CAD software anticipates necessary tools

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 10, 2008

A streamlined workflow anticipates which tools students will need in the context of the specific task and presents them for use.

SolidWorks has released SolidWorks Education Edition 2008-2009, its 3D CAD software for students and educators.

The biggest change is a new, intuitive, time-saving user interface (UI).

Students can work more efficiently than ever because the UI gives them new opportunities to interact directly with the model in addition to intuitive menu options.

A streamlined workflow anticipates which tools students will need in the context of the specific task and presents them for use.

The interface increases useful window real estate, reduces mouse travel, provides innovative customisation options and offers task-based command selection.

"SolidWorks Education Edition 2008-2009 makes it even easier for students to rapidly realise their design and engineering visions", said Kim Alan Olson, Instructor of Tool Design Engineering at Moraine Park Technical College in West Bend, Wisconsin, USA.

"It improves usability and eliminates complexity without in any way dumbing it down for our students".

"If anything, SolidWorks' easy to use capabilities expose students early to engineering principles they'll encounter in the professional environment down the road".

SolidWorks Education Edition 2008-2009 includes CosmosFloXpress, an easy to use fluid dynamics application that calculates how fluid flows through a part model.

Based on this analysis, students can easily find and fix problem areas in their designs.

More advanced students can graduate to CosmosFloWorks, a full-featured computational fluid dynamics and thermal analysis application in SolidWorks Education Edition.

SolidWorks Education Edition 2008-2009 includes a new F1 in Schools curriculum for teaching students about SolidWorks software, 3D CAD and analysis.

The curriculum includes lessons for designing, analysing, simulating, rendering - then actually constructing - a scale model Formula One racing car.

Students can enter regional, national and global competitions.

In addition to the interface, analysis software and curriculum, SolidWorks Education Edition 2008-2009 incorporates more than 250 user-requested enhancements introduced in SolidWorks 2008, including powerful new features built on SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (Swift).

Swift Instant3D, one of several new features built on the Swift framework, lets users create and modify 3D model features simply by manipulating drag handles directly on the model.

Users don't need to deal with esoteric commands, dialogue boxes and extensive data input.

"Live cross-sections" enable users to make edits by dragging edges while looking at a slice of the model.

Swift DimXpert automatically sets geometric dimensions and tolerances on parts, saving time.

DFMXpress promotes design for manufacturability, preventing costly downstream design errors by automatically flagging elements that are difficult, expensive, or impossible to machine.

"A design is just a fantasy unless it can be manufactured and these two features especially give educators ways to raise the consciousness of students without requiring new software, machine tools, or curricula", said Marie Planchard, Director of Worldwide Education Markets for SolidWorks Corporation.

"It's just a matter of switching the tools on, interacting with them and exploring what's happening".

More academic institutions and engineering schools have chosen SolidWorks than any other 3D CAD software.

SolidWorks 2008 is available for purchase in 13 languages worldwide through SolidWorks authorised resellers.