CAD Insider

Solid Edge Ready to Take Off

Though never faulted for its technical prowess, Solid Edge has languished in the MCAD market as the spotlight often shines on SolidWorks and Inventor (see  my post "The Best MCAD Program You Won't Buy" June 2006).  But lately, Siemens PLM's Synchronous Technology, which is poised to introduce updates to Solid Edge and NX this summer, has received an incredible amount of press -- and just about all of it favorable. I wonder if all this adulation threatens to shatter Solid Edge's reputation as the CAD industry's best-kept secret.

What is all the fuss about? To find out, I flew to Toronto, where Siemens was introducing Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology at the CN Tower. I listened to claims of how Synchronous Technology will save money ("over $76,000 per year") and time ("100X faster"). No CAD software introduction would be complete without such claims, though the numbers may vary. Siemens was pushing how fast you could change parts-- not just Solid Edge parts but parts from rival CAD companies. One assembly contained Solid Edge, SolidWorks and Inventor parts, though it did not seem to matter. Solid Edge was able to make changes in a part without regard to what application was used in its creation. More importantly, part changes were made without any consideration of the original history tree and without requiring a rebuilding afterward. Changes were pretty darn quick!

We are told that it is Synchronous Technology and Live Rules which allow Solid Edge to recognize features -- even in imported parts -- and allow for such quick edits. Sure enough, on a simple part, moving one face on a part picks up coplanar faces and moves them as well. The program also picks up concentric circles and common dimensions. All changes happen quickly, seamlessly. No rebuilding takes place.

(courtesy Siemens)
Siemens claims that with Synchronous Technology, editing time does not increase appreciably as models get more complex. Their studies prove that parts with upward of 2,000 faces which would take an hour to rebuild happen in practically no time with Synchronous Technology.

Having experienced difficulty in changing SolidWorks models, I can appreciate the advantage such quick editing would have. I am by no means alone. Synchronous Technology is a surprisingly active subject among leading and influential SolidWorks bloggers. While reaction often include "what's the big deal?" or "we've been able to do that for years," a certain amount of respect and envy is apparent.

If Synchronous Technology is as good as it seems, what's to stop other CAD companies from doing the same? I ask Dan Staples, Director of Solid Edge. Patents are being applied for, for one thing. Also, Dan reminds me Siemens owns D-Cubed (the constraint manager in Solid Edge) and Parasolid (the geometry kernel), a fact that should translate into a better utilization of both products. I imagine the developers at D-Cubed and Parasolid have saved a few tricks for the company that issues their paychecks. Could it be some undocumented features are never found by the competitors?

History-less applications seem to be quite the rage these days. There's newcomer SpaceClaim, a resurgent CoCreate, the venerable IronCAD and Kubotek KeyCreator, both now enjoying a vindication of sorts. In fact, so pervasive and overwhelming is history-less modeling in current discussion that I can't remember what advantage a history tree had. A champion of history trees needs to come forward -- if they have not all gone into hiding, that is.

So, what makes Synchronous Technology different than this current crop of history-less modelers? Answer: Solid Edge with ST leaves the parametrics in. You can still control the model using parameters thereby preserving design intent.

Dan sees the next version of Solid Edge so radically different that he won't even call it V21, referring to it instead only as Solid Edge with ST. How is this any different a marketing tack than SolidWorks and their SWIFT, I ask. Ah, SWIFT still leaves SolidWorks history-based, doesn't it? We've done away with the history tree entirely, says Dan. A history is just something CAD companies have added on top of the geometry kernel. We've been working for several years to find a way to do away with it.

The folks at Siemens seem genuinely excited, perhaps even surprised by the buzz Synchronous Technology has created. In my short take, it looks good. Maybe Synchronous Technology will be the engine on which Solid Edge finally takes off.

Solid Edge V20 Sneak Preview

LONG BEACH, CA, April 24, 2007 - One of the coolest parts of being a CAD editor is you get to see all the nifty things in the next version of software. At the UGS Connection (the annual user meeting for UGS software users), I got a sneak preview of Solid Edge v20, which hasn't even been officially announced. The folks at UGS didn't swear me to secrecy so I'll tell you a few items that immediately address some of my pain points.

Big Takes On A Whole New Meaning

I was thinking 5,0000 -- maybe 10,000 parts--was a big assembly. For Solid Edge massive means a whopping 100,000. In fact, there is rumor of a customer using Solid Edge for a 500,000 part assembly! I could not confirm that but my perception of how big of an assembly mid-range MCAD could support just jumped by an order of magnitude.

Importing AutoCAD files

Have you imported an AutoCAD drawing only to spend the next hour changing colors and layers so you can even see the bloody thing? V20 uses "ACAD Color 7" to automatically inverts black/white lines depending on background sheet color.

Built-In Graphic Calculator

It irks me to have to pull out a cheap calculator or sketchpad to solve simple geometry problems when I'm entering geometry into a CAD program. After all, isn't CAD essentially a (very expensive) graphic calculator? Solid Edge seems to have recognized this absurdity and has built in "goal seek" which can solve these type of problems. Example shown is a belt pulley system in which a belt length was given and the position of wheels was iterated to a solution (can also be used in 3D geometry) but you can use it to solve a variety of rules-based problems.

As with any major release, there are more items than there is space to cover (Solid Edge v20 claims 170 enhancements) but I'll provide more details soon.

Solid Edge-- the Best MCAD Program You Won't Buy

I was invited to see the next version of Solid Edge but I'm sworn to secrecy until the release is made public. Suffice it to say that the next release is very impressive. But then, Solid Edge has always been impressive. Joining me in this belief are most of the editors, authors and analysts I talk to. On technical merits, Solid Edge holds its own and even surpasses market leading Autodesk Inventor and SolidWorks in some aspects. So why isn't Solid Edge on the short list when a MCAD buying decision is made?

UGS knows the answer. At last fall's Solid Edge user meeting, UGS CEO Tony Affuso announced that he was tired of Solid Edge not being noticed and UGS was going to turn up the volume (see Solid Edge Seeks the Spotlight). They were going to increase advertising, for one thing. Also, they pointed to the large number of press invited, indicating how that, too, would help spread the word.

Let's take a look at what has happened since:

• Instead of increasing advertising, UGS has cut back. Online advertising has been cut back severely. They used to be one of TenLinks biggest advertisers, but that has all but disappeared.
• Very few members of the press -- if any -- were invited to the next Solid Edge users meeting, held in April in Long Beach, CA, where I'd expect the next edition of Solid Edge to be announced.

While this makes CAD insiders scratch their heads, it's bound to makes the product people at UGS' Solid Edge division downright frustrated. No doubt they feel they have done their job and made the better mouse trap. Why doesn't the rest of the company (management, marketing) do their job-- or at least keep their promises?

Some possible answers:

• UGS also offers a high-end product with Unigraphics. Is the company afraid that the growing capability of Solid Edge jeopardizes its high-end products?
• UGS may be scrimping to improve its bottom line. UGS was bought by investors from EDS. It has been trying to buy itself back from its investors with big payments that have left the company in the red. Rumor have swirled for some time that UGS plans to do an IPO (see UGS Steps Forward, for example) and may be cutting costs severely so that it looks like a good investment. Unfortunately, in this situation, the marketing budget may have been the first to go.