Free Collaboration Software

Design Review 2009 from AutoDesk corporation is a collaboration application used to view, print, mark up, and compare versions of drawings, maps, and models. Find it @ http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/mform?id=9131297&siteID=123112

Inexpensive PLM

If you have AuotCAD 2008 & SharePoint 2007 installed an deployed, then you have the basic ingredients for a relatively inexpensive PLM solution.

There is a piece of software called CADnection, currently priced at $6,995 for a bundle of 25 seats [plus a yearly maintenance fee of 18 percent of the purchase price to provide ongoing updates] that connects AutoCAD vaults to SharPoint.

Of course, one still needs to develop and deploy the related PLM workflows in SharePoint.

For details see: http://www.deskeng.com/articles/aaamak.htm

On PLM

AutoDesk CEO Carl Bass delivered a stinging critique of PLM vendors last February during the AutoDesk's World Press Day. He stated: "There are much more pragmatic, much more digestible approaches that solve the problem of how to inform design and engineering early in the process... PLM is an artifact, a marketing slogan, to satisfy a financial commnuity."

And you know what? He has a point.

I think the way to position PLM is by noting that it is all about "Rapidity" and "Speed"; i.e.

• not waiting for weeks for a part to be prototyped by manufacturing, only to find a defect and start the process over again.
• creating a usable jig for aligning headlights on a production line, right on the desktop.
• having a sculpture reproduced economically, in time to meet an opening deadline by an artist
• redesigning a failed system on the Boeing 737 and having the part ready for installation in days as opposed to weeks.
• from design-to-part in one business day for a manufacturing run of 400,000.

We must be able to prove to the executives that PLM is about faster and higher return on investment for us to make headway in that arena.

Google of Shapes & Images

PixLogic Inc. has released a tool, called PiXserve that enables searching & mining for pictures, shapes, and images that, in some manner, are similar to a given images.

Its features include automatic image segmentation, image normalization so that 2 or more similar, but not identical, images can be rationally compared, and image contextualization, i.e. the ability to use context to understand what is in the image, rationalize its contents and deal with the missing or incomplete information implied by an image.

There is also a piXsearch SDK .

An application of these tools, specially the SDK, is in the PLM arena. Specifically one can envision using the SDK to perform detaining on the CAD & CAM drawings that are deposited in such PLM tools as TeamCenter Enterprise, TeamCenter Engineering or similar tools from CATIA and others.

One can perform this type of shape data mining in conjunction with data mining on BOM (E-BOM), warranty data, and plant data etc. Thus one could pose & find answers to questions such as "Which designs have caused me the most warranty costs and in which plants have they been manufactured?" Currently we cannot answer such questions.

Free PLM Software

Free 3D MCAD Software from CoCreate

CoCreate OneSpace Modeling Personal Edition @

http://www.cocreate.com/OneSpaceModelingPE.cfm?c1=web&source=cc&kw=banner