Desktop Engineering - 2011-10

October 2011 / deskeng.
com
Roaming Lifecycle
Management P.36
Altair Releases
HyperWorks 11 P.30
Get a GRIP
TECHNOLOGY FOR DESIGN ENGINEERING
on EMI
As mechanical and electrical
design merge, electromagnetic
interference is a concept all
design engineers need to grasp.
P.14
•REVIEW: GRAEBERT ARES

COMMANDER FOR MAC P.34
•DE IS ON THE CASE AT
PARKER HANNAFIN P. 22
•FROM 3D SCAN
TO CAD MODEL P. 40
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Degrees of Freedom by Steve Robbins
800 MPH or 100 MPG

A
mericans have interesting relationships with their Prize a year ago. They walked away with a cool $5 million for
cars. My wife, for example, still has her 1985 Volk- designing and building a mainstream car that could hold four
swagen Jetta diesel under a tarp in front of one adults with luggage, get more than 100 miles per gallon and
of our barns. I had it restored for her a few years have a range of 200 miles. Oh yeah, and it had to have four
ago, and even with 155,000 miles on it, it ran pretty well. wheels, pass Consumers Union dynamic safety standards and
She loves that vehicle and although it doesn’t see much use, Tier 2 Bin 8 emissions.
it won’t be going anywhere any time soon. My present car averages about 24 mpg, so my 84-mile daily
I am totally the opposite. I look at an automobile as a tool. round trip costs me around $12.77 at today’s fuel prices. If I
When it reaches the end of its design lifecycle, I gladly ex- owned an Edison2 VLC (Very Light Car) I would only be shell-
change it for another. A lot of factors come into play when I ing out $3.07 a day. This adds up to a savings of $2,425 a year, just
make a decision on what to drive. Living in New Hampshire for my commute. OK, I’m interested, but it probably isn’t going
on a dirt back road, I look at ground clearance and AWD to get me home in the winter either.
traction. My Volvo XC70 is a tank, but has much better fuel These vehicles are designed for extremes of speed and fuel
efficiency than one of those SUV beasts weighting around 4 efficiency. One is a bit more practical. We do need 100-mpg cars
tons. It even drives like a sports car. as soon as possible. On the other hand, I doubt you or I will ever
even see an 800-mph car in our future, and it’s not just because
the NAE speed demon burns 31 gallons of fuel a mile. Still, as
Neither of these projects would have the Chinese and Indian consumers begin buying more cars, even
been possible without the use of fast 12-mpg SUVs will become art objects.
computers and analysis software.
Weight and Drag
What is interesting is that neither of these projects would ever
Going to Extremes have been possible without the use of fast computers and analysis
A couple of years ago we ran a cover story on a team of North software. Early in the design phase, the Edison2 team realized
American engineers who designed and built a vehicle that could there were only two variables that they needed to pay attention to
break the world land-speed record of 763mph. This “car,” built if they were going to win that prize: weight and low aerodynamic
by North American Eagle (NAE), was designed on the converted drag. Multiple designs and computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
airframe of an F-104 Starfighter. This vehicle would never make simulations later, Edison rolled out an 850-lb sleek machine that
it to my home in the middle of a New Hampshire winter, but if was one of the most aerodynamic automobiles ever tested. And, it
it could my usual 50-minute commute to work would only take was designed to be converted into a vehicle you or I can afford to
me about 3 minutes and 15 seconds. That’s something I would use. Target price for a consumer model is under $20,000! Not too
be very interested in. bad for a fuel-efficient car that runs on a 250cc turbocharged, one
Last week I was at a Siemens event where I had the good cylinder engine that can drive the VLC from 0-60 in 15 seconds.
fortune to meet the design team who won the Automotive X- You know, if I lived in California, I think I would buy one.
The NAE used CFD and finite element analysis (FEA) to
keep the car on the ground. Also, on a car going that fast, brakes
become very important. It took new technology to keep the
Edison2 brakes from melting and catching on fire. I don’t think weight
with doors was a factor as they weren’t into the fuel efficiency game.
open. Image Looking back on the purchase of my wife’s 1985 Volkswagen,
courtesy of it was very innovative for the time. It normally gets more than 50
Siemens. mpg, twice that of my Volvo. Maybe I should talk her into giving
it to me. It will make it up my road in all but the worst of weather,
and I would keep the XC70 for snowy days. DE
Steve Robbins is the CEO of Level 5 Communications and

executive editor of DE. Send comments about this subject to DE-
Editors@deskeng.com.
2 DESKTOP ENGINEERING October 2011 /// deskeng.com

March 2011 October 2011 VOLUME 16/ISSUE 7 VOLUME 17/ISSUE 2
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
22 Change is Good
Parker Aerospace uses ECO Manager
to streamline its engineering change
order process.
By James Gordon
34 Quite Compatible
Graebert ARES Commander
Edition for Macintosh proves
to be very AutoCAD-like.
By David Cohn
36 Get Ready for RLM

Mobile devices and app-driven commerce offer clues to
the future of product data authoring and delivery.
By Kenneth Wong
COVER STORY
14 Get a Grip on
EMI
Electromagnetic interference is
highly problematic for designers
of all types of products and SIMULATION & ANALYSIS
systems—and it’s growing, thanks
to the proliferation of electronic 26 ‘Getting’ the Boot
Parker Hannifin learns firsthand how non-linear FEA
components. Any object that ensures a fast, robust product design.
carries rapidly changing electrical By Jason Foulger and Brad Allen
currents or voltages can generate
EMI, which has the potential to 30 Beyond the Hype: HyperWorks 2011
Altair Engineering has emerged as
degrade the performance of a major player in the enterprise CAE
another electrical device. And market, challenging the
EMI issues are so complex, it’s established industry
forefathers with the
difficult for software tools to
aggressiveness of a
resolve them—though they can start-up.
help. Barbara Goode interviews By Vince Adams
EMI experts for their take on what
engineers can do to combat EMI. RAPID TECH
40 How to Make it in Modeling
Go from 3D scan data to a parametric CAD model, step
ON THE COVER: Images in photo illustration courtesy of by step.
iStock International. By Rachael Dalton-Taggart

A stator blade in the turbine stage of a jet engine is heated by the combustion gases.
To prevent the stator from melting, air is passed through a cooling duct in the blade.
Capture the Concept.

With COMSOL Multiphysics® you are empowered to build the simulations
that accurately replicate the important characteristics of your designs.
The key is the ability to include all physical effects that exist in the real
world. This multiphysics approach delivers results—tangible results that
save precious development time and spark innovation.
Watch Tutorial
Joule Heating of a Circuit Board Fuse

www.comsol.com/showcase
© 2011 COMSOL. COMSOL AND COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF COMSOL AB.
CAPTURE THE CONCEPT IS A TRADEMARK OF COMSOL AB. OTHER PRODUCT OR BRAND NAMES ARE
TRADEMARKS OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE HOLDERS.
October 2011 VOLUME 17/ISSUE 2
DEPARTMENTS 46 Editor’s Picks

Products that have
grabbed the editors’
2 Degrees of Freedom attention.
EDITORIAL
Steve Robbins | Executive Editor
800MPH or 100MPG. By Anthony J. Lockwood
Jamie J. Gooch | Managing Editor
Anthony J. Lockwood | Editor at Large
By Steve Robbins Heather Pittinger | Copy Editor
8 Kenneth Wong's 47 Commentary CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

What will your design cost to produce? Mark Clarkson, David S. Cohn, Barbara Goode,
Virtual Desktop Mike Hudspeth, Susan Smith, Peter Varhol,
A Closer Look at Lifecycle Components By John Busa Pamela J. Waterman, Kenneth Wong
PTC Creo apps, Teamcenter Mobility 2.0, PUBLISHER

Autodesk for Mac and HP’s future. 48 Cool Tool Thomas Conlon
SolidWorks 2012. ADVERTISING SALES
20 Fast Apps 603-563-1631 • Fax 603-563-8192
Engineering case Erich Herbert | Sales Executive (x263)

studies. Jeanne DuVal | Account Manager (x274)
ART & PRODUCTION

42 What’s New Darlene Sweeney | Director (x257)
Learn about Bentley Systems’ recently A LEVEL 5 COMMUNICATIONS PUBLICATION

Steve Robbins | Chief Executive Officer
acquired SACS product line. Thomas Conlon | President
43 Spotlight ADVERTISING, BUSINESS, & EDITORIAL OFFICES

Desktop Engineering® magazine
Directing your search to the companies Level 5 Communications, Inc.
1283D Main St., PO Box 1039 • Dublin, NH 03444
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Virtual Desktop by Kenneth Wong
PTC Creo Apps for Sketching and Direct Modeling

S
hifting its strategy from all-
inclusive CAD and product
lifecycle management (PLM)
packages to Apple app-style
modules, PTC began rolling out the
first of its Creo family apps. The com-
pany released Creo Sketch in August,
followed by Creo Elements/Direct
Modeling Express in September.
Creo Sketch is not meant to be a pre-
cision-drafting program, like Autodesk’s
AutoCAD LT or Dassault Systèmes’
DraftSight. Creo Sketch may be closer
to Autodesk SketchBook Designer, a fun,
creative drawing program powered by
flexible splines. You’ll find that stock 2D
objects in Creo Sketch—circles, lines, arcs PTC Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express is part of PTC’s Creo strategy.
and rectangles—can easily be edited as
spline objects. Once you terminate a com- move faces and features with little con- ever, a 60-part limit to the number of
mand (by clicking on the middle-mouse cern for feature or parametric history. parts you can work with in assembly.
button), your 2D object turns into an edit- The software’s present import, or 3D The limit is removed once you up-
able spline profile with control points— reading, is limited mostly to neutral for- grade to the commercial version, Creo
ready to be pinched, poked, stretched and mats. So if you want to work on a Solid- Elements/Direct Modeling. The com-
reshaped to your heart’s content. Works, Inventor or Solid Edge file, you’ll mercial version also gives you sheet
If you’ve used Co/Create, PTC’s have to convert it from its native format metal tools, along with decal (embed-
push-pull CAD modeler, you’ll find to a neutral format (IGES, STEP). CE/ ding 2D images in your design), pho-
yourself in semi-familiar territory in Direct Modeling Express has Realism torealistic rendering, and exporting
Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Ex- Enhancement options for you to activate STEP and IGES files.
press. Launching the software, you’ll be ground reflections, shadows, background PTC Creo Sketch and CE/Direct
reunited with CoCreate’s CoPilot (the colors and rendered surfaces. It’s not as Modeling Express serve to reinforce
control arrows for moving and rotating refined as ray-traced rendering, but it’s the company’s commitment to its Creo
features). You may think of CE/Direct sufficient to give you a good idea of the strategy, set a year ago: Brian Shep-
Modeling Express as a trimmed down finished product’s aesthetic appeal. herd, PTC’s executive vice president
version of CoCreate, derived from the CE/Direct Modeling Express offers of product development, famously
same underlying technology. The soft- more functions than you might expect borrowed Apple’s marketing slogan by
ware allows you to push, pull, rotate and from a free program. There is, how- saying, “There’s an app for that.” DE

Teamcenter Mobility 2.0: From Passive
Consumption to Active Participation
A
s a fitting homage to the rise digital photos taken
of iPad 2, Siemens Prod- with the iPad. It also
uct Lifecycle Management lets you play .mov
(PLM) Software swiftly files, which could
followed up its debut mobile app Team- be used to deliver
center Mobility 1.0 with an upgrade. assembly and repair
The first version was confined almost instructions. Pending
entirely to remote data access. Simply tasks and changes can
put, it was a mobile app for iPad users be displayed by due
to sign into a Teamcenter database, dates and assigned
perform searches, review pending tasks owners, giving you an
and change orders, and view 3D designs easy way to monitor
in lightweight JT format. Teamcenter progress. You may
Mobility 2.0, available for download at also sign off or sub-
Apple’s App Store since September, adds mit problem reports
limited editing and markup functions, to Teamcenter from
along with task initiation options. the iPad app. Two months after the release of Teamcenter Mobility 1.0,
In the new version, the app’s Face- Siemens PLM Siemens PLM Software updates the iPad app to version
book-style notification shows pending Software’s Active 2.0, adding basic markup tools and work initiation options.
operations with a number (correspond- Workspace, currently
ing to the number of tasks and change still in development, is expected to drive company is also hard at work on an An-
orders that need attention) displayed the company’s vision for HD-PLM, a vi- droid version of Teamcenter Mobility,
over its icon. The app allows you to ac- sual data management environment. (For currently in prototype phase.
cess online data from its interface, but it more, read “Visualizing the Forest of Teamcenter Mobility is available
also offers an Offline Cache mode, which Data Beyond the Trees,” DE, April 2011.) in two editions: free and paid ($19.99).
allows you to download the design file Eric Sterling, Siemens PLM Soft- Some functions available in the paid ver-
to your iPad’s local storage. When going ware’s senior VP of global marketing, sion are not in the free version. The free
back online, the app will synch your of- revealed that the company is consider- version serves primarily as an evaluation
fline changes to update the database. ing adding multi-touch support for copy, preloaded with a set of sample data.
Most notably, Teamcenter Mobility Active Workspace. If the company fol- For more on Teamcenter Mobility
2.0 includes several basic markup func- lows through, it raises the possibility and the impact of mobile devices on
tions. These let you red-line and anno- that some HD-PLM functions can be PLM, read “Get Ready for RLM” on
tate Office documents, design files and delivered through a mobile app. The page 36. DE
deskeng.com /// October 2011 DESKTOP ENGINEERING 9

