By DE Editors

ALGOR V20 Debuts

Version 20 offers more support for integrated CAD/FEA optimizations.

Readers's Choice

ALGOR, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) released version 20 of its CAE, design, analysis, and simulation system.

Among the additions and improvements in ALGOR V20 are an integrated CAD/FEA modeling environment, support for design studies and optimization, and a sparse solver for fluid flow, heat transfer, and linear dynamic analyses. Miscellaneous features include a wizard for applying bolt loads, texture display, and multipoint constraints. Expanded capabilities for Mechanical Event Simulation (MES) include new hyperelastic and viscoelastic material models and a reinforced concrete element.

ALGOR, Inc.

All ALGOR software features are available in FEMPRO, the company’s single user interface for finite element modeling, results evaluation, and presentation. FEMPRO provides direct CAD/CAE data exchange and full associativity with most CAD solid modelers, simplifying choices when selecting tools for analysis.

ALGOR V20 is said to provide full compatibility with industry-standard NASTRAN input and output files so that one can use NASTRAN and/or Femap. Thus, NASTRAN and Femap users can leverage such ALGOR capabilities as structured and unstructured hex-dominant solid meshing and complementary analysis tools such as CFD and MES.  Click here for more details.

ALGOR V20 from ALGOR, Inc. received the most votes in our December 2006 issue.  Vote for your favorite from this issue by clicking here.

Core Duo Portable Can Take the Floor or Field

ACME Portable Machines, Inc. (Azusa, CA) has announced the SPS-152, a wall-powered as opposed to battery-powered portable computer. ACME, calling this mobile workstation its “thinnest and lightest,” says the SPS-152 comes with an Intel T2500 2GHz Core Duo processor and 2GB of memory (expandable to 4GB). It has internal space for one mini and two full-size PCI application-specific boards. The SPS-152 features a flame-resistant ABS case and aluminum alloy chassis, making it suitable for field applications and factory floor environments.

ACME Portable Machines

Standard features include a 120GB hard drive, sufficient space for an additional pair of hot-swappable RAID drives, a DVD-RW drive, and a floppy drive. The SPS-152 has four USB 2.0 ports, two RS232 links, and Ethernet connections for up to 1000 BaseTx. It also comes with a full-size keyboard and a 15-inch tempered anti-glare screen.

The SPS-152 measures 16.5 x 11.25 x 6.5 inches (415 x 289 x 162mm). It weighs 17.6 lb (8kg).

Pricing for a unit with 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM and a single 120GB disk begins at $2,975, which, asserts ACME Portable Machines, is $1,000 less than comparable system with batteries. For further details on the SPS-152 portable computer, go to ACME.

Software Simulates Light

OPTIS (Toulon, France) has launched OPTISWORKS 2007, the latest version of its light and optical simulation software. OPTIS, a SolidWorks Gold Partner, says that the new release offers interface improvements designed to facilitate innovation, make the software more flexible to use, and save time. Other improvements are said to increase realism.

OPTISWORKS 2007 offers improvements to its light level analyzers, including conoscopic intensity, as well as its iso-level and iso-surfaces tools. A new, integrated color management system, and the software's compatibility with the new International Color Consortium standard lets you optimize and homogenize the display of colors over all output devices, both in print and on-screen. The latter is said to enable decisions based on printed and on-screen colors for the first time. OPTISWORKS 2007 is also aid to make defining light sensors within a lighting system easier via items such as dialog boxes. For more details, click here.

ToolWorks BOM Manager 7 Integrates with SolidWorks

SDH Development (Roskilde, Denmark) has released ToolWorks BOM Manager version 7, its Custom Property and BOM (bill of materials) manager for SolidWorks.

ToolWorks

A key improvement in Version 7, according to the company, is that the BOM interface is fully integrated to SolidWorks 3D CAD software. For example, from a tab view, you can switch between the 3D model and its associative assembly-level BOM. Additionally, the BOM tab lets you manage, modify, and update design data within a SolidWorks assembly document. Search and replace functions are said to be powerful and easy to use.

ToolWorks BOM Manager Version 7 offers connectivity between SolidWorks Custom Property values and external databases. This means that you can connect and associate information from your ERP or MRP system with your SolidWorks model using predefined ODBC connections.

Price:  $595 (available immediately). A 30-day trial version is available at the SDH website.

Dimension Elite Delivers Strong Models

The Dimension 3D Printing Group, a business unit of Stratasys, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN), announced immediate availability of the Dimension Elite 3D Printer. The Elite becomes the fifth 3D printer in the Dimension line of desktop modeling systems, joining the Dimension 1200 Series (priced from $21,900) and 768 Series (priced from $18,900).

