Comparing the Capabilities of Autodesk Inventor Professional 2011 and SolidWorks Premium 2010 Using TechniCom's Delphi Expert Technique in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
08/09/2010

TechniCom compared 15 functional areas of Autodesk Inventor Professional 2011 versus SolidWorks Premium 2010 using Delphi Expert Analysis. This paper presents the results.

A Summary of TechniCom's Guide to Selecting a Mechanical CAD System for Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
05/01/2010

This paper is a follow on and update of a previous paper published in February 2005. In that paper we discussed Selecting a CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM system and noted that selecting such a system is no easy task. Today, five years later it is still no easy task to select a comprehensive engineering and product development system, yet it is crucial to the success of ANY business, be it small or large. Our goal with this paper is to help people make better decisions when selecting software solutions to improve product development and engineering performance. This paper can provide you with a logical and orderly approach, which, if followed, will allow you to select the proper 3D mechanical Computer Aided Design (CAD) system for your company. In this paper, different than many others we have seen, we provide guidance for mid-sized businesses rather than large-scale enterprises.

Exploring Windchill ProductPoint in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
07/01/2009

ProductPoint is easy to get started with, is easy to maintain administratively, and extends the power of SharePoint while inheriting all its excellent characteristics for storing, sharing, and retrieving data. In addition, it is low cost, capitalizes on the extensive sharing and web oriented capabilities of SharePoint, and integrates well into existing Pro/ENGINEER installations. We highly recommend this product!

SolidWorks 2009 Released in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
10/26/2008

Recently we attended a review of SolidWorks 2009 in Barcelona Spain for industry analysts. SolidWorks 2009 focuses primarily on improvements to the product rather than dramatic new tools. But this focus really pays off, resulting in a faster, easier to use product. SolidWorks seems to be avoiding function creep, where function is added but usability suffers. A very impressive release! Click the title above to read our high level review.

TechniCom reviews ENOVIA SmarTeam Engineering Express in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
06/19/2008

Until recently, implementing a product management system meant a costly, long-term project. Prospective buyers usually engaged in an elaborate rethinking of how they designed and delivered products, their existing data structures, and how to integrate multiple CAD, ERP and legacy data systems. ENOVIA SmarTeam’s Express solutions offer out-of-the-box solutions for CAD data management (Design Express) and Item/BOM management and engineering change management (Engineering Express).

A review of Solid Edge with synchronous technology in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
06/01/2008

Siemens PLM Software has been working on direct face modeling in Solid Edge for several years. The culmination of some of that experience has resulted in this dramatic new paradigm called Synchronous Technology. They have taken direct modeling many steps further and are able to operate directly on the 3D model. While other CAD software perform direct editing, Solid Edge’s unique implementation combines the speed and flexibility of direct modeling, yet it adds the modification control aspects of constraint based modeling; users can add and lock constraints when needed to precisely control how the model changes.

PTC’s Wildfire 4 delivers key technologies in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
05/01/2008

Recently we had the opportunity to spend some time reviewing the major enhancements to Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4. This release of the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4 has some 300 enhancements and required the services of more than 250 developers. It encompasses 500 requirements documents that were filed by customers and PTC personnel since Wildfire 3, which was originally released in March 2006. There are four new modules.

Synchronous Technology unveiled by Siemens PLM Software in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
04/23/2008

I have not seen anything as exciting and innovative as Siemens’ synchronous technology since the introduction of parametric modeling in the late 80's.

Siemens PLM Software begins 45,000 seat Teamcenter deployment at Volkswagen in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
02/27/2008

TechniCom reviews Solid Edge V20 in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
05/08/2007

Solid Edge Version 20 focuses on massive assembly modeling, managed collaboration, and engineering productivity. Overall this is a very impressive release. Many of the major modeling functions added to V20 focus on improving the ability to work with massive assemblies. This is a tough problem to solve, often taxing the resources of even the fastest desktop processors. Solid Edge V20, in our opinion, has made substantial progress in this area and now has leading edge capabilities.

TechniCom reviews Autodesk Product Data Management From a CAD Perspective in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
12/18/2006

TechniCom reviews Autodesk Product Data Management solutions and finds them to be easy and straightforward to use. They also promise to considerably increase user productivity during product development.

TechniCom reviews SolidWorks 2007 in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
12/06/2006

This paper focuses on certain advanced capabilities of SolidWorks 2007, particularly the new SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (SWIFT™). We also reviewed and discuss the new search capability, a design checker that fixes problems, COSMOSXpress optimization, rapid beam analysis, and an improved kinematics sketch block capability.

Complementing the review are detailed images on our website at http://www.technicom.com/SW_WebGall1.

Solid Edge Version 19: a TechniCom Review in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
09/15/2006

Make sure you see the Commentary in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
08/10/2006

Make sure you see the Commentary articles being posted regularly!

Autodesk Inventor gains maturity in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
04/13/2006

TechniCom reviews SolidWorks Office Premium in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
01/23/2006

Solid Edge Version 18: Reviewing the latest release. in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
11/10/2005

Now part of the UGS Velocity Series, Solid Edge V18 adds tightly integrated cPDM withTeamcenter Express, Femap Express for analysis, Wire Harness Design, Electrode Design, plus more.

TechniCom reviews Solid Edge Version 17 in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
03/09/2005

Solid Edge Version 17 advances hybrid design, further improves working with large assemblies, adds direct editing, and adds to its already impressive ease of use. This 10 page paper reviews many of the new aspects of Solid edge V17, introduces the reader to the new functionality of V17, and provides our impression of these functions.

Search Powered PLM in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
05/01/2004

Search Powered PLM offers a clear technology difference enabling companies to achieve greater business value in record time by using and managing their product data better. It offers clear advantages in terms of ease of use, finding all the data, and speed of implementation.

NX Systems Engineering Powers the Product Lifecycle in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
12/01/2003

Certain CAD systems enable a substantial subset of the components necessary to provide systems engineering tools. Leading among them is NX from UGS PLM Solutions.

think3's Product Configurator Powers Mass Customization in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
06/01/2003

A whitepaper about think3 discussing the aspects of their software that allows development of product customization without programming.

A Review of the Concurrent Product Modeling Capabilities of ImpactXoft’s IX SPeeD in Software Reviews
Contributed by: Ray Kurland
05/01/2002

This review appeared Issue 8, where we reviewed the latest version of ImpactXoft's, as yet, unreleased version of IX Design. Ray Kurland, our intrepid traveling editor, wrote that "Seldom have I ever felt that I was awed by a new product -- this is one of the exceptions!"