CAD System Archives | �ۿ۴�ý

Problems of CAD Migration in Modern Design

�ۿ۴�ý — Wed, 18 May 2011 09:59:56 +0000

Electronic and are familiar with the problems manufacturers have with interoperability – that is, the smooth integration of various systems and system software applications. Effective data migration and CAD translation is at the root of smooth productivity.

Supply chains are often linked by a multitude of mechanical CAD systems, software applications and file formats. System software providers are all, however, looking for the same thing – an elusive Universal File Format, or UFF, supporting all data systems. Some will say such a thing already exists, with the IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) and STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data) systems. Both are neutral data formats which allow digital exchange of CAD design files across platforms. However, their usefulness as are marred by their shortcomings.

The development of STEP in 1994 led to a loss of interest in improving and developing the IGES system, which STEP was intended to replace. Whereas IGES was developed solely for CAD migration, STEP was formatted to support the product throughout its entire life cycle. However, STEP has so far failed to live up to its expectations, and IGES is still the most common system in use.

However, engineers suffer many frustrations with CAD migration using IGES, with missing surfaces and corrupted files which take hours, sometimes days to put right. 3D CAD translation and file compatibility is an increasingly complex issue, not helped by the IT literacy required to cope with new file formats.

For this reason, many companies turn to us at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies. We provide an extensive range of CAD CAM services, including 3D modeling, CAD migration, CAD translation and 2D to 3D conversion of legacy files.

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Making your Mechanical Design Ideas a Reality

�ۿ۴�ý — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:09:08 +0000

CAD drafting other people’s ideas is all very well, but in mechanical engineering, the real profits come from patenting your successful designs. Today, numerous mechanical CAD design packages take your product ideas from initial concepts to fully manufactured reality – but the hard work begins before you ever upload your CAD drafting software. Having thoroughly researched your design to see if it is practically and economically viable, you then need to do a patent search. The best option is to get a professional patent attorney to do this for you – that way, you can be certain your patent isn’t violating any already in existence. Provided the design is patentable, you can apply for a provisional patent. The date of invention and other details will be recorded at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); this protects your invention for one year from the date it is filed. After that, it becomes available to the public. A provisional patent doesn’t have to be too in-depth; it just needs to explain what your product is, how it works and how it is constructed, with a few technical sketches for clarity. Next comes the Alpha prototype, or Proof of Concept Design. This is the model you build to show the design is feasible and will function as conceptualized. Depending on the complexity, this can range from a simple cardboard mock-up to 3D modelling using advanced mechanical CAD design tools and digitally machined parts but does not require aesthetic elements. The Beta prototype is the final stage, realizing the design in full. We at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies offer a full range of mechanical engineering services, from CAD drafting to building prototypes.

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2D to 3D conversion – bringing it all alive

�ۿ۴�ý — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:42:18 +0000

Anyone who watched the recent Reebok Zigtech advert will have seen firsthand how effective 3D CAD animation can be. Using a mixture of 2D to 3D conversion and 360o CAD animation, the makers were able to showcase a new product as if it were an engineering drawing project come to life. Motion capture was used to make the athlete’s movements appear natural, while the shoe itself began as a doodle on a drawing board.

3D animation often begins with a 2D concept. Once, these images alone had the “wow” factor, but that has become passé. Now engineers are increasingly relying on 3D engineering animation, both to sell their proposals to clients and to aid manufacture and construction. 3D CAD animation is used by engineering companies to prepare impressive corporate presentations, create interactive websites, aid computational fluid dynamics and reverse engineering protocols.

Architects still prefer to use conventional drawing boards. But now they can scan their drawings onto the PC and use 2D to 3D conversion to create room plans. This is still animation, since although the rooms don’t move the viewer does, and while home buyers once had to leaf through pages of still images, imagining how the room layouts would look in reality, now they have interactive CAD visualization. Like in gaming, the viewer can relate to the graphic images and interact with the virtual world around them.

At we provide CAD animation and 2D to 3D conversion for projects of every kind.

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Movie Animation for the Mechanical Engineering Industry

�ۿ۴�ý — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:28:05 +0000

You may not think motion capture and crowd simulation have much to do with engineering animation, but in fact these are just two techniques that use to visualise their products. Creative 3D modelling and 3D CAD animation have become mainstays of the engineering industry, used in everything from planning initial concepts, to computational fluid dynamics, to advertising the final product to potential buyers.

Motion capture, in which human or animal movement is digitally recorded, is familiar to games designers and animated movie makers. However, it can be used to replicate any movement (i.e. that of fluids) and thus is a useful tool in engineering CAD. Crowd simulation reproduces the movement of one object to symbolise many. The possibilities go far beyond creating impressive Coliseum scenes in gladiator movies.

