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From CAD User Mechanical Magazine  Vol 18 No 04 - APRIL/MAY 2005

Solid Edge improves user access in the latest version of Solid Edge, making it easier for new modellers to ‘Evolve’ from 2D, and providing an Apprentice Mode for young designers.

Despite the pronouncements of the pundits that companies must seriously consider designing in 3D if they are to succeed, it is apparent that there are still many die-hards who persist in producing all of their designs in 2D. Why else would software developers persist in stressing the benefits that they can provide to manufacturers till struggling to make the move to solid modelling? Solid Edge is not alone in this respect – I have heard tales of manufacturing companies with just two copies of Inventor ‘which they are trying out’ in a sea of AutoCAD seats.

This is why Solid Edge has focussed a lot of attention on making it easier for designers to ‘Evolve to 3D’ in Version 17 of its solid modeller. The company has provided a simpler user interface and promulgates a four step approach to the problem – Direct Editing, Massive Assembly Support, XpresReview and Apprentice Mode – all of which simplify the users engagement with the software. It’s a case of ‘Learn as you go!’ allowing new 3D users to be productive right from the start of their involvement in the process.

It’s all based around Solid Edge’s 2D/3D Hybrid Design, where 2D sketches can be used freely with 3D models, using the most appropriate technique wherever needed. Some equipment - particularly large, but uncomplicated structures - are better produced in 2D. SolidEdge allows users to assemble complex structures in both 2D and 3D, without geometry, to be published at a later stage in 3D.

Publishing the model is part and parcel of Zero D, explored earlier in CAD User. It’s a system for configuring an assembly before it is actually given any geometry. Sounds zany, but isn’t. The parts that would normally be associated with a product are assembled in a parts tree. When you have accumulated all of the parts and laid them out, more or less, in the parts hierarchy – handy for extracting some extra information on probable costs, etc., - you can start to lay out the components in a schematic, creating 2D sketches, inserting actual 2D sketches or 3D models from libraries, or creating additional components on the hoof – adding the geometry, as it where. Publishing the model – ‘committing it to paper’ - is the culmination of the process.

Version 17 of Solid Edge refines the process further. It brings in new workflows to optimise the process – such as allowing users to convert existing 3D parts into 2D profiles so that 2D representations can be taken from 3D models, and used to position components in the model.

Direct Editing
Eschewing the model hierarchy – in this case, its’ history tree – SolidEdge takes another major step forward in offering Direct Editing in Version 17. Normally, complex assemblies can only be edited by editing particular components in the history tree –or by unravelling the model back to where the modifications are to take place. Direct Editing avoids all of that, and allows the user to edit native complex parametric models ‘after the fact’ – i.e., any changes made are related, automatically, backwards to the part, parametrically modifying other parts affected by the change.

This also applies to models not created in Solid Edge – UGS’ NX, for instance, and many other format 3D models – all of which are translated into Solid Edge, and, without, even, having to import features and parameters of the model, treated as native Solid Edge models for the purpose of Direct Editing.
Direct editing gives users the ability to edit the topology of models quickly and easily, such as rotating and resizing features, deleting holes and regions, changing the thickness of materials and even changing bend radii, bend angles and modifying draft angles.

Massive Assembly Support
Massive assembly support can be defined in two ways – a lot of support to assist users in creating large assemblies, or support for creating massive assemblies. Whichever, Solid Edge V17 will help users create digital mock-ups of even the largest assemblies. Working with large amounts of data poses major visualisation problems. To overcome this, Solid Edge has developed a system that simplifies the creation of large assemblies using Auto Simplify. This determines which faces are external to the assembly and saves them as simple representations – effectively maintaining their presence in the model but in a simplified format so that the user can work on other parts with more ease. The function can also be used to hide sub-components that contain intellectual property.

Massive support includes a couple of other interesting features – Pathfinder Expand – allowing every engineer working on a large assembly to have the top level assembly file as their main point of entry into the model – and Pathfinder Locate, with which they can drive straight into selected sub-assemblies. Version 17 also has a new ‘Assemble’ command and ‘Flash Fit’ utility with transitional solve, for the rapid and intuitive building of large assemblies.

XpresReview
A lot of attention has been paid to design reviews – from fully managed workflows to quick email driven solutions. The solution is based on the company’s Insight and Insight Connect, product data management tools, both of which can track design data through the product development process. Version 17 introduces two new methods – XpresReview, a quick and easy tool that is free to non-Solid Edge users, OEMS and collaborators who can download the viewer, interrogate and mark-up the Solid Edge packaged collaboration files. Reviewers can share multiple documents simultaneously, with access to all documents right back to the original models, still retaining associativity with all of the old files.

Geometric Solutions, a third party partner of Solid edge, has also developed the third review solution – eDrawings for Solid Edge.

Apprentice Mode
Why stop at Apprentices? Why not call this journalist’s mode, as well. It’s aimed at all of those, learners and sporadic users, that have short memories, who are either coming to the software anew, or who can’t remember how to use the system from day to day. Apprentice Mode provides some wonderful tools like Command Finder, Start-up Co-Pilot, Command Assistant, all designed to make using the software even easier than it already is. It shows new users around the software from set-up to completion of the first project. Start-up Co-Pilot handles the setting up of new files, and other admin tasks up to accessing useful web links. Command Assistant shows how commands work and explains the SmartStep workflow.

Solid Edge says that using Apprentice Mode will give new users a ‘positive experience’ within the first hour of using the software. For the smart-ass, the commands are shown just once – the rest of us can get the software to hammer each point home until it has slowly sunk in.

Solid Edge Compatibility
Solid Edge is capable of exchanging data with numerous other CAD software packages, for the purposes of collaboration, and to allow some designers to take advantage of some of its features. It already has translation tools for Pro/E, MDT, AutoCAD and interoperability tools for NX and I-DEAS, and the capability of handling neutral files like IGES, STEP and DXF. A new translator has been developed for CATIA V4, and Solid Edge now has a batch Inventor Migration tool for helping Inventor customers to move to Solid edge. Voyager partner Procim has also released an ME10 translator. To assist in its file translation programme, Solid Edge utilises feature recognition tools, recently upgraded to sheet metal features.

www.solidedge.com

 

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