. It carried out patient as well as doctor research and then produced several prototypes in a variety of materials, before the look and structure were finalised.

“Combined with IDC’s excellent design, we have turned this FES device into a high-tech advanced machine. We already have SFDA certification in China, where the product has been used in more than ten cities. We are now ready to apply for CE and FDA certification, for sales across the world,” says XFT’s product development manager, Jackey Woo.

offiCE ExpansionSetting up an office in China has proven to be a good strategic move for IDC but it was risky and did require a lot of time and money to get it up and running. “It’s a big commitment setting up a company because the nature of doing business in China is quite bureaucratic: once you’ve set up an office you have quite a lot of administration overheads, regulations that have to be abided by, accounts that have to be filed monthly and tax etc. So you have to have quite a few people there to justify all that expense,” comments Knowles.

●1 One of IDC’s first products for a Chinese client was the CPR Assistant

●2 ●4 Early illustrations of the Foot Drop System for Chinese client Xunfengtong (XFT)

●3 CAD model of the nerve detector component in the Foot Drop System

●5 The Foot Drop System is an advanced medical device to help people with certain neurological conditions walk again

●6 IDC China’s offices were established in Shanghai two years ago

●7 Being on the ground in China means that IDC China is close to the factories that produce the products

1



SLUG

‘‘ we all know that China is the number one exporting country but the fascinating dynamic now is that it’s the fastest growing consumer market in the world’’stephen knowles, iDC’s managing director

medical fi eld, IDC does get involved in a broad range of projects from a SuperSkin motorcycle Helmet (covered in DEVELOP3D May 2010) and new spectrometer accessories to infl atable solar panels and street lighting.

With all the facilities in-house, IDC can take a product from very fi rst concepts all the way through to production. One such example is the laryngoscope for the Venner Group, which is a device used during general anaesthesia or CPR to introduce an endotracheal tube through the vocal chords. “Basically, the clinicians had the idea for the product and we became their R&D department,” describes Knowles.

“We did the full development from talking to the clinicians as well as patients and then working out exactly what was needed in terms of technology, how we’ll engineer it, setting up manufacture through to certifi cation and approvals. It’s great when you get that involvement and ownership of it all especially as it then went on to win a Red Dot Design Award.”

UnDEr onE roofA major advantage for IDC is having prototyping facilities in-house including a Viper SLA machine, spray booth facilities, vacuum casting and four CNC machines, one of which is brand new. “The benefi t of having it on-site is that if there are any questions or problems, you just walk upstairs and have a look and make a decision. So, it off ers a

Although only two years in, IDC China has already doubled in size. There is a mixture of British and local staff including a new recruit – a Chinese native industrial designer, who has spent three years working in US design consultancies.

Of course there is another side to the China offi ce too and that is providing a service to UK or Western companies who need help in sourcing and setting up a Chinese supply chain or who want to develop products for sale in the rapidly growing Chinese domestic market. “For UK clients the fact that we can make things for Chinese companies is not a big advantage but the fact that we are over there and can help get projects facilitated faster and smoother and also show them where cost benefi ts exist, is a big advantage. Additionally, we are increasingly being asked to adapt Western products to suit the diff erent requirements of the Chinese market,” says Knowles.

BaCk in BLigHtyBack in the UK offi ce in Berkshire, alongside its consultancy business, the past few years has seen IDC create its own Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) Calculator, which has proven so popular with a number of clients including Jaguar Land Rover that it is now a separate entity (lcacalculator.com), as well as the recently launched graduate training scheme for new engineers.

In terms of consultancy work, although much is in the

2 3

4 5

6 7



●8 IDC’s UK offi ce

●9 IDC completed a project to develop a groundbreaking laryngoscope for the Venner Group

●10 IDC Models provides a prototyping and model making service to a range of clients including BAFTA

●11 IDC has redeveloped a new spectrometer accessory for Specac

lot of speed, effi ciency and reliability,” says Knowles. In fact, IDC Models is a separate division off ering

prototyping and model making services as well as low volume manufacturing to a range of clients. For instance, a recent project with Imperial College involved the prototyping of a very small robotic pill. The pill, which measures just 30 x 11 mm with minute robotic components inside, is swallowed by the patient and then tracked by the doctor. When it reaches the small intestines the medication is injected into the targeted area. On the other hand, IDC Models has a long standing relationship with a casting company that utilises its fi nishing expertise in post machining, polishing and assembly of the world famous BAFTA award trophies.

CHanging tiMEsIDC’s founder, Mike Woodall, would not have had any of this advanced technology to hand when he set up in 1972. Then designs were drawn by hand using A0 drawing boards. ”When I started my career in the mid 90s it was half drawing boards and half CAD but the CAD systems were so painful that if you just wanted a drawing it was often a lot quicker to get the pencil out,” reminisces Knowles.

“Fifty drawing boards then probably produced no more than the dozen CAD stations we have today. In those days to create anything in 3D you had to draw them section by section and then a pattern maker would sculpt it.”

8

9 10 11

‘‘ as a country, China’s reputation has been as a manufacturer. But we recognised a growing opportunity for input from western product designers, like iDC, to create designs specifi cally for the Chinese market’’stephen knowles, iDC’s managing director

tooLs of tHE traDEOf course CAD has compressed the design cycles considerably with so much more design now done in the virtual world with new features and capabilities being added to the software all the time.

IDC uses SolidWorks, Pro/Engineer (Creo) as well as Rhino and a few other 3D modellers including Shark and Cobalt from Ashlar-Vellum. “These odd ball programmes are a lot quicker as opposed to surface modellers like Rhino. But I do have to say that our use of them is fading quickly because of the improvement of tools like SolidWorks, which are now adding rendering and analysis into their off ering,” says Tanner.

“But our take on it at IDC is that at the end of the day, CAD is just a tool. They can do amazing things and if you’re not careful, you can get so buried in what they’ll do. We use the tools from the perspective of what will give us the best outcome for the cost and time it will take and try not get too blinded.”

Despite the recent economic downturn, work has kept rolling into IDC and it looks like it’s only going to get busier. As Knowles says, “What we are seeing at the moment is that lots of companies who put off their plans because of the recession are all of a sudden saying ‘let’s go!’. It’s an exciting time to be developing products.”idc.uk.com

idcmodels.com


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TECHNOLOGY

Pascal Daloz, Dassault Systèmes’

executive vice president of strategy

and marketing

» Al Dean digs into exactly what Dassault Systèmes means by 3DExperience. Despite a confusing message, he finds there’s validity to what the

company is doing and where it’s heading

p44_45_46_47_48_49_D3D_APRIL13_3D experience.indd 44 20/3/13 20:44:55


With 3DExperience, what we want

is to connect the consumer into the cycle. Not only at the beginning

of the process, consumer focus groups, and at the end of the

process to do the testing of the product, but at each major step

Pascal Daloz, Dassault Systèmes’ executive vice president of

strategy and marketing



If there’s a single question I’ve been asked most often in the last year, it’s “Can you explain Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience?”

With Dassault Systèmes’ (DS) long-standing customers – the Boeings, the Fords, the BMWs of the world – who have evolved with the company over a number of years, the concept of 3DExperience is easier to grasp. But for DS SolidWorks customers, who are being presented

with the vision at corporate events like SolidWorks World, it has caused a lot of confusion and, in some cases, concern.

In short, 3DExperience is the next big goal in the DS roadmap and represents the next step on from product lifecycle management (PLM).But what exactly is it?

A 3D WhAt?DS launched its 3DExperience concept in 2012. To take the corporate line, it “transforms the way innovators will innovate with consumers by connecting designers, engineers, marketing managers and even consumers, in a new ‘social enterprise’.”

From this one sentence it’s possible to extrapolate what DS is talking about. But when I hear the expanded version, there’s all manner of things that simply don’t make sense. Or at least, make me feel rather stupid for not understanding them.

Here’s a perfect example, taken from CEO Bernard Charles’ keynote at the Korean 3DExperience conference in May 2012: “The virtual world extends and improves the real world. We have formulated a dream. I think it’s also very important in every company to have a dream. It gives some freedom. It removes the limits of the daily constraints. And when you are lost, in any companies, you come back to what is your dream.

“You need a dream in your life, you need a dream in your family, you need a dream for any companies on any social structure. And our dream when it comes to Dassault Systèmes is to help through the usage of universe, 3DExperience universe to harmonise product, nature, and life. It’s a very ambitious dream.”

To be frank, it’s all a bit too abstract for me. But luckily I got some time with Pascal Daloz, DS’ executive vice president of strategy and marketing. I began by asking him to define the difference between the company’s V5 and V6.

According to him, “V5 is a technology. It’s not a value proposal. What’s the purpose of this technology? It’s a client/server technology with Windows as the client. V6 is still a web-based technology with Java as the client. This is the difference.”

So far so good, but things started to get interesting when Daloz explained the difference between PLM and 3DExperience. “PLM is basically nothing more than a Digital

Mock Up (DMU), but from ideas to the products to the operations. The people you are connecting with this DMU are only the professional ones. The people being part of the development cycle. The extended enterprise and professionals,” he explains.

“With 3DExperience, what we want is to connect the consumer into the cycle. Not only at the beginning of the process, focus groups, and at the end of the process to do the testing of the product, but at each major step.”

Now this is an interesting idea. Over the last few years, there have been huge changes in how those outside of the design department are involved in the design process – it is not done alone anymore. But how does DS define ‘consumer’ when most of the work its customers do is outside of the traditional consumer goods market?

DS perceives a ‘consumer’ as the ‘person that uses the end product’ which isn’t necessarily the same person that buys the product. If the product is a pair of spectacles, it’s the person wearing them not the optician. If it’s a forklift truck, it’s the operator, not the purchasing manager at the warehousing company. If it’s a BMW car, it’s the driver, not the dealer or fleet manager.

A cASE IN PoINtIn a meeting with Proctor and Gamble (P&G), Daloz discovered there is a huge delay in the product development process because of consumer testing and the need to

feed the findings back to the design department. “They were spending more time developing this bottle of shampoo, a simple bottle of shampoo, than BMW to develop an entire car.”

The seemingly simple process of designing a container for shampoo needed consumer testing at almost every stage. Not just in terms of its shape, but labelling, colour and artwork too.

With each decision, P&G conducted consumer focus group testing. This meant either building a custom shop or taking over a shelf in a range of existing outlets. It also meant stocking it with products, both its own and those of its competitors, testing different options and configurations.

All of this was being done across the globe in a 48-month cycle. We’re not talking about the chemical formula for shampoo, but the bottle it goes into. When you consider that P&G has, according to Daloz, 200 manufacturing facilities across the globe, a policy of ‘single product, everywhere’, it’s clear that things need to be right before committing resources to production.

So how did this conversation change DS’ perspective? “This anecdote opened our eyes,” admits Daloz. “We thought maybe there are a lot of industries having this problem.

“We thought maybe this is the time for us to investigate if we can connect the consumer at the different stages. At the same time, we’re going to develop the products and the story

TECHNOLOGY

‘‘ the point is that

3DExperience, when

considered like this, is an entirely valid

approach. What I don’t

understand is why DS seems

unable to communicate

this clearly and concisely’’

1

2

3



●1 The integration of Netvibes social

aggregation, analytics and

reporting tools give an organisation

feedback about its products as well as

its competitors’

●2 When consumer insights are integrated

into initiative management tools,

impact can be gauged instantly

●3 DS is, as you’d expect, also building

in all the tools you’d need to take the insights from

consumers through to production, starting

with digital sketching

●4 An interesting way to think about

a product’s lifecycle as we’ve moved from

EDM (Engineering Data Management) to

PDM (Product Data Management) to PLM

(Product Lifecycle Management) and

now into the realms of 3DExperience

related to the marketing message attached to the products. But we’re going to have feedback loops before and it’ll be an iterative system.

“The first time I met the [P&G] CTO he said ‘I want to digitalise from the formula to the shelf’. It was his statement and now I understand why. To come back to your question, this is what 3DExperience is all about. The rest is... marketing.”

WhAt DoES It ActuAlly mEAN?Abstract marketing messages and anecdotes about meetings with very large companies are one thing, but what we really need is a clearer picture of what DS is up to, how it will manifest itself in not only the products, but also how they’re pitched and used. These days, the future of DS’ work not only affects users of Catia, Enovia and Simulia, but also those in the SolidWorks community. With plans already underway to develop SolidWorks on the V6 platform this has never been more relevant .

Let’s start with a breakdown of what 3DExperience means in comparison to the world of PLM. In my opinion, at its very core, PLM means the use of a technology solution that allows those involved in product development to contribute and engage in the process – from conception through to disposal. It allows those in marketing, purchasing, manufacturing, process planning (everyone essentially) to be active and provide their guidance in the process.

PLM is also about feedback loops. If a product’s lifecycle can be captured, from the earliest point of requirements capture, conceptualisation, engineering, production, servicing and finally disposal, then you have a baseline of data on which to iterate the next generation of product, learn from your mistakes and improve the next project.

The important thing to note is that PLM is about those directly involved in the development of the product: the professionals, those within a single organisation or in a supply chain environment.

Where 3DExperience differs is in the idea that there’s huge benefit to be gained in gathering consumer feedback at all stages of the product’s lifecycle. This is something that’s typically not done in industry and certainly not done in the context of any of the business systems used in the design to manufacture process.

While I think we’ve got a good handle of the what and why, now it’s time to look at the how.

There are three key technology parts to this story and they’re all worth exploring in detail as they show how DS is looking to turn 3DExperience from a high-level concept to a deliverable product that can bring the consumer ‘into’ the product lifecycle.

#1 SocIAl ANAlytIcS AND NEtvIbESMany have been trying to work out why DS acquired Netvibes a couple of years ago. If you read the corporate spiel, it’s “an internet platform that delivers a holistic snapshot of any key information related to my company or my personal interest.”

Social internet platform? This doesn’t exactly mesh with DS’ corporate activities does it? But, considered in the context of 3DExperience, think of it like this: today’s consumers increasingly express themselves digitally. Whether it’s a snarky comment on Facebook shared among friends, a rant on Twitter about bad service or a product review on Amazon. What Netvibes does is aggregate that information into a single dashboard.

For the individual, this might be an interesting diversion – after all, who hasn’t Googled their own name? However, for corporations it’s a whole different kettle of fish: If you have a mechanism to collect all information relating to your brand, your company, your specific products, globally, across the social media spectrum, then you have a huge quantity of data and opinions.

Taken individually, these might not make much sense or give guidance to the product development process, but taken at a higher-level, one can see trends, issues, good and bad views – at a glance.

At the recent Product Innovation Congress in Berlin, I heard at least two companies (Unilever among them, for an idea of scale), talking about the wealth of data available to help with product development decisions. What do people like? What do people hate? Taken with a pinch of salt, and some clever analysis, this can be valuable information for those developing next generation products.

Another example is a discussion with a well-known floor care equipment manufacturer (no, not THAT one). It released a lightweight product onto the market. The reduced mass, in particular, was meant to allow the owner to clean stair carpets easily. After release, the company saw a string of comments from customers on Amazon saying that both the nozzle hose and the power cable were too

4



short. Obviously this was done to save mass, but for the customer, it was a pain in the backside.

Traditionally, this wouldn’t have been discovered for months, if at all. Customers wouldn’t complain directly. They might have returned the unit and never bought the brand again. But with this insight, the company in question quickly reiterated the design, factored in a longer hosing and cable and gained sales as a result.

Netvibes’ raison d’être is to bring all of this information into a single dashboard, present it in a meaningful way and allow decisions to be made from it – or at least to discover where issues or benefits lie.

DS is building up a system whereby this information is captured and made available to everyone in the product design and development process. Not in a separate system, but in the same tools that are used to take a product to market and manage its lifecycle.

If you then consider that data can also be captured for competitive products, then you’ve got something really interesting.

#2 coNNEctINg thE WIDEr tEAm & 3DSWymIf you look at the target market for this type of technology stack, there are a couple of interesting elements in terms of the teams who are not directly involved in product development. In the large-scale consumer goods manufacturing world, there’s the product fulfilment team and those that are involved in sales and retail. These are the people on the streets selling the product – whatever it might be.

For example, DS has a customer called Mikli (mikli.com). You might have come across its iconic Shutter Shades at some point, even, God forbid, watching a Kanye West video.

This organisation has a couple of business activities. An eyewear design house with its own brands and others. Mikli Spectacles are a highly personal product and getting it right is a combination of thinking outside the box to generate new concepts and designs, and tailoring those to trends, global or regional. What’s interesting about Mikli is that it is also in the retail business, again, operating globally.

The challenge that the company has is designing products that push the boundaries in a high value, luxury goods market, while also ensuring that there’s commercial success.

To connect the sales and retail team with the design team it needs a centralised system to track stocking levels, popularity as well as providing a mechanism for everyone involved to provide thoughts, commentary and input that the design team can factor into their process.

This isn’t a case of design by committee, but if there’s a product that’s not selling, it’s clear that the design isn’t working and that needs to be taken account of in planning the next range. Typically this information would be spread across multiple departments and multiple systems. Connecting this all up makes sense and is what DS’ 3DSwYm, the online service dedicated to the management of online professional communities, is purposed to do.

#3 coNSumEr tEStINg & thE DIgItAl ShElfThis relates directly back to Daloz’s story about the challenges that P&G face on a global scale to capture consumer feedback more quickly than the traditional process of consumer testing and focus groups.

If the companies involved can use digital processes to connect with consumers, enable them to experience multiple variants of a product’s form, in context and in a familiar surrounding (e.g. a shop shelf), all in a digital environment, this can lead to serious cost savings.

To start, prototype production costs are significantly reduced as no one has to make and ship prototype units.

Costs are also saved in management of the testing as it can be done from home or at least a kiosk. Yet, perhaps as importantly, the data (such as what works, what doesn’t work and the context) is available immediately and can be factored into the design process in a much more efficient manner.

DS is building out exactly this capability with its Perfect Shelf initiative. Companies can build immersive point of sale environments, which allow the consumer interaction as normal, but also enable metrics to be grabbed out of the process in an instant.

Consider the multiple variants at play here. Not only are there variables pertaining to the product in question, but also regional differences in shopping experiences, varied shelving and display strategies and different arrangements of competitor products.

DISruPtIoN through coNfuSIoN?Personally speaking, I find all of the above intriguing. Yes, the tools aren’t for everyone and it would take a much larger company than most to not only adopt them, but also afford them. That said, there are elements that could be adopted by a much wider audience as and when appropriate.

The point is that 3DExperience, when considered like this, is an entirely valid approach. What I don’t understand is why DS seems unable to communicate this clearly.

When challenged about this, Daloz was open and frank, “You know Bernard, the way he behaves. He’s

‘‘ If companies can’t easily learn about the future of those

tools, then they start to wonder what to do next’’

5

6

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TECHNOLOGY



pushing ideas and then he lets the market adopt the ideas and define the limit of those ideas. This is the reason why he doesn’t want us too limit it in the way we define it.

“We want this to be open and let the market define what 3DExperience is about. But from a pure technology standpoint, this is what it’s all about.”

At the heart of this is how DS wants to be perceived as a company and its position in the market, as Daloz explains, “If you want to change the market boundaries, confusion sometimes helps, because the worst that can happen is that you get put in a box: You are CAD tools, you are PLM.

“For example, all the customer relationship management stuff goes into the Salesforce box. But why can’t we have some customer inputs in our systems, why does it have to be in Salesforce?

“The answer is because Salesforce created a customer relationship box and everything goes into that. I don’t care, let’s call it ‘Experience’ and it’s everything.”

When challenged, that perhaps DS simply doesn’t want people to know what it does, the response was the infamous Gallic shrug which, while never entirely clear in its intent, I took to be a confirmation.

When asked if DS is one of those big companies that does everything, the waters started to clear somewhat, “When you want to create disruption in the market, you should allow the market to define it,” said Daloz. “The real proof will come from the customer who will have this technology running, with results. They will tell us what they can do and what they can’t do.”

coNcluSIoNSo, to conclude – it would appear that 3DExperience is a perfectly valid idea and solution set, particularly for larger firms. But it appears that DS is purposefully obscuring

exactly what it does so that it doesn’t become pigeon-holed as a provider of a specific set of tools.

I can understand the logic behind it, but the problem is that the company is in danger of alienating its more traditional customers. DS SolidWorks users seem particularly, and rightly, confused, at a critical point in time when the product that they’ve used for many years is starting to make the transition to the DS V6 platform.

The thing is, I’m not entirely sure that, even if explained more clearly, the concept of 3DExperience would interest most of the SolidWorks community.

Yes, there are some huge multinationals that use SolidWorks as their main design system and these might be the perfect target for some of these types of technologies and product sets. And they might be able to afford them. However, for the rest of the design and engineering firms that are used to hearing about SolidWorks in terms of its new modelling features, the ‘big vision’ messaging that is being used to explain 3DExperience may be a step too far.

3DExperience is a huge investment, both financially and in terms of training staff, working with suppliers and clients and a back catalogue of work and data: If companies can’t easily learn about the future of those tools, then they start to wonder what to do next.

I’m used to DS’ marketing being more than a little bit removed from reality, but I personally think that it needs to start explaining more clearly what it’s planning and where its roadmap is heading.

This can only happen concurrently with its plans for the future of its core product, in terms of profitability, SolidWorks. Without those two things happening at the same time, then all the roadmap PowerPoints presentations we see at DS events and conferences won’t help.3ds.com/3dexperience/

●5 Perfect Shelf can be deployed at many different levels, from presentation to focus group and consumer

testing

●6 Imagine and Shape’s SubD

technology is perfect for quickly knocking

up prototypes of structural

packaging… and pretty much anything

else

●7 DS’ focus on the consumer isn’t just

about the shopper or the industrial buyer, it’s about collating

views from the whole spectrum of consumer feedback

and opinion

●8 The Perfect Shelf is DS’ environment

for building a virtual shopping experience. This

allows organisations to not only test

product prototypes and concepts, but do

so in context

8



PROFILE

●1 TechShop offers over 15,000 square feet of equipped space for you to take on your own projects and learn new skills

●2 Professional equipment, from water jets to CAD is available to members 9am till midnight, 7 days-a-week

●3 Members take on a wide variety of projects, from Kickstarter start-ups, to one-off builds

●4 Ford has seen a 30 per cent rise in patent applications from its workers since teaming up with TechShop

●5 It’s a great way to learn new skills and get advice from the user community

for three others to open soon.Each of the facilities is open from 9am to midnight,

seven days a week, and offers laser cutters, plastics and electronics labs, a machine shop, a wood shop, a metal working shop, a textiles department, welding stations and a waterjet cutter.

