What you will learn in this post:
In this material, you will explore Synchronous Technology, the opinion of current users about it and the areas where this approach can save time and resources:
Fast and flexible design creation
Fast response to late-stage design changes
Seamless editing of imported 3D CAD data
Improved reuse of designs from other 3D CAD models
Simultaneous editing of multiple parts in an assembly
Easier simulation preparation
Going beyond traditional modeling approaches to solve design challenges
Remember that time you were almost done with a project and you got a last-minute change request? And when did you start implementing it and the model got completely out of whack? This is frustrating, isn't it? And that doesn't just happen with a single project, right? Reusing designs, handling imported data and making changes - why do such commonplace activities still pose so many challenges?
Is engineering design not complex enough already?
You spend most of your time at work, sacrificing vacations and facing staff shortages to keep up with all the projects. You engage in customer meetings, collaborate with suppliers, participate in conference calls, and hold conversations on the shop floor. And you are not alone! Isn't it time things got simpler? Isn't product development software supposed to be a tool to help you?
Synchronous technology makes it possible to quickly create and edit conceptual designs, respond promptly to change requests, and perform simultaneous updates to multiple parts of an assembly.
The reuse of projects, the manipulation of imported data and the implementation of changes are easily facilitated by the Synchronous technology, which assists in the activities that you routinely perform, making them more agile and convenient.
Advantages of Synchronous Technology:
We are all familiar with traditional modeling methods - direct and history-based - with their respective advantages and disadvantages. However, what if there was a way to combine the strengths of both modeling approaches, allowing you to design with the agility of direct modeling and the control and intelligence of history-based modeling?
This possibility already exists: it is called Synchronous Technology in Solid Edge .
Synchronous Technology in Solid Edge enables you to quickly create new conceptual designs, respond quickly to change requests, and perform simultaneous updates to multiple parts in an assembly. With this design flexibility, you can avoid the need for complex pre-planning, avoiding resource failures, rebuilding issues, and time-consuming rework.
The power of Synchronous Technology makes it possible to treat cross-platform CAD data as if it were native formats, facilitating seamless collaboration with partners and suppliers.
However, it is important to be careful. While many vendors claim to offer "flexible" modeling or a "combination of direct and feature-based modeling" approach, these approaches are not always equally effective. This text will show you how to ensure that you understand how the vendors you are evaluating are actually implementing this functionality and what the implications of this approach are.
Synchronous Technology lets you focus on the design instead of worrying about the complexities of the CAD application. This means you can spend more time on product development, which is at the heart of your career. By eliminating low-value-added tasks, you recover more of your personal time.
Choosing Approaches: Direct and History-Based Modeling
Direct and History-Based Modeling
Product development software vendors generally take one of two main approaches to creating and modifying geometry: direct modeling and history-based modeling (also known as ordered or feature-based modeling). Each approach has its advantages, but also presents specific challenges.
Direct modeling, for example, offers ample flexibility. You can create and modify geometries by selecting them and then applying operations such as pushing, pulling, dragging, or rotating. The modifications are not registered by the software, that is, there is no saved history of the operations carried out, and the interrelationships are not maintained.
History-based modeling is a structured process where a resource history tree, with parent-child relationships, is created to define the model. This requires prior planning of design intent, including dimensions, parameters, and relationships.
History-Based Modeling: Powerful but Inflexible
In history-based modeling, the structure and order of features determine how the model reacts to changes or edits. This results in predictable edits to underlying sketches using precise dimensional changes. This ability to control resources also allows you to easily automate changes and link resources. However, designers must plan carefully for model construction, as simple edits can be time-consuming and, in more complex cases, may require a complete rebuild. Also, if a model has a lot of features, recalculating them can affect performance, taking minutes to hours.
Few options for editing imported geometries
When dealing with imported geometries, which do not have associated features or parameters, making modifications is more complicated. This often involves recreating the design intent, often removing existing geometry and manually adding new features. In this process, you would use the parameters of these new features to drive the changes. As the project progresses, flexibility decreases as modifications are restricted to the definition of each feature. Scope is also limited by existing resources and parameters.
