What the big guys use?

[solidmecman]

I did a search in the forum and found a couple of threads from a few years ago talking about how Boeing using Catia, etc. I was wondering if any of this has changed with the latest versions of Solidworks. I was always curious as to what the big guys like Boeing, Airbus, all the big car companies, Nasa, our government, etc. uses for their engineering departments. I was watching a discover channel show about a month back where they were showing the building of the new Airbus A380 plane and there were some seens of the engineers working on their computers with a 3d model of the actual plane but I couldn't tell what software they were using, in any event, those have got to be some HUGE assembly files.

 

[smcadman]

CBL: touché, ALMOST! It seems we are forgetting the caveat

but when it came to parametric modeling,

http://alum.wpi.edu/~gregm/thesis/node11.html

Another feature of modern CAD systems is the ability to create parametric models. In a parametric model, each entity, such as a boolean primitive, a line or arc in a wireframe, or a filleting operation, has parameters associated with it. ... These parameters can be changed by the operator as necessary to create the desired part.

http://aec.cadalyst.com/aec/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=146865

Then came parametric modeling engines that used parameters (numbers or characteristics) to determine the behavior of a graphical entity and define relationships between model components -- for example, "the diameter of this hole is 1 inch" or "the center of this hole is midway between these edges." This meant that the design criteria or intent could be captured during the modeling process. Editing the model became much easier and preserved the original design intent.

I try to use a structured, methodical process to create parts and assemblies, and equations WAS one of the ways that I achieved that. If you never use equations in your parts or assemblies, then any points brought up with equations are moot.

Flores
SW06 SP2.0

 

[solidmecman]

smcadman, don't want to bring this topic into something else, but I thought that's the whole purpose of design tables in solidworks. you can just change the dimensions in a design table and then the model will update. Or if you want, link these design tables to specific configurations so you can see the model in many different ways by just changing an excel spreadsheet.

 

[SBaugh]

It's good for that, but has many other uses as well. THe help lists many of the thing that a DT can reference.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[metophile]

Yeah, SW is parametric, so we have tools like equations and design tables, however something like CATIA is more parametric in that it can also control complex relationships in parts. CATIA supports the whole Product Lifecycle Management system; every aspect of a product, from original design, through development to managing the production line can be done with Dassault Systems suite of tools. CATIA being the best known of these. These tools are designed for large design and development teams, SolidWorks and other desktop packages do not compare in that they do not support the same kind of pipeline. I can’t imagine that SolidWorks will ever threaten CATIA and other PLM packages because SolidWorks is not designed to be used in that way. As was mentioned earlier, the drawing is the easy part. Creating content is not expensive, managing it is.

 

[solidmecman]

I can definately relate to how important PLM is coming from a software engineering background having worked for some very large software companies.

 

[jacek0841]

I can’t imagine that SolidWorks will ever threaten CATIA ...

Probably not, as far as I know, both softwares are coming out from the same company ...

 

[J-C]

Well, we dropped Catia for Solidworks 6-7 years ago. We just didn't need Catia's total functionality. I guess each fills a niche, I just think the niche Solidworks aims for is a lot larger than the one Catia and UG go for.

Not everyone needs PLM. I would venture a guess that most companies don't need it, only the largest companies do.

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2005 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2006 SP1.0 on WinXP SP2

 

[GregLocock]

Heckler

"
What's the employment outlook like in the UK? I've often thought about moving back to the UK. That salary for a MCAD designer is a lot better then what I've seen here in the USA."

I don't know what the market is like in the UK. In Australia I know we have great trouble finding enough experienced drafties.







Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[solidmecman]

do you find that 3d mechanical designers need to know 2d drafting (autocad) very well? or can somebody be a good 3d designer and not know much about 2d drafting or 2d cad at all?

I started directly in 3d with solidworks, I think that if I used 2d programs first like autocad I would of had a harder time adjusting my mind into 3d mode..

 

[Heckler]

Greg,

For some strange reason I thought you were in the UK. What part of Australia? Does the industry in Australia recognize US engineering degrees?