Members have open access to design software, featuring the entire Autodesk Design Suite, as well as giant project areas with large worktables.

Helping HandAutodesk has invested heavily into TechShop, both through funding and via the provision of software for all the labs and individual members, so they can install the software onto their own laptaps and use it there.

It also heavily subsidises the Autodesk Inventor classes for members to take.

“They’ve really gone all-in on support for this,” confirms Newton. “CAD in people’s minds is hard, it’s one of those big barricades that the average person would say there’s no way they could learn CAD to do my project.

“That’s not true; CAD software today is really very easy to use, very powerful, specially something like Inventor. It’s a very empowering tool in TechShop as there’s so many machines here that are CNC-driven, so CAD is really important.”

Set up SHopAmerican automotive giant Ford has also partnered heavily with TechShop. Determined to provide facilities and boost innovation amongst its employees that form the heart of the community in the city of

despite many of us having the need or desire to take on a project, finding space and the right equipment is what is holding the majority of us back.

In the modern world, traditional options have limitations: classes at

schools involve long courses to attain qualifications and you’re limited to when you can use the machinery. In an increasing culture of health and safety liability, workplaces rarely allow after-work projects.

For Jim Newton this was exactly the problem, so he decided to do something about it. In 2005 he arrived at the idea of a health club-style membership for a tool-equipped work space, where people could join as a member, and instead of working on exercise equipment would have access to all sorts of professional tools to make things.

“I wanted all the cool tools!” exclaims an upbeat Newton. “This was purely selfish – ‘ok, I’m going to let people use the shop so they can pay for it so I can have it for free!’ – that was the concept.”

playground for creativityFrom here on TechShop was founded – America’s finest playground for creativity where you can make virtually anything, using professional, full-scale equipment. “You take the class, you get checked out, we show you how to use it and be safe, and then you can come in whenever you want and use the stuff,” adds Newton.

The first TechShop opened its doors in 2006 in Menlo Park, California and since then it has expanded to include six further shops across the US, with plans

fabrication fanaticS» So you’ve got an idea; an on-going project; a little thing you’d like to make, or a big job that you want to work on — where do you go? Where do you find the tools? Stephen Holmes knows just the place

1 2 3

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Detroit, US.The company pre-purchased a set amount of

memberships for their employees, giving Newton and his team the funding to open the latest branch.

Ford gives the memberships to its employees as part of its patent rewards program. As a result Ford’s submissions of new patents are up 30 per cent since they started the program.

“For Ford to get a 30 per cent boost in patents and maybe a few of those things end up on the line of cars, that’s huge for them – an enormous return on investment,” says Newton.

“The engineers that work at Ford aren’t allowed to come in after work into the workshop and make a go-cart, or a medical device idea that they want to sell. Once the five o’clock whistle goes you send all these super smart people home and their minds are still

racing with ideas.“This gives them an outlet, not only for Ford-based

projects, but also for their own personal projects.”Fittingly for ‘Motown’ the Detroit TechShop is

complete with garage turntable and drive-on hydraulic ramps.

It’s also not solely for professionals; it’s a place where all different parts of the community can gain new skills or be inspired to try new things: there’s sewing machines for textiles classes; suites of Autodesk Mudbox for Sub-D modelling, and the staff are frighteningly enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

As a result of its successful partnerships TechShop is on the verge of the next level of expansion, with new partnerships and expansion to Europe all being mooted as possibilities for the future.techshop.ws

‘‘ take the class, get checked

out, come in whenever

you want and use the

stuff

’’Jim newton, techShop founder

3

4 5

p50_51_D3D_APRIL13_tech shop.indd 51 20/3/13 20:46:14

27- 28 AprilNewcastle

A two-day, family-friendly festival of invention,creativityand resourcefulness. Expectrobots,3D printing, kinetic firesculptures, guerilla craft and lots more. MakerFaireUK.com

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SIMULATION WORKSHOP #1 MULTI-PHYSICS

APRIL 2013 LAURENCE MARKS

COMMENT

which defines the position of the water at the time the simulation starts.

The user might note that a single sector has been modelled to speed up the solution process – the software allows the results to be copied round the central axis. This is good for meetings if you don’t want to explain that if a problem is symmetrical, only a section needs to be modelled {fig. 2}.

COUPLed eULeRIAN LAgRANgIAN The solution technique chosen for this problem is Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian (CEL), which combines two well known simulation approaches. Eulerian where what we are interested in travels through a stationary mesh, like the fluid in a CFD (computational fluid dynamic) model, and the

In this first article we look at a multi-physics scenario that features moving parts and the non-linear response of a flexible component to fluid dynamics. In simple terms, it’s a seal that gives up when the pressure of the fluid

gets too much for it. The aim is to find out why it is giving up and how this can be solved.

geOMeTRyIn this model {fig. 1} the geometry has

purposefully been kept simple. The basic parts need no further discussion as they are just solid CAD parts. However, with regards to the fluid – any region that can have fluid in it at any point is also considered as a part. The solver needs to know where the fluid starts off – so another part is defined

» Engineers and designers often consider complex engineering simulations to be beyond their capbaility but here, in the first of a series of simulation workshops, Laurence Marks shows how a multi-physics problem can be solved using generally available CAD tools such as Abaqus

{ fig.1} SIMULATION RESULTS

This still from the animation, which has been generated from the section shown, shows how the fluid flows around the deformed seal. This visualisation is critical when it comes to designing components for improved performance

‘‘ It’s a seal that gives up when the pressure gets too much for it

’’

Solid geometry

Solid geometry with initial fluid position defined

Finally, with the fluid domain superimposed... not a neat graphic

{ fig.2} MODEL GEOMETRy

p53_54_D3D_APRIL13_simulation workshop.indd 53 20/3/13 20:46:42


hours to solve. It’s worth noting that multiprocessor machines really speed this sort of thing up.

WHAT THe MOdeL SHOWSAs the piston moves to compress the fluid, pressure builds up on the seal. The seal initially resists the pressure, but as the pressure increases further the free edge which contacts the central rod moves, releasing fluid. As we are using a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) approach we can track the fluid movement past the seal {fig. 4}.

This means that not only do we have a prediction of the pressure at which the seal will blow, but also how it will behave when it does – even down to the spray pattern that develops as the fluid and structural dynamics interact. If we are trying to develop the art and science of this sort of thing, then this is the critically important design tool.

So, this simulation shows how a multi-physics problem can be solved in a sensible timeframe. Perhaps that’s the secret – trying to encapsulate the essence of the design problem and solving it in a manner that provides useful design data. After all, isn’t that what engineering simulation is all about?

Lagrangian approach where the mesh travels with the deforming parts, like an FEA (finite element analysis) model.

In our model {fig. 1} the fluid moves through the Eulerian mesh and the solid material moves with the finite element mesh. The solver then tracks where the fluid can flow and where it can’t, depending on if there’s something solid in the way. There’s some clever stuff going on with regards to modelling the surface of the fluid; where it’s free to move as it wishes or where it impacts on a solid.

MOdeL SeT-UPAs well as meshing the solid parts, the fluid domain has to be meshed too {fig. 3}. Once this is done the relationships between the parts is defined. This “all with self” general contact handles all the complex interactions – in some respects it’s what you pay for when buying a code.

Setting the initial position of the fluid is done by selecting the solid which has been drawn for this purpose. Simple. So all that remains is to set up the definitions of how the solid parts move (or don’t). This is done using pretty traditional simulation displacement boundary conditions.

The model is now solved. Although the model is simple to set up, the solution isn’t instant; depending on the hardware available it takes several

SIMULATION WORKSHOP (cont) #1 MULTI-PHYSICS

APRIL 2013 LAURENCE MARKS

COMMENT

{ fig.3} MEShING { fig.4} RESULTS PRESENTATION

‘‘ So this simple yet complex simulation shows how a muti-physics problem can be solved in a sensible timeframe

’’

The solid geometry is meshed in the usual manner using brick elements

The fluid domain is also meshed; the meshing approach is the

similar to the structural sections

The seal deforms and the stresses

can be seen in the usual FEA

manner. The fluid by-passing

the seal is visualised

using an isosurface plot,

superimposed on the FEA

results

Laurence Marks is the managing director of Strategic Simulation and Analysis Ltd, a company supplying the Simulia range of simulation software, training, implementation as well as consultancy services to a wide range of industries.

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PROFILE

Since 1993, specialist German manufacturer No-Limit-Custom (NLC) has developed high-end custom motorcycles, including the Harley Davidson V-Rod, as well as building prototypes,

small-series production and manufacturing moulds and tools. With all this capability in-house in early 2012 it decided to diversify into modifying sports cars, specifically Porsche.

For its first project, NLC has taken the Porsche Panamera Turbo and created a modification kit for it. Dubbed GP-970, the car has been completely restyled from the front skirt and hood to side skirts and roof spoiler to the rear skirt with integrated diffuser. All parts are made from carbon fibre except for the burnished-gold forged alloys, which are custom made from high-strength aluminium.

From Sketch to FiniShed carThe philosophy of NLC is that where ever possible parts are designed, developed, and manufactured in-house. The production of milled parts like wheels, rockers, and forks are made using several CAD/CAM stations and a machine pool with CNC turning and milling machines. So, when it came to the Panamera project, everything needed to manufacture the parts was under one roof.

However, help was required on the CAD side. As NLC’s CAD/CAM tools are provided by Tebis, it called on the help of Tebicon GmbH, a Germany-based Tebis consulting and implementation subsidiary. In fact, some of the Tebicon employees who were helping on the project, based themselves at NLC for several weeks to work on the project.

model making Following the sketching stage, all the cutting, gluing and modelling is painstakingly done by hand. A real model is then created with front skirt, rear skirt, side skirt, and hood. Only the right half of the model is finished

as optimisation and the mirroring of relevant parts will be carried out later on the computer.

Using a GOM 3D scanner, the model is prepared for the virtual environment. In order for all details to be later converted, all individual parts are removed and digitised from every direction.

reverSe engineeringIt was here that the Tebicon specialists could really get to work. Using the Reverser, the Tebis module for rapid surface creation, the design surfaces are directly generated and optimised on the previously digitised right half of the model. When the surfaces and transitions are correct, the part is mirrored.The Tebis Optimiser is then used to generate high-quality surfaces. Edges and unevenness visible on the mesh data now vanish and instead the model features clear lines, smooth edges, precisely fitting connections and an even progression of the light lines.

Add-on parts and wheel rims are designed

according to the design concepts of NLC. Being a creative process, new ideas would frequently emerge ‘overnight’. So it was extremely helpful to have the project partner Tebicon directly on-site to quickly and precisely implement design modifications.

milling and completionThe parts are then prepared for subsequent milling, and the NC programs are generated automatically using the Tebis CAM software and the integrated job manager. The last part in the process involves milling the add-on parts in the in-house machine room.

With all these parts fitting seamlessly first time, the car is then painted and foiled. The end result is a combination of exposed carbon and grey base colour.