Dimension Elite

Maple 11 Unveiled, Called a Major Release

Maplesoft (Waterloo, ONT) has announced Maple 11, the company's flagship product for complex mathematical problems and technical documentation creation. Maple 11, described as “a major release,” offers enhancements to its smart document interface, computation engine, and connectivity capabilities — the sum of which provides you the necessary technologies to reduce error and increase analytical productivity, says Maplesoft. Additionally, Maple 11 offers a new, sneak preview of a handwriting recognition feature that lets you try out a developing technology for machine understanding of handwritten mathematics.

Maple 11

Maple 11 combines the company’s highly regarded mathematical computation engine with a user-interface that minimizes the learning curve. Buttressing this assertion, the company cites the software’s smart document environment, which provides self-documenting context menus that automatically create a reusable record of your calculations as you execute them. This record provides a description of the steps that includes information about variables used in operations, not just the operation itself, and the text is modifiable and can contain 2D math.

Maple 11

Maple 11’s enhanced plotting capabilities include the ability to use natural math notation in titles, legends, labels, and tick marks; support for international characters; and plot annotation capabilities such as sketching, adding text and math, and drawing lines, shapes, and arrows using new drawing canvas tools.

New point-and-click task assistants include Backsolver, Special Functions, and Scientific Constants. Maple 11 offers improvements to its differential equation and differential algebraic equation solvers, including new methods and enhanced support for large systems. Price: $1,895 (includes the Maple Toolbox for MATLAB, MapleNet, and one-year subscription to the Maplesoft Elite Maintenance Program). For more information, click here.

DELMIA Improves Productivity/Accuracy

The latest release of the DELMIA PLM system from Dassault Systemes (Auburn Hills, MI) includes numerous enhancements to DELMIA V5 Robotics, including a new capability that defines and simulates complex flexible manufacturing devices such as multi-wrist robotic arms.

Additionally, new native language teach pendant capabilities in DELMIA Version 5 Release 17 allow offline programmers to program robots with V5 3D processing planning tools using both a teach pendant and programming language familiar to the robot technician.

Users of V5R17 robotic simulations can customize solutions via the use of Visual Basic. New interfaces include tag and tag group creation and manipulation, controller data profiles, kinematic relations, and tool mount model. Realistic Robotic Simulation and Realistic Robotic Simulation II modules are available.

Information about DELMIA is available by clicking here.

CMstat Releases Epoch DM Software Suite

TPT Technologies, Inc. dba CMstat (Carlsbad, CA) has unveiled the first release of Epoch DM, a process-oriented data management solution for government and industry.

Epoch DM tracks and manages all types of correspondence, not just CDRL and SDRL, from anywhere in the supply chain.

Epoch offers an optional business process management (BPM) module to facilitate control of all data management processes including creation, scheduling, distribution, receiving, and submittal. There is also an online meeting capability that allows users to gather in a secure virtual meeting room to view, discuss, and annotate document objects. For more information, click here.

Kubotek Combines Advanced Face Selection with Dimension Editing

Kubotek USA (Marlborough, MA) has recently unveiled new direct modeling capabilities for designing, editing, and reusing 3D solid models. These new functions allow users to change solid model geometry by selecting and editing dimensions in real time without predefined constraints.

Users are no longer required to define relationships and specify constraints in advance. Kubotek’s Face Logic technology assesses a face that is highlighted when the cursor passes over it while simultaneously analyzing the geometry and topology of adjacent faces. Direct dimension-driven editing lets a user select any dimension on a 3D solid model, insert a different value, and watch the geometry automatically update.  It does not require any fixed relationships be built into the dimensions or any special data or entity types.

The first implementation will be available in KeyCreator and REALyze products.  For more information, click here.

Take Your Productivity from OK to Great

Startup TOOLS from TriStar (Phoenix, AZ) empowers you to build an efficient PTC Pro/Engineer-based product development environment that can go a long way toward taking your company to world-class productivity.

Startup TOOLS

An application suite, Startup TOOLS helps build product environments this by focusing on organizational productivity as well as individual user productivity. It gives you the ability to deploy a product development environment across multiple geographic locations and languages, or on a project-by-project basis. With it, you can enforce standards and roll out new software using as few clicks as practicable. Startup TOOLS operates transparently, so you can push tuned product design environments out to client computers.

Startup TOOLS

Startup TOOLS offers tools for a centralized management of your working environments, including system management, yet it is flexible enough to provide for specific customizations, including multilingual support, for global branches and departments. It fosters a structure that enables working guidelines that minimize setup time and standardize drawing settings, modeling formats, BOMs, and reports. You can even synchronize objects or set guidelines for start objects, naming conventions, filing, plot, parameters, templates, and company-specific concepts.