Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM

SOFTWARE TOOLS FOR CAD/CAM

There is lot of companies providing softwares for CAD/CAM/CAE solutions worldwide. Each software having its own importance and specialization. Some details of the widely used softwares is as below.

CATIA (CAD/CAM/CAE):

CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application) is a multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite developed by the French company Dassaults Systems. The software was created in the late 1970s and early 1980s to develop Dassault's Mirage fighter jet, and then was adopted in the aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, and other industries. Hardware Requirements: Windows Certified Workstations: Windows XP 32-bit Windows XP 64-bit Windows vista 64-bit Windows 7 64-bit
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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM Processor manufacturer: Intel Dual Core i3 2120, chipset Intel 6 Series C206 Processor clock speed: up to 3.30 GHz Multi proc. enabled: Yes Max number of proc: 2 Dual Core Standard/Max RAM on Motherboard: 4096 MB/16.192 MB Memory model: DDR3 ECC Graphic manufacturer: NVIDIA Graphic model: Quadro Q2000 Maximum resolution: 2560x1600 @ 60 Hz for Dual link (SLI frame rendering mode). 3840xx2400 @ 24Hz for dual dual-link (single GPU) Image planes: 32 bit Texture memory: 1 GB (DB) Z buffer depth: 24 bit Driver: 270.98 External Bus type: PCI Hard Drive Controller Manufacturer and Model: Various

Pro/ENGINEER (CAD/CAM/CAE):
Pro/ENGINEER is a parametric, integrated 3D CAD/CAM/CAE solution created by Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). It was the first to market with parametric, featurebased, associative solid modeling software on the market. The application runs on Microsoft Windows and UNIX platforms, and provides solid modeling, assembly modeling and drafting, finite element analysis, and NC and tooling functionality for mechanical engineers. Hardware Requirements: Operating System Windows XP, Vista, 7 Intel Processors: Pentium, Xeon, Core Duo/Core 2 Duo (Including Quad-Core chips) or AMD Processors: Opteron Dual Core/Quad-Core Main Memory (RAM): 1024 MB or higher Available Disk Space: Pro/Engineer and Creo Elements/Pro 5.0: 2.5 GB or higher Pro/Engineer Mechanica Wildfire 5.0 and Creo Elements/Pro Mechanical: 5.0 Swap space: 2408MB or higher CPU speed: 2.4GHz Monitor: 1280 x 1024 (or higher) resolution support with 24-bit or greater colour

Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM

SIEMENS NX (CAD/CAM/CAE):
NX is the commercial CAD/CAM/CAE PLM software suite developed by Siemens PLM Software. NX is widely used in the engineering industry, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors. NX has some presence in the consumer goods design sector. NX is a parametric solid / surface feature-based modeler. It uses the Para solid geometric modeling kernel.

Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM

Hardware Requirements: Operating system: Windows XP Professional operating system with Service Pack 3 or above (32-bit or 64-bit), Windows Vista Business or Vista Enterprise operating system (32-bit or 64-bit), Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate and Professional (32-bit or 64-bit), Internet Explorer 6 or 8. At least 2 GB RAM True Colour (32-bit) or 16 million colours (24-bit) Screen Resolution: 1280 x 1024 or higher, wide-screen format 5 GB disk space required for installation A 1GB dedicated graphic card or higher is recommended when working with large assemblies or complex parts

SOLID EDGE (CAD/CAE):

Solid Edge is 3D CAD parametric feature solid modeling software. It runs on Microsoft Windows and provides solid modeling, assembly modeling and drafting functionality for mechanical engineers. Through third party applications, it has links to many other Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) technologies. Originally developed and release by Intergraph in 1996 using the ACIS geometric modeling kernel it later changed to using the Para solid kernel. In 1998 it was purchased and further developed by UGS Corp (the purchase date correspond to the kernel swap).
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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM In 2007, UGS was acquired by the Automation & Drives Division of Siemens AG. UGS company was renamed Siemens PLM Software on October 1, 2007. Since Sep 2006, Siemens also offers a free 2D version called Solid Edge 2D Drafting. Hardware Requirements: This release of Solid Edge Viewer has been certified to run on any of the following: Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, or Professional (32-bit or 64-bit) with Service Pack 1 Windows Vista Business or Vista Enterprise operating system (32-bit or 64-bit) with Service Pack 2 Internet Explorer 9 (IE 6.0 meets minimum requirements 64-bit (x64) processor Windows 7 operating system for optimal performance and user experience At least 2 GB RAM True Color (32-bit) or 16 million colors (24-bit) Screen Resolution: 1280 x 1024 or higher, widescreen format