The GP-970 was presented at the Tebis Open House in Martinsried, Germany, towards the end of last year. Since then NLC has unveiled its next restyling project: the Porsche Boxster S 981.tebis.com | no-limit-custom.com

» A specialist in custom made motorcycles, No-Limit-Custom has now used its expertise and in-house manufacturing facilities to diversify into restyling sport-cars, with some help from Tebis CAD/CAM tools

gold rUSh●1 Project Panamera Turbo GP-970

●2 The Tebis Reverser module is used for rapid surface creation

●3 A real model of the car being created in-house

●4 Moulds for the add-on parts are manufactured on the milling machine

●5 The car being painted and foiled

●6 The finished sports car features a combination of exposed carbon fibre and grey base colour

●7 Showcased at the Tebis Open House last year

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gold rUSh

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PROFILE

A rendering showing the core and cavity of a mould

lines, air traps, filling aspects and hot spots, while determining the optimum gating position.

Time SaverAs technical director Andrew Bottomley says, the company generally starts using it from the quotation stage, looking at the fill characteristics and cycle times, resulting in accurate costings. “When the customers place an order we then carry out a full flow analysis to verify feeds and identify any problems with the component design, which are overcome before starting to detail the tooling.

“Whereas the actual development cycle of an average mould used to take around eight weeks from first sample to full production, with VISI Flow this has been reduced significantly. It means that when our customers get the first moulded product off the tool it’s as near to specification as possible.”

Worcestershire-based LGG Charlesworth provides total moulding solutions for customers across a variety of sectors including aerospace, medical and petro-chemical. Moulding mainly

engineering polymers has steered the company towards the technical products end of the market, which generally keeps volumes down. But it also manufactures millions of its own Talisman range of security/anti-tamper products and other high volume items.

Charlesworth uses VISI Flow from Vero Software, for injection simulation, to show its network of mould making sub contractors exactly how the mould should be manufactured for each project.

This ‘preventative analysis’ detects a wide range of potential manufacturing issues such as warpage, weld

» Moulding specialist LGG Charlesworth’s work has changed dramatically through the use of VISI Flow, which analyses exactly how a mould will perform ahead of tool manufacture, whether it be a tool made on site or at a sub contractor

FLOWGO WiTH THe

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All under controlAccording to Bottomley, it is vital to select the correct tooling company from the network of mould makers across the UK and China, depending on the type of mould needed for the individual job. “But whichever mould maker produces the tooling, they’re all delighted to be given the exact specifications to work to,” he says.

“VISI Flow means we have more control over the tool design, so we’re supporting our toolmakers to a much higher level and taking the burden away from them. They don’t want tools going back for correction, and with VISI Flow we don’t have to send them back.”

It helped LGG Charlesworth create a solution for a tool to mould an aerospace connector block with 32 multiple pitch sensor holes. “The mating parts need to line up with equipment manufactured in America or the Far East, so tolerance levels are extremely tight.

“In order to manufacture something with multiple holes, the moulding reacts very differently compared to general specification shrinkage. A normal shrinkage rate has perhaps 03 to 07 inches tolerance of shrinkage, but that varies depending on the wall section and any support structures within the moulding. We were able to apply five different shrinkage values in five different areas, and we actually designed the component to have distortion. The component was distorted in a way that when it filled we knew it would be absolutely correct to the drawing. We demonstrated this in VISI Flow to the toolmaker, Paul Moore, of HDM, and he had full confidence that if he made it to our specification, based on what VISI Flow told us, it would be absolutely right.”

A project of that complexity is normally expected to take around 30 weeks, so Moore was very pleased when it came in at 16 weeks.

LGG Charlesworth’s sales director Steve Kerridge also explains that he uses it as a marketing tool. “It improves our standing in the eyes of customers when we show them exactly how their product will be moulded and raise any moulding issues, especially if they provide us with a 3D

model and they can see the flow analysis at the quotation stage. They feel they’re much closer to the end product than if they’re just given a price against a drawing.”

The tools used on Charlesworth’s 32 Arburg, Krauss and Battenfeld moulding machines, from 25 tonnes up to 160 tonnes, are made from a range of metals such as aluminium and fully heated tool steels.

VISI Flow’s materials database of 7,500 polymers is particularly useful to Bottomley, as many of the engineering materials used are available in it. “Also, the software’s graphical representation is so easy to understand,” he says.

Finalising the venting details at the front end of manufacture is also proving invaluable, as Kerridge explains: “Historically, when a mould first goes on the machine you’d need to try at least once to work out where air entrapment occurs. But now, it’s all done on computer, before the mould is made. And it makes corrective actions much more efficient.”

VitAl tool The filling phase of the analysis provides the same level of control over the injection of molten polymer into the mould cavity as on any injection moulding machine. Moving on to the distortion calculation, the user can visualise and measure the final moulded shape predicted after processing the values for filling, holding and freezing. The thermal module considers all possible thermal effects due to the heat exchange between the molten polymer and the mould inserts with highly conductive materials. Visualisation of cooling-related warpage helps define the best layout to achieve the shortest possible cycle times.

Charlesworth’s managing director Graham Ward confirms that VISI Flow has contributed greatly to the company’s technical capabilities, resolving tooling much quicker than before. “It’s extremely intuitive, and its integration with CAD is absolutely seamless,” he says.lggcharlesworth.com

verosoftware.com

PROFILE

●1 ●2 VISI Flow is used by LGG Charlesworth for injection simulation. This ‘preventative analysis’ detects a wide range of potential moulding issues

●3 A moulded component coming off the production line

●4 VISI Flow is also used as a marketing tool as it shows a customer exactly how a product will be moulded

1

3

2

4

‘‘ our toolmakers don’t want tools going back for correction, and with ViSi Flow we don’t have to send them back

’’

p58_60_D3D_APRIL13_vero case study.indd 60 20/3/13 20:48:24

TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRODUCT LIFECYCLE

Siemen

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Key ChallengesExploring benefi ts of integrated CAE

Complex SimulationAt the Composites Innovation Centre

Integrated Engineering

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knowledge based on previous projects with brand new ideas.

With digital tools now providing the backbone, what is needed to

support this way of working?

onsider how organisations involved in the development of new products have evolved over the last

few years. With the ever present compression of time, customers are demanding ever more sophisticated solutions to their own complex problems. The rise of automated, logic-based and intelligent products, across greater number of product options, configurations and variants, presents a real challenge for almost everyone involved in product development.

Evolving tool sets

Alongside these organisational changes, also consider the tools used to carry out work on a daily basis.

We now have, at our fingertips, all manner of tools and technologies that allow us to conceptualise, design, engineer and simulate. They allow us to predict, refine and optimise a product’s performance before it gets anywhere near the production floor. Then when ready for production, to do so in the most efficient manner possible. Yet even these are not without their problems.

Disparate tools vs single platform

Challenges arise when you consider the disconnected nature of many of the software applications used to carry this type of work.

Different design systems, different simulation systems, each with their own formats, their own needs in terms of data and each with their own use cases and learning paths. Tool sets often grow naturally, with each acquired as a company’s needs and experience

expand. The end result is a set of tools that, while perfectly adequate, aren’t as efficient as they could be. Passing data between different systems introduces the potential for error, for missed opportunity and can introduce serious bottlenecks into the process.

Simulation as a case in point

Consider how simulation tools have historically been used; to investigate the reasons for failure once in service. More often than not this is because the simulation is conducted in a separate process and separate systems and is only used when absolutely necessary (ie; when something breaks).

With a more integrated approach, we have the potential to flip this and use all these tools up front in the process to avoid those failures in the first place. But that requires a different set of tools, one that is integrated and in which data flows more easily between it’s constituent parts and workflows.

A better way from Siemens?

What Siemens’ NX offers is a single platform in which this work can be conducted, managed and interacted with.

From the the conceptual level of both form generation and experimentation to taking a system’s level approach that combines geometry models, mechatronics data and simulation, tools are available to quickly take customer requirements and start to plan out a product. Not only in terms of geometry, but in terms of logic controls, sub systems and mechatronics.

That same dataset can then be pushed

into the more detailed design and engineering processes. As concepts are turned into more concrete parts and sub-systems, each can relate back to that originating concept and extract information where needed.

Think about the use of motion analysis. Requirements will often specify required features of the products; a movement dimension, a force exertion, a pressure requirement, etc. That fundamental driving data is already captured somewhere in an organisation, whether in a spreadsheet or a more formalised requirements capture system.

If the design team can access this information from an early stage, link to it and build it directly into all that follows (concept development, simulation, optimisation, production), then you have a more efficient process.

Then if you consider that requirements often change mid-project, the ability to simply modify a requirement and re-run through all those tasks that reference that requirement, is a massive benefit.

C


Sponsored by Siemens PLM Soft ware

www.siemens.com/nx 3

Key challenges for integrated product engineering

Capturing customer requirements is vital because they drive key engineering decisions and ultimately, customer satisfaction is determined by how well a product satisfi es them.

Challenges arise in the disparate ways used to capture them. While the spreadsheet might be king in the majority, some are also looking to bring requirements capture into

the PLM environment. Whichever method is used, NX delivers a means to link to those attributes to assist with not only traceability of decisions, but can be used to drive design.

Whether using requirements as goals for simulation studies, validation, or design form, NX makes requirements available to all in a visual manner.

The complexity of today’s products mean that a diff erent approach is required compared to historical solutions. The need to mix mechanical design, mechatronics and logic systems from the very earliest stages is something that many accept.

The problem is that each portion of a product’s system is developed in a standalone system, with very little

integrated until much later in the design process.

Siemen’s Mechatronics Concept Designer looks to bring a systems engineering approach that allows requirements to be used as the basis for early conceptual engineering tasks, proving out basic mechanisms and control systems at the earlier stages. That concept is then maintained and fl eshed out in detailed engineering.

Product styling is oft en seen as the sole preserve of the industrial designer or the automotive stylist.

What is changing is the need for many organiations to use aesthetic design to diff erentiate their products from the competition.

And that always means the use of surface modelling tools. The problem is that traditional tools are not only hard to use, but are also

disconnected from the other systems used to take those forms in engineering and production.

NX has always had the traditional surface modelling tools, but the last few releases have seen new tools (such as X-Form) introduced to the system that not only makes creation and editing easier, but better supports design change when needed.

Simulation is becoming more sophisticated. There’s a new drive to use multi-physics to evaluate structural, thermal, motion and fl uid performance of new products. With that complexity comes the challenge of connecting the various technologies together. If they’re disconnected, then the iteration needed to improve design is hindered.

Traceability is also an issue for many; When was a decision made? Why? And by whom? And never-more so than when dealing with simulation. NX CAE off ers an environment in which complex studies can be conducted on a common model, design changes eff ected quickly and simulations re run to prove out those modifi cations and trace their development.

