3D for Design Review

Most design reviews rely on graphic view-only 3D or 2D formats such as PDF or DWF. A lot of time is wasted creating and managing drawings or graphic les to feed these design reviews, increasing engineering time and cost. Comments come back via redlines, notes, 2D sketches, or over-the-shoulder recommendations. The process is error-prone and inecient.We’ve already looked at how 3D tools have enabled manufacturing and analysis engineers to oer feedback earlier in the development process. In addition, a 3D modeler should t so well with existing technologies and processes that it enables even non-CAD users to participate in a 3D model- based review cycle. This makes it easier for everyone to understand the design and communicate their suggestions by actually interacting with the model. For example, the marketing manager reviewing the kitchen faucet design from above can modify the size of the swoop based on real-time review with a consumer focus group. Then, the supply chain manager can show the handle manufacturer how the handle should be resized to accommodate the new look. The design feedback is precise because it’s based on actual geometry changes, resulting in more productive design iterations.

“Accelerating time-to-market is still a critical need for most manufacturing companies. There are huge time savings when everyone involved in the product development process can work in 3D.” 3D Modeling Checklist

You too can benet from a 3D modeling system. When selecting a system, make sure you choose a 3D solution that was designed to meet your needs. It should be closer in use to Microsoft Word® or PowerPoint®, and run on your laptop or desktop. At a minimum, check for these key features:

A superior user experience. Take Microsoft Word for example: it may not be the world’s best word processor, but it’s the de facto standard because it’s easy to use. One thing to look for in a 3D modeler that makes it easy to use is a modern user interface that takes advantage of the latest graphical interface technology found in popular business applications (such as Oce 2007®). Minimal menu selections, clear graphical icons, and heads-up displays all make a good modeler easier to use. A exible modeling environment that allows you to change an existing CAD model regardless of its origin or how the model was built. This overcomes the issue of an overly constrained parametric model mentioned at the beginning of this paper and minimizes the dependency on expert CAD specialists. An intuitive modeling environment where the software predicts what the user wants to do, making it easier and faster to change a model. Today’s industrial computers have the CPU capability to anticipate what you want to do and react accordingly. Look for a system that doesn’t require you to explicitly select every command and qualier or to slog through endless drop-down menus, dialogue boxes, and user clicks. A 3D modeling environment that’s 2D-friendly. Everyone’s comfortable with plan, projection, and section view drawings, so make sure your 3D modeler leverages 2D techniques. Look for a 2D sketching environment that you can use to quickly create a 3D model or that enables you to use 2D cross-sections to make 3D design changes. Having 2D tools in a 3D modeler serves a twofold purpose: it makes changes to 3D that much easier, and it shortens your learning curve. A 3D modeler that complements existing technology and processes. You need a system that ts in your environment, lets you interact with models from a variety of 2D and 3D CAD systems, and ts into your data management scheme. So it has to support both industry-standard data exchange formats such as IGES and STEP, as well as native import of vendor-specic formats like AutoCAD®, Pro/ENGINEER, or CATIA.

3D Rising: Engineers harnessing the full power of 3D

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