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software
exchange: digital tools and references
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| Section
Property Calculation |
Capability: The Sectionwizard software package
allows users to calculate section properties for custom or assembled shapes.
These section properties include area, moment of inertia, section modulus,
center of gravity, shear center, and torsional constants. Users can also
create custom shapes from built-in sections and plates, and find standards
sections with properties comparable to a custom or builtup section. With
the software, engineers can also compute stresses at any point of a cross
section based on axial forces and create free-form sections, chambers, and
radii.
Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, 2000, or NT.
Developer: Research Engineers International, 22700 Savi Ranch Pkwy.,
Yorba Linda, CA 92887; (714) 974-2500; fax (714) 974-4771; www.reiworld.com.
Cost: $695.
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| STEP
Translation |
Capability: CAD and computer-aided
manufacturing translation software is available for download via the developer's
Web site and allows users to perform Pro/Engineer or Catia to Standard for
the Exchange of Product Data (STEP) translations. Users download the software
free, but pay for each conversion. The service allows CAD data transfer between
Pro/Engineer and Catia and all systems that support STEP. The translator
converts all three-dimensional geometries that are mapped to equivalent STEP
entities. Translation filters are provided so that only required data is
translated. Pro/Engineer and Catia licenses are not required for the translation.
Hardware: PC with Web access.
Developer: Cadcam-E.Com, 28124 Orchard Lake Rd., Suite 101, Farmington
Hills, MI 48334; (284) 932-5295; fax (284) 932-9397; www.cadcam-e.com.
Cost: Software is free, then $150 per translation.
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to obtain information on this product |
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| Five-
module Visual Analysis System |
Capability: The Finite Element
Visual Analysis, or FEVA, system is composed of five modules: a mesh generator,
a preprocessing and postprocessing finite element system, a general thermal
and stress linear code for designers and general analysts, a least-squares-based
fluid dynamic solver that provides mathematically guaranteed convergence
flow simulator ability, and a least-squares electromagnetic solver. The package
is intended to meet full analysis needs for certain engineers. It makes use
of open architecture and is compatible with all widely used CAD and finite
element analysis programs.
Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 96, 2000, or NT.
Developers: Aegis Software, 3840 Beatty Court, Murrysville, PA 15668;
(724) 325-5595; fax (724) 325-5591; aegis@westol.com.
Cost: $3,500.
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to obtain information on this product
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| CAD
Standards Manager |
Capability: StanConvert lets CAD
managers control from a central point CAD translations and automated conversions
of AutoCAD drawings to or from special project standards or standards used
by other clients. The software's CAD standards translator gives users a process
by which standard coding systems and setups in drawings are translated
automatically. It is also designed to batch process libraries of existing
drawings to common standards formats. The software provides conversions when
importing and exporting drawings for special projects and allows exchange
of AutoCAD drawings with other offices within the company.
Hardware: AutoCAD station.
Developer: Softco Engineering Systems, 814 Goldstream Ave., No. 102,
Victoria, BC, Canada V9B 2X7; (888) 811-9994; fax (250) 391-8778;
www.softcosys.com.
Cost: $299, stand-alone package; $249, downloadable version.
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to obtain information on this product
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| Tube
Field Layout |
Capability: ScanCAD.itl is a
stand-alone, graphical tube field layout program. The software will also
be included in a heat exchanger mechanical design program called
SnapCAD.Exchanger, to be released by the developer in the summer. When the
software user specifies the shell diameter, the software program optimizes
and shows the number of tubes. Likewise, when the user specifies the tube
number, the program optimizes the shell diameter. The program also provides
nozzles and impingement plates. Users may add tie rods, seal strips, dummy
tubes, and skid bars. The program gives single and double segmental baffles
with or without tubes in the window and also automatically calculates and
reports window flow areas. Tube passes may be specified at any number from
one to 16, including odd numbers. Pass arrangements include ribbon flow,
I-type, tree-type, and special arrangements for certain tube passes. Users
can print a report and tube-field drawings or can export them to CAD files.
Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, and 2000.
Developer: Heat Transfer Consultants, P.O. Box 23525, Pleasant Hill,
CA 94523; (925) 827-9689; fax (925) 827-1407; www.htcsoftware.com.
Cost: $950, single-user license.