3D CAD animation software has been developed for many industrial uses, including interior and architectural design; medical CAD visualisation; naval architecture and company presentations.

Architectural and interior design: Interactive 3D animation system software has been developed to allow designers to create, furnish and redesign room interiors. It is also used by estate agents to offer clients virtual tours of prospective homes, including virtual show homes of prospective builds.

The medical/veterinary/scientific field: CAD animation is used to explain biological concepts, show interactive surgical techniques and demonstrate/design medical equipment.

Naval architecture: Ships designed using 3D animation range from warships to cruise liners. The new Queen Elizabeth and Oasis of the Seas were designed exclusively using CAD visualisation and engineering animation tools.

We at Technologies offer a wide range of CAD services, from healthcare to mechanical engineering applications.

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Developments in CAD Animation

�ۿ۴�ý — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:08:39 +0000

The old-fashioned method of meticulously drawing and then photographing images to create a moving picture came to an end at the close of the 20th century. Then, animators began scanning or drawing their images onto computers, using CAD drawing software. CAD animation opened up enormous possibilities, not only in movie making, but in mechanical design as well. CAD drafting was already well known, but now engineers could see how mobile designs, such as cars and machinery, would actually look in performance. Computational fluid dynamics and fatigue analysis became possible too. The latest development has been 2D to 3D conversion of images and 3D CAD animation. It seems now that every new animated movie sells itself on the strength of its 3D animation, and again the implications on mechanical design have been enormous. Not only can you create the illusion of movement within your model, but you can also look at it from all angles and, again, utilize CFD. There are a number of different types of CAD animation, some of which are used in engineering design. Morph target animation: Images are stored as a series of vertex positions, moving each vertex to a new position, frame by frame. Used for animation of, for example, fabric and facial expressions. Again, widely used in advertising. Skeletal animation: Used to animate vertebrate movement, it is also widely used in mechanical design. In this case the ‘skeleton’ is a mechanical one. We at �ۿ۴�ý technologies offer CAD animation as one of our reverse engineering services; a field in which it has proven invaluable.

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Reverse Engineering and 3D Modelling and Scanning

�ۿ۴�ý — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:27:25 +0000

We at �ۿ۴�ý technologies offer a range of as part of our commitment to helping companies with their mechanical design problems.

However, while most people understand the concept of building a product from finished principles to recreate a classic mechanical design which, for example, is missing the original blueprints, they often don’t understand what this involves. The first thing to understand is that there is a much higher dependence on computer aided modelling and design (CAD CAM) services these days.

Reverse engineering involves measuring an object so it can be reproduced through 3D modelling. The modern way to do this is via 3D scanning. There are a number of 3D scanning technologies available, including Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) scanning, 3D laser scanning, computed tomography and structured light digitising.

Whichever device is used, the principle is the same. The scanner analyses a solid object, collecting data on its contours, dimensions, density and sometimes colour and texture. The relative 3D modeling system software then uses this data to build a digital 3D model.

3D scanners are used in entertainment, medical and environmental applications, as well as industrial design and prototype reverse engineering. They work by processing points on the solid object into a digital format such as a triangular mesh, NURBS (Non-uniform rational B-spline) graphics or a CAD model. This makes the data available for other , such as CAD visualization.

Today, companies like us use the most advanced 3D laser scanning technology and system software to provide reverse engineering services for our clients.

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Make an Impact with Photorealistic Rendering

�ۿ۴�ý — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:25:53 +0000

We have previously touched upon the importance of modern CAD services in the mechanical design process, and mentioned that one of the advantages of good CAD services is that your can not only be visualized and prototyped but that the design (or even a number of different variations of the design) can be given computer added surface textures, colours and backgrounds and printed out as though the CAD design is an actual real photograph. This technique is called photorealistic rendering.

is an exceptionally useful process for various reasons. Take an example where a company is looking for support or funding for the final build of a product. The tooling and actual build of prototypes may well be far too expensive for the company at this stage and also a waste of money, especially if a number of different options are going to be required. Producing a number of virtual photographs of the design straight from the CAD system allows the company to give a good presentation without having to show any actual physical product but still to be able to give a clear idea and overview of what the end-result is. Using these photorealistic renderings; options can be discussed, changes can be suggested and with luck the designers can get the go ahead for a final prototype or build from the people who matter. If required of course, the same photos can also be shown to customers or a market research panel for their opinion on which final design should be built and marketed.

And all of this without ever having to actually manufacture a thing.

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