Capability: The 3-D computer-aided design software tool OneSpace Designer is based on history-free CAD architecture, which lets engineers make design changes to 3-D models without knowing how the designs were originally created. The history-free feature eliminates the sequenced steps behind some other CAD systems. The upgrade to this version has enhanced data management capabilities to ensure that designers are working on the correct design version. An upgrade also includes the vendor's two-dimensional drafting features for technical drawings.

Hardware: PC running Windows 2000, XP, or HP-UX.

Developer: CoCreate Software Inc., 3801 Automation Way, Suite 110, Fort Collins, CO 80525; (970) 267-8000; www.cocreate.com.

Cost: $6,320 for a perpetual license with $1,390 annually for support and upgrades or $2,780 per license, per year, including upgrades and support.

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Aid for Joint Assembly

Capability: The fastener and joint analysis software package BoltFast helps users confirm the upper and lower torque values and the capabilities of their connections. By combining a database of fastener and interface materials and their physical characteristics, the program determines the fatigue endurance limit of a thread, the amount of embedding anticipated in a bolted joint, and the optimal tightening torque for given friction conditions. The application also allows its users to accurately quantify the effects of prevailing torque on the joint components caused by braze in the connector threads. The program facilitates joint assembly analysis and confirms finite element analysis results.

Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, or NT.

Developer: Sensor Products Inc., 188 Route 10, Suite 307, East Hanover, NJ 07936; (800) 755-2201; fax (973) 884-1699; www.sensorprod.com.

Cost: $990.

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Capability: FluidProp uses physical models to calculate the thermophysical and transport properties of a variety of fluids and fluid mixtures. Along with the usual properties, the software also calculates the partial derivatives usually needed in computational fluid dynamics codes and in process-modeling software. Examples are provided for using FluidProp with Microsoft Excel, Mathworks Matlab/Simulink, Microsoft Visual Basic, Compaq Visual Fortran, Microsoft Visual C++, and Borland C++.

Hardware: PC running Windows 98, NT, ME, 2000, or XP.

Developers: Piero Colonna and Teus van der Stelt, Process and Energy Department, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands; phone (31-15) 278-6734; info@fluidprop.com; www.FluidProp.com.

Cost: Free, with donations accepted at the Web site.

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Capability: The surface profile analysis package OmniSurf includes standard roughness, waviness, and profile parameters as well as several advanced geometries, including aspherics, which is used in optics. In addition to standard Gaussian filters, the software also provides robust, spline-based filters to analyze porous or plateaued surfaces. To help the user select filter cutoffs, the package offers a graphical representation of the filter transmission overlaid on the profile's actual wavelength content. It also includes a virtual-gasket analysis feature to show potential leakage.

Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, or XP.

Developer: Digital Metrology Solutions Inc., 2024 Iroquois Trail, Columbus, IN 47203; (812) 314-0043; www.digitalmetrology.com.

Cost: $750; includes lifetime upgrades.

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Capability: This technical computing software combines numeric, symbolic, and graphing capabilities with programming language and an interactive document system. The Mathematica 5.1 application can handle giga-size numerical data sets. The upgrade adds new capabilities for those working with large-scale, diverse types of data. New features include an added cluster-analysis tool and new algorithms for symbolic differential equations. Also updated is the application's automatic algorithm selection feature, which automatically applies the best algorithm to each task.

Hardware: PC running Windows, Macintosh operating system X, Linux, Solaris, Unix, AIX, or IRIX.

Developer: Wolfram Research Inc., 100 Trade Center Dr., Champaign, IL 61820-7237; (217) 398-0700; fax (217) 398-0747.

Cost: $1,880.

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