NX is continuing to gain more sophisticated shape design tools with each release. X Form allows the creation and manipulation of complex surfaces without th expert knowledge previously associated with their use

Motion analysis coupled with structural analysis can be used to evaluate structural performance under operating conditions. Durability analysis can then be used to ensure that the parts perform as required over time

NX supports the requirement validation process (whether in Teamcenter, Excel or stored in the part � le) and enables reuse of data, maintains links and provides easy access for validation throughout the design process using the visually rich HD-3D technology

Mechatronics Concept Designer brings tools to build assembly constraints, motion, logic control and mechatronics into the design process from the earliest, most formative stage. This data can then be � eshed out, detailed and reused all through the process

NX for Product Engineering

Simulation in an integrated environment

Ease of form experimentation

Integrated conceptual engineering

Managing Requirements


Sponsored by Siemens PLM Soft ware

4 www.siemens.com/nx

NX for CAE

Complex simulation & the case for an integrated environmentSimulation in the product development process is increasing in

both adoption and sophistication. The use of multiple physics

enables a deeper understanding of how a product will perform,

but how can it be achieved effi ciently?

imulation is a complex business, particularly as we move into an age where multiple physics

models, optimisation and iteration are commonplace. While many organisations are looking to combine physical test with digital simulation and analysis, only the most forward thinking are also considering the environment in which simulations are conducted. Disconnected data & workfl ows

The problem revolves around the simple fact that many of these diff erent simulation classes or types exist and are carried out in disparate and disconnected systems. The act of taking data output from one study, repurposing it and redefi ning another study, is a time consuming activity.

But not only is it oft en a complex process, wasting precious time, but it also introduces the potential for error and slows iteration and refi nement in an already squeezed design process.

Consider the process involved in the development of a new motorcycle. Here we have what appears to be a relatively simple set of geometry, but the

performance environment in which it operates is anything but.

There’s not only the loading under mass, but also the ride characteristics, the aesthetic quality and the durability of components under extreme loading in motion. In a typical environment, motion analysis is performed on a diff erent model than the one developed by the design team. Structrual analysis uses another set of geometry and a diff erent set of loading and results.

It’s oft en diffi cult to move data between these systems which has a serious impact on those looking to iterate design and optimise a product’s performance. If you then try to add in any form of optimisation, which requires iterating through all these types of simulation, then there are bottlenecks at every stage, impeding the process.

Synergy of an integrated system

What Siemens PLM’s NX CAE off ers is a single platform that allows the, oft en disconnected, team to conduct all of the processes involved in not only design, analysis, simulation but into manufacturing, production and service life.

S

1 Motion simulation can feed results directly into structural simulation, then durability analysis to improve a product’s reliability

Composites Innovation Centre: Sustainable transportation with NX

The Composites Innovation CentreManitoba Inc. (CIC) is a leading not

for profi t organisation, focused on the development and commercialisation of composite materials and technologies.

CIC off ers a combination of technical advisory, design, analysis, prototyping and fabrication services for major clients, including Boeing, Magellan Aerospace and Cormer Aerospace.

In the face of skyrocketing energy costs and increasingly stringent legislation mandating the reduction of harmful emissions from automobiles, automakers are expanding their range

of options to fulfi ll these new market requirements.

Vehicle weight reduction represents a major prong in the solution mix for automakers contending with this challenge. Engineers at CIC wanted a more cohesive workfl ow and the productivity benefi ts it would bring.

Aft er evaluating numerous systems, they decided on NX for its tightly integrated design and simulation environment.

Read more about how CIC uses NX for product engineering at:tinyurl.com/siemensCIC

A single managed data platform approach means that everything is carried out on the same model. Motion analysis can be driven using original, source geometry assembly data and combined with structural analysis to perform durability and fatigue simulation. Optimisation techniques can be applied directly to geometry and fed back into the process. All associative, all managed and available to everyone. The end result is a streamlined process for product engineering that leverages the power of multiphysics simulation to deliver superior products faster.

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PowerInspect 2013

SOFTWARE REVIEW

» Driven by a wider acceptance and application of the devices involved in metrology, there’s a growing need for more flexible capabilities in inspection software. Al Deanvisits Delcam to find out how PowerInspect is evolving to accomodate this shift

» Product: PowerInspect 2013

» Supplier: Delcam

Price: On Application

www.delcam.com

Delcam is a name that many are familiar with, but it’s still best known for its high-end, mould and die focussed CAM

offering, PowerMill. While this still remains a core focus for the company, it has always had a much wider set of products that are worth exploring.

From PowerShape for design and shape definition, through a range of specialist applications (who else has footwear design specific systems), a range of CAM systems (such as PartMaker, FeatureCAM) and other systems that support the part production process. One of the systems in the latter category is PowerInspect. Since its first release, one of PowerInspect’s strengths has always been its ability to support the rapidly growing world of metrology devices available.

While the coordinate measurement machine (CMM) has been the industry gold standard for many years, we’re now seeing a growth of all manner of devices used to

inspect a product’s manufactured form compared to the CAD-based nominal.

Whether it’s arm-based hard probes, laser scanners, camera trackers — the world of metrology is opening up as companies realise the benefits of these more portable methods and accept their accuracy as sufficient for the inspection process.

What’s also changing is how these devices are being used. As we’ll discover, many organisations are looking at these costly devices and seeking new and inventive ways to supplement and enhance a much wider range of tasks and workflows.

But to begin, let’s look at one of the major foundational updates to this release — the ability to work with more than one inspection device at a time.

MultIPle DevIce InsPectIonIt may seem a little odd to want to have two inspection devices running in parallel when you first consider it. But after a little

consideration, the need, and the reasons why some companies are requesting it, becomes clear. If you step away from the idea of using a CMM device and into the realm of on-site inspection of large objects, then it becomes obvious. Today, it’s possible to combine longer range devices such as laser trackers, capable of inspecting very large objects, with smaller devices for localised measurement.

A perfect application for this is when you’re using an optical inspection method (either a camera tracking system or a laser tracker) where ‘line of sight’ is required for the measurement. You can perform overall measurements with the laser tracker, but use a portable arm with hard probe to reach enclosed areas — such as under the bonnet, or inside the wheel arches — that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to measure.

Another example is the inspection of a train carriage. The coach work might not have such tight tolerances, but if you’re

●1 PowerInspect 2013 will allow the use of multiple devices in the same metrology process. Here dual Renishaw probes are being driven concurrently by CNC, without clash or collision

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REVIEWS

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SOFTWARE REVIEW

looking at the rolling stock, then you’re going to need something that gives the accuracy you need. Someone could be doing the gross inspection with one device, while someone else does the detailed work with a more accurate machine. Other examples could be in the marine industry or aerospace — pretty much anything big! Again, you can supplement one device with another, without having to move, set-up and measure the fi rst device.

The set-up process is pretty simple. It works on a Master/Slave basis. The fi rst device is set-up as normal in PowerInspect, then the secondary device is registered to it so that both are aware of their position. This can be done in a couple of ways, but using metrology spheres at a known position is typical — it really depends on

what tools you have at hand and the job you’re trying to do. Once done, you go at it. Other systems may support the use of multiple devices, but PowerInspect is the fi rst system I’ve come across that allows you to work with both at once, rather than having to switch between the two. And it’s device independent as well, so you can mix and match different types of equipment from different manufacturers.

sInGle BeD, MultIPle coluMns Another application that Delcam showed in its rather impressive inspection lab (if you’re ever in the Small Heath area, it’s worth a look) is having two CMM columns and probes installed on the same CMM table — one either side (see fi gure 1 on the previous page for an idea of how this looks). This is used for

●2 PowerInspect now allows the programming of multiple probe columns to work concurrently on the same component

WORKFlOW: DOuBlINg YOuR INSPECTION FuN

●1 Program the inspection sequence in PowerInspect as normal. Create the features you want to measure — select graphically from CAD if you have it, or manually enter nominal values if you don’t

●2 If you are creating an automated inspection routine to run on a dual column CMM, you must assign each feature to a particular column. Use the simulation models to choose the appropriate column for each feature. Run the simulation and probe path verifi cation on each machine as normal (This step is not required for manual inspection)

●3 Connect both measuring machines to PowerInspect. If you are using portable measuring equipment, move the devices to suitable starting positions relative to the part and relative to each other. The measuring volumes must overlap so that both machines can measure the same features in a shared measuring volume

●4 Choose one of the measuring devices or columns to be the master. This will defi ne the master coordinate system used for the measurement. If the two machines have different sized measuring volumes (for example a laser tracker and a portable arm), the device with the larger volume will normally be the master

●5 Create a pattern of three or more tooling spheres in the shared measuring volume. Measure the positions of the tooling spheres, fi rst with the master machine, and then with the slave. PowerInspect maps the slave position to match the master. Both machines now output measurements in the same (master) coordinate system

●6 Measure the part as normal but using the capabilities of both devices. Use both machines simultaneously, or switch between devices as necessary, depending on your needs. If you are using portable equipment, solve line of sight issues by moving the slave device to a new position and repeating step 5. Create a single report in reduced time

automated inspection of larger components that are broadly symmetrical.Now, the idea of a numerically controlled

inspection routine is nothing particularly new — many vendors have been doing it for years and it’s established practice for many. PowerInspect has supported it for a good

long while — reusing a lot of the knowledge Delcam has from all things CNC, of course. What’s different with this is that with two probes, working simultaneously on the same part, you have a much greater potential for error. Firstly, the issue of driving an expensive

probe into a metal part is to be avoided at all costs (although sometimes the part is more easily damaged and expensive to repair than the probe!) Now with an extra probe ‘on the go’ you need to ensure that the probes don’t collide with each other — not just the work piece. And this can’t be achieved on a pure

simulation basis — the machines may run at different speeds either deliberately or as the result of part variation. So the system needs to be able to look ahead and see the effect of each moving part’s motion. Figure 2 shows the collision avoidance zone for each head as a rendered volume.Sychronisation points can also be added, so

that one probe can wait for another to fi nish its task at hand (perhaps to solve a clash issue) before they both continue.Applications can vary but Delcam has

developed this for the automotive industry (remember, inspection specialists, Renishaw has a 20% stake in Delcam too) and the

2



SOFTWARE REVIEW

vision is that this is used to speed the time required to carry out inspection of automotive body panels in a production environment or aerospace components.It might sound like a complex solution, but

having two probes working concurrently, with effi cient routines, could strip hours out of year’s worth of inspection tasks that are repeated.

AutoMotIve stYlInGNow that we’ve learnt how PowerInspect is used with two devices, perhaps it’s time to explore some of the more industry niche uses of this type of technology.

One area in which Delcam has seen particular activity in is the reuse of CMMs in non-traditional ways at automotive OEMs, specifi cally, in their styling studios. Delcam has put together a set of new tools under the name PowerInspect Design.

As most readers will be aware, while the rise of the digital mock up and high quality visualisation tools has continued, most automotive companies still swear by their clay models.

It’s in this, seemingly archane, and highly

specialised, world that CMMs are stepping out of their norm and supporting a couple of very specialist workfl ows.

The fi rst is when it comes to capturing points and curves from a complete model to assist with build A class surfaces.

You might think that in this world of laser scanners that can capture millions of points in minutes, the creation of surfaces from a physical model is a done deal. You’d be wrong.

Most car stylists are looking to capture input from the clay model in a very spare manner — and PowerInspect is evolving to support it. Without getting too bogged down in the details, it works like this.

Once the clay is in a fi t state for reverse engineering, the CMM is used to extract a sparse set of points across a predefi ned set of sections. The CMM’s work axis is locked and the points captured.

What Delcam has done is allow the user to defi ne specifi c points that are being captured. For example, auto-designers want to know where a surface breaks (perhaps for glass house) or where there’s a sharp change in tangency.

●3 Those looking to inspect larger components could also benefi t from the dual device support

●4 New tools allow a CMM to be used to capture section lines from automotive clay models

●5 Sections can be taken from clays and captured as the basis for construction of A class surfaces

●6 Marking out points from a digital model is now possible with PowerInspect 2013

PowerInspect allows you to fl ag these up as you work across (or up and down the model). The end result is a network of curves, driven by a sparse set of points, which are then used to build those stunning, high quality surfaces.

