CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
25 September 2007
Product News
ANSYS and SpaceClaim Collaborate to Improve the Process of Design Optimization
SpaceClaim Corp. and ANSYS, Inc. announced that they have collaborated to address the need for improved CAD and CAE interoperability. The combined solution makes it possible for analysts to simplify the master CAD model, independent of the originating CAD system, for faster pre-processing, and to optimize the design based on analysis results. By combining SpaceClaim Professional 2007 software with engineering simulation solutions from ANSYS, the analyst is no longer dependent on the designer to produce specialized models for analysis. This solution promotes faster cycle times and facilitates additional analysis iterations, which can result in higher quality products.
"ANSYS has, from the start, been committed to providing open and flexible solutions that enable design models of all types to be imported and analyzed," said Chris Reid, Vice President, Marketing at ANSYS, Inc. "The ability to work with these models is paramount to design optimization. But in cases in which the analyst is unfamiliar with the CAD system or how the model was built, it can be difficult to make the necessary changes. SpaceClaim strengthens our CAD-neutral strategy through its ability to open and modify models from all of the leading CAD systems and industry-standard formats. Now the results of analysis can be incorporated immediately into the design model. SpaceClaim makes the collaboration between designers and analysts more efficient, resulting in faster time-to-market for our customers."
The joint solution supports the import of CAD models into SpaceClaim for model simplification and modification by the analyst. The model then can be set up and solved using the powerful simulation tools from ANSYS. The analyst can modify the design based on the results and rerun as often as necessary, returning validated design options to the designer.
Alternatively, the analyst can choose to automatically drive design optimization by letting the results of the analysis drive key design parameters of the model. SpaceClaim enables a related set of geometry to be associated and modified together at any time. The associated geometry behaves without regard to the constraints of the design model, so modifications have the expected results. This approach is ideal for design optimization because driving parameters can be created whenever and wherever necessary, rather than predicted and parameterized at the beginning of the design process when they are unknown. The automated design optimization solution is on demonstration at the National Manufacturing Week show in Rosemont, Illinois.
"Our collaboration with ANSYS helps companies extend the benefits of working in 3D to a broader group of engineering professionals. Our breakthrough CAD-neutral solution enables them to maintain focus on their core competency while improving their ability to achieve design optimization more quickly," commented Michael McGuinness, COO of SpaceClaim Corp. "We believe the collaboration between ANSYS and SpaceClaim typifies our commitment to addressing the needs of the extended development team."
ANSYS integration is a separately priced add-on module scheduled for November availability.
SpaceClaim Professional 2007 is available through resellers world-wide and for purchase and download from the company's web site, http://www.spaceclaim.com/ .
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