cad/cam

Software and Hardware Tools for CAD/CAM

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SOFTWARE TOOLS FOR CAD/CAM

There is lot of companies providing software’s for CAD/CAM/CAE solutions worldwide.

Each software having its own importance and specialization. Some details of the widely used

software’s 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 Dassault’s

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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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, feature-

based, 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

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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.

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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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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 Dassault’s Systems Solid Works Corp., a subsidiary

of Dassault’s Systems, S. A. (Vélizy, 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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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.

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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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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 Software’s 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.

Mastercam’s comprehensive set of predefined tool paths—including 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 Mastercam’s

advanced tools to create their own customized definitions.

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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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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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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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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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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 high-

performance electronics designs found in mobile communication and Internet devices,

broadband networking components and systems, integrated circuits, printed circuit boards, and

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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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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 open-

source scripting language Python for scripting and customization. Abaqus/CAE uses the fox-

toolkit 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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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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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