Saturday February 4, 2012

Ice Dream: Towing an iceberg for fresh water

“With the world’s water resources projected to diminish by one third in the next two decades, providing pure water to an ever- increasing world population is vital,” Mougin explained. To Mougin and Mauviel, one solution would be to transport icebergs to areas that lack fresh water for drinking and even cooling purposes. The scientific challenges are impressive... Read More

MSC Software’s Patran and Marc software used in cellular research at Clemson University

The goal of this study is to construct a representative 3D finite element model of a biological cell based on the sub-cellular structures that provide the cell with its mechanical properties. The geometries for the model are constructed from 3D microscope images of cells using proprietary analytical algorithms, imported into Patran for pre-processing, and submitted to Marc for analysis.... Read More

10th anniversary of Maple T.A.

Maplesoft released Maple T.A. 8.0 with adaptive questions to help with student comprehension. These questions give extra guidance to students who give an incorrect response to a question, increasing their understanding of the concepts and techniques involved. Knowing the student is having problems, the questions can be adapted to walk the student through the problem step by step,... Read More

New software slated to change the workplace

CAD software vendors have touted product usability for a long time. However, they haven’t really delivered on that promise until recently. There were a few software debuts in 2011 that changed that premise. True user usability could lead to a broader CAD audience and a bigger market share.The product development team at PTC came up with the idea of a creating single program... Read More

Printer shifts from 2D to 3D

Voith Paper decided to improve its design process across its centers of competencies around the world. Each center specializes in particular parts of a paper machine: due to its massive size and complexity, a finished machine requires design input from several design centers. Voith knew that speeding up its design and manufacturing processes would mean aligning its dispersed design... Read More

Student designers create future vehicle lighting concepts

As part of CCS’s ongoing Corporate Sponsorship program, 18 CCS transportation design seniors researched areas of innovation focused on the development of new exterior automotive lighting and styling concepts with representatives from Visteon and OSRAM. These projects have taken on an added dimension because of the opportunities presented by OSRAM’s LEDs technology and Visteon... Read More

Unmanned space vehicle gets rapid redesign

NASA uses an unmanned aircraft to gather earth science data around the world. It was designed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and developed at NASA’s Ames Research Center. The Systems Integration Evaluation Remote Research Aircraft (SIERRA) is routinely deployed for environmental collection missions over remote or inaccessible regions where harsh conditions and long flights... Read More

Surface deformation software

Kickstand launched a campaign to evolve StretchMesh Surface Deformation software into Open Source technology – opening the door for artists working in Maya to incorporate the surface deformation technology into their 3D workflow. The initiative allows programmers and developers of software programs such as Autodesk 3D Studio Max and Softimage, NewTek LightWave, Luxology modo,... Read More

Recreated USS Missouri

SolidWorks user Donn McKinney’s dream is to construct a Hollywood-quality fleet of battleships for museums and ports. He is part of a team engaged in producing operational replicas of the Iowa Class Battleships USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, and USS Wisconsin. The goal of the project is tto put these ships on display for education and enjoyment of the general public in... Read More

The Extreme Boat Anchor

Dragomir Ivicevic is the founder of XYZ Marine Products which is known in the marine industry for its highly rated Extreme Boat Anchor. Ivicevic is also the inventor and mastermind behind the novel design approach that makes this anchor rated #1 in the industry and a preferred choice by demanding customers such as the US Navy and Oceaneering International. The Extreme Boat Anchor... Read More