SOLID WORKS (CAD/CAE):

Solid Works is a 3D mechanical CAD (computer-aided design) program that runs on Microsoft Windows and was developed by Dassaults Systems Solid Works Corp., a subsidiary of Dassaults Systems, S. A. (Vlizy, France). Solid Works is currently used by over 3.4 million engineers and designers at more than 100,000 companies worldwide.
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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM Hardware Requirements: Operating systems Windows 7 x64 (x86 also supported) Windows Vista (Windows Home editions are not supported) (x86, x64 SP1 or higher) Windows XP Professional (x86 SP3, x64 SP2) RAM While the minimum is claimed to be 2 GB, we recommend starting with at least 6 GB of RAM. Depending on the size and complexity of your assemblies, increased RAM may be the best investment for performance improvement. For assemblies with more than 1000 components and parts with more than 300 features, 8 - 16 GB of RAM is recommended. Intel Core i7 Min. 200 GB hard drive, 7200 RPM (dual HDDs in RAID 0 array for ultimate performance) NVIDIA Quadro 2000 graphics card (these are considered mid-range) NVIDIA Quadro 4000, 5000 or 6000 Graphics Card (for ultimate graphics performance) High speed internet connection for downloading updates and Customer Portal access

INVENTOR (CAD/CAE):
Autodesk Inventor is a CAD (Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Drafting) software application for 3D mechanical design, product simulation, tooling creation, and design communication, developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. Initially released in late 1999, Inventor filled a need for a CAD program specifically designed for ease of use, ease of learning, and communication of mechanical 3D design. In doing so, Inventor entered the CAD space primarily occupied by Solid Works.

Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM

Hardware Requirements: Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0 is required to successfully install Autodesk Inventor. Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit) Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise edition, or Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit) Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate edition (SP2), or Microsoft Windows XP Professional (SP3) or Professional x64 Edition (SP2) (1,2) Intel Pentium 4, 2 GHz or faster, Intel Xeon, Intel Core, AMD Athlon 64, or AMD Opteron processor, or later (3) 2 GB RAM or more (4) Microsoft Direct3D 10 or Direct3D 9 capable graphics card (5) DVD-ROM drive (6) Microsoft Mouse-compliant pointing device 1,280 x 1,024 or higher screen resolution Internet connection for web downloads and Subscription Aware access Adobe Flash Player 10 (7) Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x through 8 Microsoft Excel 2003 through 2010 for iFeatures, iParts, iAssemblies, thread customization, and spreadsheet-driven designs Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0 For Complex Models, Complex Mould Assemblies, and Large Assemblies (Typically More than 1,000 Parts) Windows 7 64-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit (SP2), or Windows XP Professional x64 Edition (SP2)
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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM AMD64 or Intel 64 processor 8 GB RAM or more CAD workstation-class graphics card Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0

MASTERCAM (CAD/CAM):
Founded in Massachusetts in 1983, CNC Software, Inc. is one of the oldest developers of PC-based computer-aided design computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software. They are one of the first to introduce CAD/CAM software designed for both machinists and engineers. Mastercam, CNC Softwares main product, started as a 2D CAM system with CAD tools that let machinists design virtual parts on a computer screen and also guided computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine tools in the manufacture of parts. Since then, Mastercam has grown into the most widely used CAD/CAM package in the world. CNC Software, Inc. is now located in Tolland, Connecticut.