More Mac Titles from Autodesk at App

Store, Amazon.com
A
year after the release of Au- The com-
toCAD for Mac, Autodesk pany continues
decided to take a bigger bite to distribute
of the Apple market. Last AutoCAD for
month, the company released not only Mac through
an updated version of AutoCAD for its reseller
Mac, but also AutoCAD LT for Mac channel, but
and AutoCAD WS for Mac. it is also sell-
“Since the release of AutoCAD for ing products
Mac last year, customer feedback has through
been overwhelmingly positive, further Apple’s App
validating the need for professional Store. Au- With the release of AutoCAD 2012 for Mac, Autodesk begins
design and engineering software on todesk has been experimenting with atypical distribution methods, including
the Mac platform,” said Amar Hanspal, selling its free Apple’s App Store and Amazon.com.
senior vice president, Autodesk Plat- and modestly
form Solutions and Emerging Business. priced products, such as AutoCAD authorized resellers) and venture into
“Bringing AutoCAD LT and AutoCAD WS for iPhone and iPad and Au- consumer-friendly territories reflects
WS to the Mac shows our continued todesk SketchBook Mobile, through the company’s aspiration to explore
commitment to making design more App Store for some time. However, the outskirts of professional market.
accessible for an ever-greater number of distributing AutoCAD LT (priced A few months ago, Autodesk released
people to shape the world around them.” $899) through App Store is a gamble 123D, a lightweight 3D design pro-
According to the announcement, for the company, as App Store buyers gram based on its direct-editing tech-
“AutoCAD LT for Mac follows com- are more accustomed to purchasing nology Inventor Fusion. The product
mon native Mac application user inter- products with micro-pricing (for in- targets tinkerers, hobbyists, crafters
face guidelines, with a familiar Apple stance, $1.99 for a song, $4.99 for a and homegrown inventors—all part of
menu bar together with a number of game). Depending on the success of its the do-it-yourself movement fueling
workflow-based palettes. AutoCAD LT experiment with AutoCAD LT on App online commerce at sites like Etsy and
for Mac also supports native Mac OS X Store, the company may push more attendance at trade shows like Maker
behavior, including Cover Flow naviga- semi-professional and consumer-us- Faire. This month, Autodesk acquired
tion and Multi-Touch gestures.” Licens- able software titles through this venue. Instructables.com, an online portal
ing options for AutoCAD for Mac now In addition, Autodesk began offering where ordinary people share project
includes network licensing. AutoCAD select titles through Amazon.com in ideas and collaborate.
LT is not available for network licensing. September. In addition to selling AutoCAD as
Whereas the company’s flagship Offering its titles through App Store an independent title, Autodesk also
drafting and drawing program Auto- and Amazon.com may be an educa- includes the product with many of
CAD remains a professional title, its tional experience, both for buyers and its industry-specific suites, such as
lighter, nimbler cousins AutoCAD LT for Autodesk. App Store, for instance, Autodesk Design Suite (for general
and AutoCAD WS can comfortably doesn’t support software subscription— design), Autodesk Product Design
fit into the “prosumer” market, which a method Autodesk has been using to Suite (for mechanical engineering and
straddles the consumer and professional peddle some of its most popular titles. industrial design), and Autodesk Build-
markets. AutoCAD WS, the company’s For the version of AutoCAD for Mac ing Design Suite (for architecture and
DGW viewing and markup app, has offered through Amazon.com (available construction). By default, buyers get a
been available for some time for Apple for subscription licensing), Autodesk Windows version of AutoCAD. How-
iPhone and iPad users and Android can’t rely on resellers to provide techni- ever, the new dual-platform activation
users. The latest version released is in- cal support. method will give suite buyers access
tended for Mac machines running Apple The move to go beyond its tradi- to a Mac version of AutoCAD without
OS X Lion. The software is free. tional distribution channel (Autodesk having to purchase another license. DE

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HP’s Future: What About

the Workstation Market?
I
n 2002, HP bought Compaq in
a $25 billion merger that cre-
ated the PC market’s de facto HP TouchSmart 520,
leader. Nine years later, HP is part of HP’s new line of
contemplating what amounts to a All-in-one PCs.
U-turn in its strategy: It is think-
ing of leaving the PC business
altogether.
In August, HP’s president and
CEO Leo Apotheker announced,
“We believe exploring alternatives
for PSG [Personal Systems Group]
could enhance its performance,
allow it to more effectively com-
pete and provide greater value for
HP shareholders.” The alternative
he’s considering is “the separation ening to take over a chunk of the Though HP’s strategy to focus
of its PC business into a separate computing market previously on software is clear, the company’s
company through a spin-off or owned by the PC. plan for the PC business is not so
other transaction.” Apotheker himself acknowl- clear-cut. Even as it explores op-
So what might PC-less HP pur- edged, “‘Consumers are changing tions for its long-established PC
sue? The company’s plan to acquire the use of their PC. The tablet ef- business, HP recently rolled out a
software maker Autonomy suggests fect is real, and sales of the Touch- new line of PCs, described as the
it hopes to buy its way into the en- Pad are not meeting our expecta- “largest investment in the all-in-
terprise software business. To explain tions” (“HP to Apple: You Win,” one desktop PC market to date.”
the $11.7 billion bid, Apotheker said, TechCrunch, Aug. 18, 2011). The All-in-one PCs, as HP calls
“Autonomy has an attractive business HP tried to step up to the tab- them, target home users and busi-
model, including a strong cloud- let market with the launch of its nesses. They use the company’s
based solution set … We believe this own HP TouchPad. But even with TouchSmart technology to deliver
bold action will squarely position a marketing campaign involving multi-touch support in its monitors.
HP in software and information to Britain’s funny man Russell Brand HP’s popular line of worksta-
create the next-generation Informa- and Glee’s Lea Michele, HP’s de- tions are part of the company’s
tion Platform.” HP’s new plan is to vice couldn’t seem to wrestle away PSG group, but we’ll have to wait
“focus on its strategic priorities of enough market share from the and see what alternatives emerge
cloud, solutions and software, with iPad. Consequently, HP is kill- for HP’s hardware future. DE
an emphasis on enterprise, commer- ing off its webOS and TouchPad
cial and government markets,” the business—“a difficult but necessary Kenneth Wong writes about technol-
company outlined. decision,” according to HP’s online ogy, its innovative use, and its impli-
In the announcement of its FAQ document. cations. One of DE’s MCAD/PLM
strategy for PSG, HP noted, “The Soon after the announcement, experts, he has written for numerous
personal computing market is HP slashed the prices of its Touch- technology magazines and writes DE’s
quickly evolving with new form Pad from $399 (16 GB) and $499 Virtual Desktop blog at deskeng.com/
factors and application ecosys- (32 GB) to $99 and $149, respec- virtual_desktop. You can follow him on
tems.” One of the notable “form tively. The devices were sold out in Twitter at KennethwongSF, or email
factors” is the tablet, now threat- a matter of hours. him via de-editors@deskeng.com.

Mechatronics /// EMI Computational Modeling
Get a GRIP
on EMI
Electromagnetic interference
is highly problematic for
designers of all types of
products and systems—
and it’s growing, thanks to
the proliferation of electronic
components.
BY BARBARA G. GOODE
“
Everybody has to pass. And everybody has trouble,” frequency increases, slots and seams become more effective
says Steve Newson of Newson Consulting Inc., a leakage points.
specialist in the field of electromagnetic interference “At 10 MHz, you might not see much effect, but at higher
(EMI; also called radio frequency interference, or RFI) with frequencies—especially in the gigahertz (GHz) range—it is
clients in almost every industry. Newson is referring to the a different story,” he says.
fact that all products need to meet standards for electromag- If the product you are designing is a small pager or simi-
netic emissions—and that EMI can be a significant problem lar device running at a relatively low frequency (say, below
for systems designers. 10 to 50 MHz) with no wires attached, it is pretty safe as
far as emissions go, says Archambeault. But radios and tele-
An Increasing Problem phones are extremely sensitive. In general, the larger the de-
Any object that carries rapidly changing electrical currents vice or system, the more wires and cables are involved—and
or voltages can generate EMI, which has the potential to the higher the frequency range, the more potential for EMI
degrade the performance of another electrical device. trouble. A product operating in the GHz range becomes al-
Dr. Bruce Archambeault, an IBM Distinguished Engineer, most impossible to shield, explains Archambeault, adding,
lead author of the EMI/EMC Computational Modeling Hand- “High-speed digital electronics can radiate enough emissions
book and author of the book PCB Design for Real-World EMI to be received by their own internal antennae.”
Control, notes that EMI is a subset of electromagnetic com- In addition, Archambeault says, a cable can become the
patibility (EMC), a field that studies how devices and systems most important part of an antenna. Newson agrees: “A lot
can perform without generating unacceptable EMI levels. Of of people think that the most difficult EMI problems are
course, any work with printed circuit boards (PCBs) requires related to PCBs and box shielding, but the biggest problem
the generation of signals, and Archambeault says it is best to is cables,” he says. “Cables act as antennae.”
reduce EMI at its source. As Newson explains, the potential for trouble is increas-
“Emissions start on circuits and leak out through seams ing. “In the past 20 years, there has been a proliferation of
and cables, which radiate them,” he explains, saying that electronic products, which has caused regulatory agencies to
faster rise time leads to higher frequency of emissions. As tighten and add requirements around EMI,” he says. (See

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Answers for industry.

© 2010 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. All rights reserved. Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens
AG. NX is a trademark or registered trademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in
other countries. All other logos, trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks used herein are the property of their respective holders.
“Regulating EMI” below) “In addition, circuitry is faster, and
is running at lower voltages.”
“You do need to worry about static electricity,” warns
Archambeault. As an example of what can go wrong, he
points to the devastating fire and series of explosions that
killed 134 sailors and injured even more when, in 1967, an
electrical problem accidentally discharged a rocket on the
flight deck of the USS Forrestal. He says you can find many
other examples, collected under the name “EMC banana
skins,” on Compliance-Club.com, the website of the U.K.’s
EMC Journal.
Tools and Confusion

“There’s a lot of confusion out there” about EMI, says New-
son. “And lots of misconceptions.”
Indeed, Archambeault points out, “most electrical en-
gineers come out of college with no knowledge of EMI or
EMC. Few schools offer education in this area.” He says The Conductor Form is an input screen used to define
that the Missouri University of Science and Technology the dimensions of the cable for the system being
(Rolla, MO), Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK), analyzed. It is typical of many of the EMI Analyst input
Clemson University (Clemson, SC) and a few others are screens. Image courtesy EMI Software LLC.
notable exceptions.
It seems that while faculties want to teach the topic, they
would need to give up another important topic to enable burned badly with a project,” says Archambeault.
students to complete their coursework in the standard time- But aren’t there tools to help product and system design-
frame—and students are increasingly eager to begin turning ers overcome EMI problems? Well, yes: Tools are available
their tuition investment into income, so they are not gener- from both large developers—such as ANSYS, which offers
ally willing to extend their education. The result is that nov- suites of software to address EMI in the context of other
ice engineers seek specialized training, “after they have been issues—and from small companies launched specifically to
address this area. Be warned, though, there is confusion and
controversy even in this area. “People will fail a test and hop
Regulating EMI online to search for EMI software,” says Newson, who notes
I
that “products are being called EMI analysis tools that are
n the U.S., the Federal Communications not.”
Commissions (FCC) sets standards for a range of Dr. Howard Johnson of Signal Consulting Inc., an inven-
product types, and many industries—such as auto- tor, author and noted expert in high-speed digital design, still
motive, airline and medical—have their own require- stands by the statement he made in 1998 in EDN magazine:
ments that address particular vulnerabilities and situa- “Real, live EMI problems are much too complex for even the
tions. The military has separate specifications. best software tools. As much as I wish the situation were un-
On an international level, the International Special true, at this point the best tool is still experience,” he wrote.
Committee on Radio Interference, also known as Johnson told Desktop Engineering that the comment “is
CISPR (for the French Comité International Spécial as true today as it was then. Real EMI problems are still too
des Perturbations Radioélectriques) is a committee complex for even the best software tools to accurately predict
of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) exact EMI levels.”
that sets civilian standards for domestic, commercial, He does point to one major change, the fact that there are
industrial and automotive sectors regarding radiated now two groups of tools available—one from Dr. Todd Hub-
and conducted electromagnetic interference (copies ing at Clemson University, and another from Archambeault
of all CISPR standards are available online at IEC.ch). that is marketed through Moss Bay.
These standards form the basis of other regional and “They are both expert system-type tools. That is, they
national standards, such as the European Norms (EN) give you advice about best practices, and they give you gen-
written by the European Committee for Electrotechnical eral ideas about things,” Johnson says. “But they do not at-
Standardization (CENELEC, for the French Comité tempt to predict exact EMI levels; that’s the thing that’s still
Européen de Normalisation Électrotechnique). too difficult to do.”

Newson says he began software development in 1995 read this, provides more sophisticated modeling of noise
precisely because “there were no good analysis tools for pre- sources, representing subtle characteristics of differential and
dicting outcomes.” He says EMI problems resulting from common mode noise to determine what effects they have on
ICs, PCBs, and enclosures, while quite difficult to model ac- emissions and susceptibility.
curately, “account for fewer EMI failures and are generally Markus Kopp, product manager, Electronics at ANSYS
easier to identify and correct.” And although there is “still Inc., says many people would be surprised to learn how
no tool that can adequately model a complete electronic sys- far simulation software has come in just the past five years.
tem,” Newson notes that “what can be accurately modeled is While he agrees that EMI issues can be “very complex,” and
the circuitry and cabling ... which is the
cause of most EMI test failures.” This,
he says, is the strength of EMI Analyst,
a tool he offers through his software
company, EMI Software LLC.
EMI Analyst combines all four fac-
ets of EMI analysis through four inte-
grated programs:
• the Conducted Emissions Analyst
program calculates the amplitude of
radio frequency current and voltage
conducted on electric circuit wiring;
• the Conducted Susceptibility Analyst
calculates voltage and current ampli-
tude induced in circuits by voltage or
current waveforms that are injected
on the conductors to which the cir-
cuits are connected;
• the Radiated Emissions Analyst
calculates the amplitude of electric
and magnetic fields radiated from The Only PLM Tool to Earn a
conductors carrying radio frequency
current; and Five Star Rating
• Radiated Susceptibility calculates
voltage and current induced in cir- for CMII Compliance
cuits when an electromagnetic field
strikes the conductors to which the
circuits are connected.
Each provides templates that model Why would you settle for anything less?
waveforms, filtering and conductors
using values designers fill in on pages
that come up on screen. Then, when CMPRO is Product Lifecycle Management and
the user hits the calculate button and Configuration Management Software Customized
the software overlays the limit line, he
to Fit Your Processes
or she “can do apples-to-apples com-
parison,” explains Newson. “The soft-
ware becomes a learning tool.”
For instance, Newson offers, “reso- Contact Professional Systems Associates
nance in the filter components is a
common problem, so the designer can to find out how you can get the
look at every point in the circuit to see Five Star Treatment
which filter components are working
and which are interacting.”
An updated release of this software,
www.PSASYS.com
which should be out by the time you 1-800-373-3453

