The product development technology industry is an intriguing one. Like many industries there are various levels of user, various levels of developer and various levels of component technology providers. While for those that aren’t deeply embedded in the industry, much of the interaction, deals and licensing goes on out of public view. Does the user really want to know where the various component technologies that make up their workhorse products come from? In the majority of instances, no, probably not, but I think there is some value in talking a little bit about where many of the technologies come from. I was reminded about this just last week at SolidWorks World when I bumped into an good friend, Joe Walsh, a gentleman that I’ve come to know over the course of many years.

Joe’s been around the industry for years, yet unlike the head-grabbing names and faces we’re all familiar with, he’s relatively unknown by the user community. Joe’s been around the industry, having worked at FEGS (now part of Transcendata), Spatial and IronCAD to name but a few.

Until recently, Joe worked with an organisation called Simmetrix. That company developed and sold a component technology widely used in many of the simulation codes we use on a daily basis. In specific it provides geometry and mesh handling tools that allow the mesh based world of simulation to talk to the geometry-based world of 3D CAD, that allows rapid mesh generation and simulation data management.

In January I got the inevitable LinkedIn job update and he’s now set-up an organisation called intrinSim and I finally got a chance to sit and have a chat about what it is that he and his team are up to.

When you look at the development and component community within this industry, many organisations license the same technology from the same partners. There are those ‘household’ names like Siemens’ PLM Components group (that supply Parasolid, D-Cubed) and Dassault’s Spatial (ACIS, data translation tools). Alongside this, there are organisations that provide a wide variety of services, such as TechSoft3D, who develop and sell core technology such as HOOPS as well as reselling 3D Interop tools from Spatial, Parasolid and Autodesk’s RealDWG.

Now, to those not familiar with how this works, it might seem odd that you have multiple organisations developing their own products, but also reselling the products from other vendors. The reason is that it’s a single source of acquisition for vendors looking to license multiple components.

Joe’s new organisation is set to jump into the industry with a set of tools that differs from the existing tools out there, but to accomplish the same task. He’s set-up intrinSIM to do much the same but with a simulation focus. Alongside the Simmetrix products, he’ll also be taking Datakit’s data translation tools, simulation results compression, visualisation and collaboration tools from VCollab (which I’ll be looking at in a few months time) and the tools from EASA that help bring applications to the web and mobile devices. It looks like an interesting product stack and with Joe’s experience I’m sure you’ll be seeing some of this technology show up your workhorse tools at some point soon.

The point of telling you all this is to make the point that if you’re looking to find out where much of design and engineering technology is heading towards, there’s a case for playing close attention to the component suppliers and technology developers as there is to the vendors themselves. If you want to get an idea of what’s coming in say, SolidWorks, then read Parasolid related press releases - you’ll get a heads up before everyone else.

This came in from Autodesk’s rocking PR team while I was out in California, but as long time readers of the blog will know, I can resist a bit of music mixing it up with some righteous 3D technology use. According to the press release, VOX Amplification has started to use Inventor and Showcase to assist with the design of four newly minted guitar amplifiers, the AC30C2 and the AC15C1 Custom Series, as well as the AC15VR and the AC30VR.

The press release states that VOX have been used by numerous influential bands and musicians.* Reality is, if you’re a gear-head, the AC30 brings back memories and smells of vintage tube amps warming up for some abuse, from the Stones to Radiohead and all points in between. If you’ve picked up a guitar, then you’ve probably plugged into or wanted to plug into a VOX amp or stomped on a VOX Wah pedal (as Hendrix did) at some point.  So let’s look at the details.

Dave Clarke, product development manager, VOX’s UK-based R&D centre said “In today’s economic climate, we need to react fast to market trends. Creating digital prototypes with Inventor software and using Showcase for 3D visualization reduces costs and cuts development time in half. Digital prototypes help save money by reducing the need for more costly physical prototypes. With Showcase, we’re able to make real-time changes to a design and quickly reach a concept that the whole team is happy with. This significantly reduces time to market.”

For those that are unfamiliar with Showcase, it’s probably the best kept secret in Autodesk’s Manufacturing solutions division and it combines real-time design evaluation, presentation and photo realistic rendering all in one wicked package.

Design Goals

VOX wanted to maintain the quality and iconic look of its AC30 amplifier, while adding modern design features, improving serviceability and lowering the price point. The result is the new AC30C2 Custom Series. For the more affordable AC15VR and AC30VR amplifiers, it was important to keep manufacturing costs down while maintaining the renowned VOX sound quality. The economical amps also needed a look that distinguished them from the company’s premium Custom Series offering.