Mastercams comprehensive set of predefined tool pathsincluding contour, drill, pocketing, face, peel mill, engraving, surface high speed, advanced multi-axis, and many more enable machinists to cut parts efficiently and accurately. Mastercam users can create and cut parts using one of many supplied machine and control definitions, or they can use Mastercams advanced tools to create their own customized definitions.

Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM Hardware Requirements: Processor: 2.5 GHz Intel Pentium 4 (or equivalent) minimum 32-bit or 64-bit Intel-compatible processor Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista (Business or Ultimate), or Windows 7 (Professional or Ultimate) including the latest service packs and recommended updates Memory: 2 GB minimum (Additional RAM recommended for optimal performance) Graphics Configuration: 256MB OpenGL-compatible graphics card (minimum) Professional-level graphics card designed for CAD/CAM applications required, NVidia Quadro or AMD FirePro series recommended Integrated graphics controllers are not supported 1280 x 1024 pixel resolution (minimum) Full hardware acceleration display setting is recommended Hard Disk Drive Space: 3 GB available hard disk space (minimum) Mouse: 2-button (minimum), 3-button or 2-button with middle mouse wheel (recommended)

DELCAM (CAD/CAM):
Delcam is one of the world's leading suppliers of advanced CAD/CAM software product development solutions for the manufacturing industry. The company has grown steadily since being founded formally in 1977, after initial development work at Cambridge University, UK. It is now a global developer of product design and manufacturing software, with subsidiaries in North America, Europe and Asia.

Recommended hardware to run Delcam Software: Computer with Quad Core or i7 processor Windows 7 Professional 64 bit DVD Drive 8 GB RAM min (12 is better)
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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM Quadro Nvidia video card (Very important!) High resolution monitor (1280 x 1024 minimum) Three button Microsoft compatible mouse VIDEO: When purchasing a new computer for your Delcam product, the most important thing is the video card. We recommend getting a Quadro Nvidia card with a minimum of 512 MB of memory. We have seen some issues with GeForce cards. Video cards that we use are: NVIDIA Quadro FX-1800 NVIDIA Quadro FX-880M NVIDIA Quadro FX-580 NVIDIA Quadro 600 NVIDIA Quadro 2000M NVIDIA Quadro 3000M PROCESSOR: The processor speed will impact how fast the software will calculate and complete tasks. Power Mill and Feature CAM are multi-processor aware. In Power Mill, faster processors will calculate a tool path faster. In Power Shape, it will calculate a complex fillet radius faster and rebuild the solid tree faster. Power Mill and Feature CAM will utilize it to multi task the tool path calculations. We are seeing a 50% reduction is tool path calculation time with the Quad Core or i7 processor. We currently have several Quad Core and i7 machines that are working very well. MEMORY: We recommend getting a minimum of 8 GB of memory. When PowerShape or PowerMill run out of physical memory they use virtual memory space, which is stored on the hard drive. This will slow the system down. If you are currently having problems with large models or toolpath projects, the 64 bit version of Windows will work better for you. Delcam products are able to use more than 2 GB of memory using the Windows 7 64 bit operating system. DVD: All new releases will be on DVD. We recommend any new hardware you purchase has a DVD drive. MOUSE: A three-button mouse is recommended. All products have special functions that can be performed with the middle mouse button. We would recommend using a major brand name like Microsoft or Logitech. We have seen issues with some of the new mice that have side scrollers and 5 or more buttons.

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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM

EDGECAM (CAM):
Edgecam is a market leading computer aided manufacturing (CAM) system. Capable of programming milling, turning and mill-turn machines, Edgecam combines unrivaled ease of use and sophisticated toolpath generation. Edgecam is a principal brand of the Planit group - recently ranked by CIMdata as the world's fastest growing CAM vendor, with most industrial users.Edgecam is a completeCAM software solution for production machining and mold & die applications. With an extensive range of 2-5 Axis milling, turning and mill/turn strategies, seamless CAD integration and sophisticated automation tools, Edgecam is the only CAM system you'll ever need. Edgecam is designed to cope with programming the simplest to the most complex components and offers full support for the latest CAD, machine tool and tooling technology. Available worldwide, Edgecam is supplied and supported through a network of subsidiaries and specialist resellers

