News of the day

Dassault Systemes helps Kyushu University accelerate development of advanced wind-power system

CATIA Increases Efficiency in Wind Turbine Blade Modeling by Six Times and Improves Simulation Accuracy with Sophisticated 3D Models

TOKYO, September 15, 2010 – Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced that the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (RIAM), Kyushu University, a leading Japanese academic research institution, has successfully implemented Dassault Systèmes’ PLM solutions for its advanced R&D project – “The Development of Shrouded Wind Turbine with Wind-Lens Technology” – to significantly improve research efficiency and accuracy.

Global wind-power capacity is poised to grow almost threefold to nearly 450 gigawatts (GW) over the next five years, according to BTM, a Danish wind-power consultancy. As the deployment of wind power generators has significantly increased in many countries, Japan is facing major challenges due to frequent changes in wind direction, which make it difficult to generate stable power with existing systems. In order to come up with solutions, the RIAM, Kyushu University has been conducting an R&D project to develop a shrouded wind turbine.

The RIAM, Kyushu University previously designed and evaluated the wind turbine blade based on results from wind tunnel testing and computational fluid dynamics analysis. However, with the previous design software, blade modeling usually took a long time and delayed the R&D process. After using Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA software solution, working hours for 3D modeling was reduced from more than three days to only half a day. In addition, the time for adjusting 3D models and calculation for simulation was also drastically decreased.

“Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA enables us to conduct accurate analysis with more detailed and sophisticated 3D models,” said Assistant Professor Takanori Uchida, the RIAM, Kyushu University. “We are convinced that CATIA will highly benefit our project with its proven capability recognized by a major number of companies in the wind-power sector around the world.”

“Dassault Systèmes is dedicated to providing 3D PLM solutions for sustainable living. We are delighted to see the successful implementation of CATIA at an advanced academic institution such as the RIAM, Kyushu University,” said Tomohiko Suetsugu, president, Japan, Dassault Systèmes. “We will continue to bring in world-leading technologies and best practices to support the advancement of the energy sector in Japan.”

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About Kyushu University

The history of Kyushu University dates back to 1903 when Fukuoka Medical College was established as the foundation of Kyushu Imperial University.?In 1911, Kyushu Imperial University, along with the Colleges of Medicine and Engineering, were established. Kyushu University closely works together with enterprises and make considerable achievements by a hundred of joint projects with external organizations every year. For more information, visit http://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/english/.

About Dassault Systèmes

As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, Dassault Systèmes brings value to more than 115,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systèmes applications provide a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance to recycling. The Dassault Systèmes portfolio consists of CATIA for designing the virtual product – SolidWorks for 3D mechanical design – DELMIA for virtual production – SIMULIA for virtual testing – ENOVIA for global collaborative lifecycle management, and 3DVIA for online 3D lifelike experiences. For more information, visit http://www.3ds.com.

CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA, SolidWorks and 3D VIA are registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries.

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Photos of the new planned DS HQ in America

(see the next press release in the right column of this article)

Dassault Systemes planned headquarters for the Americas

Dassault Systemes planned headquarters for the Americas

For more images and specific information about the new site of Dassault Systemes’ headquarters here in the Americas, check out the property manager’s information page.

Another experiment to fill this remaining space:

SolidWorks World 2011 Connect Tweets

I mentioned SolidWorks World 2011 Connect website a couple days ago.  I guess it was a little ironic that my tweet about the Connect website was the first tweet to appear on the Connect website.   I guess even more ironic is that this article (the one that you are reading right now) will likely be the second tweet to appear.  🙂  No, no, I take that back.  I’ve purposefully left off the #sww11 hatchtag to avoid just that.

1st SolidWorks World 2011 Connect Tweet

SolidWorks 2011: Auto Arrange Dimensions tool

There is a a set of new drawing functions in SolidWorks 2011 that’s catching a lot of attention.  These are the Auto Arrange Dimensions tools which are built into the Dimension Palette. Using a thumb wheel and available options, the user may automatically space dimensions from smallest to largest, aligned and centered (where possible), spaced with the pre-set offset distances, adjusted to avoid overlapping, and staggered (where necessary).  In short, these tools automatically space and align selected dimensions with very little effort.

Currently, SolidWorks 2010 does have auto spacing for dimensions, but this can sometimes be more of a hassle than a benefit.  There’s a lot of potential with these new Auto Arrange Dimension tools.  They may allow the user to save time while giving them direct control over dimension placement.

Thumb wheel dimension spacing

Auto Arrange Dimensions is reportedly so easy to use, if dimensions of an entire drawing are selected, they can be spaced and aligned at once using this tool.

Alignment Tools on drawing, Align Stagger

If these tools work as well as promised, they can potentially save a lot of time when inserting or adding dimensions to drawings.  I guess the only addition I’d ask for is an option to automatically select every dimension on the drawing with the click of the mouse button to allow an entire drawing to be aligned and spaced in one quick action.

SolidWorks World 2011 Connect

SolidWorks World 2011 Connect

Even though SolidWorks World 2011 is quite a number of months away, SolidWorks Corp wishes to keep everyone in-the-know.  SolidWorks World 2011 Connect is on the SolidWorks website.  The new webpage features feeds from Twitter hashtag #SWW11, many SolidWorks blogs, and the SolidWorks World forum.

Even for the casual reader, this aggregation webpage may be a good one-stop location to see whats going in the realm of SolidWorks World 2011.  There is content that will be relatable for most types of SolidWorks users.

  • The Twitter feeds tend to be live and very lively.
  • The blogs are usually in depth with a lot of helpful information.
  • The forums are a good place to interact with the online SolidWorks community for questions and answers.