The second workfl ow is, on the face of it, even more peculiar. We’re all used to the concept of using a CMM to measure material that has already been cut - typically by CNC machine. But the automotive styling crowd have found a way to fl ip this on its head.

It follows on from the idea that you can use a CMM to capture design points for surface development. But what about in reverse?

Imagine you have your rough clay model, but want to place precise reference points into that clay so you know the limitations when you are creating, smoothing and refi ning that clay surface.

What these new tools allow is to drive the CMM to put marks into the clay, with a knife attachment, to the required depth (known as marking out). It gives precise control, exactly where the stylists want it, so they can then work their magic. If a

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“


The introduction of Delcam’s PowerINSPECT On-Machine Verification system has allowed Taiwan’s leading

press tool manufacturer, COC Tooling & Stamping, to halve the time needed to manufacture its tools.

Established in 1990, COC now employs around 450 people on its 50,000m2 site in Taoyuan County, Taiwan, where it specialises in tooling for large automotive body panels. These tools are supplied to major manufacturers, including Ford, Nissan, Toyota, GM and Mitsubishi.

Company President, Mr. Y.K. Tseng, explained that the introduction of PowerINSPECT OMV had produced enormous increases in productivity.

“With On-Machine Verification, we can measure the press tools on the machine and find out immediately if there are any problems,” he claimed.

“We can obtain a direct comparison with the CAD model, which is much more

reliable than using inspection methods based on drawings.”

Most of the machine tools at COC are between four and five metres in length, and many of the press tools being manufactured are of a similar size.

“Moving parts of that weight and size to the CMM for inspection used to be extremely difficult and slowed down the whole production process,” said Mr. Tseng.

The main problem with these large tools is that the longer cutters needed to machine to their full depth can be pushed out of alignment, especially near the bottom of the part. This gives an oversize surface on the punch, while the cavity will be undersize.

“Previously, because of the problems in setting up the tool back on the machine, we would use hand finishing to correct any errors,” remembered Mr. Tseng. “This wasn’t very accurate and was also very time-consuming. Now, we can re-machine the surface on the machine tool, which is

particular region has been finalised and the CAD model exists, you can attach a milling head and machine the component directly, driving the machine exactly as if it was a router. It simply allows you to create the component in the easiest and most efficient way- again maximising the effectiveness of the equipment that you have available.

oMv & other uPDAtesWe’ve just about got enough room to rip through some of the other updates to this PowerInspect release before we finish.

This release sees the work on reporting tools continue. This is never more important when you consider how many companies are looking to automation in their inspection processes. The updates to reporting this time around centre on making dimensions and presentation more clear. PowerInspect has always done a pretty good job of this, but a few tweaks (such as showing angular dimension in the traditional manner) make them easier to read for the non-technical.

Another area is On Machine Verification (OMV), which describes the act of combining machining processes with inspection for a couple of purposes.

The first is to allow mid-manufacture inspection. When you’re working on larger projects (think stamping die perhaps), then the use of an OMV set-up will allow you to check against the CAD to see how things are progressing. Obviously catching any areas for concern or error earlier on in the process.

The other application is to assist with part setting and location. Using OMV techniques, it’s possible to adapt the NC toolpaths to the position of the part, rather than the other way around.

While we don’t have time to get into the specifics of this, it’s a growing trend in both automotive and aerospace. PowerInspect now supports not only probe heads attached to the CNC machine itself, but also the use of portable measuring equipment as well.

conclusIonPowerInspect 2013 is a pretty impressive release for a couple of reasons. The first is that it brings on-line some techniques that truly do show how organisations take a technology stack (multiple measurement devices) and run with it.

The seemingly simple act of adding

SOFTWARE REVIEW

ON MACHINE VERIFICATION: CuTTINg MANuFACTuRINg TIME IN HAlF

dual device support brings a whole load of downstream benefits that are widely applicable in some cases and highly specialist in others.

But what it also shows is that there’s a will amongst the metrology community to make more use of these devices once they’re invested in, find new ways to work, new workflows and new processes. And Delcam is providing that community with a tool that allows them to do it, without restriction to which particular hardware they’ve invested.

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both faster and more reliable.”This higher quality can be seen in the much

reduced try-out times needed for new tools. “We can now be confident that the tool will work as soon as it comes off the machine,” claimed Mr. Tseng.yulongroup.com.tw

7


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Affordable, integrated software for rigorous function simulation.

Easy to learn and use, supportedby our industry-leading team ofSolidWorks Applications Engineers.

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reseller of the year 2004 – 2011www.solidsolutions.co.uk/support

Andy FulcherElite Applications Engineer

“Not only did Andy have a great understanding of the Simulation package, but it was refreshing to havesomeone who also had an in-depthknowledge of the core problem –structural mechanics.”

Adam Willmott, Managing Director,Ithon Engineering.

SPRING CAMPAIGN ADS_v11 Andy_Layout 1 20/08/2012 17:51 Page 1


HDR LightStudio 4.0

In computer graphics today, one of the best ways to add realism to images is through image-based lighting (IBL). But for this to work,

a high dynamic range (HDR) image must be used as the lighting source.

For those who haven’t used one before, a HDR image contains 32 bits of information, which is much deeper than the typical eight bits found in a standard photo. This allows the image to contain whiter whites and darker darks. The whiter whites are used as light information in a render and as such can be used as the environment lighting. But how do you generate such images?

One way is to buy or rent special equipment and cameras (such as a Spheron) while another is to learn some complicated techniques for producing them with a standard camera. For studio setups, a HDR image can be built in image editing programs such as Photoshop. All of these techniques are effective but cumbersome, complicated and, in many cases, expensive. Particularly if a HDR image is needed more than once in a project or, indeed, multiple

» Paul McCrorey introduces the latest version of HDR LightStudio and talks through some of his favourite features including the interactive HDR map tool in conjunction with LightPaint

images for the same project.The good news is that there’s now an

alternative – LightMap’s HDRLightStudio product. With this tool, you can interactively work with the lighting setup and generate high quality HDRs with ease. Recently, LightMap released version 4 and it is now more intuitive than ever to produce exceptional HDRs resulting in beautiful renders.

IN USEHDRLightStudio’s key features focus on allowing the user to build HDR images from scratch or by editing an existing asset. These include the interactive HDR map creation tool to change light type, size, location, orientation, falloff, wattage, etc. It includes a set of not only generic lights but also a library of ‘real world’ examples that can add more realism to photo shoot set-ups.

Using this interactive tool in conjunction with the ‘LiveLight’ tool provides instant feedback on how the light source is affecting the model. This allows you to quickly and effi ciently adjust the sources.

Finally, HDRLightStudio is integrated with almost all 3D

rendering packages allowing for HDR to be exported to the program of choice.

These features have been around for a while but there are some new features on version 4 that are worth mentioning. By far the most impressive new feature in my estimation is ‘LightPaint’. This tool takes interactive HDR creation to a whole new level. With this tool, you simply click on a light to put it into the scene, then click on the model in ‘LiveLight’.

Depending on which mode you are in (refl ection, illumination or rim), HDR LightStudio will calculate where the light should be in the scene. For example, if you want a refl ection along a specifi c curve, simply click on that exact point and the light source is placed properly in the scene. It is that simple and is actually quite fun.

IMPORTERS AND LIVE PLUG-INSThe second feature that stands out on this version is the addition of some new direct exporters and new live plug-ins. For all of

» Product: HDR Light Studio 4.0

» Supplier: LightMap Ltd

Price $199

hdrlightstudio.com

1

●1 ●2 The game controllers were built by Paul McCrorey using a new plug-in for Solidworks called PowerSurfacing by IntegrityWare (integrityware.com). He then went on to build a studio lighting setup in HDR StudioLight 4.0

tool in conjunction with LightPainttool in conjunction with LightPaint

images for the same project.The good news is that there’s now an

Finally, HDRLightStudio is integrated with almost all 3D

1

In computer graphics today, one images for the same project. Product: The good news is that there’s now an

n computer graphics today, one images for the same project.The good news is that there’s now an

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SOFTWARE REVIEW

�The intuitiveness and fl exibility of the software

cause the technical aspects of the tools to simply fade away, freeing you to focus on the shot

�

WORKFLOW: STUDIO LIGHTING SET UP IN MODO

●4 Now is where the fun begins. Add a light by clicking on the light icon at the top of the toolbar, choose from square, circle, hexagonal or picture light mode. In this case I selected a circular light mode

●5 In LiveLight, click on the position you would like the refl ection to be and voila…your light is placed in the perfect position. Want to tweak the position? Simply click in a different position on the model. Your lighting is adjusted to accommodate. It is that simple. You have controls to resize your light or change the wattage and falloff. Here I will lengthen the refl ection as well as soften it

●6 Continue adding lights to get to your desired result. This is where you let your inner artist run wild. The goal of this exercise is to bring to life the model by defi ning the forms with light

●7 After you are satisfi ed with your lighting, it is time to create the HDR by rendering out the interactive map into an HDR or EXR image. Click on “Render” in the top right portion of the HDR Light Studio window, select your fi le location, render size, host application (modo in my case) and renderer of choice. Finally, click the render

●8 Next step will be to apply the HDR to your scene. HDR LightStudio 4 has included several new connections to common modelling and rendering software. In some cases the workfl ow is very tightly integrated such as Keyshot. In other cases, the integration is performed via a plug-in for the host application

●9 If required, you can repeats steps 3 - 5 above to tweak any lighting. Then re-render the scene. When you go back into your host application, you can update the result and see your image react to the changes just made

●1 The Porsche model was built by Mark Biasotti of SolidWorks using both traditional surfacing techniques and the PowerSurfacing plug-in

●2 From within modo, have your camera selected in the item list and have your viewport set to that same camera. Then, with HDR LightStudio open in the background, use the integrated button to push your scene to LiveLight

●3 Your scene opens in LiveLight looking from the camera view you had open in modo

� 2


15-16 May 2013Oval Cricket

Ground, London

www.pdesigni.com

designed for the best results

This two day conference will assemble leaders in industrial design from across corporate functions and sector divides to explore the latest trends and developments.