. Hardware Requirements: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Microsoft Windows Vista Business Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 32 or 64 bit Intel Pentium 4 processor or equivalent (such as AMD Athlon), in Single, Dual or Quad core versions 1 GB RAM for Windows XP and 2 GB for Windows Vista 10 GB free disk space for the Edgecam Installation Graphics card capable of 1280 x 1024 high colour setting Minimum 64 MB memory for wireframe systems
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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM Minimum 128 MB memory for solid model systems 17" Colour monitor (1280 x 1024 screen resolution) Mouse including wheel (Intellimouse) SpaceMouse/SpaceBall (optional) Network card Internet Explorer 6 or above USB port for the Edgecam security key (unless using keyless licensing) The Edgecam installer will install the following items if they are not already present on your system: .NET Framework version 1.1 and .NET Framework version 2.0 Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005 (for Edgecam ToolStore) Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Setup Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Setup

Work NC (CAM):

WorkNC is a Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software developed by Sescoi for 2, 2.5, 3, 3+2 and 5-axis machining. WorkNC is used by more than 25% of companies in demanding countries such as Japan and is well known for having always focused on automation and ease of use since its first release in 1988. WorkNC-CAD was introduced in 2002, making WorkNC a complete CAD/CAM product, one of the worldwide market leaders in its field. The typical users of WorkNC belong to the following industries: automotive, aerospace and defense, engineering, medical & dental, tooling, mold and die manufacturing.

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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM Hardware Requirements: Processor: Intel Xeon 2.66 Ghz, memory 1066 Mhz (or more: 1333 Mhz) (multicore or multi-processor) Operating system: Windows XP Pro, Vista Pro or Windows 7 Pro 64 Bits(*) (NT4 is not supported by WorkNC G3 - V20) Graphics card: 1 Gb (or more) with Open/GL compatibility (**) Processor Nvidia Quadro FX recommended Hard disk: 500 GB (or more) disk space Screen: 19" or 24'' Monitor - Minimum resolution 1280x1024 RAM: 4-8 GB DDR3 1066 Mhz or more Dongle connection: 1 dedicated serial port Or 1 USB port (+ "USB -> Serial" adapter for versions prior to V20.4) Mouse: Mouse wheel Optional device: Spaceball. (3D Connexion spaceballs are supported by G3-V19) Software installation: CD DVD - ROM drive (*) The following Windows XP parameters should not be used : transition effect for menus and tooltips, and pointer shadow.

ANSYS (CAE):
ANSYS, Inc. is an engineering simulation software provider founded by software engineer John Swanson. It develops general-purpose finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics software. While ANSYS has developed a range of computer-aided engineering (CAE) products, it is perhaps best known for its ANSYS Mechanical and ANSYS Multi physics products. ANSYS Mechanical and ANSYS Multi physics software are non exportable analysis tools incorporating pre-processing (geometry creation, meshing), solver and post-processing modules in a graphical user interface. These are general-purpose finite element modeling packages for numerically solving mechanical problems, including static/dynamic structural analysis (both linear and non-linear), heat transfer and fluid problems, as well as acoustic and electro-magnetic problems. ANSYS Mechanical technology incorporates both structural and material non-linearities. ANSYS Multiphysics software includes solvers for thermal, structural, CFD, electromagnetics, and acoustics and can sometimes couple these separate physics together in order to address multidisciplinary applications. ANSYS software can also be used in civil engineering, electrical engineering, physics and chemistry. ANSYS, Inc. acquired the CFX computational fluid dynamics code in 2003 and Fluent, Inc. in 2006. The CFD packages from ANSYS are used for engineering simulations. In 2008, ANSYS acquired Ansoft Corporation, a leading developer of high-performance electronic design automation (EDA) software, and added a suite of products designed to simulate highperformance electronics designs found in mobile communication and Internet devices, broadband networking components and systems, integrated circuits, printed circuit boards, and

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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM electromechanical systems. The acquisition allowed ANSYS to address the continuing convergence of the mechanical and electrical worlds across a whole range of industry sectors.

