Technology Innovation Could Enable Building Digital Twins on your own

With open source solution integrating Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and deploying efficient run-time becomes simple. One such innovation is the ANSYS Twin Builder, which aids in determination of ideal maintenance program, performance optimization, and generation of insightful data to improve products which are next in line through the following features.

Building

In the recent trends, open source technology has come up with a workable solution to overcome the design and building challenges encountered in the field of product engineering. As per the insights of researches it is expected that ANSYS Twin builder will allow the users to go in for multiple modeling which will have domains and languages, extensive 0D application-specific libraries, and third-party tool (including 1D) integration.

This feature, will also allow for reduced 3D order modeling (ROM) creation, product composition through its embedded software integration process and other accurate physics-based twin twice components.

Validation

Initially, building a digital twin was a complicated and challenging process. The ANSYS Twin Builder has changed the above situation and combines everything into a packaged and fluid work flow with intuitive interface features. Through this, users will be able to validate an accurate representation of their real-life products and optimize product performance up to 25 percent by using multidomain simulation with post-processing, rapid human-machine interface (HMI) prototyping, system optimization, and XiL (model-in-the-loop/software-in-the-loop) integration.

Deployment

Through deployment users will be able to quickly connect to supported IIoT platforms and will be able to export/deploy generated models in a timely fashion. Through this, users will be able to improve their operations with a 10 – 20 percent reduction in their maintenance costs.

Implications:

Compared to the other technological innovation, the  ANSYS Twin Builder allows engineers to quickly build, validate and deploy these digital representations of physical products without any hassle. This new trend will also lower the technical and financial costs involved in product maintenance.

Next Generation: Apartment of the Future Concept Design

The design of the apartments have evolved in the last few years, and will continue developing with technology advancements. The apartment of the future is a complete new concept, it pervades and enhances as the architects and designers adopt new styles and feats.

Below listed are a few technologies that are comprises to define apartment of the future:

Delivery Drones

These drones can drop off packets and other utilities into another apartment safely and securely. This technology will lower down the use of elevator system as it will help people in delivering things to another resident’s apartment with the help of drone.

Robotic Parking

It will become an essential feature within the apartments as the site size will decrease, and automatic parking will make systematic sequencing of cars while saving valuable space and time. As a part of robotic parking, drone landing pads will be also used so that cars can be transported vertically outside the building to the right parking location. The car drivers will then be able to instruct parking with the touch of a smartphone app.

Self-Driving Cars

Within the few years, the roads are going to experience autonomous cars dominating the urban areas. There will be special parking for those vehicles that can automatically park themselves while for human-driven cars, the apartments will accommodate robotic parking system as listed above.

Smart Exteriors

In the process of creating apartments for the future, designers will propose only the lightweight and incredible strong carbon fibre. Such kinetic façade exterior will out bring energy and movement combined with energy efficient LED lighting that will assist in growth of vegetation. Therefore, the apartment of the future will produce solar as well as wind energy as a feature of smart exteriors.

Luxury Amenities

Residents in the apartments of the future are going to enjoy the on-the-go lifestyle which includes one feature as smart phone enabled entry. The residents can provide limited access time to enter and also reset the time as per the requirement. There will be bigger and functional closet spaces into rooms and also huge balconies. The residents will also experience gas cook tops and recycled glass counter tops in the kitchens.

Creo 5.0 Offers AR, Topology Optimization and More

Yes! PTC has successfully launched a new version of parametric CAD software, Creo 5.0. This version of Creo is enticed with new extensions that will bring new functionalities among manufacturing, simulation, augmented reality, topology optimization, and also general productivity improvements.

Here, we have listed new features of the Creo 5.0:

  1. Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing:

The Creo 5.0 is extending support service of 3D printing with Creo Additive Manufacturing for Materialise allowing users to connect directly to printers for metal printing. Also, the Creo Mold Machining extension is giving high-speed 3-axis and 3+2 positioning machining which is optimized for molds, electrodes, and prototypes.

 

      2. Computational Fluid Dynamics:

The new feature of fluid flow extension allows product users or engineers to stimulate the fluid flow directly within Creo. The production company of Creo, PTC also claims that the fluid flow extension is easy to handle, accurate, and brings quick results.

 

      3. BI-Directional CAD:

There is a new collaboration extension which enables the bi-directional exchange of Creo parts and assemblies with the Autodesk Inventor.

  1. Augmented Reality:

With the development of the new version, PTC integrates Creo with AR platform, by allowing Creo users to manufacture and present AR experience from within the designs.

  1. Topology Optimization:

The feature of topology optimization will enable users to insert objectives and constraints. It will also allow the software to automatically create an optimized design.

