Solidworks Corporation Licenses D-Cubed's Assembly Engineering Manager

CAMBRIDGE, England - November 14, 2001 - D-Cubed Ltd. today announced the licensing of its newest component, the Assembly Engineering Manager (AEM), by SolidWorks Corporation. D-Cubed's AEM technology enables computer aided design (CAD) software applications to simulate the physical behaviour of a mechanical assembly in real-time according to the mass properties of its constituent parts and the forces acting upon them. In particular, the physical behaviour of systems such as cam locks, spring locks and meshing gears are now reproduced automatically when the assembly is moved - without any pre-processing and without requiring the introduction of artificial equations or mates, such as gear mates. The contact between parts that drives this physical behaviour is embedded directly in the CAD model with no user interaction required.

SolidWorks Corp. has incorporated the AEM into the new "Physical Dynamics" capabilities found in SolidWorks 2001Plus, the company's latest 3D CAD software release. Physical Dynamics within SolidWorks enables design engineers to manipulate assemblies interactively with a degree of realism that was previously unattainable. SolidWorks is the only company in the world providing this capability within its core product. Developers at SolidWorks and D-Cubed worked closely together to define and develop this innovative capability.

Using Physical Dynamics, new and fundamentally more realistic modelling scenarios are now possible within SolidWorks. Gear systems can now be accurately modelled through the direct contact of the gear teeth, rather than with simplistic coupled angular variables. Production machinery can now be simulated to demonstrate where machine elements touch, re-position, and disconnect from the parts being manufactured. Previously unsupported mechanism elements can now be incorporated directly into the assembly modelling environment.

CAD assembly processes have traditionally taken little or no account of the physical properties of the parts in an assembly or the forces that act upon them - factors that have a critical influence on the behaviour of objects in the real world. In taking account of such factors, Physical Dynamics also validates the form and function of a virtual prototype as it is being assembled, reducing design errors at an early stage of product development and hence improving productivity.

With Physical Dynamics, forces are input by the end-users as they drag parts around an assembly. Moving parts interact automatically with other parts in a realistic fashion. Contact between touching parts that have freedom of movement result in a driving force. This enables parts to push each other and to stop when the contact ceases. Sample AVI videos of the AEM in action can be seen at: www.d-cubed.co.uk/prod_aem_intro.htm.

"SolidWorks 96 was the first product in the industry to provide Dynamic Assembly Motion. For example, opening and closing a door on a machine can be done dynamically on the CAD model with no pre-processing or add-in software required. SolidWorks 99 was the first product in the industry to add Dynamic Collision Detection. With Dynamic Collision Detection, a door on a machine will stop when it hits the frame. With Physical Dynamics, SolidWorks 2001Plus is the first product in the industry to include contact-based motion. For example, the door latch on a machine will automatically retract and then snap shut as the door is closed, securing the door, similar to the real-life behavior. Turning the handle will remove the contact and allow the door to be re-opened," says David Corcoran, vice president of research and development for SolidWorks Corporation. "SolidWorks has always set the standard for embedding assembly behavior in the CAD model itself. With Physical Dynamics, SolidWorks again extends this frontier. We are proud and pleased with our close working relationship with D-Cubed to create this innovative technology."

"As a leader in affordable 3D solid modelling software, SolidWorks has consistently been an early adopter of D-Cubed's components, such as 3D variational constraints for assemblies and mechanisms, and real-time accurate collision detection," says John Owen, managing director of D-Cubed. "Developers at both companies have worked effectively together to define and refine these technologies. Once again, SolidWorks is driving the pace of CAD development, with SolidWorks 2001Plus being the first product to include the AEM, perhaps D-Cubed's most powerful and original component technology in our 12 year history."

About D-Cubed Ltd.

Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, England, D-Cubed provides software components and technical consulting services to the CAD/CAM/CAE application development industry in all areas of geometric, solid and variational/parametric modeling. Most of the world's leading CAD vendors have adopted one or more of D-Cubed's widely respected component technologies for integration into their end-user applications. D-Cubed has never developed, and does not intend to develop, its own end-user applications. This focus avoids any competitive conflicts of interest with its customers. www.d-cubed.co.uk

About SolidWorks

SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets mechanical design software solutions. Founded in 1993, SolidWorks' mission is to deliver the power of 3D to everybody in design and manufacturing. In over 5 years of shipping product, SolidWorks has shipped more than 160,000 total seats of software worldwide. SolidWorks has offices worldwide and distributes its products through a network of resellers selling in 70 countries.

www.solidworks.com 

 

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