The Radiated Emissions graph is a plot of typical results Ansoft Designer 6.0 enables visualization of the electrical
from the program’s calculations. It shows predicted field that exists at a particular frequency on a PC enclosure.
radiated emissions (blue) compared to the radiated You can see the fields on the “cut-plane” that bisects the
emissions limit (red). Image courtesy EMI Software LLC. model; a PCB inside is the source. Image courtesy ANSYS.
says that a single software package cannot predict all EMI a major stumbling block is that designers often don’t know
and sources thereof, he also notes that for engineers—who how to set up their problems correctly.
tend to look at problems in a methodical way—such tools “One of my jobs is full-wave computer modeling,” he says.
can still be very helpful. “If you judiciously use the available “In one project, it took a week-and-a-half to predict how
ANSYS tools, you can get clear insight into the causes of much extra shielding was needed. You really need an engi-
EMI issues and problems that are likely to arise,” he says. neer with a solid EM background.”
Last summer, ANSYS announced the release of Ansoft The question remains, then: How do you get this back-
Designer 6.0 with new Solver on Demand technology, ground without traveling the rocky road characterized by the
which promised to enable designers of electronic packages bad burns and failures that Archambeault and Newson describe?
and PCBs to quickly and accurately analyze signal integrity, There are many options, including training and con-
power integrity and EMI problems from a single schematic- sulting from people like Archambeault, Johnson, Newson
and layout-based environment. Kopp explains that Designer and others. Archambeault’s books can be a good starting
in and of itself does not solve EMI type problems; it is part point, and he will bring his courses to any location. Johnson
of ANSYS’s methodology and works together with other recommends sending a bright, ambitious engineer in your
ANSYS tools, specifically with SIwave (for board analysis) or company for at least one in-person consultation, then ar-
HFSS (that is, High Frequency Structure Simulator for elec- ranging for phone or email followup as needed. Newson
tromagnetic field simulation of full 3D enclosures). Briefly, offers video-enhanced, Internet-based assistance through
the steps—beginning with PCB analysis—that are involved GoToMeeting.
in using these tools together are: The Clemson Vehicular Electronics Laboratory (CVEL)
1. Import the PCB layout into SIwave and the Missouri University of Science and Technology
2. Perform analysis of PCB in SIwave have collaborated to offer Hubing’s “EMC Principles”
3. Dynamically link SIwave results into Ansoft Designer course (36 videotaped lectures) on DVD (http://dce.mst.
4. Attach drivers and receivers in Designer to linked edu/noncredit/certificates/emc_2nd_ed_video.html). This
SIwave model is one of the classes that Missouri S&T offers for its EMC
5. Perform a time/frequency domain analysis of entire Certificate, which the university awards for the successful
system in Designer completion of two video non-credit courses. Others are
6. Push voltage/excitation levels back to SIwave available as well (http://dce.mst.edu/noncredit/certificates/
7. Dynamically link the SIwave model into HFSS emc_si_certificate_homepage.html). In addition, Clemson
8. Solve the full system in HFSS (Those not doing PCB offers a number of short courses—on campus, at locations
design would skip the first six steps.) around the world, and by arrangement as in-house presen-
tations at client locations.
Getting Educated A number of associations also offer help: The IEEE’s
According to Archambeault, there’s really no one EMI mod- EMC Society has chapters all around the world, and holds an
eling tool that the average engineer can use effectively. And annual conference. The Electrostatic Discharge Association,

Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society (ACES),
and Electrostatics Society of America likewise offer publica- INFO ➜ ANSYS Inc.: ANSYS.com
tions and training through annual meetings.
➜ A pplied Computational Electromagnetics Society:
ACES.ee.olemiss.edu
First Rule for Sourcing
Archambeault recommends that designers who built prod- ➜ Dr. Bruce Archambeault: BruceArch.com
ucts incorporating electronics “look for the FCC or CE
➜ C lemson Vehicular Electronics Laboratory:
mark” on the electronic equipment, “and make sure it’s
CVEL.clemson.edu
been tested in the environment in which you plan to use it.”
To emphasize the importance of environment-specific ➜ Electrostatic Discharge Association: ESDA.org
testing, he tells about a recent project involving a CE- ➜ Electrostatics Society of America: Electrostatics.org
marked, solid-state disk drive that was purchased for use
within a large system. Once the drive had been placed ➜ EMC Journal: Compliance-Club.com
in a rack with about 35 additional pieces of equipment ➜ EMI Software LLC: EMIanaylst.com
and all the components were tested, the disk drive failed.
“The vendor showed us the results of emissions testing—
➜ IEEE EMC Society: EMCS.org
which was fine. But putting all those pieces together ➜ International Electrotechnical Commission: IEC.ch
caused a problem.”
➜M issouri University of Science and Technology’s Center for
Archambeault points out that the U.S. has FCC rules for Electro Magnetic Compatibility: EMC-Center.org
emissions—but does not have immunity requirements. DE
➜ Moss Bay EDA: MossBayEDA.com
Barbara G. Goode served as editor-in-chief for Sensors maga- ➜ Newson Consulting Inc.: Newson-Consulting.com
zine for nine years, and currently holds the same position at
BioOptics World, which covers optics and photonics for life sci- ➜ Signal Consulting Inc.: SigCon.com
ence applications. Contact her via de-editors@deskeng.com. For more information on this topic, visit deskeng.com.
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Fast Apps Engineering Case Studies
Laser Scanning Advances

Rapid Prototyping, Manufacturing
Harvest Technologies uses laser scanners to expedite additive
manufacturing and ensure their prototypes conform to CAD designs.
BY GREG RICHARDS
Generally speaking, engineers are pragma- ing, complex 3D objects are created in a
tists. Find the best way to complete your short period of time. Think days rather than
task accurately, quickly and easily (or easily weeks. There are many ways to produce
enough), and then run with it. Many have and form the deliverable:
used laser technologies for years to expe- • Stereolithography (SL) uses a UV laser
dite and improve everything from cutting to to photo-cure epoxy-based resins and
measuring. These days, a growing number grow objects, layer by layer, from 3D used to whittle down solid blocks of
of engineers are using laser scanners to electronic data. material to arrive at a finished part
help create prototypes for new products • Similar to SL, laser sintering (LS) also quickly and inexpensively.
and ensure their conformity to original CAD builds prototypes in layers, but instead At the end of the day, though, even proto-
designs—and they’re doing so more quickly uses a carbon dioxide laser to fuse types produced by the most accurate and
and accurately than before. myriad thermoplastic and metal powders advanced methods need to be measured
In the process known as additive manu- to generate a finished product. and checked against CAD designs to ensure
facturing (AM), which encompasses both • Other processes, like computed numeri- accuracy for the customer.
rapid prototyping and direct manufactur- cally controlled (CNC) machining, are MORE ➜ deskeng.com/articles/aabcbj.htm
Automation Makes the Difference for Petra Solar. “Our engineering change
process consisted of several manual
Petra Solar takes a smart approach to product development. steps, which cost the company both time
Petra Solar is a clean technology com- nications and improved grid reliability and money.”
pany, focused on providing reliable, features to create a comprehensive util- Petra Solar wanted to become more
cost-effective Smart Energy solutions ity grade solution. Petra Solar provides mechanized with automated processes
to the electric supply industry. Founded utility-grade, grid-tied, distributed smart around document control, engineer-
in 2006, the South Plainfield, NJ-based solar systems that can be installed on ing changes and bill of material (BOM)
manufacturer is the pioneer of utility and streetlight poles, rooftops management. Its team also wanted
SunWave, a new Smart Solar technology and other existing structures. to improve their processes related to
that combines distributed solar energy As a new company in a high-growth meeting compliance to ensure the use
generation with Smart Grid commu- industry, Petra Solar needed to imple- of compliant parts early in the design
ment systems and processes to manage cycle. With previous experience using
its large volume of engineering data. product lifecycle management (PLM),
Growing from about 60 employees to the team knew there was a need for a
more than 150 in just one year (a vast PLM system to be able to manage their
majority in engineering), Petra Solar complex engineering activity.
found that its current environment for The company was looking for an
managing engineering activity needed to affordable solution that could fulfill its
be more efficient and streamlined. The requirements for automating process-
company’s processes were manual, and es within development (specifically,
all product-related data was stored on part creation and engineering change
secured drives. management); had flexible licensing
“Without having an automated system options that allowed for scalability for a
in place for product development, you growing company; and had an easy-to-
end up duplicating efforts and have a use interface so that employees could
greater chance for errors to occur,” says get up and running quickly.
Stephen Gillespie, program manager MORE ➜ deskeng.com/articles/aabcbk.htm
➜ For the complete application stories visit deskeng.com/fastapps

Fire, Fasteners and FEA
Structural engineers use Abaqus to investigate fastener
strength and help satisfy stringent fire safety roofing standards.
From the first sign of smoke or scream high as 1,100° F, close to the temperature in 1915, PAFs are still widely used today
of sirens as a building goes up in flames, at which aluminum starts to melt. Critical in the shipbuilding industry—as well as in
there may only be minutes that separate to their structural integrity is the perfor- roof and composite floor-frame-system
a safe evacuation from a more serious mance of the powder-actuated fasteners construction. A simple, low-tech device,
scenario. The physical composition of (PAFs) commonly used to connect and surprisingly similar to their century-old pre-
construction materials and the build- install these roofing systems. cursors, PAFs are the key to keeping mod-
ing methods used to erect, fasten and PAFs are basically nails, of numerous ern metal roofs structurally secure under
anchor the components are all factors in shapes and sizes, made of high-quality any conditions—including fire.
determining this time-safety window. hardened steel with a tensile strength four
Building codes in the European Union to five times that of the base material. Using FEA on PAFs
require that roofing systems remain struc- Using a small explosive charge, they are While PAFs are relatively simple, much is
turally sound for 15 minutes when a fire “shot” like a bullet from a nail gun at about still unknown about the characteristics
breaks out, to give occupants time to evac- 656 yards per second—a speed and force and installation methods that contribute to
uate. For example, commercial, industrial powerful enough to drive the fastener into their strength and durability. For instance,
and residential sheet metal roofs—popular the building’s steel or concrete superstruc- numerous tests have been conducted on
in Scandinavia for their snow-shedding ture. This displaces the substrate material pull-out forces, but there has been very
properties—must be able to withstand nor- and anchors the fastener. little research on shear resistance.
Roland_Functional_DE_30TH.pdf
mal weights 1
and loads at temperatures as 8/31/11 5:31 PM for underwater ship repair
First developed MORE ➜ deskeng.com/articles/aabcbm.htm
CM
MY
CY
CMY

Application /// Computer-Aided Design
Change is Good
Parker Aerospace uses ECO Manager to streamline its engineering change
order process.
BY JAMES GORDON
P
arker Aerospace de-
signs, manufactures
and services hydraulic,
fuel and pneumatic compo-
nents, systems and related
electronic controls for aero-
space and other high-tech-
nology markets. Its products
include flight control ac-
tuation systems and compo-
nents, thrust-reverser actua-
tion systems, electrohydraulic
servo valves, utility hydraulic
systems and components, DC
motor pumps, fuel pumps, lubrication and scavenge pumps, A part in an IS/WAS comparison in Kubotek’s
fuel measurement and management systems, cockpit instru- ECO Manager.
mentation, flight inspection systems, pneumatic subsystems
and components, fluid metering delivery and atomization Streamlining the Process
devices, and wheels and brakes. Bob Deragisch, Parker’s engineering services manager, had
Parker standardized on Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA V5 as the idea of improving the ECO process. He decided the capa-
part of its journey to becoming a model-based enterprise, bilities of the Kubotek ECO Manager software package could
replacing 2D drawings with a 3D model as the reference for make it happen.
product definition. “A key advantage of ECO Manager is that, rather than
The latest generation of solid modeling systems makes comparing random points, it compares the mathematical
it possible to insert the dimensions, geometric design and geometry definitions to completely catalog the differences
tolerancing, annotations and parts lists directly into the solid between the source and target files,” Deragisch says.
model, eliminating the need for drawings. The 3D CAD ECO Manager uses Kubotek’s pattern-matching technol-
model is now the reference for product definition used by ogy to compare two revisions of product data to identify all
manufacturing and the supply chain, so ensuring its accuracy differences between the data sets. It supports most native
is more important than ever. CAD formats, and works directly with the native CAD file
In the past, Parker’s engineers defined proposed engineer- to eliminate data translations. It compares both the 3D ge-
ing change orders (ECOs) by redlining either a paper draw- ometry and the model-based design information, such as tol-
ing or a CAD file. The redlined drawing or file was then erances and marking, to ensure all revisions are identified—
sent to those responsible for reviewing the change for their ensuring that the impact of every change is fully understood.
approval. After the change was approved, the engineer had to Once the revisions have been identified and organized,
start all over again by actually changing the CAD file. After ECO Manager provides several reporting options. It stores
the change was made, it had to be carefully checked to ensure the data model that defines the differences between the files
that the changes were accurately made and that nothing else in electronic format, and can generate customizable graphical
in the file had accidentally been changed. This process took change reports in PowerPoint or PDF format.
a considerable amount of time. Now, Parker uses ECO Manager to compare the old and

new CAD files, and generate a report that identifies and or- amount of time to manually compare the CAD files.
ganizes the differences. This report becomes a key part of the “We knew from the beginning that differences in the
ECO approval package that is sent to reviewers. After the geometric kernels between the previous programs and
change is approved, nothing else needs to be done except pro- CATIA V5 would cause differences between the old and
cessing the change request through the product lifecycle man- new files,” Deragisch says. “In most cases, these differences
agement (PLM) system so that the new version of the CAD
file is released as the product definition master.
Taking a Deeper Look
T
There is no need to make the change a second time, as was re-
quired in the past. Nor is there a need to manually check that the his article and the following
change has been made correctly or that nothing else in the docu- one on page 26 are part of a
ment has been changed, because ECO Manager has identified series that looks at one com-
every change in the new CAD file as part of the approval package. pany’s engineering practices. Last
This new process is saving substantial amounts of time on every month, the articles in the “DE on the Case” series
ECO, Deragisch says. It also avoids the possibility of costly com- explained how Parker Aerospace created a virtual worksta-
munications mistakes by ensuring that the change that is made to tion cluster to speed its simulation jobs. DE also produced
the product exactly matches what the reviewers approved. a white paper on workstation cluster computing, which
was sponsored by Intel and HP. It can be downloaded for
Validating the CAD Translation Process free at deskeng.com/workstationcluster.
Parker provides parts for nearly every airplane in use This month, we focus on how Parker Aerospace man-
today—and many of these airplanes have been flying for ages engineering change orders and show you an example
several decades. As a result, the company’s move to CATIA of how Parker Hannifin’s Engineered Polymer Systems divi-
V5 created the need to translate hundreds of thousands of sion uses non-linear FEA to improve product design. If your
older CAD files to its new CAD standard. The company company would like to be the subject of a “DE On the Case”
found automated translation solutions for each of its CAD story, email us at de-editors@deskeng.com.
programs, but recognized that it would take an enormous
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Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time, without notice. Lenovo makes every effort to ensure accuracy of all information but is not liable or responsible 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 NVIDIA Corporation.
NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and other countries. ©2011 NVIDIA. All rights reserved. Intel, the Intel logo,
Xeon, Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. The following are trademarks
or registered trademarks of Lenovo: Lenovo, the Lenovo logo, For Those Who Do and ThinkStation. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. ©2011
Lenovo. All rights reserved. MMG _ US _ PPA _ Q2-12 _ 23969

