New Autodesk 2010 2D and 3D Design and Engineering Software Announced

By DE Editors

The new Autodesk 2010 product lineup for manufacturers includes the Autodesk Inventor family of products, AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Electrical, the Autodesk Alias family of products, Autodesk Moldflow, Autodesk Navisworks, Autodesk Showcase, Autodesk 3ds Max Design and Autodesk Vault software. The 2010 software releases introduce a greater range of design, visualization and simulation capabilities,  along with tighter interoperability with both Autodesk software applications and other CAD tools.

“Putting powerful 2D and 3D software within the reach of mainstream manufacturers positions companies of all sizes—not just large enterprises—to compete on a global scale,” says Robert “Buzz”  Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. “With our 2010 product line, customers can achieve greater collaboration than ever before between industrial design, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing teams that are all responsible for bringing quality products to market.”

Autodesk Inventor software helps produce an accurate 3D model that validates the form, fit and function of a design before it is built. The Autodesk Inventor 2010 product line introduces new usability and productivity enhancements for 2D product documentation, 3D product design, extended simulation capabilities, a strong focus on plastic part creation and new data management and exchange capabilities.

New features in the Autodesk Inventor 2010 product line include:

• Plastic part design and tooling: The Autodesk Inventor product line simplifies the design of high-quality molded part models with automated capabilities for designing injection molds for plastic parts. Incorporating Autodesk Moldflow technology, Inventor enables users to design complex plastic parts and quickly create and validate their corresponding mold design,  helping to reduce errors and improve mold performance—resulting in higher product quality and faster time to market.
• Ability to simulate product performance: The Autodesk Inventor 2010 product line provides improved support for motion simulation and static and modal finite element analysis at both the part and assembly level.
• Design productivity: Inventor offers a new user interface that combines an intuitive 3D design environment for creating parts and assemblies with tools that enable engineers to focus on a design’s function to drive the automatic creation of intelligent components such as plastic parts, steel frames, and rotating machinery.
 

In addition, Inventor 2010 incorporates an enhanced architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) exchange functionality that enables building products manufacturers to publish 3D data in a format that is easy to use in building information modeling (BIM) applications, such as the Autodesk Revit 2010 product line.

Along with the Inventor software, Autodesk is releasing new digital prototyping applications that support and streamline design,  engineering, manufacturing and marketing workflows, including:

AutoCAD Inventor LT Suite: This new suite combines Autodesk Inventor LT and AutoCAD LT 2D drafting and detailing software, to make it more practical for mechanical design professionals to start designing in 3D and participate in digital prototyping workflows.

AutoCAD Mechanical: New features include a streamlined design environment and bill of materials enhancements that help produce consistent results on the shop floor.

AutoCAD Electrical: Offers a streamlined design environment and a new “one-line” circuit symbol library that help to increase productivity for control engineers.

Autodesk Alias family of products: Now available on Mac OS X, the new product family focuses on the specific needs and workflow requirements of three user profiles: creative professionals, digital modeler/sculptors and automotive/transportation designers.

Autodesk Showcase: Now with integrated raytracing, the 2010 design visualization software enables design, engineering, and marketing teams to quickly and efficiently create accurate, photorealistic, and compelling imagery from 3D CAD data to convey form and create environmental context to communicate brand character.

Autodesk 3ds Max Design: 3ds Max Design software makes it easier to prepare digital prototypes and create photorealistic design imagery. A render-quality viewport in the 2010 version facilitates the creative process by enabling users to iterate quickly and explore more design options.

Autodesk Vault: features new document management capabilities that enable users to manage design revisions and control who can access data, and when. New revision control processes are built into Autodesk Inventor software, resulting in faster cycle times and better-quality engineering data.

Autodesk Navisworks: A new part of the Autodesk solution for digital prototyping, the product line helps extended project teams visualize, optimize and collaborate on the most complex projects.

Autodesk Moldflow:  The software suite for simulation, analysis, optimization and validation of plastic parts and their associated molds introduces new sustainability features, along with enhanced performance and quality.

Product availability may vary by country. Details and purchasing options will be available starting March 24 at www.autodesk.com/purchaseoptions.

For more information, visit Autodesk.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.