Best Regards,

Heckler
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SW2005 SP 5.0 & Pro/E 2001
Dell Precision 370
P4 3.6 GHz, 1GB RAM
XP Pro SP2.0
NIVIDA Quadro FX 1400
o
_`\(,_
(_)/ (_)

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." - Henry Ford

 

[wgchere]

do you find that 3d mechanical designers need to know 2d drafting (autocad) very well? or can somebody be a good 3d designer and not know much about 2d drafting or 2d cad at all?

The human mind is a wonderfully flexible thing. There are advantages to modeling with 2D drafting experience. But then there are advantages to learning modeling without such experience. There is a different way of seeing the process from 2D to Boolean solids, and from Boolean solids to parametric solids. Once you start thinking in "solids" the 2D and non-2D guys are pretty close to each other.

At a job several years ago I was hired to design, but having many years experience drafting, I ended up being a drafting checker/modeling tutor. The engineers working there had no experience drafting and no experience modeling. What a mess! By the time they were through with the model it was so chaotic that it was difficult to draft, and in some cases the dimensions they wanted were actually a tertiary effect of the modeling (to change the angle of a feature--which was the dimension on the drawing--it was necessary to adjust two diameters of a lofted part). Simple things like determining what were the important features to make into GD&T datums were mysteries to them. It took a long time to drive home the concept that since everything was dimensioned off a datum--directly or indirectly--then the datums should be some of the first features modeled and subsequent features derived from them.

My point: any good modeling has to have structure and rigor. A 2D background tends to develop that. But it can be developed without that background too. But I also feel that, since the model is ultimately drafted, it helps to know drafting so it can be easily drafted.

 

[solidmecman]

well it seems that the drafting is something that is now automatically done for you, look at solidworks, you build a parametric model, and then it creates a 2d drafting drawing for you, so I assume one day everything will be done in 3d and then the software will MAKE the 2d drafting (drawing) for you..

 

[GregLocock]

Heckler, I'm near Melbourne, Victoria, the automotive capital of Australia (and the South Pacific I suppose!).

Yes, contact the Institute of Engineers (Australia) for equivalency for degrees. Probably not an issue, to be honest.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[looslib]

Heckler,

Last Friday was my last day at IR.
I started on Monday at L-3 Integrated Systems.

Warmer climate and closer to the kids/grandkids.


"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."
"Fixed in the next release" should replace "Product First" as the PTC slogan.

Ben Loosli
Sr IS Technologist
L-3 Communications

 

[ewh]

solidmecman,
You can be a good designer without 2D knowledge, but as wgchere pointed out, you still need to know how to set up a datum structure.
I have yet to meet anyone with only 3D design experience create a good drawing. An excellent modeler is not the same as an excellent drafter. SolidWorks may automate it somewhat, but it doesn't know enough to do it correctly. Little things can make a big difference in drawing legibility (such as leader lines crossing dimension lines or proper section view orientation).
A designer will have had to pay his dues in drawing cration to be considered well rounded. This is becoming more rare as drawing checkers seem to be a thing of the past at most companies.

 

[ctopher]

ewh,
I agree!

Chris
Systems Analyst
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 05
AutoCAD 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

 

[solidmecman]

being I don't know much at all about drawing, what do you mean by 'datum structure'?

 

[ctopher]

You should get a copy of ASME-Y14.5 1994 if you will be doing mech design/drafting. Not enough time or space to teach it here.

Chris
Systems Analyst
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 05
AutoCAD 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

 

[ewh]

Setting up your primary datum planes and controlling features to those datums, either directly or indirectly.

As wgchere noted "Simple things like determining what were the important features to make into GD&T datums were mysteries to them. It took a long time to drive home the concept that since everything was dimensioned off a datum--directly or indirectly--then the datums should be some of the first features modeled and subsequent features derived from them."

 

[solidmecman]

I guess I should get a better understand of what a datum is, lol I understand planes in solidworks