Digital Prototyping with Inventor Software

Inventor software was used to help design and digitally prototype the new amplifiers, reducing the need for multiple costly physical prototypes. VOX also developed cost-effective manufacturing processes using Inventor software, enabling the company to achieve target price points. 

“We wanted a more accessible price point for the AC30C2 Custom Series, but there was no way we would sacrifice quality,” said Clarke. “Using Inventor for the mechanical design of the Custom Series, we were able to more quickly prototype construction techniques that achieved the best possible quality and value. We did the same thing with the AC15VR and AC30VR amps.”



3D Visualization with Autodesk Showcase Software

VOX used Autodesk Showcase software for real-time 3D visualization, creating highly realistic digital imagery of the new products before they were built. 3D visualization helped VOX to more quickly refine and finalize aesthetic decisions, before physical prototypes were built. 

“The biggest challenge we faced when launching the new AC30 was adding cool features while remaining true to our roots,” said Clarke. “We used Showcase to help make and finalize cosmetic decisions at the earliest possible stage of the design process. Creating near photo-realistic visualizations also helped eliminate the need for small but costly changes further down the line, which saved a lot of time and money. We also used Showcase from the start of the conceptual design phase for the AC15VR and AC30VR amps,” added Clarke. “The software’s real-time visualization capabilities helped us determine the precise differences between the VR Series and the premium Custom Series.”

So. Here’s the obligatory music video. Hmm. Could I link up some of the righteous riffing from Brian May’s live shows with Queen? nope. Gallows. London is the Reason from the best album of last year. Crank It.

* They’re also endorsed by The Edge of U2 and Chad Kroeger of Nickleback - and yes. I threw up a wee bit just typing this sentence.

Most of us have experienced the joys of a mobile home - and the cramped beds and lukewarm baked bean dinners that go hand and hand with them, but a mobile virtual reality centre? What’s all that about?

Well, the UK’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has just launched MANTRA. No, not a path to spiritual enlightenment, but the MANufacturing Technology TRAnsporter, a specially modified 14 metre long lorry that travels the UK demonstrating the latest manufacturing, machinery and simulation technologies.

The MANTRA lorry, which expands to more than doubles in width to create quite a sizeable VR centre, has been made possible with the help of VR specialist, Virtalis, and features the company’s StereoWorks ActiveWall system. This means stereoscopic 3D viewing with full depth perception and movement tracking for all.

“Transferring industry ready manufacturing solutions to companies as quickly as possible is a vital component to maximising the UK’s manufacturing competitiveness,” says research director of the AMRC, Professor Keith Ridgway. “Using MANTRA and the stereoscopic 3D capabilities of the Virtalis StereoWorks ActiveWall system, we can demonstrate to businesses how VR technology can help achieve a smooth integration of new technologies into production environments.

MANTRA has been designed primarily as a technology demonstration and transfer tool for businesses, but it will also be used to inspire young men and women to become the next generation of engineers, something that is badly needed in the UK. On board the lorry, AMRC engineers will give students the experience of assembling, design reviewing and rehearsing the maintenance of a multi-million pound Rolls-Royce jet engine. That will certainly make a change from beans on toast.

Well, the world of multiple web-technologies let the cat out of the bag a touch early today. In advance of riding high on the buzz surrounding SolidWorks World (complete speculation on my part by the way), Alibre are gearing up to announce that they’ve axed the price of their products permanently. Matt Lombard posted the news on his DezignStuff blog - apparently a day early and as a result, pretty quickly removed the post. Unfortunately the world of RSS feeds means that the post (below) popped up in my inbox and there’s a few details.

There you go. Alibre’s entry level product is going to be around the $99 mark with, I’d guess, similar reductions in the other product configurations. For me, this raises a huge question. There’s a huge amount of effort required to develop a 3D CAD system and Alibre is, without a doubt, a pretty functionally rich product. But can the business be sustainable when the entry level product is just $99? While it’s an incredible price, you have to wonder how long that can last. Yes, there are upgrades that bring greater functionality, but much of this is licensed technology so there’s a percentage of that revenue that doesn’t appear on Alibre’s balance sheets

So, for me the fundamental question is this.

Should you base your working practices, workflows and processes on the basis of a software product that appears to be unsustainable on a future basis (I’m no MBA so I might be wrong)? Yes, it’s a very cost effective solution, but if it becomes critical to your business in the way that CAD often does, is a short term, low-cost investment the best thing for your business if that key part of your operation is operating on thin ice? I’d love to know what you think…