CAD utilities streamlines design editing process

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 28, 2001

SolidWorks has introduced SolidWorks Utilities, a suite of three-dimensional computer aided design software tools that streamlines the design editing process in conjunction with SolidWorks

SolidWorks has introduced SolidWorks Utilities, a suite of 3D CAD software tools that streamlines the design editing process in conjunction with SolidWorks software.

SolidWorks Utilities includes new editing features and tools that let users analyze geometric features, compare features and parts from two different designs, and edit, modify, and suppress different features so they have more control over their designs.

These capabilities enable users to work quickly and efficiently in any collaborative product development environment that requires multiple design changes and revisions so they can get their products to market faster.

Easy to use and affordable, the SolidWorks Utilities software suite incorporates several new features including: *Compare Geometry - lets engineers and designers compare geometry (such as size, shape, and dimension) and identify modified areas between two versions of the same mechanical part.

Engineers can use this feature to compute "Face Comparisons" (to determine whether corresponding faces of two parts have changed during the design review process) and "Volume Comparisons" (to determine if the volumes of two parts have changed during the design review process) quickly and easily.

*Compare Features - allows engineers to compare features such as holes, cuts, or extrusions and identify modified areas between two versions of the same part.

Compare Features then color-codes any feature differences or modifications for easy visualization.

After computing the differences, Compare Features allows users to display a list of unique features and pairs of modified features in both parts.

*Geometry Analysis - helps engineers identify and highlight problematic data imported from other CAD systems into SolidWorks software.

This feature helps users find problems with imported geometry early in the design process so they can avoid errors during later manufacturing processes.

*Power Editing - lets users find, modify, and suppress features within a model based on their specific design parameters.

Power Editing makes it easy to locate features like holes, fillets (curved edges), and extrusions, and either change the parameters of these features or suppress them for manufacturing processes.

*Report Manager - allows users to save the results of all comparative analyses from Compare Geometry and Compare Features in an HTML format and log them into an engineering notebook format.

Users can customize the reports to provide either a summary or a detailed report.

"The product design process often involves a series of design revisions," said Dave Corcoran, executive vice president of research and development for SolidWorks Corporation.

"If these design changes are introduced after the manufacturing process has begun, they can be difficult to implement and costly.

SolidWorks Utilities will help engineers identify and incorporate design changes faster and easier than ever before, resulting in fewer product errors and rapid time-to-market." The SolidWorks Utilities Suite is currently shipping and is priced at $795 (USD).

Current SolidWorks subscription service customers can download SolidWorks Utilities from www.solidworks.com.

SolidWorks customers not currently using subscription service support can order the suite by contacting a local reseller, or by calling SolidWorks directly.