Book your place online at conference.pdesigni.comFor more information contact [email protected] or call Ketty Rofallet on +44 (0)20 8253 9621

twitter.com/pdesigni

Key themes

l Product ecosystems: partnerships and collaboration

l Emerging industries: new fields for design including 3D printing and the ‘maker movement’

l Premiumisation: trading up to high-end products and services

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SOFTWARE REVIEW

WORKFLOW: IMAGE COLOUR MATCHING

●4 Here I want to build the environment around my subject and there is an excellent tool for this. By using the Colour picker for a particular light source, you can colour that light source based on the image

●5 Using the ‘Colour’ tab, pick the colour to match your light source. In this case, I see four major colours - blue and white in the sky, a greenish-yellow for the grass and a tan color for the road. I will put lights in each of those areas and assign the appropriate colour to each

●6 The next step is to go to the ‘Dominance’ tab to get an idea of magnitude of the lighting. I use this image to help me determine a relative difference in light output from each coloured light

●7 Finally as a check, I go to the ‘Converge’ tab. This tab gives an idea of the most popular colours by area

●8 I can verify that my colour selections are solid. I render this out in my render package format and place it in my fi le

●9 In my rendering package, in addition to the HDR for lighting, I place the original image in my scene as a refl ection map. From there I place one directional light in the scene for my sun and perform the fi nal render

●1 The Porsche model was built by Mark Biasotti of SolidWorks using both traditional surfacing techniques and the PowerSurfacing plug-in

●2 The beauty in this workfl ow is that I can take any 2D stock image and build an HDR from it. This allows me a lot of fl exibility and adaptability in my process and ultimately makes me a more valuable resource for my clients

●3 After opening up modo, orienting the camera to match my scene, I push the scene to HDR LightStudio 4.0. Once there, I place light

Paul McCrorey is a CG artist and engineer who runs a 3D visualisation company, McCrorey Digital, producing visuals and animations. He’s also the founder and president of the SolidWorks Louisville User Group. mccroreydigital.com

my renders and animations, my program of choice is modo and HDR LightStudio has become more tightly integrated with it in version 4. Now I simply click a button in modo and it pushes my scene to HDR LightStudio and LiveLight. By saving it in the modo render format, I can quickly work in an iterative fashion to produce the HDR I need for stunning renders.

COLOUR PICKERAnother key feature that has been around for a while is the colour picker. Among other things, this tool is very powerful at performing an HDR colour match of a non-HDR photo. The value of this is that you can build a perfectly matched HDR to a standard photo and use that HDR to render and composite a CG object into the scene. This results in a very realistic image and provides the fl exibility to use any standard photo

image to build a HDR from. In most cases, you are always scrambling for an HDR to match your scene. But with this tool, you are more in control and can adapt to whatever your client provides.

There are some other cool features worth looking into such as SunShade, LightCam and FilmBack but for this article and the workfl ows the focus is on LiveLight, LightPaint and the integration with modo.

CONCLUSIONWhen it comes to rendering and animation, it takes time to get things right. There are many aspects to creating that perfect render or animation and having the right HDR image is essential. Obtaining a quality HDR image that is fi t for your project can be a challenge. Building your own is one way to guarantee it will be right. For me, HDRLightStudio 4.0 is the best way because

it is so intuitive, fl exible and powerful.The intuitiveness and fl exibility of the

software cause the technical aspects of the tools to simply fade away, freeing you to focus on the shot. So instead of worrying where a light will be located in space, you simply click on a location you’d like the refl ection to be. This much more direct approach to lighting is one of the big wins for this product.

Another advantage is the integration with more and more popular renderers on the market such as modo, KeyShot or Maya.

HDR LightStudio 4.0 is an outstanding addition to the visualisation artist’s workfl ow. The software has always been a good one to have in your tool kit but with the addition of LightPaint and the integrated workfl ow with more renderers, it has moved into the must have category for me.



Scan 3XS GW-MT15: Quadro K600

Sub £1,000 workstations used to mean a major trade off in most areas — CPU, memory, hard drive, and graphics. But, as Scan’s latest entry-level machine

demonstrates, the sacrifi ces don’t have to be nearly as big as they used to be.

Scan’s 3XS GW-MT15 is focused squarely on entry-level 3D CAD, but this doesn’t mean you have to give up raw CPU performance. Overclocked to 4.4GHz the quad core Intel Core i5 3570K processor packs a huge punch for CAD, where clock speed is king.

This ‘Ivy Bridge’ chip is a cool £70 cheaper than the popular Core i7 3770K and there should be very little noticeable difference in day-to-day modelling operations.

The main distinction between the two is that the Intel Core i53570K doesn’t support Intel HyperThreading, which should give a welcome 15% boost in most ray trace renderers. So, unless rendering is an important part of your workfl ow, consider it money well saved.

Most entry-level workstations ship with 8GB of RAM, but Scan has managed to pack in an impressive 16GB into this machine, populating two of the four DIMM slots with 8GB DDR3-1600 modules. For those that work with small assemblies much of this will probably go unused, so it could be worth scaling down to 8GB if budget is tight.

Fresh from the manufacturing plant Scan has included Nvidia’s brand new Quadro K600

graphics card. The 1GB card is ideal for entry-level CAD, but starts to show its limitations when advanced real time shading effects like SolidWorks RealView are turned on.

When working with large assemblies, should you want to bring your model to life, we’d recommend effects are toggled off to keep model rotation smooth.

In terms of storage, Scan has opted for a dual drive setup: a 120GB PNY XLR8 Solid State Drive (SSD) for operating system and applications and sizeable 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA drive for data. Considering

» An overclocked Intel Core i5 3570K CPU and Nvidia’s brand new Kepler Quadro K600 GPU combine to deliver an enviably low cost CAD workstation. Greg Corke reports

HARDWARE REVIEW

the price of the machine this is pretty impressive, though I’d personally allocate a bit more budget to the SSD. For an additional £26 you can upgrade to a professional PNY 120GB Prevail Elite which is not only rated by PNY as being 10x higher in terms of its long term endurance, but our tests confi rm that it is signifi cantly faster than the consumer-focused PNY XLR8. £26 well spent I’d say.

For what is positioned as a budget workstation it’s good to see Scan has still managed to present the components in a quality chassis. The CoolerMaster Silencio RC-550 is solid in construction, provides easy access to the hard drives inside and also includes some handy top mounted USB ports.

With a substantial CPU heat sink and insulated with acoustic foam, the machine is also incredibly quiet in operation. However, in fairness, with the CPU rated at 77W and the GPU at 41W there’s not a huge amount of heat being generated inside so the fans shouldn’t be taxed too much anyway.

Overall, the Scan 3XS GW-MT15 is an impressive entry-level machine, which, thanks to its overclocked CPU, can mix it with the best when it comes to raw CAD performance.

The only real limitation as far as CAD is concerned is with graphics where large assemblies, particularly those presented with

advanced real time shading, could become a little sluggish on screen.

Other than that, even with a few tweaks here and there, perhaps to upgrade the SSD, it’s possible to keep it under that all-important £1,000 threshold. Impressive stuff from Scan.

NVIDIA’S NEW KEPLER-BASED QUADROGPUS

Nvidia has three new CAD-focused Quadro GPUs based on its Kepler architecture.

The Quadro K600 (1GB DDR3) (£149); Quadro K2000 (2GB GDDR5) (£389); and Quadro K4000 (3GB GDDR5) (£829) are for entry-level, mid-range and high-end users respectively.

The cards join the Quadro K5000 (4GB GDDR5) (£1,559) which is really reserved for ultra high-end CAD, powerwalls or design viz.nvidia.co.uk/quadro

» Quad Core Intel Core i5 3570K Ivy Bridge CPU (3.4GHz overclocked to 4.4GHz)

» 16GB (2 x 8GB) Corsair PC3-12800 (1600) memory

» Nvidia Quadro K600 (1GB DDR3) graphics

» 120GB PNY XLR8 Series SSD + 2TB 7,200RPM Seagate Barracuda 6Gb/s SATA hard drive

» Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H motherboard

» Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

» 3 year warranty - 1st year onsite, 2nd and 3rd year return to base (parts & labour)

£940

3xs.scan.co.uk

» CPU benchmarks (secs - smaller is better)

CAM (Delcam PowerMill) 1) 140 2) 245 3) 357 CAE (SolidWorks Simulation) - 79

Rendering (3ds Max Design) - 253

» Graphics benchmarks (frames per sec - bigger is better)

CAD (SolidWorks) - 36

CAD (Creo 2.0 - SPECapc graphics test) - 2.85

on entry-level 3D CAD, but this doesn’t mean you have to give up raw CPU performance. Overclocked to 4.4GHz the quad core Intel Core i5 3570K processor packs a huge punch for

DIMM slots with 8GB DDR3-1600 modules. For those that work with small assemblies

focused PNY XLR8. £26 well spent I’d say.For what is positioned as a budget

workstation it’s good to see Scan has still managed to present the components in a quality chassis. The CoolerMaster Silencio RC-550 is solid in construction, provides easy access to the hard drives inside and also includes some handy top mounted USB ports.

With a substantial CPU heat sink and insulated with acoustic foam, the machine is also incredibly quiet in operation. However, in fairness, with the CPU rated at 77W and the GPU at 41W there’s not a huge amount of heat being generated inside so the fans shouldn’t be taxed too much anyway.

Overall, the Scan 3XS GW-MT15 is an impressive entry-level machine, which, thanks to its overclocked CPU, can mix it with the best when it comes to raw CAD performance.

The only real limitation as far as CAD is concerned is with graphics where large assemblies, particularly those presented with

advanced real time shading, could become a little sluggish on screen.

p70_71_D3D_APRIL13_Workstations.indd 70 20/3/13 21:19:59


AMD FirePro R5000

In recent years there have been a number of remote graphics technologies designed for 3D CAD — use a thin client to control your CAD application while your powerful

3D workstation sits in a data centre somewhere else.

AMD’s latest offering, the FirePro R5000, is basically a professional 3D graphics card that has Teradici PC-over-IP (PCoIP) technology built-in. It sits inside a workstation, rack or blade server, and streams highly compressed graphics data over a standard IP network to a thin client that sits on the designer’s desk.

With AMD’s remote graphics solution no actual CAD data ever leaves the workstation: all of the 3D graphics processing is done on the card, turning snapshots of the CAD model into pixel data. This data is then compressed by the Teradici chip and sent out over Ethernet to be decompressed by the client and displayed on up to four HD monitors.

All of this is done frame-by-frame, much like streaming a movie — except in the case of the FirePro R5000 the ‘movie’ is being made in real time as the user manipulates the 3D CAD model on screen.

The big difference from mainstream remote desktop solutions is that the AMD FirePro R5000 is specifi cally designed for 3D CAD. For the CAD user, the 3D experience should be much the same as working on a local workstation. Move the mouse and the model should instantly react on screen. This, of course, depends on there being suitable bandwidth on the network.

AMD says the technology works with existing networks, though acknowledges there may be benefi ts to having a dedicated network in place. Depending on the network conditions AMD’s Mohamed Jivraj explains that the on-board Teradici TERA2240 processor will automatically compensate by temporarily reducing the

quality of the streamed frames. The most important thing is that system remains responsive to mouse and keyboard input at all times; the CAD model might not be displayed at optimum quality straight away, but the image will sharpen up in subsequent frames — a bit like a progressive JPG on a website.

Client side, the AMD FirePro R5000 works with any PCoIP-certifi ed thin client solution, such as those offered by Dell Wyse. AMD says the technology will work with software-based PCoIP clients, such as VMware View [which runs on a PC, tablet or SmartPhone]. However, the best user experience for 3D CAD will usually be with Teradici hardware-based clients as they don’t rely on the CPU for decompression.

The AMD FirePro R5000 is primarily designed for use in a rack or blade server, but with a rating of 150W it can be used in pretty much any desktop workstation.

In addition to an Ethernet port it includes two mini DisplayPorts to drive monitors directly. According to AMD, this will make it easier to remotely diagnose and troubleshoot any issues client side. However, for smaller fi rms, we imagine it could also give a standard workstation a dual role: a workhorse CAD machine that could also be accessed remotely from the boardroom for interactive presentations.

There are many compelling arguments for remote workstations in general. With a centralised workstation resource ongoing maintenance and support costs can be signifi cantly reduced (upgrades and updates are much easier to manage — no more diving under dusty desks to replace a workstation hard drive).