  1. Productivity Improvements:

Creo 5.0 brings some improvements to the productivity of the user, which includes enhanced user interface, geometry creation, volume helical sweeps, design improvements, surface improvements and a lot more. The advancements in this CAD software will result in better functionality and effective product manufacturing.

PTC’s Brian Thompson also said that “Product designs these days requires advancements, and Creo continues evolving to meet the needs of customers.” The changes brought in the product Creo 5.0 reveals that it can help companies right from the earliest phase of design to smart, and useful product.

The significant features of Creo suggests that new functionalities and capabilities, sets the software apart and gives companies a true competitive edge from ideation till manufacturing.

CAD Predictions for 2018

The rapid technological advancements are changing the shape of the world. Innovations are going up, and software is continuously upgrading. So why CAD tools remain obsolete? Thus, to maintain pace with the advancing technology, CAD tools are continually evolving. So, to understand this change in a better way, listed below are the 2018 predictions of CAD.

Three-tier Automation

Currently, automation is the most trending technology in the engineering world. From agriculture to automobile everything is automated. So CAD follows the trend and implements three levels of automation in product design which are illustrated below:

Assistive Automation tends to reduce the friction created by trivial tasks, such as assemblies, which are repetitive and consumes a lot of time.

Augmentative Automation implements Multiphysics simulations to assist engineers in decision making. Under this automation, engineers only need to focus on problem formulation and remaining all the functions will be performed automatically by the system.

Autonomous Automation is an automation technique which works automatically without any human interference.

Double Benefit of IoT and Mechatronics The convergence of mechanical and electrical design in mechatronics and the power of IoT has the potential to revolutionize CAD in 2018. Gradually, the difference between electrical and mechanical designs is fading away which is promoting the mechatronic technology, such as robots in which sensors are connected to circuit boards in a mechanical body. Furthermore, IoT innovations are enabling manufacturers to receive information from products to improve designs. Overall, this dual power of mechatronics and IoT will transform product designing in 2018.

CAD Cloud

2018 will be powered by cloud CAD where all the CAD programs will run entirely on the cloud. Recently, SOLIDWORKS announced that it plans to launch cloud-based CAD program called SOLIDWORKS X design. Similarly, Autodesk also has cloud-based CAD platform named Fusion 360. These development show cloud technologies will be a leading force in 2018.

Augmented CAD

Augmented reality will shape the future of CAD in 2018. The increasing popularity of augmented reality allows engineers to collaborate their product designs in an efficient manner making it possible for the stakeholders to interact with 3D models.

Although CAD tools will go many transitions and transformations in 2018; however, the primary focus will remain only on these four aspects: Automation, IoT and Mechatronics, Cloud CAD, and Augmented CAD. Overall, in 2018 CAD software will evolve many folds and will transform the shape of the design industry.

What’s new in Revit 2018

The 2018 release of Revit has introduced some amazing features for the users. These features will enable the designers to model a complete, consistent, and coordinated designs for multiple disciplines. These features have the extensibility to both detailing and construction. The list of features are:

Co-ordinated Models

The new Revit feature, now allows the users to link their NWC or NWD files of the coordination models that are generated on Navisworks®. This feature can be helpful to compare the non-Revit and Revit model.

Scheduled Groups and Revit Links

The users can now select the fields that appear in the schedule on the Fields tab of Schedule Property Dialog Box. Also, the new feature allows the Revit experts to include the elements from a linked model.

Global Parameters

In the 2018 Revit updates, the experts can now embed designs with project-wide parameters. Furthermore, these parameters can now work with equality constraints and diameter and radial dimensions.

Multistory Stairs

The new feature of stairs allows the users to create multistory stairs by selecting the levels of the building. These stairs adjust automatically when the heights are changed. These stairs can be created from the existing stairs even at a later stage.

Railings

The new railing feature allows the users to modify the railing by chaining its height, shape, and number. Also, the path of the railing can be customized through sketch tools.

MEP Fabrication Model

The 2018 updates allow the experts build a run of connected MEP fabrication parts automatically by just clicking on the points of the model. The selection of the parts is automatic from the current fabrication service and group.

MEP Design and Analysis

With the help of the new updates in Revit, the users can now manipulate the pathways of the circuit. Also, the updates in MEP design and analysis allows the users to define their own type of space. They can also include the requirements of outdoor air.

Rebar for Complex Geometry

The latest rebar updates allow the placement of rebar as concrete objects that are of free-form. Also, it allows the reinforcement of concrete elements that are imported and their varying rebar distribution is improved.

 

These are just a glimpse of updates in Revit 2018. There are many more interesting features such as Rebar Graphical Constraints in 3D, Additional Steel Connections, Collaboration for Revit, Work-sharing, Parametric components, and much more.