Application /// Computer-Aided Design
needed to be checked manually to
determine whether changes were
needed. Finally, differences high-
lighted in red were manually cor-
rected in the target file to match
the source file.
Looking Ahead
Parker Aerospace has identified
yet another application that it
plans to implement in the future.
The length of time over which
aerospace programs exist means
that they inevitably have to be
moved from release to release
of the CAD package used to de-
velop them.
“We need to be sure that when
The identification of a difference, both highlighted on the model and
we move to a new release that the geometry
in the difference tree.
of our existing programs has not changed,”
would be very small. If the differences are smaller than our Deragisch says. “It would require a huge amount of time to
manufacturing tolerances, then it’s not a problem. If they make this determination manually, but with ECO Manager,
are larger, then we need to correct the translated file.” it is a simple, automated process. We also have a number of
ECO Manager produces a report on each file that can be customers, particularly in the propulsion side of the business,
configured to segregate differences that are larger or smaller that do not use CATIA as their standard. For these customers,
than a specified tolerance level. This feature was particularly we will design parts in CATIA and then translate and deliver
valuable to Parker because the tolerance levels at which the a 3D model in the format of the CAD package used by our
files need to be compared are different for different parts. customer. ECO Manager will be used to demonstrate that the
“We considered doing a manual comparison, but when models are geometrically equivalent and will save time by au-
we estimated the time required to compare the files for tomating this comparison.”
just one of our smaller divisions, it turned out to be a 27 Deragisch estimates that ECO Manager has saved “hun-
‘person-year’ effort,” Deragisch says. “We looked at sev- dreds of years of effort” through its ability to accurately and
eral tools that created a point cloud on the surface of the completely compare CAD files and catalog the differences.
source file, and compared them to a similar point cloud “We have achieved substantial time savings in the ECO
created on the surface of the target file. The problem process by highlighting the differences between the exist-
with these tools is that they only compared a sampling of ing product definition and the proposed changes, while
points, so there was no way to be certain that the tool had ensuring that nothing else has been accidentally changed,”
found all of the differences between the two files.” he concludes. “In addition, this new approach provides an
The Parker team configured ECO Manager to automati- independent validation of the translation process, which
cally compare a large number of source and target CAD files. helps to ensure the accuracy of our critical product defini-
For each comparison, the team set a first tolerance level that tion files.” DE
is small enough to definitely be within manufacturing toler-
ances and does not require modification. A second, higher James Gordon is vice president of Development for the ECO
tolerance level was defined so that differences above the first Manager product line at Kubotek USA. Prior to his work at
level but below the second level may be checked manually to Kubotek, he was vice president of Development and Chief Ar-
see whether changes are needed. Finally, a third, even higher chitect of ACIS, a product of DS Spatial Corp.
tolerance level was set for differences at or above this level that
definitely require modification of the target file.
After performing the comparison, ECO Manager gen- INFO ➜Kubotek USA: Kubotekusa.com
erates a report that includes a model with all of the differ-
ences between the source and target files highlighted and
➜ Dassault Systèmes: 3DS.com
color-coded. Differences that were highlighted in green did ➜ Parker Aerospace: Parker.com
not need to be checked. Differences highlighted in yellow For more information on this topic, visit deskeng.com.

HP recommends Windows® 7.
Advertorial /// High-Performance Computing
Building a Cluster with Your

Workstations
Engineers can fully utilize their HP Z800
Workstation power with clustering.
By Peter Varhol
W
hen we think about cluster computing, we imag-
ine a rack of blade servers in the computer room, Screen image courtesy of ANSYS
all with multiple processors and cores. Engineers
submit jobs to a queue, and it eventually executes and the cores, disk space, graphics, and I/O—for use as independently
results file is available for review and analysis. running, separate systems. Each individual engineer sets the num-
That’s the traditional view of the cluster, and it’s a great ber of processors, cores, and memory for use in computations
tool for enabling engineers to more fully analyze and simulate employing the cluster, while continuing to work on designs using
design concepts. But here’s another, emerging picture. The the remaining system resources.
cluster is actually the collection of workstations used by de- The result is actually two computers in one box—one being
sign engineers, networked together so that their Intel® Xeon® used by the design engineer to create and refine product designs,
processor cores collectively run the analysis and simulation and one being used as a part of a cluster to run simulations on
software, while these engineers continue to do their design all or parts of those designs. Imagine a workflow when your en-
tasks on the same workstations. In that instance, it’s just like gineers collaborate on a large design, then use their clustered
the larger server cluster in the computer room, except that it’s workstations to run simulations on that design, and to use the
more suited for less complex computations. results to incrementally improve the design.
This cluster doesn’t require a large investment by the en-
terprise. Instead, its costs are only a little more than the price The Software Side
of the workstations themselves. This makes it accessible to just Engineering analysis products such as the ANSYS Mechanical
about any engineering group, no matter what the size. and ANSYS Fluid Dynamics and Multiphysics do their work using
The benefits far outweigh any additional cost. Today, most computations that can be highly parallelized. As a result, ANSYS
engineers have the necessary memory and processing power and other analysis and simulation vendors have released versions
on their desktops. For example, workstation clustering using of their products that will take advantage of multiple Intel Xeon
the HP Z800 Workstation enables engineering groups to con- processors and cores. Engineers can work with their software
tinue doing fast designs, while analyzing those designs in real suppliers to take better advantage of this type of clustering. Better
time without a dedicated server cluster. software, more flexible licensing options, and a good understand-
ing of the relationship between computational analysis and the
Building a Workstation Cluster characteristics of the computing platform will help engineering
The actual cluster is straightforward to build. Starting with the HP groups better deploy these applications to get the most out of
Z800 Workstation, use the second gigabit network adapter on workstation clusters.
the system to configure a private network between the worksta- Clustering HP Z800 Workstations using virtualization to cre-
tions in the cluster. For the cost of the added cabling, gigabit ate dedicated computing resources results in a better overall
switch and server OS, you have the backbone of the cluster. design, achieved through earlier and more frequent engineer-
You can employ the entire network as a cluster, but then the ing analysis. DE
Z800 Workstations can’t be used as individual design systems. In- For more information on an HP
stead, using the Parallels Workstation Extreme virtualization solu- and ANSYS Solutions please
tion, each workstation can be divided into two virtual machines— go to www.hp.com/go/solver
a software creation that has memory, processors and processor or call 800-888-0261.
© 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are
set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not
be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Microsoft, Windows, and Vista are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel, the Intel
logo, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

Applications /// Finite Element Analysis
‘Getting’ the Boot

Parker Hannifin learns firsthand how non-linear FEA ensures a fast,
robust product design.
BY JASON FOULGER AND BRAD ALLEN
N
on-linear finite element analysis
(FEA) has proven to be an indis- FIGURE 1: The flexible boot installation tool.
pensible tool in the development of
elastomeric molded shapes and seals. FEA
models provide the ability to observe the
behavior of elastomeric parts or seals when
subjected to external forces. These models
can then be used to investigate the validity
of proposed solutions without lengthy, ex-
pensive prototyping and application testing.
Parker Hannifin’s Engineered Polymer
Systems (EPS) division was asked to de-
sign and manufacture a series of flexible
boots from Parker Resilon polyurethane to
protect the sensitive joints of down-hole
drills used in the oil and gas markets. The
purpose of these boots is to protect against
adverse conditions that could result in
seizure, breakage or decrease in torque
transfer. The polyurethane material provides additional
wear-and-tear resistance over traditional rubber boots. FIGURE 2: The original tool
One of the challenges faced by the design engineers design shows how the heel
was how to install the tight-fitting boot onto the joint rolls over just before the boot
for service. To solve this problem, a custom tool was de- loses contact with the fingers.
signed to stretch and install the boot onto the joint (see
Figure 1). The installation tool consists of a fixture with
five pivoting fingers, designed to push against the heel
of the boot and drive it over a tapered, lubricated cone.
Because the fingers are allowed to pivot, contact be-
tween the fingers and the boot’s heel is maintained as
the boot is stretched radially over the cone. A tensioned
rubber band is used to provide inward radial force on
the fingers to keep them close to the cone. Once the
boot reaches the end of the cone, it can be slid into
position over the joint.
The installation tool proved successful with several
boot designs; however, a challenge was encountered during the fingers to slip off and preventing installation
ing the installation of a particularly small boot with a (see Figure 2). The boot’s thin cross-section was not
thin cross-section. Once it reached a certain point along sufficiently stiff to avoid buckling under the installation
the cone, the boot’s heel would rotate outward—caus- force. Several immediate ideas, such as adding more rub-

FEA to the Rescue
An axisymmetric FEA model was created
(using MSC.Software’s FEA application)
to simulate the conditions of the boot in-
stallation. The Resilon material was char-
acterized for use in the FEA model via
simple tension and compression testing.
The resulting stress-strain curve was then
fit to the non-linear, hyperelastic Ogden
material model. The Ogden strain energy
function is , where
λ1, λ2, λ3 are stretch ratios and αi and
μi are specific material constants unique
to the Resilon polyurethane. The above
function is in its original incompressible
form. The actual function implemented in
the FEA program involves a bulk modulus
term to account for near incompressibility.
The cone and fingers of the installation
FIGURE 3: The FEA model predicts the outward rolling of
tool were assumed rigid because the deformation in
the boot’s heel and the subsequent loss of contact with
these metal components is relatively small compared to
the installation tool.
that of the elastomer boot. A coefficient of friction was
applied between the boot and cone that approximates
ber bands around the fingers and adding more lubrica- lubricated contact. As illustrated in Figure 3, the FEA
tion to the cone, did not solve the problem. model accurately replicated the installation failure.
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Applications /// Finite Element Analysis
Design Optimization
At this point, these FEA results were used
as a benchmark against which proposed
solutions were evaluated. A cost-effec-
tive—and more importantly, quick—solu-
tion was needed. Two ideas for modifying
the cone were examined in FEA: using a
single taper instead of the dual taper, and
lengthening the cone to provide a smaller
taper angle.
The model predicted little or no im-
provement from either of these solutions.
In each of the trials, once the applied axial
FIGURE 4: Axial force as a function of the boot’s position along the force reached somewhere between 300 and
cone. Only the design with the modified fingers could support the 500 lbF, buckling occurred. This is repre-
installation force without buckling. sented in the drop-off in force of the first
three curves seen in Figure 4.
Finally, it was proposed that cutting a
groove into the fingers where the boot’s
heel would be inserted would allow the
fingers to “grip” the heel, and prevent it
from rolling outward. The FEA model
supported this solution (see Figure 5). The
modified design allowed for the boot’s heel
to be supported at the high axial force re-
quired to drive it up the cone (see Figure
4). This design change also returned the
lowest cost and fastest turn-around time.
The new fingers were machined per
design changes recommended from the
analysis. The tool was reassembled, and
the boot installed without problem. The
elastomer was monitored throughout the
process. Figure 6 shows the elastomer
securely contained in its groove. Physi-
FIGURE 5: FEA suggests that adding a groove to the fingers will
cal testing successfully validated the
prevent the heel from rolling and allow for proper boot installation.
FEA predictions.
In conclusion, non-linear FEA provides
FIGURE 6: The new finger design, per FEA the ability to confirm the design problem and to per-
recommendations. It’s shown at the same form design iterations quickly until an optimized solu-
position the original design would have tion is found. In this case, a simple geometry change to
lost contact with the boot. the fingers was all that was needed. Time and money
were saved because excessive prototype machining and
testing could be avoided. DE
Foulger is a design engineer and Allen is a lab manager for

Parker Hannifin’s Engineered Polymer Systems division.
INFO ➜ Parker Hannifin: Parker.com

➜ MSC.Software Corp.: MSCsoftware.com
For more information on this topic, visit deskeng.com.

Design Optimization Sponsored Report /// Intel® Corporation
Workstations and HPC Clusters

Creating the first digital model and the first simulation on your
Intel® Xeon® dual processor workstation makes sense today.
BY PETER VARHOL
/ Intel®
M
Design Optimization Sponsored Report
any engineering groups employ HPC clusters to
perform complex and demanding analyses and
Corporation Time to Complete on Remote HPC
100mbs (fast ethernet) Size Time
simulations. The combined processing power of a
compute node with two or four Intel® Xeon® processors, each Upload 8GB 12 minutes
with up to six cores per processor, provides the means to create Process on 12 cores NA 4 hours
detailed simulations that can significantly reduce the need for Download 400GB 12 hours
physical prototypes. Time to Complete on Intel® Xeon® Based Workstation
Engineers have the equivalent of a supercomputer of a few
100mbs (fast ethernet) Size Time
years ago in their workstations, but this performance does not re-
move the need for HPC resources. It augments an organization’s Upload 8GB 0 minutes
HPC investment and can help engineers explore more designs in Process on 12 cores NA 4 hours
less time. They can explore small and medium jobs locally, and Download 400GB 0 hours
employ dedicated HPC resources for large-scale simulations. Number of Simulations in a 24 Hour Period
Here is an example: a user is investigating small and medium
Remote HPC 2
jobs. These simulations can now be performed locally at his dual
processor Intel Xeon 5000 series-based workstation. Large, high- Intel® Xeon® based workstations with 12 cores 6
fidelity, multi-modal jobs can be now processed unencumbered
by small and medium jobs on the remote HPC resource. The be performed early in the design process, when the engineer is
table to the right shows the impact of using workstations in this seeking to understand the overall behavior of a design.
manner, and how users can potentially get three times more work The second is the sensitivity analysis, where engineers can
done in the same time period. take portions of the analysis that are most problematic, or sensi-
An organization can now optimize three key resources. tive to changes in parameters, and analyze or simulate just those
1. The engineer: By giving an engineer access to a dual- components. An engineer may want to run those calculations sev-
processor workstation, he or she can efficiently and effectively eral times, with different parameter values and different assump-
model small and medium jobs locally and dispense of the time tions, to find the best design for those components under differ-
tax to transmit, compute and retrieve these jobs fro HPC systems. ent operational conditions. Workstations enable users to refine
2. The workstation: By moving it past a CAD-only use aspects of the design before running a full analysis or simulation.
model and using it for simulation, an organization can employ all Because the Intel Xeon processor has up to six cores, and most
available compute cycles around the clock for simulation. With engineering workstations have two processors, you’ll be bring-
a technology from Intel called Intel Virtualization technology ing taking advantage of the parallelism in these calculations. The
for direct I/O, the CAD user will be isolated from simulation large multi-level cache memory architecture ensures that all of
requirements and will not be slowed down in their design task. the available cores are fully utilized.
3. The organization’s HPC cluster: This resource, no lon- The end result is that engineering organizations now have a
ger taxed with small and medium jobs, now can process larger great deal of flexibility in how they use their computational power
high-fidelity models in less time than before. in support of design, analysis, and simulation. The groups that use
this flexibility to their advantage will end up with better designs
Combining Workstation and Cluster Computing that are completed more quickly, and at a lower R&D cost.
So how can the engineer leverage the power of the Intel Xeon Access to the department or enterprise compute cluster may
multi-processor and multi-core workstation to make the most ef- still be limited throughout the design process. But with today’s
fective use of the resources available? Even for large and complex workstations, engineers are in a position to leverage more com-
analyses, there are two types of computation that can readily be puting power from more sources than ever before. DE
done on the workstation. The first is a high-level analysis or a
coarse grain model evaluation, one that takes into account only
a few parameters of the problem. This type of computation can INFO ➜ Intel Corp: intel.com/go/workstation

