DESIGN SOFTWARE
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room for innovation because the
designer can explore more ideas to
a higher standard, fewer decisions
have to be reworked, and a
higher-quality product gets to
market faster.
Designing with Artificial
Intelligence
Generative design is the new
technology everyone is talking
about and I predict use to further
expand in 2021. At its heart,
generative design is about
co-designing with artificial
intelligence, building on
generative studies, and encoding
company approaches to design.
The idea behind generative
design is that early concept
development leading to final
designs is faster, more efficient
and more complete. Based on
design constraints, loads, and
materials, the system provides
optimized solutions that lead to
better, higher-quality designs with
efficient material usage, which has
an impact on Cost of Goods Sold
(COGS).
When the generative design tool
uses the cloud, has a world-class
engine, and is closely integrated into
the CAD tool, the expanded compute
power allows for multiple studies
simultaneously. PTC has just
released Creo Generative Design
Extension that does just that.
It’s also important to
understand there are long-term
benefits from repeatedly using
generative design to solve
problems. First, engineers learn
and build experience faster, and
the input of experienced engineers
means that knowledge, expertise
and sound judgment is built into
the experience of the system, from
Above: Brian S. Thompson
which the next generation of
engineers’ benefit. Secondly, the
system will learn from its own
experience, and will continue to
generate solutions faster over
time.
Model-based Definition (MBD)
I predict this approach becoming
more pervasive than ever for the
important strategic reason that a
digital model of a product can be
used throughout the enterprise
- from manufacturing to
marketing, to service and more.
I believe companies will begin
sharpening their focus on 3D for a
variety of reasons. First, it is
important to avoid 2D in order to
sidestep the inefficiency of
creating duplicative content. The
risks of error when the 3D and the
2D designs get out of sync is great
and the consequences can be
severe. Additionally, 2D drawings
can provide instructions or
commentary that’s not reflected in
the 3D design, which leads to
confusion and delays.
Second, most modern
manufacturing equipment can
work directly with 3D. 3D models
are perfect, so errors are
minimized when manufacturing
works directly from the 3D model.
3D documentation provides clear
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