Data can be kept completely secure with confi dential designs protected (CAD data never leaves the workstation — it’s only pixel data that’s

» Control your workstation remotely with a new graphics card from AMD that melds a professional GPU with dedicated PC-over-IP (PCoIP) technology. Greg Corke reports

HARDWARE PREVIEW

ever sent to the thin client).Offi ce noise can be signifi cantly reduced

(imagine a 1,000W workstation with fans on full pelt versus a passively cooled thin client).

It’s also possible to access expensive high-performance workstation technology in hostile environments (workstation fans expel heat but also draw in dust from the shop fl oor which can damage the machine).

Of course, remote graphics for CAD is nothing particularly new. Rack workstations have been available from Tier One workstation vendors for some time.

However, many of these deploy two discrete PCI Express boards – one for graphics and one for PCoIP. In contrast, the AMD FirePro R5000 is an elegant one-card solution, with a single driver installation and quick setup.

In terms of 3D performance, the FirePro R5000 is a big step up from the ATI FirePro RG220, the entry-level remote graphics offering that AMD released in 2010. With the equivalent performance of a desktop FirePro W5000 GPU the new card should hit the sweet spot for most mainstream CAD applications, including SolidWorks and Inventor — even PTC Creo and Siemens NX. We look forward to test-driving one soon.

Finally, it’s important to note that the AMD FirePro R5000 is all about a one-to-one connection between workstation/server and client; the card can’t be virtualised to enable multiple users to share GPU resources. For this you’ll need the AMD FirePro S9000 or S7000 server graphics solutions or Nvidia GRID (formally VGX).

We hope to test drive AMD’s remote graphics offering later this year.

(Above) AMD’s rule of thumb for the required network bandwidth of different usage scenarios

(Below) With its built-in Ethernet port and on-board PCoIP compression, the AMD FirePro R5000 can deliver remote 3D graphics over a standard networks

Display resolutions vs planning bandwidth

1,024 x 768 1,280 x 1,024 1,680 x 1,050 1,600 x 1,200 1,920 x 1,200

Task worker 3 Mbps 5 Mbps 7 Mbps 6Mbps 9Mbps

Knowledge worker/ basic CAD 10 Mbps 15 Mbps 20 Mbps 22 Mbps 25 Mbps

Performance user / 3D modelling 30 Mbps 45 Mbps 60 Mbps 65 Mbps 80 Mbps

Video editing - 60 Mbps 80 Mbps 85 Mbps 100 Mbps

Extreme bandwidth allocation - 120 Mbps 160 Mbps 170 Mbps 200 Mbps

» Product: AMD FirePro R5000

» Supplier: AMD

Price: TBC

amdfi repro.com

p70_71_D3D_APRIL13_Workstations.indd 71 20/3/13 21:20:01


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JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM APRIL 2013 73

Welcome to DEVELOP3D’s jobs section. Every issue we will bring you the latest product development jobs to help you kick start your career.

In partnership with CADjobhunter.com we also have a dynamic jobs website where you can find your dream job by searching by location, keyword or CAD/CAM/CAE software. Alternatively upload your CV to help your future employer find you. Register your details at

jobs.develop3d.comTo advertise on the website or inside the magazine contact Matt [email protected]+44 (0) 1252 414007

To adverTise ConTaCT MaTT Wells | [email protected] | +44 (0) 1252 414007

DEVELOP3DJOBS

More deTails aT hTTp://goo.gl/bfiWh

Join Omlet’s successful in house product development team based near Banbury, Oxfordshire. We are a young, ambitious, design focused company producing and retailing unique and innovative pet products.You will work as part of a team responsible for the development and support of an exciting range of products.

To obtain an application form email [email protected] To � nd out more about us visit www.omlet.co.uk

Product Design Engineer

Requirements:• Pro� ciency in Solidworks 3D modelling, assemblies and drafting.• Experience in producing comprehensive technical drawings.• 2 or more years of industrial experience.• At least a 2:1 bachelor’s degree in Product Design, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, or Industrial Design.• A dynamic, hands-on, problem solving approach and be comfortable building prototype models.• A good knowledge of a range of manufacturing processes and materials, in particular plastic mouldings and metal fabrications.• A working knowledge of tolerancing, quality control, DFM and DFA.• You will be expected to work closely with manufacturers and suppliers on a regular basis.

(No recruitment agencies.)

p73_74_75_76_77_D3D_APRIL13_jobs.indd 73 20/3/13 21:39:18

74 APRIL 2013 JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM

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76 APRIL 2013 JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM

JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM


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SolidWorks is the leader in 3D CAD, empowering product design teams with intuitive, high performance software that is easy to use, helping our customers to create competitive advantage.

Innova Systems is a key Value Added Reseller for SolidWorks and we are looking to expand our Sales and Technical team to sell and support SolidWorks solutions.

Sales Executive - CAD Software Solutions Up to £30k base - OTE up to £60k + car/car allowance

Ideally you will have direct sales experience with a proven track record; however, candidates with a technical background looking for a sales career will also be considered. Generally, we find that people with experience of working in the design, engineering or manufacturing industries can get up to speed quickly.

As part of selling our SolidWorks solutions, you will need the ability to get access to decision makers, identify critical business issues, handle objections, negotiate and close. This is a high activity sales role and as such you should be energetic, driven and have the ability to work on your own initiative. Full sales and product training will be given.

We have immediate vacancies within the following areas: Eastern England, North London / North M25, the South East and East Midlands.

SolidWorks Technical Applications Engineer

Up to £30k based on experience

We are also looking to increase our award-winning Technical Support Team with additional Applications Engineers based from our offices near Cambridge.

You will need proven design experience gained in a design/production environment and a detailed knowledge of using a 3D design system, ideally SolidWorks. In this position, you will be working with a broad range of customers who use SolidWorks to design their products, responding to their technical needs with high quality pre and post-sales support and training.

We are willing to consider experienced engineers as well as ambitious graduates looking to make their first start into the world of helping our customers with SolidWorks.

If you are interested in joining our successful and hardworking team, please send your CV to [email protected]

For more information, please visit our website - www.innova-systems.co.uk

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

SolidWorks SoftwareSales and Application Engineer Opportunties



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Martyn Day has been rather busy recently as director of DEVELOP3D Live 2013, the conference and exhibition taking place on 16 April at Warwick Arts Centre. Here’s why you and your colleagues should take a day out to come along

THE LAST WORD

We are almost there, DEVELOP3D Live 2013 approaches and the editorial team are putting the fi nal touches to the event (see

the preview on page 26). The range of speakers this year really couldn’t get any better and we have the leading lights of the CAD development fraternity on the mainstage to tell us what’s coming next. I’d go so far as to say that this year we have the most infl uential grouping of design tool developers that there has been for over a decade and it’s happening here, in the UK.

What makes this year’s event of special signifi cance is that the computing paradigm that we have all grown up with is currently in a state of fl ux, with developers attempting to broaden from desktop workstations to incorporate the cloud, connecting teams and using huge server farms to analyse, render and assist the development of new design workfl ows. How real this actually all is, is certainly a contentious issue as every CAD developer appears to have a different take on how these changes will manifest themselves and here, the danger of becoming an extinct developer looms large.

In the move from Unix to Windows many dominant software developers missed the boat and withered in a Windows world. If the developer of your design tool gets its cloud strategy wrong and has implemented the wrong technology, the effects could be seismic.

I predict that at DEVELOP3D Live 2013 there will be a lot of talk about the cloud, new ways of working, collaboration and new code streams. Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, is one of the biggest advocates of the cloud and with so many customers and so many products, has probably the most ambitious and diffi cult tasks ahead.

Dassault Systèmes’ SolidWorks’ Gian Paolo Bassi has a history of innovation when it comes to collaborative working and has more than once demonstrated revolutionary

software. Bassi has been entrusted with developing the next generation of modelling tools for SolidWorks, which involves the development of a new product that uses Catia’s new generation modelling kernel, V6. While SolidWorks has taken its time to develop its new generation products, under Bassi, I can assure you that the forthcoming tool set will be extremely ambitious.

Added to this we have the original creator of SolidWorks, Jon Hirschtick on stage. He has assembled the original SolidWorks team together and they are busy cooking up a new 3D design product. We know very little about this but the established players know they can’t ignore the potential threat that this team of experienced CAD developers poses. Hirschtick is the potential benefi ciary of any move to cloud, having a new product specifi cally designed for that environment, while the others have lots of legacy systems and customers to cater for.

Siemens goes from strength to strength with NX and I’m told we are going to see some impressive new capabilities on stage for possibly the fi rst time. The introduction of its direct modelling ynchronous Technology shook up the market and the company has certainly been championing the benefi ts of a direct approach.

Chris Randles, CEO of SpaceClaim will also have much to say on the benefi ts of direct modelling and will argue that it should not be tagged onto old code and that hybrid environments don’t work.

3D printing and laser scanning have helped push the concept of engineering into the mainstream media for the last year or so. I’m delighted to have Ping Fu, chief strategy offi cer and VP of 3D Systems Geomagic open up the conference. Fu has become the ‘poster child’ for expanding the imagination of just what is possible with capturing and editing real world objects. Now that Geomagic is part of the 3D Systems ecosystem, a new way of designing and working seems possible.

The main stage also has exceptional customers, Nissan and Santa Cruz bikes, both manufacturing transport systems, but with very different requirements.

SESSIONSLast year the running order could be described as eclectic, to say the least. This year with four auditoriums we wanted to limit the need for running about the building every 20 minutes, so we have banded related presentations together but, of course, you can go to any session you wish.

HANDS ON In addition to the talks we have 50 exhibitors, many of which are new fi rms with exciting products. Lunch and coffee will be served around the various exhibition points.

We also have trips to the Warwick Manufacturing Group on campus facilities where laser scanning, surface editing and the virtual reality (VR) wall can be experienced with a specially prepared data set.

Throughout the day, Siemens will be offering NX and Edge test drives, as well as Ansys offering hands on analysis sessions.

CONCLUSIONDEVELOP3D Live 2013 is a jam-packed day of simultaneous presentations and happenings. Many fi rms are bringing multiple members to ensure they get the most from the day. Some are taking advantage of the cheap accommodation and coming the night before to take part in our meet and greet reception.

I hope you’ll come along. I assure you that you’ll hear lots of inspiring talks. I also suspect there will be plenty of jockeying between the main vendors and you will see new forthcoming technology. And for those lucky enough to see Al Dean’s presentation, please note it’ll be his fi rst public talk and it’ll be on what he’s been building in his shed.

There are also prizes up for grabs and you could win a DELL Workstation or an AMD FirePro graphics card. Additionally, all attendees get a special discount of up to 32% off DELL Workstations.

Register on develop3dlive.com and we’ll see you on the 16 April.

Martyn Day is consulting editor of DEVELOP3D. Martyn has achieved Jedi-level in events management and will soon be available to organise weddings, private parties and Bar Mitzvahs. [email protected]

has been rather busy recently has been rather busy recently as director of DEVELOP3D Live 2013, the as director of DEVELOP3D Live 2013, the conference and exhibition taking place conference and exhibition taking place

�I suspect there will be plenty of jockeying between the main vendors and you will see new forthcoming technology �

p78_D3D_APRIL13_Martyn.indd 78 20/3/13 20:56:19

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