Simulation & Analysis /// Overview
Beyond the Hype:

HyperWorks 11
Altair Engineering has emerged as a major player in the enterprise CAE market,
challenging the established industry forefathers with the aggressiveness of a start-up.
BY VINCE ADAMS
I
n June, Altair released version 11 of its
flagship suite, HyperWorks—to wide
acclaim. The HyperWorks suite has de-
veloped over the past three releases to be a
veritable one-stop shop for engineers and
analysts looking to develop products in a
predictive environment requiring multiple
solution domains.
HyperWorks has included HyperMesh
(pre-processing), HyperView (post-pro-
cessing), advanced optimization using both
topology and design of experiments (DOE)
algorithms (OptiStruct & HyperStudy), im-
plicit and explicit FEA solvers (RADIOSS)
and multi-body dynamics (MotionSolve). FIGURE 1: The HyperWorks 11 desktop.
With version 11, enterprise collaboration, a conceptual ge-
ometry modeling environment (solidThinking) and compu- engineer needs to solve a mechanism with flexible bodies,
tational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver (AcuSolve) have been HyperWorks debits his HWU pool. When this task is com-
added on top of a list of improvements too numerous to list plete, those units are credited back for use with any other
herein—and well beyond what users of other products would HyperWorks feature. This flexibility removes the need for
expect with a yearly release. an engineer to prioritize the critical attributes of the product
“Altair is so much more than meshing and optimization when planning a software purchase.
these days,” declares Jeff Brennan, long-time finite element On top of this, Altair recognizes that one company can-
analysis (FEA) industry expert and chief marketing officer not provide all the predictive tools an engineer needs. Con-
of Troy, MI-based Altair Engineering Inc. Brennan credits sequently, it has built the HyperWorks Partner Alliance—a
Altair’s commitment to continued growth and customer- network of software partners that accept HWU licensing
focused innovation for his nearly 20 years with the company. within the HyperWorks framework. These partners include,
but aren’t limited to, industry-leading fatigue and plastic
A Revolutionary Business Model mold filling tools.
HyperWorks 11 is, first and foremost, an integrated CAE In HyperWorks, this business model was enhanced with
desktop environment providing access to both Altair’s wide new solver options, AcuSolve CFD and solidThinking con-
product offering and a growing list of partner applications. ceptual modeler, as well as enterprise-level collaboration
In the early releases of HyperWorks, the company imple- tools. Additionally, the number of HWUs required for cer-
mented the HyperWorks Unit (HWU) token-based licens- tain FE solving features were reduced, with increasing re-
ing program. This allows users of the program to purchase ductions as usage increases. The list of HyperWorks Alli-
units instead of specific features, so that all the capabilities ance Partners has also been increased, and will continue to
of HyperWorks are available to them. For example, if an increase going forward.

Figure 2:
A rendered RADIOSS
Improved User Experience explicit crash.
HyperWorks 11 combines the power of Hy-
perMesh and HyperView, the formerly
independent pre- and post-processors,
into a single desktop environment.
This allows HyperWorks users to
switch between mesh and results views
during a given project—and even view
both model states simultaneously. The
HyperWorks 11 Desktop expands on the
previously implemented Browser window
(see Figure 1). HyperWorks 11’s answer to that the
the popular “feature tree” concept now pro- solver sees.
vides a diverse and robust collection of selec- Also in the
tion and display options that should allow users pre-processing
to work in the manner that best fits their preferences. function, Hyper-
One improvement is the ability to quickly highlight, isolate or Works 11 has im-
hide all components with a given material or element property. proved the 3D display
This is a powerful tool for model checking and debugging. of idealized elements
The desktop pre-processor includes an FE model build- s u c h a s b e a m s , shells and composite shells. Users are
ing feature that lets users simultaneously construct modeling provided an unambiguous display of the geometry position
elements in a graphical, feature-oriented mode as well as the and orientation in 3D space of these entities. This will mini-
more traditional “card – field” input mode. Experienced FE mize common modeling mistakes made by newer and more
users will recognize the value of direct parameter input in the experienced users alike, such as improper placement or ex-
“Card Image” view, because it directly reflects the true input pectations of beam neutral axes or shell mid-surfaces.
INCREASE YOUR PERFORMANCE

Verify Designs Validate Processes
Automate Documentation
Contact us to find out more or for a free test drive!

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Simulation & Analysis /// Overview
Extended Collaboration Environment
The previous file and data management capabilities were
extended in HyperWorks 11 to allow better customiza-
tion and collaboration at the team level within the prod-
uct’s user interface. Additionally, enterprise-level col-
laboration was added to expand the reach of predictive
data, for better and more confident decisions outside the
simulation group.
Personal and Team Level data management is accessed
from within the HyperWorks GUI. Customization tools
have been added to capture best practices and automate
repetitive tasks and processes. HyperWorks 11 can now
connect to product lifecycle management systems to link
to CAD geometry and bills of materials.
Lastly, a brand-new set of web apps makes enterprise
simulation management accessible from anywhere via
web browser. This can be extremely important when
reviewing projects remotely and unexpected questions
about simulation results arise.
Improved Solver Capabilities

HyperWorks has relied on the comprehensive RADIOSS
solver for both implicit and explicit FEA processing. Altair
leverages RADIOSS for traditional FE tasks, as well as crash
dynamics and stress/strain computation within a multi-body FIGURE 3: AcuSolve CFD results on a wind turbine.
dynamics, or mechanism model (see Figure 2).
HyperWorks 11 includes some long-awaited additions to Building on Optimization
the RADIOSS solver, as well as many additional capabilities In 1994, Altair’s OptiStruct topology optimization ush-
and improvements to existing features. Within the explicit ered in a new way of leveraging FEA by allowing en-
solver, a mass scaling option has been added to increase the gineers to explore possibly counterintuitive geometries
solver time-step requirement by locally adjusting mass of by specifying loads, failure conditions and the allowable
stiff elements without an impact on the regional or global design space or physical envelope a part can occupy. In
accuracy of the model. This allows complex models with HyperWorks 11, Altair expands upon this capability (see
varying mesh size and quality to solve more quickly. Figure 4).
Another important feature allows for different geometric Topology optimization is now available in non-lin-
domains in a model to solve at different time steps simulta- ear problems, including large displacement non-linear
neously. Frequent users of explicit solvers will immediately events, as well as in multi-body mechanisms. In the past,
recognize the value of this feature. The time step directly af- users would have to estimate the one or two worst-case
fects the total run time, so restricting higher-frequency solve load and/or time steps to submit to topology optimiza-
tasks to only the areas requiring them opens the opportunity tion. In HyperWorks 11, load or time steps are submit-
for larger, less idealized models. ted to OptiStruct as separate load cases—and the opti-
In the implicit FE solver, HyperWorks 11 has added new mization constraints are enforced across the entire event.
dynamic solution algorithms such as Response Spectrum, This ensures an optimized geometry that truly maps to
Complex Eigenvalue and Pre-Stressed Modal options. The the problem at hand.
non-linear capabilities have also been beefed up with new Historically, topology optimization results have
contact and material capabilities. looked rather “organic” because of the free-flowing
One exciting solver addition in HyperWorks 11 is the nature of the load path within most parts. OptiStruct
implementation of the AcuSolve CFD tool. HyperWorks attempted to tame this effect with manufacturing con-
HWU license users get access to this full-featured CFD tool straints in 1998. These constraints impose requirements
at no additional cost (see Figure 3). like tool pull direction and parting lines on the design
Also, in the HyperWorks 11 MotionSolve module, Com- space, so that the resulting geometry suggestion is more
ponent Mode Synthesis has been added to the flexible body easily translated into a manufacturable part. In Hyper-
dynamics toolbox. Works 11, a no-hole option was added to draw-direction

Conclusions
Surprisingly, this overview only captures a
fraction of the new functionality provided in
HyperWorks 11. Altiar’s Brennan confirms
FIGURE 4: that while this release followed the prior by
OptiStruct topology 18 months instead of the usual 12, the level
optimization of a multi-body of growth is typical with new HyperWorks
mechanism component. releases. There are additional capabilities in
the areas of noise, vibration and harshness;
durability; manufacturing; scripting and
operations, such as cast parts, when volumes can be re- math solvers that can be reviewed on the product’s website.
moved but a flow path across the volume is required. A The addition of solidThinking conceptual geometry
stamping constraint and minimum feature spacing re- modeler is a feature Altair is hoping will reduce the num-
quirements have also been added. ber of round trips an engineer must make to the base
A global search option has also been added to the CAD package. It will be interesting to see how this in-
optimization algorithm to improve a user’s chances of teracts with OptiStruct in coming releases. DE
reaching the true optimal shape. Gradient Search opti-
mization algorithms are often fooled into mistaking local Vince Adams , currently an account manager for LMS, is a
minima for global depending on the initial conditions of longtime simulation educator, consultant and speaker. He has
the model. By processing the optimization with multiple authored three books on finite element analysis and numerous
initial conditions, or start points, this error can usually magazine articles. Contact him via de-editors@deskeng.com.
be avoided.
New algorithms for multi-objective optimization, robust
design and Microsoft Excel linked studies have also been INFO ➜ Altair: AltairHyperWorks.com
added to HyperWorks 11. For more information on this topic, visit deskeng.com.
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Tormach_DEqtrpg_Oct2011.indd 1 8/29/2011 1:42:02 PM
Computer-Aided Design /// Review
Quite Compatible
Graebert ARES Commander Edition for Macintosh proves to be very AutoCAD-like.
BY DAVID COHN
W
ith its launch last year, Graebert’s ARES Commander
Edition for Macintosh became what the company
calls the first “professional, multi-platform CAD so-
lution for Mac, Windows and Linux,” its release predating the
Mac version of AutoCAD 2011 by several months.
Graebert GmbH has a long history in the CAD industry.
The company has been selling CAD systems since 1983, and
was the first German distributor of AutoCAD. In 1994, Grae-
bert developed its own CAD software, which was marketed as
FelixCAD (later rebranded as PowerCAD). In 2005, the com-
pany replaced its existing CAD engine with an entirely new
kernel, and ARES was born. Graebert’s ARES Commander Edition for Macintosh has
In addition to its own software, Graebert has partnered with a native Mac interface, but its collection of tools will be
Corel, which in April 2011 released CorelCAD for both Win- instantly familiar to anyone who has ever used AutoCAD.
dows and Mac, based on Graebert’s ARES technology. Graebert
is also the company behind Dassault Systèmes’ DraftSight. In fact, ARES Commander Edition is so AutoCAD-like that it’s
While ARES Commander Edition has a native Mac inter- almost frightening. A few commands have different names—
face, its components are quickly familiar to anyone who has ever such as NOTE instead of MTEXT and PATTERN instead of
used AutoCAD. Across the top of the screen is a menu bar with ARRAY—but their button icons make them easily identifiable
pull-downs organized very similar to those in the “classic” Auto- in the ARES interface. In fact, longtime AutoCAD users can
CAD interface (the old interface before the introduction of the still start any ARES command by typing their AutoCAD name
ribbon). When first started, a Tool Matrix palette appears on the or command alias.
left and a Properties palette on the right, with a new drawing Even the command options are nearly identical to Auto-
open in the graphics area. ARES Commander uses AutoCAD’s CAD, and they work much the same way. For example, when
DWG as its native file format, and the software had no prob- drawing circles, you can right-click to display familiar command
lem opening files saved in the AutoCAD 2010 or earlier file options, such as 3Point, 2Point, TTR (tangent, tangent, radius),
formats—all the way back to R12. and TTT (tangent, tangent, tangent).
There’s also a Command Window similar to AutoCAD’s Although there is no equivalent to AutoCAD’s dynamic
command line, located below the graphics area. Users can start input, ARES does include most of AutoCAD’s other drafting
commands by typing, with ARES recognizing most AutoCAD tools, including polar tracking, object snaps (which ARES calls
commands and command aliases. The Command Window also ESnap), and object snap tracking (referred to as ETrack). ARES’
has buttons to toggle drafting aids such as Snap, Grid and Ortho object-snap glyphs are even similar in appearance to those in
modes. Each of these palettes can be floated anywhere on the AutoCAD.
screen or closed entirely. The Tool Matrix can also be mini- One difference in ARES is that commands and controls that
mized and individual toolbars dragged off the Matrix. The Tool have their own individual dialog boxes in AutoCAD—such as
Matrix initially displays four of the 25 available tool palettes. creating text styles and table styles, setting various drafting op-
tions such as snap and grid spacing, and establishing drawing
Instantly Familiar settings such as units and coordinate systems—are all controlled
Like in AutoCAD itself, each drawing occupies its own win- from a single Options dialog.
dow, with three tabs across the bottom to switch from model But ARES’ workflow is very much like that of AutoCAD.
space to one of two initial paper space layouts. You can right- You can right-click to display shortcut menus, zoom using the
click on these to add rename, copy or delete layout tabs, and roller-wheel on a mouse, pan by pressing the roller-wheel, and
these tabs can be hidden and displayed just like in AutoCAD. orbit in 3D by pressing the shift-key and roller-wheel simul-

