IronCAD Courts Configurable Product Market with COMPOSE

Today marks the debut of IronCAD COMPOSE, a new product from the veteran direct-modeler developer IronCAD. A brand new product in the IronCAD repertoire, IronCAD COMPOSE targets manufacturers who need to create configurable assemblies using standard parts and components. According to IronCAD's press announcement, potential customers will come from industries such as "factory automation, office furniture, kitchen layout, shop layout, exhibition stand design, shelving and racking solutions, and even boat building and yacht fit out."

Preloaded with a collection of standard components used in the targeted industries, IronCAD COMPOSE lets you drag and drop standard parts (for example, conveyer belt segments or kitchen appliances) and fit them into a configurable assembly, a convenient way to produce models for client presentation and sales quotes.

Libraries in IronCAD COMPOSE include

• press feeder machine components;
• conveyor assembly;
• Skyline Exhibit tradeshow components;
• piping sample;
• office layout components; and
• shop fixture components.

IronCAD COMPOSE comes with a viewer, driven by IronCAD's direct editing tools. The viewer lets you open IronCAD files, take measurements, and inspect their structures. You also have the option to purchase a file translator to make the viewer operate with more mainstream CAD formats. The rendering option in the software lets you create photo-realistic images of your design.

A viewer with rendering tools, a collection of library components, and a direct modeling environment to build configurable assemblies add up to a lot of software, but the best feature of IronCAD COMPOSE is its price -- It's free. (For more on IronCAD's direct modeling technology, read "Direct Modelers as FEA Pre-Processors, Part II," May 2012.)

Conventional wisdom discourages you from looking at the gift horse in the mouth, but let's do, anyhow. IronCAD COMPOSE appears to be two products rolled into one. The viewer satisfies the need for collaboration and design communication; the product can be used by those with CAD familiarity as well as those without. The configuration environment is meant for more tech-savvy users, with a better understanding of assemblies and mating conditions. You could conceivably use IronCAD COMPOSE to build a configurable assembly of your product, then use the viewer to communicate your proposals to your client. But strictly as a viewer, the software can potentially be used by a broader range of users.

For more, watch the video demonstration video below: