Quadro for Design and Manufacturing

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

“Quadro for Design and Manufacturing” is a web-based resource with multiple videos, case studies and tons of data on NVIDIA’s professional-level graphics accelerators and their significance for design and manufacturing engineers. You can spend a lot of time here learning things, or it might take you just a few minutes to find what you need. It’s best to think of “Quadro for Design and Manufacturing” as an online version of a big bookstore in a mall, only one devoted to professional-level graphics for design engineers and manufacturing. You’ll have to bring your own Starbucks, but here’s a quick tour of what’s happening.

Many hardware vendors, such as Dell and HP, recommend you use Quadro graphics to provide the power to drive extreme engineering. As well, many major CAD developers have certified NVIIDIA Quadro graphics for their applications. So, you’ll notice immediately that this site leans toward CATIA, NX, PTC Creo, SolidWorks and Autodesk applications like AutoCAD, Inventor and 3ds Max. Do not let that bent deter you if you use something else. This resource completely applies to anyone designing on other platforms and workstations.

The landing page at the other end of today’s Check it Out link centralizes access to a wealth of NVIDIA Quadro data. On the top right, you’ll see a bank of links to dedicated subsections on what Quadro can do for users of SolidWorks, Autodesk, CATIA, PTC Creo, and Siemens PLM NX systems. Click on your application preference to access a comprehensive resource. Each section offers a potpourri of performance graphs, tips, examples, videos, downloadable papers and brochures as well as links to more technical materials. Each also provides guidance to help you determine which Quadro board will handle your job demands optimally.

Immediately below that list of dedicated subsections is a brief video — no registration required, as it seems are all videos on the site. It’s an above average testimonial from an engineer at high-end 3D visualization provider RTT USA. In it, he describes how Nissan USA was able to review large car models in RTT DeltaGen visualization/rendering software faster and with less preparation time, speeding the review process yet permitting more design iterations. Keep your eye on the renderings paging by. They’re awfully good.

There are four tabs under the intro paragraph. The first links to details on the entire Quadro board line-up, and it has links to the full particulars on NVIDIA’s Kepler high-performance computing architecture as well as links to Tesla GPUs (graphics processing units). Each link brings you to deeper discussions on what these technologies mean for you. Full details and particulars here include images with explanatory text, downloadable technical papers and, in the Tesla section, links to GPU-accelerated engineering and science applications.

The second tab, Performance, targets how NVIDIA’s Kepler architecture behaves in the real world by featuring a brief video case study on Sage Cheshire Aerospace. These people used SolidWorks running on HP systems with NVIDIA technology to develop the survival suit worn by Felix Baumgartner when he became the first man to break the speed of sound unaided.

A clickable image that takes you to a case study from Trek Bicycle highlights the third tab, Reliability. This is a good read about engineers at Trek running SolidWorks on Dell Precision workstations with NVIDIA Quadro GPUs. The combination proved key for developing, prototyping and delivering a new world-class racing bike in half the development time normally required for such work.

Make sure to watch the video in the fourth tab, Image Quality. It shows how iconic British sports car manufacturer Morgan Motors used Quadro-enhanced HP mobile workstations and Autodesk software to design and render a centenary edition of one of their classic vehicles.

“Quadro for Design and Manufacturing” should prove to be an absorbing site for CAD users looking to upgrade their graphics power or replace an older workstation. Simply put, this is the go-to site to find the data you need to make an informed decision when selecting an NVIDIA Quadro professional-level graphics board to meet your needs.

Thanks, Pal.  – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering

Click here to access Quadro for Design and Manufacturing.