taneously. Surprisingly, Graebert does not appear to
have incorporated gestures. You can zoom using a
two-fingered swipe, but that appeared to be the only
gesture available when using the touchpad on our
MacBook Pro.
Limited 3D
ARES Commander Edition for Macintosh incorpo-
rates ACIS-based solids, so you can create primitives
such as boxes, wedges, cylinders and spheres. There
are also tools to create some mesh objects, such as
ruled, revolved and tabulated meshes, but ARES lacks
AutoCAD’s tools for creating mesh primitives—and
the program has no surface-modeling capabilities. ARES’ VoiceNotes allows users to embed audio
Working in 3D space in ARES Commander is also not nearly recordings into drawings.
as refined as in AutoCAD. While ARES has tools for perform-
ing Boolean operations such as Union, Subtract and Intersect, ing from ARES Commander Edition. For example, there’s
and for manipulating objects using tools like 3D mirror, slice and no support for sheet sets, fields, dynamic blocks, data extrac-
thicken, ARES lacks AutoCAD’s dynamic UCS. To work in 3D tion, parametrics or data linking. Also missing are tools not
space, you’ll need to manually reposition the user coordinate sys- included in the first Mac release of AutoCAD itself, such as
tem (called the CCS in ARES). That also means that ARES lacks the Action Recorder, Batch Standards Checker and eTransmit.
AutoCAD’s wonderful PressPull capability. And while ARES For the most part, ARES Commander Edition for Ma-
shows grips at various points on 3D objects, they only enable you cintosh shows a lot of promise. It’s a very serviceable CAD
to move the object. You can’t enlarge a 3D box, for example, by program with very good AutoCAD compatibility—and some
grip editing—and there’s no way to edit subobjects. interesting capabilities. With a price several hundred dollars
In fact, once you’ve created 3D objects, there appear to below that of AutoCAD LT (which lacks AutoLISP), ARES
be very few ways to modify those objects. For example, after could do quite well as a 2D alternative to AutoCAD. But its
creating a solid box, when you select the box, only its general 3D capabilities are lacking. That, and numerous other short-
properties appear in the Properties palette. You cannot adjust its comings, currently places it well behind AutoCAD in most
length, width or height, and although you can scale the entire areas. Still, considering that ARES Commander Edition is also
box, you cannot stretch it in a single direction. available for Windows and Linux, Graebert has done a very
good job in this first release. It will be interesting to see what
Mostly Compatible the company has in store in future versions. DE
ARES does provide surprisingly good support for AutoLISP,
scripts and C++, and we had no problem loading and running David Cohn is the technical publishing manager at 4D Technologies.
numerous AutoLISP programs. ARES also provides interface He also does consulting and technical writing from his home in Bell-
customization similar to that of AutoCAD. It also supports ingham, WA. He’s a contributing editor to Desktop Engineering
user profiles. The software uses the same hatch patterns, line- and the author of more than a dozen books. Contact him via email at
types and SHX text files as AutoCAD, so users should have no david@dscohn.com or visit his website at DSCohn.com.
compatibility issues exchanging drawing files.
ARES also incorporates an interesting capability not
found in AutoCAD: Users can insert audio recordings (called INFO ➜ Graebert GmbH: Graebert.com
VoiceNotes) into a drawing. These recordings are embed- Graebert ARES Commander Edition for the Mac
ded into the drawing and can be played back later. While Price: $7,95
AutoCAD indicates that DWG files saved using ARES were
created in software not developed or licensed by Autodesk, System Requirements:
AutoCAD had no problem opening drawings we created or • Operating System: Mac OS X v10.5.8 (Leopard)
edited in ARES. VoiceNotes appeared as block references or v10.6.x (Snow Leopard)
with attributes, although of course AutoCAD could not play • CPU: Intel processor
the embedded recordings. But after resaving those drawings • Memory: 1GB RAM (2GB recommended)
in AutoCAD, those VoiceNotes played just fine again when • Disk space: 2GB free disk space for installation
we opened them in ARES. • Video: 1024x768 display (1280x800 recommended)
Of course, there are a number of AutoCAD features miss- For more information on this topic, visit deskeng.com.

Computer-Aided Design /// PLM
Get Ready for RLM:

Wherever You May Roam
Mobile devices and app-driven commerce offer clues to the future of product
data authoring and delivery.
BY KENNETH WONG
T
he invasion began with a few inconspicuous units,
dropped behind enemy lines. At the PTC World
Event in Orlando (June 6-9, 2010), a journalist took
notes on Apple’s latest tablet while Jim Heppelmann, PTC’s
CEO-elect at the time, talked about Project Lightning, a
codename for the company’s upcoming product launch.
A few weeks later, at Siemens PLM Connection in Dallas
(June 27-29, 2010), an analyst sheepishly tried to hide his
iPad as he shook hands with a Microsoft executive. The
gentleman from Windows reciprocated the analyst’s profes-
sional courtesy by pretending not to notice the Apple device.
In October, when PTC finally revealed its new product
family, Creo 1.0, it became clear the company was borrow-
ing a page from Apple’s playbook. In fact, Brian Shepherd,
PTC’s executive vice president of product development,
borrowed Apple’s marketing slogan—“There’s an app for
that!”—to explain PTC’s strategy to break up an all-in- Autodesk Inventor Publisher Mobile Viewer lets you view
clusive CAD-PLM package into a series of app-like modules. interactive 3D assembly instructions on mobile devices.
Around the same time, PTC’s rival Dassault Systèmes revealed
3DVIA Mobile for the iPad and iPhone, a mobile app for view-
ing 3D models. Aspiring engineers and designers have become too accus-
By the time Autodesk University came around in December tomed to their Wi-Fi-enabled freedom.
2010, some keynote speakers were openly flaunting the iPad— Design, engineering and manufacturing have long been
never mind that they were speaking to an audience made up decentralized. Global supply chains, offshore operations and
primarily of Windows-based AutoCAD users. Longtime PC transatlantic collaboration no longer raise eyebrows. From GM
devotee Autodesk eventually paid homage to Apple and mobile and Ford to Procter & Gamble, industry titans and small busi-
devices by releasing a series of apps that target the iPhone, iPad nesses alike have accepted them as standard practices. Yet, many
and Android devices: AutoCAD WS Mobile, Autodesk Inven- PLM technologies remain trapped inside servers and desktops.
tor Publisher Mobile Viewer and SketchBook Mobile, to name Perhaps it’s time to mobilize PLM, to get ready for the inevi-
but a few. table arrival of RLM: roaming lifecycle management.
Last spring, as Apple prepared to launch its second-gener-
ation tablet, the iPad 2, PLM (product lifecycle management) The Great Shakeup
software makers were forced to rethink their R&D strate- This June, at PTC’s annual user conference (rebranded as
gies. It became clear to them that traditional client-server PlanetPTC Live), PTC’s Shepherd got one of the most en-
approach—a central data repository, accessible via desktop thusiastic rounds of applause when he shook an iPad—quite
terminals—was no longer sufficient. The old computing para- literally. Shepherd was demonstrating Windchill Mobility, an
digm with firewall restrictions is bound to suffocate many in app that’s not yet in the market. Developed to let users ac-
the new talent pool, who have been told they’re free to roam. cess product data housed in PTC’s Windchill PLM system

through a mobile device, the app also lets users shake the
device to explode an assembly—an example of an innova-
tive use of the device’s sensitivity to movement.
Apple iPhone and iPad offer a way to undo an action
(most notably, to undo a string of text you just typed)
by shaking the unit. In essence, it encourages you to do
something you’ve been traditionally told not to do with
your computing devices!
Similarly, mobile devices’ touch-responsiveness en-
courages you to interact with digital design data—2D
drawings and 3D models—differently. This distinct
characteristic makes it possible to bypass the mouse al-
together when launching, zooming, panning, selecting,
rotating and editing CAD models in the latest crop of
mobile apps developed by CAD and PLM vendors—in-
cluding Autodesk Inventor Publisher Mobile Viewer, Au-
toCAD WS, Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA Mobile, IMSI/ Siemens PLM Software’s Teamcenter Mobility lets you
Design’s TurboViewer and Siemens PLM Software’s Team- use an iPad to search and retrieve design data and
center Mobility. bills of materials housed in a Teamcenter repository.
“Laptops and notebooks have been able to connect wire- 3D visualization is made possible by Siemens PLM
lessly through add-on air cards for some time,” observes Software’s lightweight JT format.
Siemens PLM Software in a white paper, “A Mobility Strat-
egy for PLM Users.” “Recently, interest has increased in a
new breed of tablets popularized by the Apple iPad and the ment companies are procuring tablets for their own mobile
Android platform. Seemingly overnight, product develop- workforce, and requiring their enterprise software solutions
Read this FREE white paper to learn:

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Computer-Aided Design /// PLM
to support these mobile devices. According to Forrester Re- data retrieval and document viewing,” he notes. “Field and
search, the enterprise mobile workforce represented 57% of shop floor personnel would require additional functionality
employees in 2010 and is expected to grow to as much as for scanning and tracking manufactured and test units, rais-
93% by 2015.” ing corrective actions, and recoding returned materials.”
Downstream use of CAD data, often touted by PLM Five years ago, says Bill Barnes, general manager of Lat-
advocates as one of the benefits, was previously fueled by tice Technology, “we were all about format. Our mantra was
lightweight client apps, installed on desktops or laptops (for XVL, XVL, XVL—XVL everywhere, XVL on every desk-
example, SolidWorks’ eDrawings Viewer or Cimmetry Au- top. [XVL is Lattice’s lightweight geometry display format.]
toVue, later acquired by Oracle). But the popularity of mo- Now, what I’ve noticed is the need to support multiple con-
bile devices among road warriors and field technicians sug- sumption devices: a tablet or handheld device, a touchscreen
gest the function will soon shift to smartphones and tablets. on the shop floor, a notebook with a PDF reader. As a ven-
To address this sea change, some design software makers dor, we need to make sure we can support all those.”
like Autodesk and Dassault Systèmes now offer the ability Lattice’s XVL Studio serves as a software suite for turning
to publish mobile device-displayable animations, dynamic 3D design data into 3D manufacturing data and technical il-
documents and interactive manuals through products like lustrations. Barnes acknowledges the increasing demand for
Autodesk Inventor Publisher and 3DVIA Composer. mobile support, but the company’s software currently doesn’t
Naturally, discussions of mobile computing may set off include mobile publishing options.
some alarm bells, as the new devices are not always easy to Similarly, Omnify’s Cimlore says, “The biggest challenge
control or track. For IP-conscious manufacturers, they could is supporting the wide array of operating systems. Like many,
be a huge IT headache. But surprisingly, PC maker Dell Omnify is taking the approach of developing a ‘scaled-down’
comes to the defense of the new kids: “Corporate IT poli- version of its browser-based products to provide stream-
cies that ban the use of employee-owned devices in the name lined functionality for mobile devices (through the device’s
of security inadvertently create new bigger security holes as browser). As demand increases for extended functionality for
users skirt IT restrictions,” Dell noted in its paper “CIO a specific mobile OS, we will develop apps accordingly.”
Strategies for Consumerization: The Future of Enterprise Supporting mobile devices via a browser may work as a
Mobile Computing” (Feb. 3, 2011). shortcut, but the method can’t take full advantage of a de-
vice’s inherent features, like multi-touch navigation and
An Unsettled Market gesture-based 3D navigation. In fact, early prototypes and
Chuck Cimlore, CEO of Omnify PLM Solutions, is look- PLM apps appear to treat the device primarily as a portable
ing at areas of his firm’s software that are ripe for mobile input terminal. Very few, for instance, take advantage of the
deployment. device’s location awareness and audiovisual features.
“The key features for general PLM users would center Developing PLM apps for the iPad, iPhone and Android
around viewing workflows, performing sign-offs, searching, is the easy part (see “The Kindle Sync Model,” to the left).
Figuring out a way to synchronize user operations across all
The Kindle Sync Model platforms, operating systems, and devices so everyone in-
O
volved in a project can view and access the same engineer
nline book merchant Amazon’s Kindle app— change orders, geometry edits and supply chain shuffles—
available for PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, that’s the difficult part. And that’s what it’ll take to maintain
Windows phones and Android phones—serves a single source of the truth when PLM goes mobile.
as a good model for mobile PLM app developers to follow.
Suppose you have the Kindle reading app installed on Exceptions to the Mobile Rule
your iPhone, iPad, PC and Kindle hardware. You may read In general, PLM tasks that can be performed remotely are also
a title you’ve purchased from the Kindle store on any of those that don’t need a lot of CPU power. They include data
those devices. And if you highlight certain passages using search and retrieval, design review and approval, project status
your iPhone Kindle app, when you launch the same title on query, 3D data viewing and markup, and request for quotes and
another device, you’ll find it has wirelessly synchronized your proposals. But certain design- and engineering-related tasks that
highlights to the device you’re using. Furthermore, based require dedicated workstations and servers may not be suitable
on the furthest location you’ve read to on the previous app, for mobile treatment yet. For a start, a mobile device’s comput-
Kindle will ask whether you’d like to go to that page when ing power is no substitute for a workstation’s horsepower when
you launch the book on another device. it comes to running professional CAD, finite element analysis
PLM vendors advocate “a single source of the truth,” but (FEA) and rendering software packages.
sometimes have a difficult time accommodating the vision Peter Thorne, managing director for consulting and analyst
in their software. It seems Kindle has figured out a way. firm Cambashi, proposes a hypothetical scenario: “Think of

Roaming Product Data
In August, as if conceding to the invading mobile horde, HP an-
nounced it was considering an exit strategy from the PC business.
“The personal computing market is quickly evolving with
new form factors and application ecosystems,” HP observed in
the announcement. Though not explicit, the reference is under-
stood as mobile devices and tablets. At any rate, HP is consider-
ing a number of options for its Personal System Group, includ-
ing “the separation of its PC business into a separate company
through a spin-off or other transaction.” (For more, read “HP
Ponders Exit Strategy from PC Business,” DE Virtual Desktop
blog, Aug. 19, 2011.)
A week later, United Airlines announced it was giving its
United and Continental Airlines pilots 11,000 iPads, pre-
loaded with flight manuals. Alaska Airlines has also taken
the same approach, paving the way for paperless cockpits.
Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA Mobile Viewer lets you connect
These moves are a clear sign that aerospace—the bread and
to the 3DVIA community online, download models and
butter of PLM—has embraced the idea to deliver mission-
visualize them from an iPad.
critical engineering data and technical documents on mo-
bile devices. PLM data is now literally in the cloud. If your
yourself as a passenger with a choice between two aircraft. You’re PLM software is still locked behind an air-conditioned
told, ‘The aircraft over there was designed by engineers working server room, hidden behind a corporate firewall, you may
at their desks, using 31-in. screens and high-performance work- be the one missing the flight. DE
stations. The one over here was designed by engineers using mo-
bile devices.’ Which one would you rather fly in?” Kenneth Wong writes about technology, its innovative use, and its
His point is, “There’s a level at which the nature of the mo- implications. One of DE’s MCAD/PLM experts, he has written for
bile device becomes a barrier itself,” due to its willing sacrifice of numerous technology magazines and writes DE’s Virtual Desktop
computing power and display screen. blog at deskeng.com/virtual_desktop. You can follow him on Twitter
With the help of partners like mental images (a division of at KennethwongSF, or email him via de-editors@deskeng.com.
NVIDIA), Autodesk has been working on allowing 3ds Max
users to produce ray-traced rendering remotely. The new fea-
ture will allow 3ds Max users to remotely tap into the process- INFO ➜ Altair Engineering Inc.: Altair.com
ing powers of Tesla GPUs housed elsewhere to render their de- ➜ Apple: Apple.com
signs and animations faster. By the same token, engineering and
simulation software provider Altair has begun offering users the ➜ Autodesk: USA.Autodesk.com
option to remotely call up the company’s computing resources
➜ Cambashi: Cambashi.com
to perform simulation jobs.
Current barriers—primarily difficulties in moving large ➜ Dassault Systèmes: 3DS.com
data to and from mobile devices—may disappear in the future
➜ Dell: Dell.com
as software and hardware makers invent new ways to bypass
the need for local processing power. For instance, you may ➜ IMSI/Design: IMSIdesign.com
borrow a remote workstation or buy time on a remote server
to perform your computing-intense tasks. This raises the pos-
➜ Lattice Technology: Lattice3D.com
sibility that you may, indeed, be able to use a mobile device as ➜ mental images: mentalimages.com
an intermediary to connect to a high-performance comput-
ing system hosted elsewhere, making your device’s processing ➜ NVIDIA Corp.: NVIDIA.com
power (or the lack of it) irrelevant. ➜ Omnify Software: OmnifySoft.com
“If you’re going to use a mobile device to do that [serious
design engineering work],” cautions Thorne, “you’d better have ➜ Oracle: Oracle.com
a jolly good app to help you achieve the precision that comes ➜ PTC: PTC.com
more naturally on a traditional desktop workstation. It’s horses for
courses. Mobile is great for viewing, collaborating, and markup ➜ Siemens: USA.Siemens.com
but not my first choice for authoring.” For more information on this topic, visit deskeng.com.

