Most documentation today is
in a 2-D format and in paper form, which might explain why I recently had so
much trouble following the assembly instructions for a cheap chest of drawers.
So it was no surprise to me
when Samir Hanna, VP of Digital Concept, Manufacturing Industry Group at
Autodesk, reported at a press conference yesterday at Autodesk University that 5 percent
of all product returns are due to lousy documentation as a lead-in to the
announcement of the new Autodesk Inventor Publisher technology.
According to Singh, the
software, which he says is compatible with multiple 3-D CAD packages, was
designed to allow users to easily create interactive, 3-D product documentation
in the form of exploded views or full-motion animations for assembly
instructions, repair and maintenance manuals and the like.
"You don't need to be an
expert in Inventor or even a CAD user," said Senior Product Manager Abhijit
Singh. Noting lots of people are intimidated by animation, he showed
how in just a few clicks he could create an exploded view and a full-motion
animation.
Singh likened it to using some
other common software tools for the office, though how easy some of those tools
actually are is debatable. One of the major benefits, he says, is the
documentation can be developed concurrently during the design process, avoiding
the "after-thought" mentality that often surrounds documentation.
Markups such as callouts and
labels can be added to the documentation, which can be published in a variety
of formats, including PDF, DWF, PPT, SWF, AVI and published to the web or electronically
delivered via email. To wit, Singh waved an iPhone around displaying a 3-D
image he had created just seconds before.
For engineers interested in
taking a test drive, Autodesk is now offering a free download of Inventor
Publisher Technology on Autodesk Labs.
Inforbix is leveraging its CAD and product data access technology to power up a free iPad app that lets mobile users search and access engineering data.
Unlike his friends in engineering programs, blogger Jon Titus had little need for calculus except in a few of his college physical-chemistry labs and classes.
In the wake of the Chevy Volt fire investigations, sales are down, and General Motors' (GM) CEO Dan Akerson is blaming the downturn on a spate of bad publicity.
Thanks to embedded electronics, medical devices are getting smaller and smarter than ever. Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are now able to call physicians. MRIs, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines are gaining mobility. And the venerable Band-Aid may soon be able to detect illnesses ranging from fevers to heart arrhythmias. On February 21, join Design News senior editor Charles Murray for a wide-ranging discussion, "Embedded Angles for Medical Products," which will explore the latest developments in medical electronics. The discussion will examine advances in medical device technology and offer an inside look at the embedded electronics behind it.
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