Fragility of Complex Models
When a change is made to a feature created early in the design, the edit affects the entire model from that point onwards. Features created after editing need to be recalculated based on the new entries, which can trigger a series of cascading failures. In many cases, modifying one feature can cause a chain reaction of bugs throughout the model, making it easier to start from scratch.
62% of CAD users agree that history-based modeling is powerful but inflexible, slowing down conceptual design due to time-consuming advance planning and making changes at later stages difficult.
Direct Modeling: Intuitive but Limited
Direct modeling does not keep a history of features or record the model creation process. There are no underlying feature sketches that define the part. Edits are performed by selecting the part to be modified and changing it - fast and simple. Since changes are not registered as features, subsequent edits do not affect system performance. However, due to lack of resources or history, direct modeling lacks accuracy in edits or automation through parametric inputs.
Lack of Organization in Design and Complex Edits
While it is possible to add dimensions and even create relationships in direct modeling, control over design intent and purpose is a weakness. This makes it difficult to automate smart changes. Furthermore, the lack of recognition of the relationships between different parts of the geometry can result in difficulties in creating accurate matches. The lack of organization and engineering intent in the models also makes it difficult to identify specific features and related groups that need to be changed. Dimension-driven editing is also less accurate compared to feature-based modeling.
The Best of Both Worlds: Synchronous Technology to Solve Design Challenges
What if there was a way to bring together the best aspects of each modeling approach, allowing you to design with the speed and simplicity of direct modeling, while maintaining the control and intelligence of history-based design?
This possibility is already a reality: it is Synchronous Technology.
Synchronous Technology in Solid Edge enables the agile creation of new conceptual designs, quick responses to change requests, and the simultaneous updating of multiple parts in an assembly. With this design flexibility, you can eliminate complex pre-planning, avoiding resource failures, rebuild issues, and time-consuming rework. Additionally, Synchronous Technology's ability to treat multi-CAD data as native files enables effective collaboration with partners and suppliers.
Synchronous Technology: Fast and Flexible
Synchronous Technology combines the strengths of direct and history-based modeling approaches, offering a unique set of capabilities. Users now have access to a powerful yet easy-to-use solution. Those who have tried Synchronous Technology have also reported that it has helped them overcome their main challenges:
The Value of Synchronous Technology: More Agility
Fast and Flexible Design Creation
With Synchronous Technology, you can start conceptual designs immediately using integrated 2D and 3D sketches, without the need for time-consuming pre-planning. You work directly with the design geometry and can make changes instantly, while maintaining control through feature trees organized as needed.
Precision in Direct Modeling
Synchronous Technology offers the best of both worlds: the agility of direct modeling combined with precise parametric control, including face matching, scaling with design intent control, and intuitive 3D edits without the need for sketches. It's fast, easy, and most importantly, accurate.
Agile Responses to Change in Advanced Stages
With Synchronous Technology, making changes is simple, even for history-based models. Simply update reference dimensions or manipulate geometry, without worrying about feature failures, troublesome rebuilds, or lengthy rework.
Simultaneous Editing of Multiple Parts in an Assembly
Easily edit multiple parts in an assembly without the complexity of history-based edits or the need to establish relationships between parts. Select and drag to make changes.
“Our process engineer advised me to taper the sides. This would have taken two hours in the ordered environment. With synchronous technology, it took one minute.”
Daryl Collins, Designer, Planet Dryers
“Through synchronous technology, the system has improved significantly. I'm really excited about how easy it is to operate. Synchronous technology means a quantum leap in the user-friendliness of 3D CAD systems.”
Rainer Schmid, Gerente Geral Assistente e Coproprietário, Waldis
The Value of Synchronous Technology: Easier
Easy Editing of Imported Data
With Synchronous Technology, importing files from other 3D CAD systems is as simple as opening them. Editing of imported data is performed by clicking and dragging the features. Dimensions can be added and edited in real time, and smart updates happen automatically, as if a history tree were present.