Rapid Tech /// Reverse Engineering
How to Make it in Modeling

Go from 3D scan data to a parametric CAD model, step by step.
By Rachael Dalton-Taggart
I
n the past, it’s taken a fair amount of The parametric exchange process Figure 4: Using the tools within Geo-
expertise to go from a point cloud— leverages the specific strengths of magic Studio, the engineer can then
the initial result of a 3D scan of a point cloud processing software and align and constrain elements in the 3D
physical object—to an accurate 3D digi- CAD software. Point cloud processing model in preparation for transfer to the
tal model that is completely editable in a software organizes and processes point MCAD system. The profiles of each
CAD program. But steady progress over cloud data to create CAD models, and extrusion can be individually edited if
the last 10 years, aided by two recent CAD software enables users to further needed, to build even more accuracy
breakthroughs, has created a data free- modify and prepare models for product into the data.
way originating from the point cloud. design and manufacturing. Figure 5: The Fit Connector tools au-
Point cloud processing closes the tomatically trim the surfaces to ensure
loop between the physical and digital How it Works the model is completely watertight.
worlds, providing the physical-digital We can see how the process works with The software then stitches the surfaces
match that cannot be obtained with a this step-by-step illustration. The para- together. At this point, the engineer is
nominal CAD model alone. metric exchange functionality within ready to use Geomagic’s parametric ex-
Until recently, the most tenuous Geomagic Studio reverse engineering change tool.
part of the physical-digital loop was software works directly within many 3D Figures 6 and 7: The engineer selects
making the connection between 3D MCAD systems, including CATIA, Au- the base extrusion and sends it auto-
scan data and parametric 3D CAD todesk Inventor, SolidWorks and Creo matically to the MCAD system.
models. Over the past two or three Elements/Pro (formerly Pro/ENGI- Figure 8: The engineer can switch
years, however, that connection has NEER), to recreate what was 3D scan back to Geomagic Studio and select the
been simplified and streamlined by two data and turn it into CAD data. It also cutting pane for the extrusion, and send
major developments. uses a range of tools to identify standard this to the MCAD system.
One is the ability to capture and re- elements (cylinders, cones, planes, etc.) Figures 9, 10 and 11: These steps can
produce design intent for a physical based on the point cloud data. be carried out step by step or simulta-
object. Design-intent modeling extends In this example, we will illustrate neously in Geomagic Studio’s paramet-
reverse engineering from simply produc- the process of transferring a 3D model ric exchange.
ing an accurate digital copy to extracting from Geomagic Studio into Creo Ele- Figures 12 and 13: Slots in the 3D
the original design intent from a scan of ments/Pro: data are selected and automatically
a physical model. This ability to generate Figure 1: Inside Geomagic Studio, transferred to the MCAD system to
CAD-ready surfaces from scans of physi- there is a Parametric Surfacing module complete the model.
cal objects laid the groundwork for an- in the top toolbar. This recognizes dis- Figure 14: It is now ready as a para-
other development: a technology dubbed crete features in the model that will be metric model for design edits, additions
parametric exchange. recognized in the MCAD software. The and updates.
Parametric exchange completes the software allows the user to combine and
software bridge between point clouds split regions in the model to match the Explore, Customize, Analyze
and CAD. It provides an intelligent engineer’s needs for the CAD model. The closed loop between scan data and
connection with CAD to enable au- Figure 2: Geomagic Studio then au- CAD that parametric exchange provides
tomatic native reconstruction of ge- tomatically classifies the 3D shapes gives product designers and engineers the
ometry. With parametric exchange, into distinct features. The user can also freedom to explore new and endless vari-
parametric surfaces, datums and curves manually classify elements by hand ations of products. Think of thousands of
can be transferred from point cloud (cylinders and extrusions, for example). permutations of classic Nike shoes, in-
processing software to 3D CAD soft- Figure 3: The software then automati- dividualized Mattel toys or personalized
ware without the need for intermediate cally recognizes the edges and creates dis- fuel tanks for Harley-Davidson motorcy-
neutral files such as IGES or STEP. tinct parametric surfaces for each element. cles—even custom-designed prosthetics.

1 8
It also has the potential to save manu-
facturers on tooling costs. Instead of recre-
ating an expensive mold from scratch, for
example, companies can scan an existing
one, analyze the wear and tear, design an
improved model, and manufacture new
molds in days instead of weeks or months.
2 9 The ability to capture an existing de-
sign and adapt it to new styles and pur-
poses is critical to the evolution from mass
manufacturing to mass customization.
Streamlined processing of point
clouds into accurate digital models is
also opening up new applications in 3D
inspection, computer-aided analysis and
3 10 quality control. Manufacturers now have
the ability to scan a product coming off
an assembly line and compare it to the
nominal CAD model to determine devi-
ations and changes caused by the manu-
facturing process.
Companies can also conduct
finite-element analysis and compu-
4 11 tational fluid dynamics simulations
based on the actual digital model of
an as-built part or assembly. Main-
tenance, repair and overhaul organi-
zations can quickly assess damage to
parts, and fulfill the dual goals of bet-
ter and faster repairs. And in the med-
ical world, the ability to scan a body
part or a dental mold enables doctors
5 12 and dentists to tailor treatments to
the exact physiological needs of their
patients. The results include better fit
and functionality of prosthetic, dental
and hearing devices; less invasive and
more personalized treatment; greater
ability to analyze treatment success
and make adjustments; and better
6 13 communication with patients through
3D imaging.
All of this starts with the point
cloud—and the ability to turn it into a
usable, parametric 3D CAD model. DE
Rachael Dalton-Taggart is director of

marketing communications for Geomagic.
7 14
INFO ➜ Geomagic: Geomagic.com
For more information on this topic,
visit deskeng.com.

What’s New Bentley SACS Suite
A Focus on Energy
BY JIM ROMEO
Finite element analysis (FEA) products with the Fatigue module, enabling the
are not always developed and built user to effortlessly conduct a fatigue
to suit a particular industry. However, design of offshore platforms for the oil,
Bentley Systems recently expanded its gas and wind industry. Our Interactive Parvinder Jhita
portfolio of products and companies Fatigue module allows the user to rede-
by acquiring SACS’ suite of applica- sign any joint on the fly, by interactively
tions that had been developed specifi- changing the structural data and fatigue SACS stay highly competitive, because
cally for the offshore energy and engi- parameters—saving many hours of anal- SACS is the most widely used software
neering industry. ysis and design time to reach a solution. for the design of offshore platforms.
To find out more about these prod- There is significant economic ben-
ucts, DE spoke with Parvinder Jhita, DE: What features about your product efit to using this software: SACS is
Bentley Systems product manager, would you say are most appealing to geared toward the analysis and design
SACS product line, based in Kenner, LA: end-users? of offshore platforms. It has specific
PJ: Three key features include built- tools for this purpose and, as a result,
DE: How does the SACS suite work? in standard platform templates that there is substantial return on invest-
PJ: SACS is an integrated finite element enable fast, detailed creation of ment in terms of time-savings and
structural analysis suite of applications jacket and topside structures; front-end reduced cost.
that uniquely provides for the design, dashboard to simplify and effortlessly
fabrication, installation, operations design for the many complex loading DE: In your view, what are the greatest
and maintenance of offshore struc- scenarios; and the ability to seamlessly challenges facing design engineers of
tures. SACS provides comprehensive integrate joint finite element meshes all disciplines today, and how do you
lifecycle applications for the analysis into the overall structural analytical integrate such concern into your prod-
and design of new and existing fixed model for detailed collapse design. uct lines?
offshore structures for the oil, gas and PJ: Design engineers in the infra-
wind energy markets. The comprehen- DE: Do you plan to add to your appli- structure community have a shared
sive lifecycle applications include non- cation and publishing program in the responsibility to improve the lives of
linear analysis for blast, ship impact near future? people around the globe by sustain-
and pushover loads; fatigue life evalua- PJ: Features of upcoming releases will ing the world’s infrastructure. Quickly
tion; and installation loads. be focused on improving productivity developing economies, such as those
and providing safer platform designs. of Brazil, Russia, India and China, are
DE: How does SACS proactively These include enhanced visualization creating unprecedented demands for
address safety issues? of analysis results, additional European energy—as well as for food, developed
PJ: SACS offers an efficient and easy standards, and a new, non-linear col- land, water, materials and infrastruc-
way of performing different types lapse module with enhanced large ture. SACS enables the safe design of
of analysis over the lifecycle of an deflection capability and optimization offshore platforms to meet the rapidly
offshore structure. For example, our of fatigue calculations to dramatically growing demand for oil and gas energy,
Collapse and Dynamic Response mod- reduce analysis times. Our major focus, and will continue to play an increas-
ules, which are closely coupled togeth- however, is to integrate SACS with other ing role in the growing generation of
er, allow the user to quickly analyze Bentley structural and modeling prod- energy from wind farms. DE
and visually simulate the damage to a ucts using Bentley’s integrated struc-
jacket structure from accidental events tural methodology (ISM). Jim Romeo is based in Chesapeake, VA.
in real-time, leading to a safer design. Contact him via de-editors@deskeng.com.
Another good example is our Wave DE: How would you characterize the
Response module, which allows the return on investment for SACS?
determination of dynamic effects on PJ: SACS is available in packages that INFO ➜ Bentley Systems Inc.:
a structure due to cyclic loading from have different low- to high-end capabili- Bentley.com/SACS
waves, wind and turbine mechanical ties, depending on the requirements and For more information on this topic,
time/history forces. It is fully coupled scale of the project. Users who acquire visit deskeng.com.

SPOTLIGHT Directing your search to the
companies that have what you need.
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Wireless InSite enables engineers

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channel and signal characteristics
in complex urban, indoor, rural and
mixed path environments.
Now available: Wireless InSite Release 2.6! CADLearning ™
Learn more at www.remcom.com/wireless-insite
CADRE Pro 6 for Windows

A practical and affordable tool for mechanical or
structural engineers and designers. Solves virtually any
type of mechanical or architectural structure for internal
loads, stresses, displacements, and natural modes. In-
cludes easy to use modeling tools including import from
CAD. Element types include many specialized beams
and plates. Contains advanced features for stability,
buckling, vibration, shock and seismic analyses for use in
compliance with today’s codes and specifications.
CADRE Analytic
Tel: 425-392-4309
www.cadreanalytic.com
HPC in the Cloud

for Engineering and Design
Buy CPU Time instead of Hardware • Increase production
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Tools of the Month New Products for Engineers
1 3
1 Lightmap Releases
Plug-in for KeyShot
Lightmap Ltd. (lightmapstore.
other products, includ-
ing Polyspace embedded
software verification prod-
2011. The ProductCenter
Inventor Integrator is an
Autodesk Inventor Certified
mobile broadband-available
location, Teamcenter Mobility
2.0 provides individuals with
co.uk) has announced the ucts. Features of MATLAB, Application and the the ability to capture and con-
launch of the HDR Light R2011b include a Parallel ProductCenter SolidWorks tribute additional knowledge,
Studio Live plug-in for Luxion Computing Toolbox, an Image Integrator is a SolidWorks browse product structures and
(luxion.com) KeyShot. HDR Processing Toolbox, a Global Gold Partner Product. initiate workflow processes.
Light Studio brings a high Optimization Toolbox, and a
dynamic range imaging Statistics Toolbox. Omega Introduces Digital Bunkspeed PRO 2012 has
(HDRI) lighting toolkit directly Temperature Transmitters Integrated NVIDIA iray
to KeyShot users, allowing
them to create custom light-
ing designs for each shot.
2Hexagon Metrology Offers Omega’s (omega.com) PRTXB
Agilent Laser Calibration
Hexagon Metrology Inc.
and PRTXAL series are two-
wire transmitters that provide
Bunkspeed (bunkspeed.
com) has introduced the
Bunkspeed PRO Suite 2012.
(hexagonmetrology.us) has a 4 to 20 mA signal represent- The software features image
NI Upgrades announced the availability ing temperature linearized. processing and camera
Measurement Studio of the entire line of Agilent It features a 316 Stainless manipulation tools, single
National Instruments (ni. (agilent.com) laser calibra- Steel RTD Probe that captures click “render pass” output for
com) has announced the NI tion parts and accessories in minimum and maximum read- post production, new configu-
Measurement Studio 2010 its online store. The Agilent ings. Selectable units and an ration and model set capabili-
Service Pack software upgrade. Dynamic Calibrator laser auto shutoff time feature are ty for creation of variants, and
The release, which, according calibration system is used to available for battery-powered photometric lights including
to the company, addresses 15 verify machine tool and CMM models (PRTXB and PRTXBL). spot, point and directional.
improvements to Measurement accuracy. The online store
Studio 2010, is an exclusive
update for members of the NI
Standard Service and Volume
exclusively serves and ships
only within the US. 3Siemens PLM Software
Releases New Version of
Teamcenter Mobility
Gstarsoft Launches Portable
CAD Software for Apple iPad
GstarCAD (en.gstarcad.com)
License programs. SofTech Releases Siemens PLM Software’s (sie- has launched GstarCAD MC for
ProductCenter PLM 9.2.0 mens.com/plm) latest release iPad, which includes functions
MathWorks Announces Softech’s (softech.com) of its Teamcenter Mobility for viewing, creating, annotat-
Release 2011b of MATLAB ProductCenter 9.2.0 mobile app is intended to ing, and editing drawings. The
and Simulink includes platform support enhance the end user’s ability new software works with OCF
MathWorks’ (mathworks. for: Adobe FrameMaker to participate in the product files, which can be converted
com) new release introduces 10, AutoCAD Electrical lifecycle management (PLM) from DWG and DXF files using
Simulink Code Inspector, 2012, AutoCAD Mechanical process using an Apple iPad. GstarCAD for Windows.
which assists with the 2012, Autodesk Inventor In addition to access to the
review of source code gener- 2012, Oracle AutoVue 20.1, existing product knowledge
ated from Simulink models.
R2011b also updates 82
SofTech CADRA 19, CATIA V5 managed using Teamcenter
R20, NX 7.5, and SolidWorks software from any Wi-Fi or
4 threeRivers 3D Introduces
3D Laser Scanner
threeRivers 3D Inc.

