I remember Fujitsu being big in the CAD world in the late 1980s, but I cannot recall whatever for. (I still have their see-thru plastic mug with its rainbow-colored tree logo.)
And so it came as a surprise to hear from them again, some twenty years later. They say that their newly developed 3D CAD engine can processes one million parts in 0.2 seconds, and will be incorporated in iCAD V7 (aka Micro CADAM Helix), which Fujitsu plans to release by year's end.
MCAD designs are becoming massive, incorporating mechanical, electrical, and control systems, and so this 200x-faster system was needed so that designers no longer need to split models into chunks.
It's not entirely clear to me how it works. Fujitsu says they don't use today's solution (as used by Inventor, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, and others), in which parts are graphically represented, but not loaded until needed for editing. Instead, Fujitsu says, their system works like this:
The new engine employs a new representation method that allows most of the parts of a machine to be precisely represented as mathematical expressions, making it possible to dramatically reduce the amount of memory required.
(The covering email includes this caveat: "This 3D CAD engine supported Microsoft Windows x32 edition only. So, this 3D CAD engine no need high-end Workstation PC.")
And the press release includes their sales target, curiously enough:
8,000 units during FY2011 (ending in March 2012)
More info here.
And so it came as a surprise to hear from them again, some twenty years later. They say that their newly developed 3D CAD engine can processes one million parts in 0.2 seconds, and will be incorporated in iCAD V7 (aka Micro CADAM Helix), which Fujitsu plans to release by year's end.
MCAD designs are becoming massive, incorporating mechanical, electrical, and control systems, and so this 200x-faster system was needed so that designers no longer need to split models into chunks.
It's not entirely clear to me how it works. Fujitsu says they don't use today's solution (as used by Inventor, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, and others), in which parts are graphically represented, but not loaded until needed for editing. Instead, Fujitsu says, their system works like this:
The new engine employs a new representation method that allows most of the parts of a machine to be precisely represented as mathematical expressions, making it possible to dramatically reduce the amount of memory required.
(The covering email includes this caveat: "This 3D CAD engine supported Microsoft Windows x32 edition only. So, this 3D CAD engine no need high-end Workstation PC.")
And the press release includes their sales target, curiously enough:
8,000 units during FY2011 (ending in March 2012)
More info here.
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