digital tools and references
Capability: Engineers and others who don't own the VectorWorks
CAD application can view and print projects created in that application
with VectorWorks Viewer. The viewer lets you individually open a VectorWorks
file and make use of the viewing tools and commands. Users can look at
projects made via VectorWorks Machine Design, VectorWorks Designer, VectorWorks
Fundamentals, VectorWorks Architect, VectorWorks Landmark, and VectorWorks
Spotlight. Service bureaus can use the viewer to print VectorWorks files
for their customers.
Hardware: PC running Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, or XP.
Developer: Nemetschek North America, 7150 Riverwood Dr., Columbia,
MD 21046; (410) 290-5114; fax (410) 290-8050; www.nemetschek.net.
Cost: Free.
Beyond
PDF
Reader
Capability: Using Acrobat 3D, engineers and designers
transform their 3-D designs from CAD into Adobe portable document files—even
if the engineers and designers themselves don't have access to
the CAD software. The application supports a number of popular CAD programs.
Once the design is converted, users can open, review, and offer written
comments on 3-D models for colleagues who will view the image only via
the vendor's Adobe Reader. Those users can also edit the CAD image
to add textures and materials, and they can create accompanying animations
such as assembly and disassembly instructions.
Hardware: PC running Windows 2000 or XP on the Aix, Unix, or Irix platforms.
Developer: Adobe Systems Inc., 345 Park Ave., San Jose, CA 95110-2704;
(408) 536-6000; fax (408) 537-6000; www.adobe.com.
Cost: $995. Registered users of Acrobat 7.0 Professional and Acrobat
6.0 Professional can upgrade to Acrobat 3D for $545 and $699, respectively.
Click here to obtain information on this product
Capability: ToolWorks Bill-of-Material Manager, version six, for the CAD system SolidWorks helps engineers manage CAD properties as it draws up a bill of materials for CAD parts. This BOM manager opens within the design window. Lists can be linked to an external database so you don't have to keep track of billing data from multiple locations. A new feature copies custom properties to one or more configurations. These custom properties help manage cut length, sheet metal thickness, and the like. Another feature creates a link between a model dimension and a custom property. Links are updated if the model is modified.
Hardware: PC running SolidWorks.
Developers: SDH Development ApS, Industrivej 46, DK-4000 Roskilde,
Denmark; (45-70) 22-22-80; U.S. phone (978) 633-3318; www.toolworks.info/.
Cost: $595.
Find Material Properties
Capability: Variational Asymptotical Method for Unit
Cell Homogenization (VAMUCH) is a finite element-based code to perform
homogenization of heterogeneous anisotropic materials based on the variational
asymptotic method. It can be used to homogenize arbitrary heterogeneous
materials with arbitrary microstructure, providing a unit cell can be
identified. VAMUCH calculates the effective material properties first
and then recovers the localized field based on the macroscopic analysis
of the effective medium, if needed. A complete set of material properties
can be obtained with one run of the code. The dimensionality of the unit
cell determines the dimensionality problem.
Hardware: PC on a Windows, Macintosh, Linux, or Unix platform.
Developer: Wenbin Yu, professor, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering, Utah State University, UMC 4130, Logan, UT 84322-4130; (435)
797-8246; Wenbin@engineering.usu.edu; www.mae.usu.edu/
faculty/wenbin.
Cost: Free.
What Statistics Say
Capability: This software application add-on builds
and analyzes complex statistical models in Mathematica. Users can create
models quickly to gain insight into their data. The add-on gives engineers
and scientists a tool for likelihood-based statistical inference. Researchers
use statistical inference to make scientific predictions from their data.
The application includes more than 30 statistical distributions as well
as functions for defining new models.
Hardware: Mathematica 5.0 or higher for Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux platforms.
Developer: Wolfram Research Inc., Champaign, IL 61820-7237; (271) 398-0700; fax (271) 398-0747; www. wolfram.com.
Cost: $1,000.
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