Autodesk's new adaptive design technology will be unveiled at Computer Faire at Gallagher Estate from 24 to 27 May. The new technology, which is at the heart of Autodesk's new Inventor mechanical design software, will be demonstrated at the Faire.

Adaptive design is a new process that allows users to design the way they think. Autodesk Inventor is the first mechanical design system in the world to support adaptive design, while at the same time providing industry-leading, large-assembly performance and single-day productivity.

"It is appropriate that we unveil Autodesk Inventor at Computer Faire, the country's showcase for information technology," says Errol Ashwell, Managing Director of Autodesk Africa. "In delivering adaptive technology, enabling single-day productivity, and significantly improving performance associated with large-assembly modeling, Autodesk Inventor has the potential to make the same kind of impact on engineers that AutoCAD software made in moving people from the drawing board to computer."

Two of the key technologies that enable adaptive design are adaptive layout and adaptive assemblies.

Adaptive layout

The natural way for designers to work is to use sketches to solve complex design problems, or to create initial concepts, building 3D solid models. Designers seek to solve function (length, position, and range of motion) before form (the details of the solid model that represent the design). However, today's parametric software requires designers to create form before solving function. Autodesk Inventor's adaptive layout allows the designer to work with simple, intelligent 2D layouts that can become the foundation for 3D assemblies. The result is that designers can shorten cycle times by getting function right first, instead of iterating on form or solid models.

Adaptive assemblies

Existing parametric 3D design systems are powerful because they allow users to build models that can quickly be changed or updated. Unfortunately, to realise the full power of parametric models, designers must create and manage numerous and, often frustrating, equations and relationships. Autodesk Inventor's adaptive assemblies is a feature set that allows designers to relate parts and assemblies by specifying shape and position - instead of parameters and equations. This means the power to quickly change an entire 3D assembly can be built into a design without specifying any parametric relationships. Adaptive 3D models are not only more powerful than parametric models, but are also more flexible and easier to assemble, consequently reducing design cycle time.

Built-in collaboration and connectivity

The adaptive design environment allows users to work concurrently on the same product design while sharing detailed information about their designs and their design decisions. Built into the adaptive architecture is technology that enables several designers to work on the same assembly concurrently. Another component of Autodesk Inventor is the innovative Engineer's Notebook, which allows users to associate any kind of design data to features or models. The Engineer's Notebook lets users easily add such notes as stress approximations, die requirements, and rules of thumb to any feature, part or assembly. "The Engineer's Notebook give designers a place to put those notes that may be important at a later date," says Ashwell.

Single-day productivity

Autodesk says that its Inventor delivers the most refined user interface for 3D mechanical design in the industry. The software's short learning curve and ease-of-use open up 3D design to a new users, such as traditional 2D users who have stayed away from 3D design because of the complexity of current systems.

Autodesk

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www.autodesk.com