Want to learn more about library migration to Solid Edge and support for other 3D CAD systems, click here !
Improved Design Reuse of Other Templates
Easily reuse design details from other templates with a simple copy and paste. Synchronous Technology treats files in other CAD formats as if they were native to Solid Edge .
Design Intent Recognition
Synchronous Technology recognizes and preserves design intent in real time, enabling predictable and effective changes, speeding revisions.
Preparation for Simulations
Preparing a model for finite element analysis (FEA) is simple with Solid Edge Synchronous Technology , even if you are not a 3D CAD expert. Solid Edge provides easy-to-use tools for preparing FEA simulations, regardless of whether the geometry was created in Solid Edge or another 3D CAD tool.
Harnessing the Power of Synchronous Technology in Solid Edge
Solid Edge is an affordable, easy-to-use suite of software tools that cover all aspects of the product development process - from 3D design to simulations, manufacturing, data management and more. Synchronous Technology in Solid Edge combines the best elements of direct and history-based modeling in a single design environment. This allows you to design with intuitive discoveries, precise control, and the ability to capture design intent. The ability to make adjustments at any point and understand existing geometric relationships facilitates changes to feature-based models and imported geometry.
The True Power of Synchronous Technology
At the end of the day, what Synchronous Technology in Solid Edge really offers is the ability to focus on the design rather than the CAD tool. This means you can dedicate more time to the core activity of designing products, freeing up more personal time as low value-added activities are reduced.
“Using Solid Edge with synchronous technology, I can actually do many more iterations now that I wasn't able to do before. And because of that, the cost of the product comes down. The weight of the product comes down. The performance The profit margin loves it.”
John Winter, Gerente de Engenharia Mecânica, Bird Technologies
Differences Matter
While many vendors claim to offer "flexible" modeling or a combination of direct and feature-based modeling, not all approaches are created equal. When evaluating vendors, it's important to understand how they deliver this functionality and the implications of the chosen approach.
"Translation" approach
One approach maintains separate environments for direct and feature-based modeling and translates any creations or modifications between them. This approach may seem logical, but it can lead to problems. Feature-based modeling geometry follows predefined definitions, while direct modeling allows for more dramatic changes that may violate feature definitions. How to translate these changes? This approach still lacks clear solutions.
"Featurization" approach
Similar to the translation approach, this one maintains separate environments for direct and resource-based modeling, but registers actions as resources. This can result in many additional features and increased interdependent complexity. This can make models more prone to failure, and users can end up creating more complicated models than if they had only used feature-based modeling.
Synchronous Approach
Unlike previous approaches, Solid Edge takes a synchronous approach, leveraging the best of both approaches in a single environment. There is no back and forth translation and no hidden features to complicate the model. Synchronous Technology allows designers to make intuitive changes to design intent using the 3D model's own faces. Geometric relationships are automatically recognized and maintained, simplifying editing without user intervention.
In short, Synchronous Technology in Solid Edge gives you the ability to design quickly, accurately and flexibly, eliminating many of the challenges found in traditional modeling approaches. This allows designers to focus on design, making the most of their work time and freeing up more personal time. If you're ready to experience the innovation of Synchronous Technology in Solid Edge and discover how it can revolutionize your designs, we're here to help. Schedule your meeting with us at CAEXPERTS and explore the future of design and engineering. Click below and book your time slot now for an exclusive demo. Se você está pronto para experimentar a inovação da Tecnologia Síncrona no Solid Edge e descobrir como ela pode revolucionar seus projetos, estamos aqui para ajudar. Agende sua reunião conosco na CAEXPERTS e explore o futuro do design e da engenharia. Clique abaixo e reserve agora o seu horário para uma demonstração exclusiva.
Did you like it? They are and check out our post with some other features of Solid Edge by clicking on: Solid Edge: Designed to expand your business.
Want to get an overview and learn even more about Solid Edge ? Click here !
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