A:

Rick and Jason have just returned from Huntsville, AL (the home of Solid Edge) as they do every year with a sudden burst of energy. - a week of Power Points and Demo's will do that! Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology 2 will be released this summer with another round of advancements. Listed briefly below I highlighted some of the key advancements. This will give you a good idea of the direction for this release.This version is on its last stretch, the last beta testers are on their way to complete their evaluation. I estimate by the end of the month they will have a wrap. Add one more month to make the last corrections and another one to finalize the implementation of those corrections before going in production.  Base on my own experience and estimation I would expect to see the shipment to customers somewhere around August/September.

• ^{Sheet metal}
• ^{Solid Edge simulation (Add-on)}

• Solid Edge simulation express (FEMAP Express)
• Solid Edge simulation
• FEMAP

• Step one- define the body and the material
• Then define force and fixed faces
• Compute the meshing
• Calculate raw data
• Test data to show result

• Quick access Toolbar allow users to re-order icons.
• A wide screen mode is available 16:9 this allows to add more icons to the home menu.
• A option is available to use bigger icons for those who use larger resolution on big monitor (30 inch + monitor with resolution higher then HD)

• The polygon is available in the customized folder is now integrated to the interface
• 2D and 3D rules keep the integrity of the shape

• We can now place a rectangle by its center, no need to add constrain to center rectangle
• Creation of rectangle by two points have also been included

• Part scale
• Constant Pixel

Synchronous modeling clearly provides outstanding improvements over traditional modeling; however each company will want to adopt the new technology on their own schedule. For this reason, both traditional and synchronous environments are provided, including the ability to mix traditional and synchronous parts in a single assembly.

To decide when is the right time for you, you should budget time to test the synchronous tools and workflows. A good way to do this is by building models you are familiar with, but using synchronous modeling environments rather than traditional. You should also try converting some of your existing models to see how they can be edited using Synchronous Technology. (Note that conversion is an irreversible process, so you should do this on copies of your models during this exploration phase.)

When you are comfortable with synchronous modeling, you might choose to convert some of your existing models to synchronous models while still developing others with traditional modeling. When to use one or the other is up to each company, but the following states in the life cycle may be an important consideration:

• Released models

  If no design changes are planned, convert these on a timetable convenient for your company. You may choose to keep these models as traditional and only convert them when a significant revision is necessary.

• In Design

  If currently being designed using traditional techniques, it may be sensible to complete the design in the same fashion and convert the file at a later date.

• To Be Revised

  You may choose to convert these to take advantage of synchronous modeling and the ease of the editing process, particularly if the revision is likely to take a different path than the original modeler intended.

• New Designs

  Synchronous modeling is recommended. However, parts with a large amount of surfacing work or a great number of interacting rounds may benefit from remaining in traditional mode at this time.

Another important consideration is the percentage of sheet metal parts used within your organization. If your organization uses predominantly sheet metal parts, then you may choose to use traditional modeling for all of your work until a synchronous sheet metal environment is available. If you have a lesser percentage of sheet metal parts, then you may choose to mix the two, using traditional for sheet metal and synchronous for your other parts.

For certain classes of work, you may wish to make use of traditional assemblies, although they can contain synchronous parts. For example, if you use XpresRoute, Frame, or Wiring, you will want to do these in a traditional assembly at this time. Likewise, when cutting assembly features into a part or adding weld material, a traditional assembly is required, though again, you can cut or add weld material to synchronous parts in the context of that assembly. Experiment with traditional assemblies and synchronous parts to find the right balance for your organization.

Stewart

Access to self-paced training is available at no charge to customers who have purchased Solid Edge Software Maintenance. Working at your own pace, from your own desktop, teach yourself the basics of synchronous part and assembly modeling and drafting with these overviews, animations, and activities. To learn more, visit the GTAC web page. Look under Quick Links for Self-Paced Training for Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology. As always LMGi is here to support you, so give us a call with any questions at all.

Stewart