Hardware Requirements: ANSYS, CFX, FLUENT, AUTODYN, and ICEM are all supported on Windows XP Professional x64, Windows Vista x64 and 64bit Windows 7. This platform gives the analysis community much greater computing capacity than 32bit windows. Dual Quad Core or Six Core Processors Windows 7 64bit 512 MB (or higher) graphics card (DRD has had good experience with NVIDIA cards) 12-24 GB of RAM DVD R/W Drive 17" or larger flat panel display ANSYS is shipped on DVDs so a DVD drive is necessary

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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM

SIMULIA (ABAQUS):

Abaqus is a commercial software package for finite element analysis developed by HKS Inc of Rhode Island, USA and now marketed under the SIMULIA brand of Dassault Systemes S.A. The Abaqus product suite consists of three core products: Abaqus/Standard, Abaqus/Explicit and Abaqus/CAE. Abaqus/Standard is a general-purpose solver using a traditional implicit integration scheme to solve finite element analyses. Abaqus/Explicit uses an explicit integration scheme to solve highly nonlinear transient dynamic and quasi-static analyses. Abaqus/CAE provides an integrated modelling (preprocessing) and visualization (postprocessing) environment for the analysis products. The Abaqus products use the opensource scripting language Python for scripting and customization. Abaqus/CAE uses the foxtoolkit for GUI development. Abaqus is used in the automotive, aerospace, and industrial product industries. The product is popular with academic and research institutions due to the wide material modeling capability, and the program's ability to be customized. Abaqus also provides a good collection of multi physics capabilities, such as coupled acoustic-structural, piezoelectric, and structural-pore capabilities, making it attractive for production-level simulations where multiple fields need to be coupled. Hardware Requirements: OS Level: Windows Vista, Windows 7 Processor: x86-321
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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM The minimum processor required is equivalent to Intel Pentium 4 or AMD processors supporting SSE2 instruction set. Abaqus 6.12 Graphics Devices Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Intel Visual Fortran 10.1 DVD-ROM

AutoCAD (CAD):
AutoCAD is a CAD (Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Drafting) software application for 2D and 3D design and drafting, developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. Initially released in late 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, and notably the IBM PC. Most CAD software at the time ran on graphics terminals connected to mainframe computers or mini-computers

. In earlier releases, AutoCAD used primitive entities such as lines, polylines, circles, arcs, and text as the foundation for more complex objects. Since the mid-1990s, AutoCAD has supported custom objects through its C++ API. Modern AutoCAD includes a full set of basic solid modeling and 3D tools. With the release of AutoCAD 2007 came improved 3D modeling functionality, which meant better navigation when working in 3D. Moreover, it became easier to edit 3D models. The mental ray engine was included in rendering, it was now possible to do quality renderings. AutoCAD 2010 introduced parametric functionality and mesh modeling.

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Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM AutoCAD supports a number of application programming interfaces (APIs) for customization and automation. These include AutoLISP, Visual LISP, VBA, .NET and ObjectARX. ObjectARX is a C++ class library, which was also the base for products extending AutoCAD functionality to specific fields, to create products such as AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Civil 3D, or third-party AutoCAD-based applications. Hardware Requirements: Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Vista (SP2 or later) Enterprise, Business, Ultimate, or Home Premium editions (compare Windows Vista versions), or Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 edition (SP2 or later) AMD Athlon with SSE2 technology, AMD Opteron with SSE2 technology, Intel Xeon with Intel EM64T support with SSE2 technology, or Intel Pentium 4 with Intel EM64T support with SSE2 technology 2 GB RAM 3 GB free disk space for installation (3.6 GB for a clean system with no .NET installed) 1,280 x 1,024 display with true color Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or later Microsoft Mouse-compliant pointing device Download and Installation from DVD Additional System Requirements for 3D Modeling Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor, 3 GHz or greater, or Intel or AMD dual-core processor, 2 GHz or greater 2 GB RAM or greater 2 GB free hard disk available, not including installation 1,280 x 1,024 32-bit color video display adapter (true color) 128 MB or greater, Pixel Shader 3.0 or greater, Direct3D-capable workstation-class graphics card

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