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to obtain information on this product
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| CAD
Motion |
Capability: FreeCAD is a
three-dimensional CAD program that includes motion simulation. It allows
users to create and manipulate assemblies, which are collections of 3-D parts
connected by joints, constraints, contacts, actuators, springs, dampers,
and forces. The software performs full 3-D multibody dynamics analysis to
predict the motion according to Newton's Laws. The software produces realistic
animations. Users can obtain engineering data in the form of plots and tables.
Data series available include linear and angular displacements, velocities,
accelerations, forces, torques, momenta, and kinetic energies. Acceleration
data include transverse, centripetal, and Coriollis accelerations. Users
can view forces and torques from joints, constraints, actuators, springs,
dampers, applied forces, and inertia.
Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, ME, or NT; OS 7, 8, or 9; or
Linux.
Developer: Aik-Siong Koh, 2152-B 37th St., Los Alamos, NM 87544; (505)
661-9779; askoh@alumni. princeton.edu; www.geocities.com/ skoh_us.
Cost: Free.
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to obtain information on this product
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| Gas
Turbine Simulation |
Capability: The gas turbine cycle
software program GasTurb9 simulates the most common types of gas turbine
engines with few abbreviations. The software shows engine cross sections
with station numbering and secondary air systems. It estimates compressor
efficiency as a function of stage loading, size, and technology level in
design calculation and uses component maps for off-design. It also allows
users to define a flight envelope or a flight mission and calculate all points
in a single run. It shows turbine velocity triangles using a Smith diagram.
Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, 2000, or NT.
Developer: Joachim Kuzke and Max Feldbauer, Weg 5, 85221 Dachau, Germany;
fax (49-81) 315-4886; www.gasturb.de.
Cost: $550, single-user license; $1,100 with source code.
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to obtain information on this product
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| Document
Management |
Capability: This document management
system, called Columbus, provides a simple interface, and allows viewing
and printing of most file formats. It is accessible from PCs connected to
a local- or a wide-area network or to the Internet, which allows documents
to be shared within a group. It automatically extracts title block information
from AutoCAD drawings and previews AutoCAD files. It also issues documents
to an extranet site and to a local record set.
Hardware: PC.
Developer: Ove Arup and Partners, 13 Fitzroy St., London, England
W1T 4BQ; (44-20) 7636-1531; www.arup.com.
Cost: Free.
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to obtain information on this product |
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| Object-
based Design |
Capability: VectorWorks 8.5 integrates
object-based design with two-dimensional drafting and 3-D modeling capabilities.
It also includes a linked worksheet function and a scripting language. The
software provides a set of menu commands and tools for 2-D drafting. The
program offers constant on-screen feedback (shown in the mode/message bar)
and what the developer calls a SmartCursor, which identifies relevant parallels,
intersections, snaps, and tangents as the user draws. In addition to 3-D
surface and wireframe modeling tools, the program offers 3-D Boolean operations.
Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, 2000, or NT or MacIntosh OS.
Developer: Nemetschek, 7150 Riverwood Dr., Columbia, MD 21046;
www.nemetschek.net.
Cost: $795. |
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| CAD
Viewer |
Capability: This computer-aided
design viewer, called 3-D View, allows users to call up CAD designs on their
screens, although they cannot work on the designs. The viewer provides accurate
measurements, shows markups to the designs, shows cross sectioning and
dimensioning, and allows assembly navigation. It also allows access to
three-dimensional computer-aided manufacturing data.
Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, or NT.
Developer: Actify, P.O. Box 460688, San Francisco, CA 94146; (415)
647-6504; fax (415) 647-6506; info@actify.com; www.actify.com.
Cost: $195. |
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| Analysis
Package |
Capability: Femlab is a modeling
and analysis package particularly suited to the analysis of chemical processes.
The software runs on top of Matlab software, which is a standard tool for
technical computing developed by Mathworks of Natick, Mass. Femlab models
a physical phenomena described by the user, usually an engineer or scientist
who uses partial differential equations to describe the analysis. Models
that can be generated include heat transfer, fluid flow, electromagnetics,
and structural mechanics.
Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, or NT, or a Unix platform.
Developer: Comsol, 8 New England Executive Park, Suite 310, Burlington,
MA 01803; (781) 273-3322; fax (781) 273-6603; info@comsol.com; www.comsol.com.
Cost: $3,995, single-user license; $5,995, floating network license. |
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