5
4 6
(3rivers3d.com) has launched computing cluster, straight SandForce SF-2280 SSD and assign colors when export-
the LC-2-MACRO. The LC-2- out of the box. It consists of Processor, with native support ing in DWG or DWX formats.
MACRO is designed for 3D eight HP ProLiant SL390 G7 for SATA 6Gb/s (SATA 3), com-
scanning of small parts such
as dental molds, hearing
aid impressions, jewelry and
servers, containing 24 NVIDIA
Tesla M2070 GPUs and 16
CPUs. It is preconfigured with
bined with ONFI synchronous
flash memory. 6 PreSys FE Modeling Now
Available for NISA
ETA Inc. (eta.com) has
other highly detailed parts. NVIDIA CUDA 4.0 parallel ZWSOFT Updates ZW3D 2011 announced the availability of its
The LC-2-MACRO has a work- computing software. with Service Pack 1 PreSys finite element modeling
ing volume of 4x3x3-in. and a ZWSOFT (zwsoft.com/en) has environment to NISA (nisasoft-
point spacing of 80um.
NVIDIA Releases Tesla GPU

5 Corsair Releases New SSDs
Corsair (corsair.com) has
announced retail availability
announced the release of
Service Pack 1 for ZW3D 2011.
This service pack is intended
ware.com) users. A solution
for finite element analysis
engineers, PreSys is a precise
Starter Kit from HP of 180GB and 240GB Force to improve ZW3D in the areas modeling tool that interfaces
NVIDIA (nvidia.com) has Series GT SSDs. The new of editing, sheet metal work, with CAD software products
announced a limited-edition 180GB and 240GB models CAD/CAM operations, and file such as CATIA, Unigraphics,
GPU Starter Kit from HP join the 60GB and 120GB import-export. It is available in Pro/Engineer, Solidworks and
(hp.com), a pre-configured Force Series GT models eight languages. Service Pack AutoCAD; while also offering
system that provides engi- already on the market. The 1 can now import more than CAD-based finite element
neers with a ready-to-use GPU Force Series GT uses the two 3D solids from DWG files, meshing capabilities. DE
Advertising Index /// Publisher does not assume any liability for index errors or omissions.
4D Design Solutions, LLC .......................... 43 Objet Geometries, Inc. ................................. 7

Cadre Analytic ............................................ 43 Okino Computer Graphics, Inc. ................... 33
COMSOL, Inc. ............................................ 5 Omega Engineering, Inc. .............................. 1
DE Virtual Workstation Clustering Report ... 37 Professional Systems Associates ................... 17
Hewlett-Parkard Co. ................................... 25 Protocast, Inc. ............................................ 43
IMSI Design ............................................... 43 PSSC Labs ................................................. 19
IntegrityWare ............................................. 43 Remcom, Inc. ............................................. 43
Intel Corp. ................................................ 8-9 Roland DGA............................................... 21
Intel Corp. ................................................. 11 Sabalcore Computing, Inc. .......................... 43
Intel Corp. ................................................. 29 SC11 Conference ..................................... CV3
Kubotek ...................................................... 3 Siemens ..................................................... 15
Lattice Technologies ................................... 31 Simulia ...................................................... 13
Lenovo ....................................................... 23 Stratasys-Fortus ...................................... CV4
Maplesoft ................................................... 27 Synergeering Group .................................... 43
National Instruments ............................... CV2

Editor’s Picks by Anthony J. Lockwood
Each week, Tony Lockwood combs through dozens of new products to bring you the ones he thinks will
help you do your job better, smarter and faster. Here are Lockwood’s most recent musings about the
products that have really grabbed his attention.
Infolytica Releases Latest ElecNet and ThermNet

New functionality enables simulation of lightning strikes and sudden thermal effects.
Infolytica has announced the latest releases the multiphysics analysis drum for years
of its ElecNet and ThermNet CAE software; now, but I can’t help myself. What Infolytica’s
v7.2 for both. ThermNet, as it name implies, announcement means is that these two tools
is for thermal simulations. What struck me link seamlessly. This lets you determine the
as interesting about this announcement are non-linear steady state temperature distribu-
two things: coupling of analyses and a new tion due to electric heat sources for both
feature for modeling adiabatic events. static and time-varying thermal simulations.
Coupling. Yeah, I know that I’ve beaten MORE ➜ deskeng.com/articles/aabber.htm
On-Demand Automated Inspection Tool

Web-based application for creating ballooned inspection drawings.
I came across this interesting new product released InspectionXpert OnDemand.
the other day. It’s for two sets of readers. The It’s a web-based, updated version of its
first is all of you who have to balloon inspec- InspectionXpert software suite for automat-
tion drawings and build inspection sheets for ing your inspection documentation process.
first article, in-process, and final inspections InspectionXpert OnDemand helps you cre-
manually. The second is all of you champion- ate ballooned inspection drawings from PDF
ing SaaS (software as a service). and TIFF files created by CAD systems.
Extensible CAD Technologies has MORE ➜ deskeng.com/articles/aabbga.htm
Maplesoft Releases MapleSim 5

Newest version of MapleSim said to simulate more systems more efficiently.
MapleSim, in its briefest description, is parametric form, equation-based custom
physical modeling and simulation software. components, optimized code generation for
It lets you leverage a symbolic modeling real-time systems, multibody technology, and
engine to handle the complex mathematics an interactive analysis environment.
used to develop models in such areas as MapleSim 5 has what Maplesoft calls a
multi-domain systems, plant modeling, and “broader application scope” and, cheek to
control design. Capabilities include auto- jowl with that, greater simulation efficiency.
matically generated model equations in full MORE ➜ deskeng.com/articles/aabbjc.htm
STL Repair, Editing Tool for Simulation/Manufacturing

Product fixes dirty STL geometries, comes with prototype intelligent wrapping algorithm.
Here’s an interesting new product that that it approaches STL models as a CAD-like
showed up at DE HQ the other day. A com- topology—bodies, surfaces, curves, and verti-
pany down in Cajun Country called Discretize ces overlaying the faceted model—not just as
just released Xtl, a new application for repair- a bunch of triangular facets and nodes. This
ing and editing dirty STL geometries you means that you approach repairs and editing
encounter during simulation as well as manu- from this kind of design angle, which should
facturing jobs like 3D printing. give you good control over what you’re doing.
The first thing that makes Xtl interesting is MORE ➜ deskeng.com/articles/aabbkp.htm

by John Busa Commentary
What Will Your

Design Cost to Produce?
A
s a design engineer, you are under tremendous understanding its cost impact—is incredibly inefficient. And
pressure to create quality products that differen- it’s likely preventing you (and your team) from considering
tiate your company. You have requirements for many design changes that could result in a lower product
form, fit and function—and you have a schedule cost without sacrificing functionality, performance or quality.
to keep. Of course, in this economic environment, profit The solution, of course, is to understand the impact of
margins are tight, and budgets are even tighter. your design and the trade-off decisions involved every time
In the never-ending battle for market leadership, design you made a change. Your CAD system may not support that
engineers play a larger role than they may realize in deter- today, but there are project cost management tools that work
mining a company’s success. But it’s not just about which with your CAD system to give you real-time cost informa-
company has the best products; it’s also about which com- tion without slowing you down. With them, you can better
pany does a better job of controlling its product costs. understand the price tag for changes as they are being con-
For manufacturing and product companies, the biggest sidered so you can find the optimal balance among function-
expense on the quarterly income statement is the cost of ality, performance, quality and cost that delivers the maxi-
goods sold (COGS)—the amount of money required for pro- mum value to your customers. You can explore more early
ducing the goods your company sells. Typically, it’s between design alternatives and eliminate cost earlier in the product
lifecycle, resulting in fewer changes later in development
when they get incrementally more expensive. Most impor-
Every change you make to a tantly, these tools can help you avoid a number of profit-
design has an impact ... killing pitfalls, including missed cost targets, delayed product
launches, late-stage product redesign and post-launch cost-
reduction efforts.
70% and 90% of the gross revenue your company earns. A With these product cost management tools, your CAD
manufacturing company that could reduce its product costs system acts as the primary data source for geometric infor-
by just 1% would see its profit rise substantially. mation. The tools should integrate tightly with your CAD,
Remember the old mantra that 80% of the cost of a product and evaluate geometric cost drivers directly from solid mod-
is created in the first 20% of development? It’s true. That means els. As a result, you don’t have to wait for cost estimates. You
that design engineering is responsible for the largest portion of always know how much your design is going to cost. You
your company’s product costs. You and your colleagues are in always get an instant update when you make a change to a
the best position for increasing corporate profitability if you can design. You can make more trade-off decisions earlier in the
reduce the cost of the products your company sells. design process—and drive a significant amount of the cost
out of a product before you start producing it.
Defining the Challenge While the ultimate result of having real-time access to
Typically, the stumbling block is knowing how much your de- product costs will help your company boost its profit, that
signs will cost to produce. When you are working in your CAD same knowledge also helps your teams meet their product
program, every change you make to a design has an impact— cost-reduction goals. Equally important, making changes
positive or negative—on how much the finished product will early on reduces the amount of re-work needed after a prod-
cost. You may have a general idea how a particular change, such uct launches. Routing more cost out up front means there
as material, might affect cost, yet the only way to know with cer- won’t be much cost left to root out on future generations.
tainty is to have someone generate an estimate or a quote. That That allows your team to focus on new designs and innova-
requires either calling in a cost expert or having the purchasing tion, rather than fixing old ones. DE
department contact your suppliers. This can mean a frustrating
back-and-forth process that might take days or weeks. But with John Busa is vice president of professional services at aPriori
deadlines looming, who has time for that? (aPriori.com), a provider of product cost management software
The entire process—from considering a design change to solutions for discrete manufacturers.

Cool Tools SolidWorks 2012
➜ Renderings with 3DVIA Composer

SolidWorks 2012, the 20th release of Dassault Systèmes
SolidWorks’ CAD software, features enhancements to 3DVIA
Composer, including the addition of part-to-part shadows, ambi-
ent occlusion and shadows to 2D panels with precise control.
A glow effect (pictured) can also be added to highlight specific
areas of interest.
Automated Design Functions ➜

SolidWorks Sustainability’s new user interface means users can more
accurately model products with “what if” scenarios and better support
custom materials. Users can also closely model processes with param-
eters such as recycled content and duration of use.
➜ Workflow Enhancements
SolidWorks 2012 is intended to make the design experience flow more
naturally, and without disruptions. One such enhancement, Feature Freeze,
helps eliminate unwanted feature rebuilds by locking all features above the
“freeze” bar, speeding up the design of complex models where rebuilding of
specific features isn’t needed. Features can also be unfrozen at any point.
Working with Equations ➜

New equation capabilities allow users to create equations
faster and understand order more easily. Equations can have
multiple syntax highlighting and messages.
MORE INFO
Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks 2012 is a

3D design solution that the company says
will enable users to work more efficiently
and have the data they need to make
better design decisions throughout the
➜
Simulate Motion in SolidWorks product development process. Improve-

SolidWorks Simulation includes enhanced motion optimization that auto- ments have been made in areas such
matically uses motion study results to create sensors and refine complex as assembly and drawing capabilities,
and time-intensive machine aspects such as motor size, bearing loads built-in simulation, design costing, rout-
and range of travel. Users can optimize designs in less time as they refine ing, image and animation creation, and
inputs and immediately see changes to restraints or goals. product data management. According to
the company, there are more than 200
enhancements in SolidWorks 2012.
➜ DO YOU HAVE A COOL TOOL? Desktop Engineering editors are always For more information,
on the hunt for great tools to share with our readers. Send us your ideas visit solidworks.com/launch
at de-editors@deskeng.com.

4 PROTOTYPES
3 JIGS 2 MOLDS
1 DAY 1 MACHINE
FORTUS SYSTEMS ADD AGILITY TO

®
YOUR MANUFACTURING PROCESS.

Handle a wider variety of jobs faster and more efficiently
with a Fortus® 3D Production System. It turns your CAD
files into functional prototypes, workholding tools and
end-use parts — all built with tough, production-grade
thermoplastics. Tight deadlines. Changing schedules.
Revised designs. One system handles it all: Fortus.
See the advantages of more agile

manufacturing at fortus.com/de2
©2011 Stratasys Inc. All rights reserved.

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Capture the Concept.

Joule Heating of a Circuit Board Fuse

DEPARTMENTS 46 Editor’s Picks

8 Kenneth Wong's 47 Commentary CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

PTC Creo apps, Teamcenter Mobility 2.0, PUBLISHER

Engineering case Erich Herbert | Sales Executive (x263)

ART & PRODUCTION

Learn about Bentley Systems’ recently A LEVEL 5 COMMUNICATIONS PUBLICATION

43 Spotlight ADVERTISING, BUSINESS, & EDITORIAL OFFICES

44 Tools of the Month www.deskeng.com

New products for engineers. SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE

Desktop Engineering® (ISSN 1085-0422) is published

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PTC Creo Apps for Sketching and Direct Modeling

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More Mac Titles from Autodesk at App

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• reliability – Workstations let you know your time

Matching your needs to the right Workstation

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HP’s Future: What About

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Get inspired. Get NX for design.

Answers for industry.

Tools and Confusion

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Laser Scanning Advances

➜ For the complete application stories visit deskeng.com/fastapps

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Lenovo® recommends Windows® 7 Professional.

To race your ideas from design to prototype, you need a powerful

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Advertorial /// High-Performance Computing

Building a Cluster with Your

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‘Getting’ the Boot

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Expand your Modeling and Simulation Capabilities

What Makes MapleSim 5 Unique?

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© Maplesoft, a division of Waterloo Maple Inc., 2011. Maplesoft, Maple, and

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•REVIEW: GRAEBERT ARES