Outsourcing CAD Services

Computer-aided design (CAD) is now being used to create a host of products, from snazzy guitars to cool cars. Which means the software behind that design needs to be available to the broadest community of developers, says SolidWorks' chief executive Jeff Ray, who was recently in India. The $367-million US-based SolidWorks creates software products for designers and design hot spots, part of the monolithic €1,335-million Dassault Systemes. Ray, who took over the reins three years back, speaks about design simplicity and sustainability.

“At SolidWorks, we are simplifying three-dimensional CAD from cost and ease-of-use perspectives. As we expand offerings to our customer's (read product engineers) adjacent needs like data management and simulation, we've remained true to this philosophy. You don't have to be an engineer or have a PhD to complete complex vibration and flow testing,” says Jeff.

For one, SolidWorks is extending online its product data management solutions, which will help individual users or smaller firms share and collaborate on designs. “Our technologies now allow a digital experience before you do it physically. A website that offers lighting solutions can allow you to download a particular lamp, and you can combine that with a picture that you have taken of your room and then see how the room lights up with that lamp,” he explains.

Bang in the middle of the recession last year, SolidWorks launched SolidWorks Sustainability, a tool that helps to modify a product with selected materials to lessen adverse ecological impact. “It measures the environmental impact over the life-cycle of your product in terms of four factors: carbon footprint, air acidification, water eutrophication (rise in chemical nutrients in an ecosystem), and total energy consumed,” Jeff explains.

He says product engineers need to be environmentally conscious about design. That implies that product engineers have to look at a large database of materials, be cognisant of where the materials are mined and consumed, — which, in turn, determines transport cost. So, you not only have a massive amount of data to analyse, but also a massive amount of iterative steps to test your theory.

What the new solution can do is to take individual part models and automatically show how the ‘like' material compares with the original material you chose on environmental impact. “This helps you to hone in on the perfect material more efficiently. In European Union, where environmental regulations are very strict, TVs are being designed to be broken up easily so that most parts can be reused and very little goes to a landfill. Products like Sustainability can help designers of such products,” he says.

The inevitable question about India's contribution crops up. “India's growth potential is important to SolidWorks. Much of the Indian market has begun adopting 3D CAD tools to compete in time-to-market, quality, and innovation. And we want to make sure that our solutions are the software of choice. Moreover, many US and European companies are investing in Indian design teams. So, we are extending our support in India so that these firms are able to use one CAD system globally,” says Jeff.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com