Want to do your part to build a little piece of the virtual Earth? A new free online application from Dassault Systemes and Microsoft is enabling individuals to do just that.
The new test version of Virtual Earth-3DVIA, which can now be downloaded for free, lets users create realistic 3D models, including buildings and structures, and share them through Microsoft Virtual Earth and other online communities.
3DVIA is Dassault’s platform to “democratize 3D,” providing the tools, content and 3D services for anyone to create a 3D experience and share it in the community. With the 3D modeling and visualization tool, users can design 3D models and select from different visualization options, textures and colors to provide a realistic appearance. These 3D models can then be uploaded to Virtual Earth, specifying an address or neighborhood so they can be displayed and experienced in a real-life context.
Google provides similar capabilities for Google Earth via its 3D modeling tool, SketchUp Pro 6.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plasti 2012 aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds.
The rare earth element market has become steadily more rational, and new sources coming online will continue to reduce costs. Still, it is unlikely that prices will drop to their former lows.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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