Cadalyst - October 2007 - (Page 34)

cadlabsreview Figure 2. SimXpert allows you to map out whatever process you’re working on graphically. Figure 3. SimXpert has a very nice graphical approach to charting your processes. Just sketch in what you want. panel to the left of the graphics window is a text version of your graphic workflow (figure 3). Support for multiple CAD programs ensures sure that no matter what program you use for geometry creation, you can import your data and use it in SimEnterprise. Of course, as the saying goes, some software is more native than others. MSC has entered into agreements with PTC and Dassault Systèmes to provide bidirectional capability with Pro/ENGINEER and CATIA. The bidirectional capability means those file formats are sort of extended native files that allow you to keep models and analyses fully associative. That’s good for changes. If you make a change, it’s reflected in both analysis and CAD. By being more-or-less CAD neutral, you can use one model for multiple tasks: motion, thermal, and structural (both linear and nonlinear) analyses. You even can set everything to explore automated what-if scenarios. SimDesigner works very much like the Master Model Concept. It uses a SimXpert library of templates to perform tasks. SimXpert creates a template and publishes it to the SimManager database. SimDesigner calls up the template and uses it to accomplish the required task on the model desired. Then it publishes results back to the SimManager database to be read by others (figure 4). Managers can query the knowledge base to see what’s been done and what the results were. It can act as an automatic audit. It allows you to manage, measure, and improve your workflows. Because the programs share a common simulation user interface, you are immediately familiar with your onscreen surroundings. You can use SimDesigner to capture your company’s best practices and ensure everyone does things the same way. MSC states that its customers achieve a 75% or more improvement in their simulation throughput. But SimEnterprise does not come cheap. Starting in the ballpark of $15,000 and going to more than $100,000 (depending 34 October 2007 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com Figure 4. SimDesigner reads from the database, runs simulations, and files the results back to the database where they can be viewed by whomever is authorized. on the options), it may be somewhat beyond the budgets of some small- to mid-sized companies. The Whole Package SimEnterprise is a good way to capture and make use of all that corporate knowledge that most companies have lying around. Making design analyses available to designers is a good way to get early design validation. For more specific information about SimEnterprise or other MSC Software products, visit www.mscsoftware.com. c Mike Hudspeth, IDSA, is an industrial designer, artist, and author based in St. Louis, Missouri. http://www.mscsoftware.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - October 2007

Contents Editor's Window Cad Central Tech Trends: First-Hand Architecture in Second Life Rev It Up — Graphics Cards Pack Power for Today’s Hottest Designs TurboCAD Pro 14 — 3D Modeling Software SimEnterprise R2 — Design Simulation Software CADopia 6.2 SP3 Professional Edition — 2D and 3D Modeling Software Cad Manager: Programming Resources for CAD Managers MCAD Modeling: Customer Service Horror Stories PLM Strategies: Manufacturing Across Time Zones AEC in Focus: Digital-Asset Management in AEC/O Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes Cadfidential

Cadalyst - October 2007

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